Traversing the majestic Rockies
From turquoise lakes to crevasses that are awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time
The snow-capped peaks, glacial lakes and verdant forests that stretch over the expansive Alberta parkland from Banff all the way north to Jasper are quite simply stunning.
And for anyone who’s eager to shake off months of pandemic restrictions and take advantage of their newfound mobility, this is a great time to get outside and explore one of Canada’s top tourist destinations.
Summer is traditionally the peak tourism season for the area, and while the number of visitors to Banff National Park rose to 1.4 million by the end of June this year, only slightly behind pre-pandemic times, the number of people staying overnight is down significantly. Travel opened up for fully vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9, with the same due to apply to international tourists on Sept. 7, and until their numbers rise, this is a unique time for Canadians to explore the parks without the usual crowds.
Banff has grown in popularity ever since it became the country’s first — and the world’s third — national park in 1885. Over time, the protected park was expanded to include Lake Louise and in 1930 Jasper was also granted national park status. Today the whole area is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
A short 90-minute drive from Calgary, Banff is home to about 7,800 people and normally attracts approximately 4.1 million visitors a year.
The alpine air is fresh and the perfectly aqua-blue Bow River weaves its way through Banff, which at 1,383 metres above sea level, boasts of having the highest elevation of any town in Canada.
To call it picturesque would be an understatement.
A great introduction to the area is the Bow Valley Parkway, a 48-kilometre secondary highway that connects Banff to Lake Louise. Not only is the mountain scenery beautiful, it’s also known as a good area to see wildlife. And a 17-km portion of the route is closed to traffic this summer.
I cycle about 27 km from Banff to Johnston Canyon. I hike a pretty path to the lower waterfall and, rather than meeting a queue of people at the limestone archway, I walk right through and stand close enough to feel the refreshing spray on my face.
And when I meet Jacob Dans, an apprentice alpine guide with Yamnuska Mountain Adventures, just outside the town at Sunshine Rock to do some sport climbing, there’s plenty of space. The 30-metre high cliff face offers a mix of climbs from easy to moderate. And with Dans’ expert tips I scale a handful of routes. Not only does coming faceto-face with the limestone give me a whole new appreciation of the surrounding peaks, but it’s also fun, a good workout and hugely satisfying.
As is my time in Lake Louise — a hamlet with two gas stations, a strip mall and tons of beautiful sights and trails.
I hike the Plain of the Six Glaciers trail, which begins next to the lake and makes its way through subalpine forest and along the edge of glacial moraines to the eponymously named teahouse built in the 1920s.
Chris Booth, my guide with White Mountain Adventures, and I hike a bit beyond the teahouse and closer to Victoria Glacier (which can be seen from the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise below). It’s amazing to look back at the lake and the resort, both of which appear tiny.
It’s also wonderful to see the lake from the opposite vantage point at Lake Louise Ski Resort. The vistas are stunning from the Whitehorn Bistro, 2,042 metres above sea level, where Chef Brad Froehlich spoils diners with everything from Nicoise salads to hearty burgers.
It’s great to get to know Lake Louise from different vantage points, but the best way to experience the stunning lake is to simply paddle on it.
Gliding along the turquoise water, surrounded by the mountains and glaciers really is breathtaking and soothing for the soul.
It would be oh-so-easy to stay, but I pull myself away to take one of the world’s most spectacular drives along the Icefields Parkway, which links Banff with Jasper National Park. The 230 km route is full of glacier-topped peaks, waterfalls and pristine lakes. And it’s easy to stop along the way.
The halfway point is around Mount Athabasca, which at 3,491 metres is the literal high point and the 12th tallest mountain in Alberta.
The accompanying Athabasca Glacier is one of the six “toes” of the Columbia Icefield — a mammoth 325-sq.-km area, the largest icefield in North America’s Rocky Mountains.
I check out the Glacier Skywalk, a 4-cm thick glass-floored observation platform perched 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley, to get a phenomenal view of the surrounding peaks, waterfalls and forests.
The next day Chris Girard, a guide with Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, takes me and two others on a hike across the Athabasca Glacier. We set off at an elevation of 1,900 metres with crampons and hiking poles, crossing the gravelly moraine before getting onto the actual ice pack. There are little streams running through the ice and deep crevasses in some places. It’s estimated that the icefield is 240,000 years old and that about three- to five-metres of the glacier melts every year.
The icefield crosses the Continental Divide. And the unique area is known as a hydrological apex, with meltwater ultimately flowing to three oceans — the Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic. We find a large, deep crevasse and Girard rigs up ropes on the field so we can climb down one-by-one and get a closer look inside. It’s awe-inspiring and terrifying at the same time.
We hike back on a different route and are greeted by a field of purple fireweed flowers.
The rest of the parkway is beckoning and I need to make it to the town of Jasper before nightfall, so I carry on — resisting the urge to stop for waterfalls and stellar mountain views.
Jasper, with a population of about 5,000, is filled with even more lakes and rivers than Banff and is just as irresistible.
I go mountain biking near Lac Beauvert with Elissa Cummings, the owner and founder of Journey Bike Guides, and visit Pyramid Mountain on a Harley Davidson motorcycle tour with Rob Logan, a guide with Jasper Motorcycle Tours.
Being in the open air on wheels is a great way to see the area, but for some spots the best way to explore is on foot.
Maligne Canyon and lake is one such area. The slot canyon is two kilometres of limestone and quartzite that is a mere two metres wide at points, but up to 50 metres deep, says Jeff Morris, my guide with Sundog Tours.
The canyon is part of one of the largest unexplored cave drainage systems in the world and glacial meltwater runs through it to Maligne Lake.
It’s also a pretty walk and full of surprises. Heart-shaped chockstones balance between the two sides of the canyon and tiny fossils, nestled into the path, date back about 365 million years.
Maligne Lake is another turquoise stunner. I board a motorboat to check out the largest, naturally formed, glacial-fed lake in the Rockies. There’s plenty of room to sit or move around on the boat, which normally holds up to 45 people.
Captain Liam White and guide Kelly Arnold take everyone on a beautiful ride to Spirit Island, where we get off for a short walk. The island, a spiritual place for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation, is surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range, offering fantastic views.
The Mount Edith Cavell area is also worth a hike.
Joy Prockter, co-owner and guide with Jasper Hikes and Tours, explains how the nearby Angel Glacier (so-called because it looks like an angel’s wings) has been calving, or breaking up, with chunks of ice falling into the glacial lake below. Not only can I see icebergs in the water, but on a few occasions I hear thunderous avalanches.
Prockter points out hoary marmots and pikas — both little mountain-dwelling mammals — and all sorts of plants and lichen along the way. Towards the end of the hike we’re spoiled with fields of wildflowers — Arnica, Grass of Parnassus and Harebells among others.
Throughout the trip I’m astounded by the beauty of the land, lakes and mountains. I’m also fortunate to see bears, elk and even a lynx.
Despite the Rockies’ popularity, great swathes of the mountainous region are untouched by development.
And Jasper takes the whole experience up another notch by being a designated Dark Sky Preserve, so after I’ve spent the day taking in jaw-dropping scenery, I can stare at the amazing stars and constellations at night.
The Rockies really are a celebration of nature at its best.
It’s great to get to know Lake Louise from different vantage points, but the best way to experience the stunning lake is to simply paddle on it.