The first major point of interest along the Parkway is the Crowfoot Glacier. The name comes from the three branches of the glacier that make it look like a crow's foot. The left hand/lower branch has receded in recent years like glacier's the world over leaving only the two branches today.
Bow Lake was by far the most spectacular view along the Icefield Parkway on the trip north. You can see that early in the morning when the sun isn't too bright & the wind is non-existent, the photos come up a treat. The lake was so still that the reflection masks the Turquoise colour of the lake. We took ten photos of this lake & not one of them is a bad shot.
All along the Parkway, there are roadside stopping areas so you can pull up & have a look & take some photos. Still at Bow Lake, I had to go one better for this one. I thought it would be clever to cross the road & climb part the way up the hill opposite the lake. I got the shot, but also got nailed by the mosquitoes! They are huge over here! I guess it comes from feeding on deer & bears......
Below is the best photo of the day (and maybe the weekend) and another of Bow Lake. I don't think much else needs to be said.
The ice flow in the centre of picture is Bow Glacier.
One more from Bow Lake. It's a little easier to pick up the turquoise colour of the lake.
The little red dot in the centre of picture is actually a Num-Ti-Jar Lodge. You can stay there for about $300 CAD per night in summer time. A bit on the expensive side, but what a view to wake up to in the morning! Bow Lake also freezes in winter as do most of the lakes in the Rockies.
We stopped here on the way back from Jasper later that day. There was no reflection and the sun had gone to the far side of the lake. To be honest, it was fairly uninteresting. I'd really like to see some of the other lakes further to the north in the early morning with no breeze.
Peyto Lake
This photo of Peyto Lake is taken from the lookout at Bow Pass.
Bow Pass is the highest point on the Icefield Parkway at 2067 m above sea level. Calgary sits quite high at about 1050 m, so Bow Pass is quite high up. The lookout is about 30m higher than the pass itself. The walk to the lookout isn't that far, but the altitude means you get out of breath quite quickly. I can see how people get into trouble in the mountains.
Waterfowl Lake & Mt Cephren
Yet another of Banff National Park's beautiful Turquoise Lakes and the most northern one we saw. Once you get west of the Continental Divide or north of the North Saskatchewan River, the blue in the rivers & lakes, miraculously disappears. The rivers change to a milky grey & the lakes seem to all be more of a green tinge.
The first 75 kms from Lake Louise are the most picturesque of the entire 237 kms journey with a bunch of lakes, rivers, mountains & glaciers to see. If you aren't to keen on the long drive to Jasper, I would advise concentrating on the points of interest at least up to this point.
The Mountain Peak behind is Mount Cephren. I just can't help but take pictures of blue lakes with mountain reflections & there are stacks to choose from in the mountains around here.
North Saskatchewan River
You can see what I mean about the rivers loosing the blue colour once you hit the North Saskatchewan River. This shot is taken from in front of the weeping wall. The wall is mildly interesting, but you end up too close to it to take a decent photo. Also it was in shadow.
This shot is semi-typical of the outlook from the road as it runs through the valley all the way to Jasper. It may be typical, but it's forever changing & never boring.
Bridal Veil Falls
As the road climbs the escarpment at the end of the valley above, there's a rest area with a view of Bridal Veil Falls (below), one of many waterfalls along the parkway.
Athabasca Glacier
This is the No. 1 tourist trap on the Icefields Parkway.
The Athabasca Glacier is the visual part of the Columbia Icefield that stretches 75kms north West into the Rocky Mountains. To be honest, the Athabasca Glacier isn't that spectacular although I am half keen to take a helicopter or light plane flight over the icefield. I am told the glaciers on the NZ south island are much more impressive. (I'll get back to you on that one someday).
Having said all that, the view from the visitor centre is pretty impressive with Parker Ridge to the left (first picture) and the Stutfield Glacier to the right (second photo).
We were lucky to have brilliant blue skies for most of the day. The next day the haze from the forest fires took over.
Tangle Falls is the most interesting of all the water falls along the Icefields Parkway (and there are many). Many drive past them unaware after heading off from the Icefields Centre. I've seen photos of these falls when they're iced up. I'm thinking a trip along the Parkway in winter is something we should do before we leave Canada.
There's a lengthy stretch without much of significance until you reach Sunwapta falls (below) about 55kms short of Jasper. To be honest, we were a little disappointed in them after Takakkaw falls the previous day but they're still well worth a look.
A sort way further north the Athabasca Falls have the largest volume of water of any of the falls in the Rockies. This one is very popular with the tourist buses.
After leaving Athabasca Falls, we headed down the 93A which is a road that runs parallel to the main parkway road. It services a couple of little lakes & a few camping grounds.
So we came around a bend & this is what we saw. Black bears are a lot smaller than their grizzly cousins, but are no less dangerous. This guy was just wandering along the road, looking for things to eat.
Cautiously we drove up alongside the bear as he walked along. He didn't seem too concerned about our presence and went about his business. It was fantastic to even sight a bear, let alone get this close to one.
Our new friend kept digging around on the side of the road looking for food. I don't know what he was after, but he found plenty of whatever it was.
A very cool close encounter. Can't wait to see more animals & there is no shortage of them in Canada & they are out in the daytime!
Footnote: Two things you do not do with bears of any type. Approach them or back them into a corner. They don't like getting threatened & have mauled people who do exactly that. Not long after our bear sighting, we came up to a campground & saw a commotion of some sort. It turned out to be another bear that was feeding on something. Sure enough there were 6 idiot tourists with cameras converging on the animal doing exactly what you shouldn't do with bears...... Some people are just not very bright.
The animal spotting continued. You may remember the Bull Elk we spotted next to the Bow Valley Parkway about a month ago. Well, just outside Jasper, we spotted this Elk doe beside the road, just kicking back chewing its cud. Another tick in the box.
Medicine Lake is similar to many of the lakes around Alberta. It has more of a green tinge to it than the ones in Banff National Park as do most of the lakes outside Banff National Park.
Medicine Lake has a difference. It has no exit stream like most lakes, it has sink holes where the water flows into an underground system nearly all the way down to Jasper and empties into the River in the valley below. In the drier months, the lake actually empties leaving a plateau with some small pools.
You may have seen a photo of a Ground Squirrel in a previous entry. They are everywhere in Calgary. When you go into the National Parks, you see them everywhere as well, but they are a different type. Apparently these little guys are the true native gopher called the Columbia Ground Squirrel. Instead of being a drab brown colour like their prairie cousins, they are blue & orange. They're quite a bit bigger as well.
We refueled the car in Jasper and headed back to Banff. The cloud had started to close in and the winds was up so the spectacular photographic conditions from the morning were a distant memory. We didn't stop more than for a couple of comfort stops on the way. We were pretty glad to be out of the car by the end of it but made a plan to return to Jasper soon.
