The bulk of the driving was done today, taking the famous Icefields Parkway through Banff towards Jasper. The Icefields Parkway is consistently featured in lists showcasing the best drives in the world, and even with the overcast skies and torrential rain its beauty shines through.
Leaving Calgary, you'll pass a large agricultural zone before finally seeing mountains in the distance. You'll drive past Canmore just before entering the park. We did stop by Canmore later in the week to do some horse riding, and the town has cottages and holiday apartments, along with a few quaint stores and cafes in the town centre - a close-enough-to-Banff location which presumably doesn't have Banff prices, although the Banff town centre still has much more options for food and shopping, beyond the unparalleled beauty of the town itself.
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| Simpson's Num-Ti-Jah Lodge |
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| Hiking to Sunwapta Falls |
The drive up towards Jasper is increasingly breathtaking the closer you get to Jasper. We stopped briefly for lunch at a hotel situated just off the highway with pristine lake and mountain views. Lunch featured a tasty soup and sandwich, pricey for what it was, but there weren't exactly alternatives in the area and it at least made for a hearty meal. There was a gift shop adjacent to the restaurant which we browsed while waiting for the rain to calm down before we dashed back to the car.
We did a straight shot to our accommodations, about 20 minutes south of Jasper town. We lost a fair amount of the day to rainfall, and eventually decided to attire ourselves in rain gear and go outside anyway, to the nearby Sunwapta Falls. We parked the car and walked out to the falls, and lo and behold, it stopped raining. Seeing the upper falls is right by the car park, and the lower falls is a half hour walk along the river, and a good way to split up the drive a bit.
There was time enough for one more short hike, to the valley of the five lakes. This hike is discouraging initially, when you reach the edge of the woods and discover a stenchy swamp (which was irritatingly loaded with mosquitos). But perseverance pays off, and if you continue 5-10 minutes further you come across a set of lakes ranging from emerald green to opal blue colour. The whole hike took about an hour.
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| The Valley of Five Lakes |
We returned to the hotel and decided to just eat dinner in the restaurant. For dinner, the hotel's restaurant was a bit pricey, but in line with the cost of the area (and the only restaurant until you reach Jasper 20 minutes away). The food reflected the price though, and overall we were happy enough with our choice at this restaurant to return the next night. We tried lunch at the hotel's restaurant the next day though, and that was a real disappointment. During the day they offer cafeteria style food and service for tourists passing by, but at night they pull out full table service and french food incorporating local game. Even if you're staying in Jasper, I'd recommend the drive out to this hotel to eat dinner at the restaurant. It was infinitely better than anything we saw available in Jasper town.
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| The Valley of Five Lakes |
The Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge was about the best hotel you can get in this area. The rooms were a bit outdated (I hear they're planning to fix that), but featured traditional fireplaces, which the staff lit for us each night we were there. I wasn't a fan of the mosquito burden of the area, being mainly in dense forestation and the wet weather certainly didn't help. But I can't say I got any mosquito bites while indoors. We did head in to Jasper the next day and checked out a few other hotels for comparison, and honestly they were all outdated and overpriced. Returning to our hotel after this venture, we were more satisfied that it was the best available and one of the less expensive options, and I don't think any other restaurant would have held up to the standard of dinner we received at Sunwapta.
Monday, June 25
Today was focussed on seeing Maligne Lake, which is just past Jasper and another 20-30 minutes off the Icefields Parkway. This is the place we spotted the most wildlife. We passed several black bears along the roadside, to the point where we didn't bother to stop and look any more. We saw baby bears climbing trees and running after their mother. The was an abundance of elk on this route too.
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| Black bear family spotted on the way to Maligne Lake |
Maligne lake is stunning, and we spent about half an hour walking along the lakeside. There is a few hiking route options and you can follow the path along the lake much longer than we did. We got distracted by the family of bears that came down to the lake and decided to hang out by the path, so that made a bit of a road block for us. A young child attempted to run out towards the bears, I guess they looked cuddly.
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| View from the Icefields Parkway, Jasper National Park |
We returned to Jasper to check out the town. You'll see all over TripAdvisor that this town really isn't anything special. This is absolutely true. The town lacks the charm of Banff's architecture, has very little choice by way of food, and the only thing worth seeing there is their supermarket if you're interested in getting snacks and fresh food.
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| There are plenty of Elk to spot in Jasper National Park |
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| Waterfall visible from the Icefields Parkway |
In the evening we visited the Athabasca Falls. This involves another leisurely walk through some small canyons and forest, and along elevated platforms. The falls are powerful enough that a small rainbow forms in its mists.
We stayed one more night at Sunwatpa. The initial plan was to stay an extra night, but we decided our time would be better spent in Banff and arranged for an earlier checkout.
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