This morning was a fresh adventure. It was time to head northward and begin what was considered on of the most scenic drives in all of the North America. This was the Icefields parkway between Banff and Jasper Canada. I had done much research about this place and decided that this drive should be enjoyed, so after packed up our tent, and grabbed our morning coffee at the local gas station, we started our treck northward a little after the sun was above the horizon.
The first stretch of this journey was familiar as we had trekked this the day before heading to Lake Louise. As we passed this area and ventured northward, I could feel us getting into primitive territory. Once we finished up about 50 miles of backwoods driving with few sites, we reached out first site of the morning which was Peyto Lake. This lake is one of the most scenic and blue spots in all of Canada, and the short hike to the overlook was the perfect start to the day to stretch the legs and be presented with a true visual treat. aS you can see below the lake has the most beautiful ice/ glacial blue powder water, and during the sunrise int he morning it was absolutely splendid. Even the hike was gorgeous as there were flowers all over the trail and few people to be bothered.
After we went to the car, and started the journey again we kept passing scenic view after scenic view. Mountain vistas, and incredible blue river valleys that would take a lifetime to capture all the beauty available to the eye. since we felt we had allot of day left we decided to drive through allot of these, and reach our next stop called Athabasca Galcier. This area is one of the most popular sites along the route, and can’t be missed as the glacier itself is almost roadside, and almost a mile and a half wide.
There is a nice coffee shop and restaurant, even lodging is available at the glacier area. There have glacier tours with enormous ice trucks where people can ride onto the glacier. We decided to forego that experience as our itinerary for the day still included more hiking and furthermore to setup camp. We grabbed coffee, and did a short hike to the edge of the glacier and then hoped back int he car and headed northward further.
We still have almost 50 miles of driving left in the day and it was almost noon. Our next stop was a short ways up from the glacier which was a waterfall which has the same name…Athabasca Falls. This is one of the most popular sites in Canada, which features a beautiful cascading waterfalls that is fed from a river above, where there is a tree that grows in the center of the stream. It provides a great short hiking opportunity, and recreation at the bottom of the falls for fishing, and kayaking…and of course great photo opportunity.
After enjoying the sunset, and having a snack for lunch at a restaurant very close to the falls, we stumbled across a sign for camping very close to the falls. We decided to check the availability out, and sure enough there was a spot left! This made me happy that we could find a spot so close to Jasper ( our final destination) and one so close to the Falls and a peaceful lake.
The rest of the day was left for us to explore the tourist town of Jasper. This area was very similar to Banff, but more geared towards outdoor tourism, whereas Banff seemed to be dedicated to luxury tourism. This was a wonderful retreat from driving, and we were able to have some afternoon drinks, and eventually an easy dinner (without having to cook).
We decided to head back to camp with about an hour of sunlight left. There was a sign for a great lake that was beautiful during sunset. It was aligned by the continental divide, and we could see the juxtaposition of the mountains to the landscape across the land, and it was a view fitting for a photoshoot. We enjoyed sunset and finished the day with some beer at the campsite. Overall today was a great day that deserved a remembrance. I will forever remember the drive up the ice fields parkway, and one day will return to further explore.
EXPENSES
36.25 gas
19.85 lunch
15.70 camp
10.40 coffee
5.54 sticker
25 lunch
13.06 grocery
14.21 gas
9.77 snack
Total – 144.24