Canadian Rockies

Aug. 2004 - Canada's Rocky Mountain parks include Jasper and Banff, which together comprise 17,519 sq. km (6,764 sq. miles). The parks are traversed by one of the most scenic highway systems in Canada, plus innumerable nature trails leading to more remote valleys and peaks. The two "capitals," Banff and Jasper, lie 287km (178 miles) apart, connected by Highway 93, one of the most scenic routes you'll ever drive. Banff is 128km (79 miles) from Calgary via Highway 1. I am about to experience one of the world’s most beautiful mountain drives.

Banff and Jasper national parks are famous for their jade-coloured mountain lakes, thundering waterfalls, misty canyons, flower-spangled meadows, towering peaks choked by glaciers, and abundant wildlife.

The Canyons and Waterfalls

Johnston Canyon Lower Falls	Johnston Canyon Upper Falls
Mistaya Canyon	Sunwapta Falls
Athabasca Falls	Maligne Canyon

The Lakes

At Lake Louise, this small alpine lake sets the standard for beauty by which all mountain lakes must be compared. You surely will agree that it is graced both with an ideal setting—a fairytale land of mountain peaks, green forests and snow-covered glacier—and its exquisite turquoise color

Moraine Lake is at the southwest end of the Valley of Ten Peaks, nestled between four glaciers. The lake was formed by a rockslide that looked like glacial moraine to early visitors.
Lake Louise itself lies a few hundred metes above the Bow Valley floor. The lake is surrounded by several mountains, a glacier, and of course the Chateau Lake Louise.
Lake Agnes, near the top of Mt St Piran, is a 3.4 kilometer hike above Lake Louise and is named after Lady Agnes Macdonald, wife of the Canadian prime minister at the time the railroad was built. There is a teahouse by the lake (built in 1905) that is a popular stop for hikers enjoying the views of Bridal Veil Falls and the Devil's Thumb rock outcrop.
Bow Lake was created by the retreating Bow Glacier. It is surrounded on the right by Mount Jimmy Simpson, and on the left by Crowfoot Mountain. (at Num Ti Jah Lodge)
One of the most awesome views in Banff National Park is from the Peyto Lake Viewpoint. You drive past Peyto Lake (shown), which is located a quarter-mile from the highway. This lake, with its blue-green water, offers a spectacular high-level 60-mile view of not just the lake, but over 60 miles up the Mistaya and North Saskatchewan River valleys to the northwest.
Maligne Lake

The Mountains and Glaciers

The Icefields Parkway begins just to the north, and your head may swivel trying to capture all the views along its route. To the left, a sliver thread of a waterfall plunges over a cliff, its wisp of a stream caught in a breeze and tossed right back up the mountainside. To the right, a jagged mountain ridge soars above, its sawtooth edges outlined in snow. Ahead looms Athabasca Glacier, one of the largest and most accessible of the region’s many ice flows. More than a half mile wide and four miles long, it slides at a glacial pace down the mountainside to near the parkway. A short trail leads up the ice for first-hand glacier trekking, or you can join a snow coach tour departing from the Icefields Visitor Center.

Crawfoot Glacier. This long glacier is perched on a cliffside on the northeast slope of Crowfoot Mountain, high above Bow Lake. More than a hundred years ago when it was named, it resembled a crow’s foot with three “toes”. In the last 50 years, however, the third (lower) toe has receded and now completely disappeared.
the drive to Icefields Parkway
The Columbia Icefields are halfway between Lake Louise and Jasper.
Athabasca Glacier at Icefield Centre.
Mt. Edith Cavell (Angel's Landing can be easily reached by a short walk of the mountain's north wall.)

Views from the Hikes

A a hike up to the 1905 Lake Agnes Teahouse, taking you past a stunning view of two small lakes, a waterfall and of course, Lake Louise way below. The 3.4 kilometer hike climbs about 1000 feet, but are rewarded at the teahouse, which serves freshly baked muffins and cakes from ingredients hiked up the mountain.
Trail towards Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. This extension of the Lake Louise lakeside hiking trail has a summer tea house. Half a mile past there, you stand below 500 metres cliffs with icefalls, surrounded by six glaciers.
At the end of the trail at Chateau Lake Louise. This 1.5 mile long lake, at 5,660 ft, is nestled between three stunning mountains: Mount Victoria (with the glacier), Mount St. Piran (on the right) and Fairview Mountain (on the left).

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