Tuesday 5 August 2008

The Icefields Parkway

Today was our last day in the mountains for this adventure. The skies were clear again so the drive back to Calgary along the Icefields Parkway promised to be spectacular. As is our custom now, we had breakfast early, and got out on the road before the tourist buses.

Athabasca Falls

We haven't been to Athabasca Falls since last year. We've been  too busy exploring all the other great places around Jasper. It was early so we thought we'd sneak into Athabasca Falls before the buses arrived.

It was a great call because it was peaceful and the sun was doing wonderful things with the spray off the falls.

Columbia Icefield

We've been blowing straight past the Icefields Centre the last few times we've been past. It is the number one tourist trap on the parkway. Today, the clear skies forced us into stopping. Above is Parker Ridge to the left of picture & the Athabasca Glacier to the right. Below, the enormous carpark that caters for the summer tourist flow.

Parker Ridge
Athabasca Glacier
Mt Kitchener

Waterfowl Lake & Mount Cephran

We always stop at Waterfowl Lake but today it was spectacular.
After a poor start with the weather, this Jasper visit turner out to be pretty successful overall. We'll be back soon when Julie comes to visit from London.