Day 17 Saturday - Icefields Parkway to Calgary via Banff

Another early start today we had to get the hire car back to Banff for 1 pm when the office closes. We got away at 8.40 am and drove the Icefields Parkway again. We made a couple of quick stops, at the Athabasca falls and the Columbia Icefield viewpoint. Opposite there is a big centre where you can go out in an all-terrain ice explorer that drives over the ice but this seems inappropriate when it is fragile. 

We kept motoring and enjoyed seeing the mountains from the opposite direction. The road signs are in French and English so it's also called 'Promenade des Glaciers'.  Apparently there are more than 100 on the parkway including 6 major toe glaciers visible from or near the route. 

We made it to Banff for about 12.30 pm and went to the Fairmont to deliver the car back. We then got a bus back to the town centre and ate tasty lunch at Nourish.

At 3.30 pm we got the FlixBus to Calgary downtown which took a couple of hours. We checked into the hotel and have had nibbles from our cool bag. We're on the eleventh floor and the view is very different to the Rockies! On the right is the Calgary Tower which is 190 meters tall - not as high as The Shard at 309.

Day 16 Friday - Pyramid Lake

We were up early as our wildlife tour pick up was 7 am and Alison arrived in her minivan with 3 couples already onboard. It was really cold but the sun was rising from behind the mountains and it looked very beautiful. Alison drove us around the various smaller lakes in the area such as Lake Edith and Lake Annette and we saw elk in the woods - it is rutting season so it is particularly important to view them from well away and Canadian law states 100 m.  A large male ran out in front of the van but dashed away. We also managed to see some beavers at a beautiful reflective lake and some sheep high on a mountain ledge.

Next we went to Pyramid Lake and did a hike called the Pyramid Overlook. Alison talked about the 2024 fire and said the woods benefit from being burned and sometimes Parks Canada does controlled burns to encourage regeneration.  But this fire was caused by lightning strikes and burnt down a third of the town's buildings. Residents were evacuated for around 4 weeks.

We stopped half way for a picnic then reached the lookout with panoramic views over the lake and town down below.

The weather was hot and sunny and we kept peeling layers off - apart from the Italian couple who kept their jackets on!  At the end of the hike we got dropped back at our cabin. We had a shower and a bit of a rest then headed into Jasper town. Getting a parking spot involved us in waiting for a freight train to pass. They can be 2.5 miles long here so that was 15 minutes gone!  We had a nice meal and then went to see a show called 'From Jasper with Love' - similar to a fringe show, a bit mad but good fun.  The people of Jasper are appreciative of tourists coming back to visit and acknowledge this will bring in the money needed to speed up rebuilding work.

Day 15 Thursday - Maligne Lake

After breakfast we drove the Maligne Lake road - the first 10 minutes of the drive there's lots of charred and fallen trees from the fire and it looks quite post apocalyptic. Our first stop was Medicine Lake - this is 7 km long and the water disappears at points in the year when it drains away into small underground holes.  Apparently in days gone by people attempted to plug it with mattresses, piles of magazines etc!

The road ends at Miligne Lake and we had a boat trip booked for just after noon. The weather was beautiful, and the scenery was stunning with the blue water and snowy mountains as a backdrop.

 

We boarded our small boat and took the half hour ride up up the lake spotting glaciers on the way. Then we reached Spirit Island which is protected and only the indigenous tribes are allowed to set foot there. Our boat stopped to the side and we could disembark to see the island close at hand. It's a mystical place, definitely a highlight of the trip for me.

The boat then made it's way back up to the launching area and we had a late lunch sitting outside in the shade, as the sun was strong.

We made our way back to Jasper and took the car for a wash - it's white and the remote cabin adventure saw it gain a lot of mud. We shopped for food (challenging, no kitchen here), then returned to Pine Bungalows. We had a walk about the grounds in the evening and Bethany made S'mores after lighting the fire basket.

Day 14 Wednesday - Jasper

The temperature outside was below zero last night but the stove kept going low into the small hours so it was warm enough getting up. We packed the car and waved goodbye to Julia and Gary before setting off for Meitte to go to the hot springs, which took about 1.5 hours. It was a beautiful sunny morning and we noticed that the larch trees have turned yellow the past few days.

The hot springs are a modern version the original ones founded in the 1930s. There's several pools with different temperatures - we mostly stayed in the one that feels like a hot bath! The mountain scenery is stunning and it wasn't too busy, as it's not somewhere the tour buses reach.

