Icefields Parkway

 Icefields Parkway 01/09/2025

We started the day at about 07:00, after picking up an absolutely cracking pack up from Emerald Lodge that kept us going for most of the day.

We navigated on the day by marking the possible stops on a map, and then downloaded Google Maps so we could use it offline.  The stops were all just off the highway, the offline map gave notification of when the stops were coming up.

The road was stunning from the outset. (07:49)

And the left-hand side peaks took on a golden glow. 

Crowfoot Glacier (08:00)

Our first stop was at the Crowfoot Glacier.  

This was a short leg break, with a great view.

Bow Lake (08:06)

We stopped at the first layby on Bow Lake, which was only a few km up the road from Crowfoot Glacier.   

(I would recommend the second layby).

Peyto Lake (08:30)

This was the first longer stop of the day.  It was about 15 minute walk along a good path up to the viewpoint. Even at 08:30 it was getting busy.

It was a great view.

While the focus is on the lake, the view up the valley was glorious.

Waterfowl Lake (09:21)

This was another leg stretch with a view.

The road still felt like there were great views around every corner.

Mistaya Canyon (09:30)

There was about a 10 minute walk from the car park to the canyon.  This is more a short gorge rather than a canyon.

The river passes through a narrow canyon.  

It was only a few minutes to walk to the end of the canyon.

Looking back up the canyon the layers of the stone are clearly visible.

The road then drops towards the Saskatchewan River.

Howse Pass Viewpoint (10:20)

The viewpoint was quiet, but had picnic tables, a walk with a view,  and a large car park.  

It was different to most of the other stops as there was no definite focus, just great views in every direction.

The road passed side of the river for a while.

Weeping Wall Viewpoint (11:15)

The weeping wall got its reputation from the number of waterfalls on the rockface. In late summer, there were a few trickles.

But I really liked the view from the edge of the carpark.  Being able to see the valley from river level.

The Big Bend.

Because of the time of day went round the big bend, and up the hill, we could see very little as we were looking straight into the sun.

Parker Ridge (11:50)

When we first stopped there was a fine view from the car park. 

It was a steady walk, but very hot.

After about 40 minutes we were getting close to the top of the walk, and could just make out the car park below.

The path then levelled out and led into another valley.

The view was spectacular: the Saskatchewan Glacier, the terminal lake and the valley.  

We did sit for a while to enjoy the view.

The photos all had a haze about them, which was our first encounter with the wildfire smoke.

On the way down, I couldn't resist a quick panorama shot.

Icefield Discovery Centre (15:15)

This was a very welcome stop for a hot coffee, a flushing toilet and running hot water.

We missed our time slot for the Icefields Explorer.  

It was strange to see just how far they went onto the ice to a bus park, with people in the foreground who had walked 15 minutes from the car park.

Like other attractions around the Icefields, it is obvious that they were developed primarily due to their accessibility.  The equally large bus park was in the other direction.

I do think the ice sheet to the left of the accessible area of the glacier was glorious. 

After nearly 9 hours on the road, we were getting tired and decided we needed to focus on getting to the hotel.

We had planned to do the "Toe of the Glacier" walk but this was the first thing we skipped.  

Tangle Creek Falls

We had originally planned to stop at Tangle Creek Falls, but we had decided to skip this aswell.  

Fortunately, we were stopped at the crossing and I managed a quick shot out of the car window.

Sunwapta Falls (16:20)

The falls were converted to a quick photostop.

Athabasca Falls (16:50)

The falls have a steep fall at the beginning.

Then the water is forced through a narrow gorge, where it has eroded the different strata of rock at different rates.

Beyond the falls, the valley widens significantly.

The road from the falls passes through miles of charred forest devastated by the 2024 wildfires.  But with significant new growth evident.

And then to Jasper (17:40)

The Icefields Parkway is one incredible road that lived upto the hype.  We missed the Icefield Explorer, but it did not look a patch on our experience in New Zealand.  

Setting off early we had no problem with parking anywhere, and for long stretches of road we didn't see other cars.

It was a long day and maybe we were over ambitious.  There are 

 many formal stops, there are many walks and then there are the views from the road.  For the most part we stuck to our plan until we ran out of steam.  After the Discovery Centre, we skipped some of the planned stops, and cut the others short, as there was just so much to see.  

We didn’t stop at three places Goats and Glaciers viewpoint, Toe of the Glacier Hike, Tangle Creek Falls, and cut short the stops Sunwapta and Athanasca Falls. I am glad we took the time to fully appreciate the Parker Ridge Trail, which was a glorious few hours surrounded by so much beautiful scenery.

   

Canada Home

Back: Yoho

Next: Jasper

Canada 2025

We went on a Fly Drive holiday from Calgary to Vancouver.

