TRAVELING THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY. ESSENTIAL STOPS

The Icefields parkway It is probably the most beautiful panoramic road in the world. With its 230 km length, it connects Jasper to the north with Lake Louse to the south, crossing the impressive landscapes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. On the way they pass through some of the most emblematic places of Jasper National Park and Banff National Park. Next we count all our recommendations and the Essential stops to do on the Icefields Parkway.

We continue on the Icefields Parkway and at every km it seems that the landscape improves. But can it improve? After the passing of the days one gets to get used to this privileged environment a little, but I do not want to think when we return to our boring and flat cities, how much we will miss Canada and its extraordinary natural beauty, which explodes in your eyes nothing more go through the door of your accommodation ...

Today's stops were these:

Here we leave you a map of the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise, with all the essential stops and places of interest:

- The Icefields Parkway is a two way road in good condition. There are no dangerous areas in terms of its layout, but you always have to be alert for the crossing of wild animals. We, after the Big Bend Turn, run into a goat grazing literally in the middle of the road.

- It is an elevated road (the Bow Pass is its highest point, with 2068 meters above sea level), which means that it has snow almost all year, obviously you have to take extreme precautions in winter. We visited it in May and the landscape was covered with snow, but the road was completely clean.

- Although it is an area famous for its ski resorts, it is also an important destination in summer, so in the months of July and August it is very likely that car agglomerations be normal You know, be patient and prepare a good playlist.

- In the main points of interest there are free parking, however, they may be completely full. Solution? The same as before, patience and go around until you find a place.

- Eye, here the phone coverage Shine by your absence. Download the map in the app Maps.me and write down the sites you want to visit. Anyway you will find many signs of the places of interest. You will also see in these signs the points where there are bathrooms, which will be in most cases of the non-flush type (if you never used them it will be an experience for you)

- Put gasoline Before starting the trip. Between Jasper and Lake Louise there is only one gas station, in Saskatchewan River Crossing. To compare the price between different gas stations in Canada, download the GasBuddy app (you will have to do it from outside the Market)

- When passing through two national parks (Jasper National Park and Banff National Park) it is necessary that you have purchased the day ticket or annual park pass. For days it costs $ 19.80 each, and the annual pass $ 134 (can be paid in cash or by card.). Both options are valid for all parks, and prices are per car, regardless of the number of people traveling.

And now, let's See what to see and do on the Icefields Parkway and what are your essential stops:

The Married Athabasca, although they are not the most impressive in terms of their height, if they are because of the amount of water and the force with which it runs. The path that leaves from the parking lot will offer you a few panoramic points of the waterfalls, with its peculiar rocks in the purest Pancake Rocks style of New Zealand.

But don't stay alone here, keep going down the well-marked path, to go through “the tunnel”, A natural corridor that water forged with its erosion. Now the water does not pass through here, but if some very nice stairs, that take you to a viewpoint over the Athabasca river. You can continue down a little more to take to the riverbank. The visit is fast, and the viewpoint starts just 100 meters from the parking lot.

About 1 km before reaching Athabasca Falls, on the same road, there is a viewpoint with great views of the rocky mountains and their huge pointed peaks. AND Athabasca Pass Lookout.

They are small waterfalls on the Sunwapta River, one of the most important tributaries of the Athabasca River, which has been accompanying us from Jasper to this point. The water fall does not exceed 20 meters, but they have a peculiarity that make them very photogenic: their central islet, which divides the river in two just before the waterfall begins. In native language, "Sunwapta" means "turbulent water", and you will soon realize that the name is well placed. To reach them there is a parking lot near the main road, and from there it is only 200 meters to the main viewpoint.

There are several glaciers that overlook the Icefields Parway. This is one of them, and the good thing is that it can be seen from the same road. There is a small parking lot to contemplate this spectacular glacier at the top of the mountain on your right.

Maybe after visiting so many waterfalls on your trip, this may seem like one more, but on what road in the world can you see such a beautiful waterfall a few meters from your car? This torrent of water falls from the mountains at different levels, playing with the shapes of the rock. In spring there will still be icy parts that make it even more special. Parking as you head south is on your right, although the waterfalls are on the other side. From the same road you can see them, although there are those who climb their rocks to climb a little higher. It is a quick and worthwhile stop.

Is he most visited glacier in North America and one of the largest non-polar ice masses on the planet. It is approximately 6 km long, although as is often the case with these natural monsters, it is regressing (and therefore dying) at a terrifying rate of 5 meters per year (it has lost more than 60% of its original size). You will notice this when you see the marks of where the glacier came in different years ...