After our dip we continued our journey to Jasper and got coffee and cinnamon buns at the local bakery and had a wonder about town. It seems to be recovering well from the fire although some residents are still in temporary housing. The main street is full of campervans so tourism has returned.

At about 5 pm and we checked into Pine Bungalows where we're staying for 3 nights. We were surprised to find a well regarded on-site restaurant and had tasty food for supper. In the evening we went to the Jasper planetarium - it was clear night so we saw the milky way and other stars and planets via their fancy telescopes. This is a dark sky reserve and as amateur you can observe the cosmos with guidance from the staff who are very enthusiastic.

Days 12 + 13 Monday + Tuesday- Rock Lake Park

Breakfast was served at the hotel and we had tasty vegetarian omelettes. After packing the car we walked down to the Sunwapta waterfalls before heading off for Jasper. The trees became sparse and charred in areas from wildfires that struck the area in 2024. Once in Jasper we stopped for coffee then bought supplies to cook on a griddle at our off grid cabin.

Out of Jasper the green trees returned and we had a two hour drive to Rock Lake Park where our cabin is - the last 27 km is on a gravel road then the driveway to the cabins turns to a mud track. We were relieved to arrive and meet Gary who showed us our cabin (there's only 3) and explained the local hikes. The stove was already lit and the cabin is simple and cosy.

By this time it was gone 5 pm and we unpacked, chilled out and Bethany made mushrooms burgers for tea. It is now getting dark and it's so quiet…

Day 2 in the cabin, we got the wood burner going as it was around zero outside. We had breakfast then went on the Mumm Creek Trail, through the woods and crossing the creek twice. This was challenging - Bethany waded through and I took my boots and socks off and went barefoot. The sun was out and we sang songs as this is bear country.

We had lunch in the cabin then drove to the Willmore view point, and did a short hike to the lookout over Rock Lake and surrounding mountains. Very unspoiled, this is a rural area, popular for horse riding, fishing, with some industry around logging.

In the evening Bethany cooked again. She has taken some beautiful pictures of the wildlife and stars - but will have to wait to upload as patchy WiFi.

 

Day 11 Sunday - Icefields Parkway

Today we set off to drive the Icefields Parkway - this is a 232 km stretch of highway with soaring rocky mountain peaks that connects Lake Louise with Jasper. It's considered one of the most beautiful roads in the world with many recommended stopping points. The first for us was Crowfoot Glacier and then we moved to Bow Lake, which shimmers with a turquoise hue.

Our next stop was for Peyto Lake - parking was challenging but after a delay we got a space and walking to the viewpoint we saw the cutest dog and had to take a photo!

An awesome view awaited us at the top of the path - it’s one of the most iconic photo ops in the Rockies and there was quite a crowd up there so we moved on again fairly quickly.

The next stop was Mistaya Canyon with rushing water from Peyto Lake that has carved the twisting narrow canyon. We had a picnic lunch after our walk around the canyon, then headed off again.

At the next stop we looked for goats high in the mountains - someone pointed two out as white spots! The weather was getting lovely and warm so we changed our clothes ready to hike at our next stop.

The Parker Ridge Hike is a 2.5 km climb up to the ridge, then you walk along the top and gradually get the most spectacular views of the Saskachewan Glacier - we met only a handful of people altogether and no one was at the top when we were there so it was very peaceful and serene.

It was getting toward suppertime when we arrived at our hotel, the Sunwapta Falls Rocky Mountain Lodge - we had some supper and will soon head for bed. The weather has been so clear and sunny making all the stops today extra beautiful.

Day 10 Saturday - Lake Louise

We had a tasty breakfast wrap then got the bus to Lake Louise. Public parking is allowed plus there are lots of buses and tours so people are there in droves. We left the busyness behind as we hiked up to Mirror Lake, a small glassy alpine tarn with a rock above called The Big Beehive. 

The track continues up to The Little Beehive which is a lookout with 360 degree views of the mountains with Lake Louise below.  Dropping back down a little there is the Lake Agnes Tearoom - amazingly they run this establishment with no road to take supplies in or out, everything is hiked up and down. We had a great tea and cake experience and chatted to an elderly couple - turns out he was born in Leith, his family leaving when he was a child. He has returned for visits and has cousins there still.

Back down we had to catch two buses to get back to the hostel.  We ate at the in house restaurant again and Bethany had poutine - this is a famous Canadian comfort food made with fries, fresh cheese curds and hot brown gravy. It’s very satisfying after a day of hiking.