All the organisation was done by My Canada Trips.  The booking experience was brilliant, they listened to what we wanted, on a couple of occasions, made suggestions which were the right thing to do.  We needed to make a change of hotels to cut down on the driving between Jasper and Whistler and they made the change in less than a day.  The hotels were all at least very good and always in great locations, near the centre of town, and some of the hotels were truly exceptional.    They included a number of activities in the package and these were some of the highlights of the holiday.  If you are reading this thanks Jennifer! and all the team who helped us.

It was one of the most amazing holidays I have ever had.  The Rockies were amazing: The Icefields Parkway, the Lakes, the glaciers, the waterfalls, Kootenay, Yoho, West Grey. Then onto Whistler and the Peak to Peak Gondola.  Then it was over to Vancouver Island, and the rugged beauty of the Pacific Rim, and wildlife trips.  Before finishing at the very different cities of Victoria and Vancouver.

The online resources to plan the trip were incredibly useful in identifying places to visit.  The Banff Blog became my reference guide for the Rockies there was just so much useful information.  The various Facebook groups provided a huge amount of up to date information about the conditions of places we were visiting. 

In total, we covered 2,550km (1,585 miles).  The longest drive was from Clearwater to Whistler at around 465km.  The longest day was Emerald Lake to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway, at nearly 10 hours, but there were a few stops on the way. 

We had some great weather, especially in the Rockies with temperatures in the 30s; We also had issues with wildfire smoke from Jasper to the coast; The worst weather was probably the two days in Ucluelet. I did come back with unworn fleeces and trousers and had to buy a fourth pair of shorts!

Itinerary

27 August: Heathrow to Calgary

27-29 August: Banff 

30-31 August: Emerald Lake

01-02 September: Jasper

03 September: Clearwater

04-05 September: Whistler

06 September: Parksville

07-08 September: Ucluelet

09-10 September: Victoria

11 September: Vancouver

12 September: Vancouver to Heathrow

 

The story, and pictiures from the trip:

Banff including Sunshine Meadows - Click Here

Banff Hop On Hop Off bus - Lake Louise and Moraine Lake - Click Here.

Kootenay - Stanley Glacier, Marble Canyon, Paint Pots, Numa Falls - Click Here

Yoho - Natural Bridge, Emerald Lake, Takkakaw Falls, Wapta Falls - Click Here

Icefields Parkway. - Click Here

Jasper - Maligne Lake - Click Here

Jasper to Whistler - Clearwater - Wells Grey - The Chasm - Seton lake - Duffey Lake - Click Here

Whistler, Peak to Peak - Click Here

Vancouver Island - Parksville and Ucluelet - Click Here, 

Victoria - Butchart Gardens - Click Here

Vancouver - Capilano Park - Click Here

Kootenay National Park

Kootenay 31/08/2025 

After three nights in Banff it was time to move on.

We we're heading for two nights at Emerald Lake lodge.  But making a detour into Kootenay National Park. 

The route was Stanley Glacier Hike, Marble Canyon, Paint Pots, Numa Falls, The Continental Divide, Vista Lake then onto Yoho, Upper Spiral and the Natural Bridge before heading to the hotel.

We got to Kootenay at about 08:00, it was quiet, and the sun was playing on the peaks

We parked up at Stanley Glacier and watched the sun play on the peak opposite the car park

Stanley Glacier

Looking up from the road it looked as though it was a fair climb up thtough the woods

In the end it was not a particularly difficult climb, the path zig zagged up the side of the valley.  It was also very refreshing walking through the new growth as the sun was always visible and regularly got views over the park.

The walk levelled out and there were a lot of more mature trees. 

As with all good walks I remembered to look behind me

Near the end of the maintained path, the rain that had been forecast arrived about 3 hours early.  The path was more open and we decided that we were on a tour not a hiking holiday and more than happy with the view we saw.

It took us around 90 minutes to walk back, by which time the rain had passed and the weather was glorious.

Marble Canyon 

Down the road a few KM to reach Marble Canyon, with the temperature going up to around 30degrees C.

The walk at Marble Canyon is along the top ridge, rather than in the canyon itself.  The canyon is relatively narrow, probably no more than 10m, and the water is about 35-40m down.  The best views into the canyon are from the several bridges which criss-cross it.

There are some dramatic views over the canyon to the surrounding peaks. 

The water drops dramatically into the canyon

Above the waterfall there is a wonderful view upstream.

Paint Pots

Paint Pots, we stopped for lunch and then went for the walk, not expecting much.  After dropping down through the woods the path crossed the river, with great views up and down the valley.

  

The early views were limited

After a few minutes, the colours became more dramatic

The view back was striking.

Numa Falls

This was a photostop, and basically our turn-round point in Kootenay.  

It was one of the best views from a car park of the day

The falls were only a short walk away.

The downstream view was through a relatively straight canyon.

We then turned back up the National Park, with a quick stop at the Continental Divide and then Vista Lake. 

Vista Lake was glorious but the photo does not do it justice.

Canada Home

Back: Lake Louise/Moraine Lake
Forward: Yoho