16 US States and 4 Canadian Provinces. (Banff NP and Jasper NP), July 2022

[Todd780]

?? Definitely! Great advice.

I’d also suggest that drive, south through the lovely, less traveled Kananaskis Country and especially to visit Peter Lougheed Provincial Park.

Yes! We camped in Elkwood which is in Peter Lougheed and it's very nice! If the OP wants to spend a night camping in Kananaskis, they can see if Sundance Lodges has any of their trappers tents available in their campground. Beats a hotel to me!

Sundance Lodges

Sundance Lodges offers adventure accommodation in beautiful canvas tipis and comfortable Trapper's Tents located in Kananaskis - the heart of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Nestled in the forrest, this quiet campground is ideal for families and those looking for an outdoor family friendly adventure.

www.sundancelodges.com

Trapper's Tents — Sundance Lodges

Trapper's Tents

www.sundancelodges.com

 

[ITTOG]

It was time to go walking now on Banff Avenue.
Banff Avenue. Everyone must take this picture when you go to Banff.

That they do!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

We visited all these places yesterday, but my internet decided to stop working, telling me that I have used up all my unlimited data roaming out of the country. I had to pay $40 today to get "Unlimited Data Pass" which my plan already has just to have 5G internet for roaming while I am still in Canada. And I have only 4 days left in Canada.
Lake Louise

And this is the famous Chateau Lake Louise

After this, we drove to Moraine Lake and was lucky the road was open for it was closed when we were going to Lake Louise and closed again when we left Moraine Lake as traffic had build up again. We got into Moraine Lake at 7pm.
The all natural and exquisitely beautiful Lake Moraine

And this is that image of Lake Moraine on the $20 Canadian bill

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

You have not been to Banff until you do at least 2 of these 4 things below.
Stand in line to get ice cream from here.

Get a beaver tail. This is my favorite flavor; Brownie. Has tons of chocolate. Had one everyday.

Take an iconic picture at this always full of tourists, Banff sign.

Take a picture also at the less busy Lake Louise sign

And when you are driving from Lake Louise back to Banff, take the time to admire these tunnels as you go through them on Highway 1.

 

[acmcdonaldgp]

….And when you are driving from Lake Louise back to Banff, take the time to admire these tunnels as you go through them on Highway 1.

I’m loving your trip highlights! Thanks.

I agree, those overpasses are awesome! They make it much safer for wildlife to migrate within the park. They have driven down the wildlife related auto accidents by over 80%.

10 quick facts about highway wildlife crossings in the park

10 quick facts about highway wildlife crossings in the park

www.pc.gc.ca

How wildlife bridges over highways make animals—and people—safer

Bridges for bears and tunnels for tortoises have significantly reduced the number of wildlife-car collisions worldwide.

www.nationalgeographic.com

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[PetitFrereArmada]

The places we visited today.
Marvel at the engineering of the Spiral Tunnels. Someone else has to explain exactly what this is because I cannot explain it, but I was lucky to see a train doing the maneuver.

Next stop was the stunningly beautiful Emerald Lake. A sight to see. Do not miss it!

Rent a red canoe and make this experience intimate!

If you visit Emerald Lake, do not for any reason miss to visit Takakkaw Falls! The second highest Falls in Canada. Make sure to do the whole 1 mile round trip hike and go under the fall to get wet! it will put a smile on your face. Or make sure to seat on the Red chair or a park bench and savor the beauty with your eyes.

Sit on these icon red chairs and savor this view.

Or walk all the way to the bottom of the Falls and get wet! It is very refreshing.

Then as you turn around to walk back to your car, you are greeted by this snow covered mountain top view that looks like a cowboy hat! Enjoy the view as you hike back to your car.

As you leave the parking lot for your 8.5 miles drive back to highway 1, just stop at the 7.5 miles mark to say hello to Natural Bridge.

And that was it for the day. We were very hungry at this point. We drove 1.5 hours back to Banff and went for some Indian Food on Banff Avenue. It was so good. Buttered spicy curry chicken with goat stew. Served with some rice and garlic Naan! Yummy and very flavorful. After dinner, we went for ice cream and I stopped and got my last Beavertail snack for the trip! What a great way to end our last day in Banff. We leave tomorrow for Jasper. But along the way, we will stop for our planned Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure. Looking forward to walking on the Glacier and drinking Glacier water and taking some home.

