Canadian Rockies – the Icefields Parkway
The Icefields Parkway is the 200 Km long road connecting Jasper and Lake Louise with incredible views on the way. From Lake Louise to Saskatchewan River Crossing and beyond it is inside Banff NP, the remaining stretch is part of Jasper NP. While on the road you are always surrounded by mountains and glaciers, with lakes and waterfalls everywhere as a result, but the scenery is never the same. Also a lot of well maintained trails start right from the road and take you to the top of those mountains for an even better experience.
It is said that it takes 3 hours to drive the Icefields Parkway, but unless you’re a local or in a hurry, it is really impossible not to stop on the way multiple times and simply enjoy the moment. It took me two days the first time through while exploring the area, spending a night at the Sunwapta Falls, and also on the way back I could not avoid stopping and stopping again even in the same places I had already seen on the way to Jasper… it is that beautiful!
The best lakes are probably in Banff NP, while the area closer to Jasper has more glaciers and waterfalls. My favourite trail instead is where the two parks meet: Parker Ridge. The hike is not easy since you steadily climb all the way to the top where usually it gets cold and windy (be prepared), but the view of the Athabasca glacier on the other side is simply amazing.
The images below are an ideal trip from Lake Louise to Jasper and may give you an idea of what can be seen on the road. I did not include Mount Edith Cavell on purpose since this year you need a special pass to be able to reach it and that means going to Jasper first; I did that so I will add Mount Edith Cavell in the next post dedicated to everything else in Jasper NP.