To visit it you have two options:

• On your own: There is a car park that goes down to the foot of the glacier, from where you can start a 500-foot (20-minute) walk up. In May, when we visited it, there were still parts with snow, but it could be climbed without much trouble. You will not reach the glacier, but you will have it about 50 meters away.
• With a tour: at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Center on the main road you can hire an experience that includes the ascent to the glacier on a special bus. You can walk on it for a few minutes. From there they take you to Skywalk, a semicircular viewpoint with glass floor that must be impressive (it is 6 km to the north, it really has nothing to do with the glacier). The price is 99CAD and there are also packages with other attractions such as the Banff cable car or the cruise on Lake Minnewanka. More info.

The first is a trekking of about 10 km (3-4 hours), with an elevation of about 335 meters, which will allow you to have a frontal view of the Athabasca Glacier. The second one has a length of 5 km and will bring you closer to the Saskatchewan glacier, from where you will have beautiful views of the valley and the huge peaks that surround the park. As we do not have photos of these trekkings, we put some goats down the mountain ...

It is a horseshoe curve on the Icefields Parkway which has one of the most impressive viewpoints of the entire route. If you go from north to south, before reaching the famous curve you will have a large car park on the left, from where you can freak out with the views of the valley and the river at your feet, and the huge mountains that support it on the sides. Also explore the upper part to see some beautiful waterfalls on the rock

Although we didn't read it in many places, this place certainly deserves a stop. After passing the Big Bend Turn and continue through the valley to the south, on your left a imposing rock wall Totally vertical almost infinite. From it fall cascaditas that still make it more attractive, in fact the name means “weeping wall”. There is a parking lot on the same road, from where to contemplate it.

From this viewpoint you will have ample views of the valley, where three rivers intersect: the North Saskatchewan (born in the rockies and is almost 1,300 km long), the Howse and the Mistaya. It is a perfect resting point on your trip, there is a gas station, restaurants, public toilets ... From here the exit to the town of Nordegg, where we spent one night.

Park on the same road and descend a 0.5 km path until you reach an old bridge over this narrow gorge, which the water has modeled to your liking. You can stay on the bridge, although we advise you to cross it and walk the rocks to have some very cool photos (as always, with caution!).

These two lakes extend to your right as you go down the Banff National Park, and you can stop at several panoramic points to admire its beauty. There are also some options of short trails for those who are left over time.

Another one of those 5-minute stops, with views of this new glacier in the distance, on Mt Patterson and across the Mistaya River.

This is one of the most famous lakes on the Icefields Parkway, due to its characteristic turquoise color. You may have seen a thousand photos of this lake in several tourist brochures and of course, on Instagram! But why do you present these shades? It is a glacier lake, so its water comes from melted glaciers, which carry rock minerals due to erosion and settle at its bottom. To our regret, when we visited it it was completely frozen, and that was not the worst, the area was closed because it is still the hibernation season of the grizzly bear.

To make your visit, there is a parking lot after the detour of the main road. From there comes a paved path to the viewpoint over the lake, which will not take you more than 15 minutes. If you want to have a more impressive panorama, you will have to reach the Bow summit, about 2,000 meters high, for which you must continue the path for about 3 km more, and an ascent of about 230 meters.

It is another one of those glacial lakes surrounded by mountains, one of the largest in Banff National Park. We also found it ice cream, although we could visit it. The parking is next to a lodge, and in 5 minutes you will reach the edge of the lake, where there is a small wooden bridge. It deserves a quick visit, although it is not the most impressive (on the top would be the Moraine, the Louise or the Peyto).

On the way to Lake Louise, many lakes will continue to appear on your right, which you can enjoy and photograph from the road itself. Also the Crowfoot Glacier, which like the rest, continues to lose ground to the mountain. These are the last stops before arriving at Lake Louise, loaded with photographs and images that we will hardly forget.

As you see, the Icefields parkway It is a road that could easily be done in 3 hours, but with all the stops and places of interest that are going through, it will take you a whole day. An incredible day! But you also have the option of splitting the route in two, as we did. We stayed one night at HI Nordegg, a beautiful suuuuuper hostel in the old mining population of Nordegg, about 90 km from the Icefields Parkway. The route also to arrive is very beautiful, passing through the huge Abraham Lake with its turquoise waters.

Without a doubt, tour the Icefields parway It is one of the essential things to do in the Rocky Mountains of Canada, and here we have told you what are your main stops. We hope it helps you to plan your trip!

Video: How to Avoid Traffic On The Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper Canada RV Travel Tips (April 2024).