 

[billiebob]

At the Columbia Ice Fields you will pass my absolute favourite campground at Wilcox Creek.... 2 to pick from, the RV campsites and the tents only. August 30th last year they were blanketed in snow with only 3 RVs there but the tents only sites were fully booked. Go figure.

not a hyper miler lol

 

[billiebob]

a map from my days of mountaineering showing the ski routes and high alpine huts

you can ski from Peyto Lake to Field on the Wapta Traverse, I've only done it once..... 40 years ago... Peyto Lake is breath taking

 

[Todd780]

We visited all these places yesterday, but my internet decided to stop working, telling me that I have used up all my unlimited data roaming out of the country. I had to pay $40 today to get "Unlimited Data Pass" which my plan already has just to have 5G internet for roaming while I am still in Canada. And I have only 4 days left in Canada.
Lake Louise

And this is the famous Chateau Lake Louise

After this, we drove to Moraine Lake and was lucky the road was open for it was closed when we were going to Lake Louise and closed again when we left Moraine Lake as traffic had build up again. We got into Moraine Lake at 7pm.
The all natural and exquisitely beautiful Lake Moraine

And this is that image of Lake Moraine on the $20 Canadian bill

Just stunning. I really need to take advantage that this is 4 hours away from me.

Looking forward to your next update. The Icefields Parkway highway is a fantastic drive. Enjoy!

 

[billiebob]

I really need to take advantage that this is 4 hours away from me

yep, well said

 

[ITTOG]

I really need to take advantage that this is 4 hours away from me.

I would love to live that close. I would be there every other month or two.

 

[billiebob]

I am sure you are past this today but from Saskatchewan Crossing, going east into Alberta takes you thru David Thompson Country and Abraham Lake. This is Gods Country. I think more spectacular than the Icefields Parkway. Might add 2 hours to go see and return.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

We left Banff today for Jasper. While in Banff, we stayed 3 nights in a mixed shared dorm which had 4 beds in the room. It was quite interesting.

The first night it was the 2 of us with a solo guy traveling from Delaware. So, 3 people in the room. 2 guys and 1 girl.

The second night it was the 3 of us with a new guy solo traveler from Houston, TX. What a coincidence. We are also from Houston, TX. So that night was 3 guys and 1 girl in the room. This new guy flew back to Houston the next day as that night was his last night in Banff and the last night of his vacation.

On our last night, we had a new roommate. It was a very young girl also from Houston, TX. She looked like she was about 25 years old on her first solo adventure! Sadly, her trip was ruined by these flight delays and cancelations. This caused her to miss 2 nights of her hostel stay. She just stayed this last night and the next morning which was today, all 4 of us in the room had the same checkout date. So, we said our goodbyes as each person went and took their showers and got their stuff and left.

It was quite a new experience for me as I have never slept in a hostel before let alone with complete strangers sharing one restroom and sharing showers with many other people in the hostel. But it was a nice and uneventful stay. Almost half of the people staying at the hostel spoke .any different foreign languages. It was cool to see so many nationals there.

We have the same kind of hostel accommodation in Jasper. We will see how that plays out.

I just had to take a picture of our room for memories. And picture of the hostel.

Front desk of the hostel

 

[acmcdonaldgp]

Welcome to my neck of the woods! We live relatively nearby and spend a lot of time in Jasper. I’m sure you’ve got your visit there well-planned, I know you’ll enjoy it.

How’d you like driving up the Parkway?


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[PetitFrereArmada]

Welcome to my neck of the woods! We live relatively nearby and spend a lot of time in Jasper. I’m sure you’ve got your visit there well-planned, I know you’ll enjoy it.

How’d you like driving up the Parkway?


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Thanks. I really enjoy your neck of the woods. Jasper is really beautiful. Let me share my experience so far with some pictures below.

Driving the Icefield Parkway was breathtaking! Too bad there was a lot of traffic and some cars held many cars back because they were driving a bit slower than the posted speed limit. It made me miss my tour, but the tour company let me get on another time a bit later.

Let me share some pictures from today's adventures.