Week 31: Banff to Jasper National Park

My 31st week on the road was one of the most scenic experiences of my journey with travels through Banff National Park, the Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park and Lake Louise.

Jasper National Park
After getting the all-clear from Trooper’s vet in Canmore to continue our travels, we headed north on route 93, also known as the Icefields Parkway and one of the most breathtaking drives in the world (according to most literature I read about it).  Jasper National Park is Canada’s largest national park with 10,878 square kilometers, Alberta’s highest mountain (Mt. Columbia at 3,747 meters), and the world’s largest “Dark Sky Preserve” (with 11,228 square kilometers of stars).  I stopped several times to take in the beauty and capture it on film.  

Border of Banff and Jasper National Parks

Crowfoot Glacier overlooking Bow Lake 

We arrived at Whistlers Campground just outside town and were lucky to get one of the last few sites big enough for PattyWaggin.  It was chilly and rainy, but after a few stressful days, I welcomed an afternoon of quietude.  Thursday morning (7/25), Trooper and I enjoyed a slow morning and large breakfast of potatoes, eggs and bacon (Trooper’s appetite certainly wasn’t effected by Lyme).  The rain subsided in the afternoon giving us an opportunity to explore the surrounding area, including the Athabasca River located across the street and en route into town.  The river has an intriguing icy white hue from glacial silt.

Our campsite at Jasper National Park's Whistler's campground

T enjoying the Athabasca River 

A little rain won't stop us

But we'll enjoy a break in the clouds

A good day for rafting?

I've been trying to photo a Pileated Woodpecker for months... finally!

Friday (7/25) was another rainy day, but I wanted to get out and explore Jasper.  The weather kept the crowds away giving us easy parking and lots of space to enjoy local favorites like a mochaccino and sticky bun from Bear Paws Bakery.  We walked around town for two hours enjoying another awesome little town in the midst of the Canadian Rockies.  Based on a recommendation, I drove five km outside town and parked at Jasper Stables for easy access to a great trail system.  Trooper and I hiked Cottonwood Slough and I was relieved to see him pulling most of the way.  After our hike, I drove to Patricia and Pyramid Lakes to photograph the lake named the same as my mother.

Nothing like warming up with a sticky bun and mocha

Downtown Jasper looking West

Looking East

Trooper Bear meets town grizzly bear

Mom would be proud

And even more proud

T & me at Patricia Lake

Popular RV spot and a tired pup

Continuing our rainy day explorations, I drove to Maligne Canyon which is a massive limestone canyon just outside town.  The trailhead parking lot was packed with not a single space for the RV, but the lookout less than .5 km away was completely empty giving us a quiet place for photos and lunch.  It’s interesting and delightful that by meandering just off the beaten path, you find yourself away from the crowds and able to enjoy nature at its best.

Maligne Canyon from the outlook

Sometimes he just doesn't cooperate with photos

Lunchtime

Check out that bubble!

Saturday morning (7/26), I chatted with the campground staff on biking and hiking recommendations.  They told me that Whistlers Mountain was closed due to a cougar and to watch out for the grizzly that lives on the nearby golf course.  Since I was solo-hiking, they suggested one of the more popular hikes, Old Fort Point.  I left T in the RV and hopped on the Trek to ride to the trailhead.  Along the way, an elk gave me a bit of a scare with her brown coat and large frame.  After backing up (and getting a few pics), she crossed the road and I continued my ride.  It was a beautiful day giving me great views of the surrounding mountains, Athabasca river and downtown Jasper.  And fortunately, the trail was plenty busy giving me comfort that the grizzlies and I would not surprise one another on that day (I really want to see one but only from the comfort of my vehicle with the zoom lens in focus).

Happy to see an elk (rather than grizzly) at this close range

Great day for a bike ride

Athabasca River with Pryamid Mountain in the background

View of Jasper from atop Old Fort Point

View of the Athabasca River and Whistlers Mountain

Maligne Lake
Maligne Lake was a “must-do” in everything I read and everyone I chatted with so that was our plan for Sunday (7/27).  The lake is the second largest glacier-fed lake in the world and the oldest attraction in the national park.  The drive was a little over twenty km one way with rewarding scenery (despite the minor traffic jam of tour buses and cars en route to the 10 a.m. boat tour).  Trooper and I hiked the only trail he was allowed on, Moose Lake Loop.  It was only four km and since most folks were on longer hikes, it was eerily quiet through dense forest and tall pines.  We came up over a little knoll to find several groups of people quietly watching two moose frolicking in Moose Lake (I laughed quietly at the realization of how the hike got its name).  I tied Trooper to a tree then slowly crept to the water’s edge to capture the beautiful creatures.  Seeing the two moose made my day!  

