Warning: Long post and LOTS of photos ahead…
Today was the big day. We would reach the northernmost point on our trip in Jasper, Alberta and then drive south down the Icefields Parkway.
Jasper is a popular town north of Banff that suffered a devasating forest fire from July-Sept in 2024. Over 1/3 of all buildings were destroyed from the fire and it’s amazing the town is even able to function less than a year later.
As we approached Jasper, Jaclyn caught sight an elk out the window so we turned around to take a look and it was pretty amazing. We saw a full grown male elk with a full set of antlers right off the road. As it ate the leaves/berries it walked closer and closer to our car and eventually crossed the road right behind us. Brooke though the elk was pretty smart because it waited for traffic to be clear in both directions before crossing.
We planned to just drive through Jasper and head for the Icefields Parkway but when we stopped for gas we absolutely loved the town. The damage from the fire was very eye openeing as the first gas pump I tried to stop at still had the sign but the building was burnt to the ground and the pumps were all charred/burnt.
As we drove down the main strip you would see brand new buildings next to fenced off lots where previous buildings existed and were being demolished and rebuilt. Somehow though, there were enough surviving buildings to give Jasper a great charm. Jaclyn did some souvenir shopping and we checked out the old school train engine. Then we all went to Wafflato and shared a delicious chocolate-strawberry whipped cream waffle.
As we left Jasper we wished we had more time to look around the town, but between a late start and losing an hour to the timezones, we were behind schedule. Driving south out of Jasper we officially started the Icefields Parkway but we were still surrounded by significant forest fire damage for what seemed like 30-45 min.
The Icefields Parkway is believed to be one of the most gorgeous drives in the world. The goal for the day was primarily to just drive and stop at 4 pull offs to check out some cool sights.
Our first stop was Athabasca Falls which was an incredibly powerful waterfall. It’s crazy that rocks can withstand that type of force! Unfortunatley, our jinx with the kids being in bad moods for water falls continued.
Our second stop was Sunwapta Falls. The jinx continued again with Beckett saying that he had no interest in going to see the waterfall. I eventually coaxed him out of the car and he loved hiking down the rocks to the waterfall and looking at it from the bridge.
There was a decent drive (~1.5 hours) between our second and third stop and we could kind of tell the wheels were coming off. Jaclyn and I were constantly playing referee and the kids couldn’t seem to stick to something for > 5 mins. Unfortunately, this was when the views really picked up on the drive so we had to balance driving to get there vs. stopping to enjoy the views. We did stop in one pull-off and Beckett was super cute and really interested in the Glaciers with his binoculars. He was leaning out the car window and as excited as Jaclyn and I were. I don’t think Brooke even noticed we stopped at first because she was reading again.
The driving in this area is absolutely spectacular. You’re just cutting between the bottoms of mountains as more and more appear with every turn. And each set of mountains seemed to look completely different then the last (rocky, snow-capped, green trees, red rock, glaciers, sandstone etc).
We finally reached Peyto lake which was stop number 3 and one of the things Jaclyn was most excited about in Banff. We hiked up a small trail and reached the outlook and were not disappointed. The on/off clouds/rain we were battling earlier in the day had cleared and we had blue skies with the sun reflecting off Peyto Lake making it shimmer a beautiful teal color.
Jaclyn was very excited to share that if you look at the shape of the lake it looks like a wolf’s head! The mountain range behind the lake is also stunning its own way. After taking in the scenery and countless photos we descended the fairly steep trail without incident (good job Beckett!).
At this point the kids were absolutely wrecked and we were still one stop and at least an hour and a half away from our AirBnB. Emotions were high, especially when Brooke got upset at Jaclyn because she couldn’t use an outhouse that was by far the worst we’ve seen on either road trip (we knew there was another outhouse close by so it was worth waiting).
Nonetheless, we continued to the final stop, Bow Lake. This was a teal lake at the foot of a mountain. We walked up to the shore and got our first up close experience with the teal water that makes Banff famous. The reason the water is teal is because Glaciers melt and the water flows over the rocks and grinds down the rock into rock flour. The rock flour is too light to sink and too heavy to float so it stays suspended in the water. When the sunlight hits the rock flour in the water it causes the unique teal color.
The kids enjoyed splashing around a bit in the (glacier) water and throwing in rocks. We walked along the shore for a bit and then headed out.
We finished our drive for the day, wayyyy behind schedule but luckily somehow the kids stayed awake. We got them to bed around 9pm (which is late for them) so hopefully that won’t backfire too much!
The day was very long but the views were enough for a lifetime! I can’t believe the roads weren’t more crowded. It was a nice relaxing drive through some of the most beautiful areas I’ve ever seen.
-Jay
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