Maligne Lake 

Worthy of a black & white and worthy of the drive

T enjoying cold freshwater

Waiting patiently as I went back to the RV for the camera

Appropriately named!

What a beautiful sight and lucky day

Not sure the photographer saw this one coming

But this guy never took his eyes off them

Truly majestic creatures

On the drive back into town, just after the overcrowded lookout for Medicine Lake, I turned into a hidden gravel lot.  Trooper and I got out to explore and found a boat ramp leading into the crystal clear water.  Another example of finding serenity just around the bend from the crowds.  I made sure to soak my feet and Trooper’s paws in the water; Aboriginal people believed that spirits inhabited the lake due to the wild fluctuations in water level.  In summer, the lake often overflows while in winter, it becomes a mudflat.  It is one of the largest sinking lakes in the Western Hemisphere.

Crystal clear (and healing) water of Medicine Lake

Athabasca Falls
We said our goodbyes to Jasper Monday morning after five fun-filled days.  Being alone in grizzly country prevented me from hiking backcountry, but gives me a perfect excuse to return one day (hopefully very soon).  I drove south on the Icefields Parkway and stopped at Athabasca Falls.  Despite the six tour buses in the parking lot and second guessing my choice to stop, I was quickly in awe of the falls.  The wide Athabasca River is forced into a narrow gorge creating the twenty-three meter falls.  

The wide Athabasca River flowing into a small gorge (right)

Impressive (and loud!)

And a perfect place for a rainbow

Columbia Icefields
Continuing south, I pulled into the Columbia Icefield Center around noon.  I saw a sign for overnight parking and verified with several other RVers that for $15, I could spend the night overlooking one of the most impressive sights.  The Columbia icefield consists of eight glaciers and is one of the largest south of the Arctic Circle (at 325 square km).  This icefield is critical to the Northern Hemisphere’s water supply since it feeds the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.  It was a hot day but the glaciers brought a chill to the parking lot.  Trooper and I hiked to the glacier and unlike several other visitors, we heeded the “strongly recommended” sign to stay away from the foot of the glacier.  As we walked, there were signs showing where the glacier had been over the decades leaving a stark realization that global warming has reduced the glacier 40% in the past 125 years.

Athabasca glacier from the parking lot

Dome Glacier

Realization of global warming

T & I headed up to the Athabasca Glacier

Cooling off at the glacier

Sunny and chilly... a great combination

I think he likes frigid glacier water

As the afternoon progressed, I continued moving Trooper into the shade around the RV.  I met several people including two women who left me their red bean pastry; Karen and Jerry from Sonoma County who walked (yes WALKED) across the US a few years ago after retiring; Julie from Toronto who may have a business opportunity for me; and Pat from Utah who was kind enough to give me her contact information for when I make it there.  It was a very social afternoon followed by an incredible evening watching the tourists leave and the sun set over the stunning glaciers.  

Great place to call home for a night

Trooper making friends in the shade

I woke up at 6 a.m. Tuesday (7/29) and put my glasses on to see a delicate pink hue against the glaciers as the sun was rising.  I walked through an empty parking lot capturing the beauty and realized that I was completely and utterly happy.  The splendor of the Canadian Rockies and being engulfed in nature’s perfection gave me a pure and simple contentment.

Sunrise over the icefields

What a spectacular place to wake up 

My fellow RVers

Lake Louise
We left the Columbia Icefield at 7:30 a.m. and made our way to Lake Louise.  It wasn’t high on my list but seemed to be high on the list of everyone I talked to, so I went.  Even though the campground sign said “Full”, I was able to get a site for three nights.  As I was driving to my site, I saw Noel and Shelly’s rig (couple from Michigan that I met in Banff).  I stopped to say hello and let them know what happened with Trooper in Banff.  A few hours later, the three of us and our two dogs walked along the Bow River Trail.  It was very hot but the flat trail with river access allowed us to cool the pups off.  After a little over one hour, I put T back in the RV and turned on the AC.  

Our Lake Louise home

View along the Bow River

I think this is Fairview Mountain

The tent area is surrounded by electric fence to keep the bears out

I got on the bike to ride into “Lake Louise Village” which turned out to be a large parking lot with approximately 10 stores and hundreds of people!  I was shocked.  There were 5 tour buses in the parking lot and too many people for the “village”.  After grabbing a mocha and apple crisp from the Trailhead Cafe, I stopped a local and asked him if I was missing something.  Kurt and I spent the next few hours talking about (and making fun of) Lake Louise and sharing our similar stories of life-changing events leading us both to quit the corporate world and enjoy life.  I was sad to part ways, but grateful for a special afternoon.

Later that evening, Noel and Shelly took me to Lake Louise to walk along the shore, see the Fairmont Chateau and experience the insanity.  There were thousands of people.  I’m not one for crowds, and Lake Louise takes it to a new level.

Lake Louise looking southwest

Perspective from the other end looking back on the Fairmont Chateau

Did I mention the people?

Stayed long enough to see the sun setting

Lake Agnus & Big Beehive

On Thursday, Noel and Shelly gave me a ride back up to Lake Louise to hike Lake Agnus and Big Beehive.  We started hiking around 9:30 and parted ways shortly after.  I’m a relatively fast hiker and wanted to get back to the RV before it got too hot.  Perhaps I was over prepared with my backpack, air horn and bear spray, but I felt well-equipped for a fourteen km hike in bear country.  The trail was congested with hundreds of people looking like they were going to Sunday brunch in full makeup, perfume (which I hear bears love), and flip-flops holding a bottle of Aquafina.  I was convinced that Lake Louise is a scam!  Is it beautiful? Yes.  Are the hikes challenging and rewarding? Yes.  Do the thousands of people crammed into a tiny location make it worth it?  NO! (my humble opinion).  When you can drive ten km in any direction and be one of the only people hiking among rugged mountains and glaciers, Lake Louise just didn’t make sense to me.  I’m glad that I experienced it, but on future trips to the amazing Canadian Rockies, I will skip the Lake Louise area.

Shelly, Shadow and I ready for a long hike at Lake Louise 

Lake Agnus tea house in the distance en route to the top of Big Beehive

View from the top of Big Beehive 

Looking down on Lake Louise 

And making new friends (I know you're not supposed to feed wildlife, but how can you resist this cutie?)

During our Thursday evening stroll around the campground, I saw a bear in the woods too close for comfort.  I circled back to the RV, put T in, and then grabbed the camera to capture him as he walked past my campsite (from the safety of standing next to the RV).  I thought it was a grizzly due to the color and apparent shoulder hump, but after showing it to the park ranger later that night, he said it was a brown black bear.  I didn’t know black bears could be brown but apparently all bears can range in colors of blond, brown, cinnamon, and black.  I was happy to see one that close but a little disappointed that it was “just” a black bear!  Later that evening, a coyote was hanging around the campsite so after a few pics, I chased him off.

"Just" a black bear

Caught this on our evening stroll 

Coyotes are much bigger out west!

Moraine Lake

My alarm went off at 6:30 a.m. Friday morning, I put in my contacts, made Starbucks VIA, and drove up to Moraine Lake.  Considering the crowds, I wanted to see the lake before leaving Lake Louise and before the people filled the area.  Lake Louise is one of three key nurseries for Banff’s grizzly bears making hiking in “tight” groups of four mandatory.  Fortunately, Trooper and I were allowed to walk along the shoreline without that restriction.  It was serene and a nice farewell to Lake Louise.

Two hikers heading out early

And clearly ignoring the sign they just walked by

Early morning at Moraine Lake

Crystal clear water 

Looking back from the other side

And our final pic before saying goodbye

My time in the Canadian Rockies continued to be one of my favorites among my journey.  The beauty of the mountains, the lure of rarely seen wildlife, and the friendliness of the locals make me want to call this place my home.

Final Thoughts

Animals versus People.  I had several interesting conversations with folks regarding the local wildlife and whether "the parks are for the people or animals".  In Banff and Jasper National Parks, there are a lot of restrictions and warnings, but it seemed to me that the parks do a fantastic job keeping the two separated and protected.  My personal opinion is that as humans, we are visiting the place where wildlife live, feed, breed and raise their young.  We have taken enough of their land; let's respect their homes and give them their space.

Thanks for reading and until next time…