I’d seen the photos. Everyone has. Those unrealistically blue lakes which look like Photoshop. The type of turquoise that makes you strain your eyes to look at your monitor thinking that the person who turned it on dismissed their arbiter of good taste.
Turns out they didn’t.
I first read about the Icefields Parkway when one of my photographer friends visited it twice and he could not stop talking about it. He said that Condé Nast had rated it among the ten best drives in the world. I remember rolling my eyes. Travel magazines say that everywhere about.
It is 232 kilometres later, when linking Lake Louise and Jasper by the spine of the Canadian Rockies, I realized. It is not a motivation to arrive somewhere. It’s the somewhere.
The highway traverses across both Banff National Park and Jasper national park where it crosses over 100 glaciers. Majority of the people drive through within three hours. Don’t do that. Four days was not enough to feel rushed.
Before You Go: The Logistics Nobody Tells You
Here’s the thing about Alberta’s mountain parks—they require a bit of homework.
What You’ll Need:
| Item | Details | Where to Get It |
| Parks Canada Pass | $10.50/day or $72.25/year | Park gates or online |
| Full Tank of Gas | Only one station mid-route (Saskatchewan Crossing) | Fill up in Banff, Lake Louise, or Jasper |
| Offline Maps | Zero cell coverage on most of the Parkway | Download before you leave |
| Winter Tires | Legally required Nov 1 – March 31 | Rental companies usually provide |
I committed the beginner error of thinking that I would have cell service. Stopped at Bow Lake to put up a picture. Nothing. Not a single bar. It was pleasant silence really after I had given up struggling with it.
The Parks Canada site suggests that one should visit road conditions on 511 Alberta to check the road conditions before traveling. No road maintenance in the period of October to May 3: 30 pm to 7 am. Snow can fall any month. I had seen flurries in late June.
Bow Lake: The Alternative Side
A lake Louise is discussed by everyone. And beautiful, all right–I am not going to deny that it is. However, this is what no one is talking about: one summer afternoon, you are sharing that view with approximately 15000 other human beings. I counted the tour buses once. Stopped at twelve.
Bow Lake is located approximately 40 kilometres North of Lake Louise on the Parkway. Same impossible turquoise. Same glacier backdrop. A fraction of the crowds.
Incidentally, that colour is not a matter of light. It is rock dust–glacial silt fine enough to stay on the surface of the water. When sunshine strikes those particles they reflect the blue-green wavelengths to you. Bow Glacier has been scraping rock thousands of years, and the outcome of this is this absurd, unreal aquamarine.
I strolled along the beach pathway an hour or so. Passed six people total. One guy was fishing. A couple had kayaks. That was it. In Lake Louise I would have easily bumped shoulders with strangers who are in a bid to have the same Instagram photo.
Quick Facts: Bow Lake
- Elevation: 1,920 metres (6,300 feet).
- Surface area: 3.21 square kilometres.
- Max depth: 50 metres.
- Fed by: Bow Glacier meltwater.
- Pro tip: Visit early morning for mirror-still reflections.
Climb to Bow Glacier Falls commences with the red-covered Num-Ti-Jah Lodge on the edge of the lake. It is approximately 9 kilometres in one way, non-technical, and you will pick up 155 metres of altitude. The payoff? One of the waterfalls that are fed by the melting glaciers, and a sight that most visitors are not able to see.
Athabasca falls: Power Over height
I tell you the truth–when I first saw Athabasca Falls I almost continued to walk. Twenty-three metres? That is not even high by Rockies standards. Takakkaw Falls drops 255 metres. Helmcken Falls is 141. Why then everybody is crazy over this one?
And then I was really on the viewing platform.
It’s not the height. It’s the violence. The whole cycle of the Athabasca River is the biggest river basin in Jasper, which is fed by the meltwater of Columbia Icefield and empties into the narrow limestone gorge. The water does not fall rather it assaults. Parks Canada declares it to be one of the most effective waterfalls in the mountain parks. I’d call it angry.
The falls have cut potholes and weird smooth gullies into the rock in thousands of years. You may see how the river has changed its course, left down old ways, and made new. Geology in slow motion.
Visiting Athabasca Falls:
- Distance from Jasper: 30 km south on Highway 93A.
- Trail length: 1 km loop, paved, fully accessible.
- Best time: Early morning (tour buses arrive mid-day).
- Warning: The mist makes rocks slippery. Stay behind railings.
What surprised me most? The trail in the canyon which leads downstream of the main point of view. Majority of the people get one photograph on the bridge and go. Continuing on your walk, you will come across less noisy perspectives, the launch point of rafting firms, and literally feel the enormity of what many millennia of erosion can achieve.
Maligne Lake and the most photographed Island in Canada
Depending on the location of the town of Jasper, the Maligne Lake drive takes approximately 50 minutes. But it is not 50 minutes–four times I halted before I was there. The path passes through the Maligne Valley, around Medicine Lake (which literally dries up in fall, with underground sinkholes, then fills in the spring), and in some of the best wildlife habitat in the park.
More on that later.
The Maligne Lake is the biggest glacially-fed lake in the Canadian Rockies. It was 22 kilometres in length, 97 metres deep at the south end. No one is here to get the statistics. They come for Spirit Island.
You’ve seen this image. Maybe on a postcard. Perhaps on the Canadian ten dollars. A small tree-lined island in the turquoise waters encircled by snow capped mountains which locals refer to as the Hall of the Gods. It is one of the most photographed attractions in North America.
The snag here is that you cannot drive there. You can’t hike there. Spirit Island can only be accessed by boat, either by purchasing the 90-minute cruise by Pursuit or by the 28km round trip of a self-paddled boat.
I took the cruise. Partly because I’m lazy. In part it was due to my desire to listen to the guides.
The boat cuts through water that changes colour as you move south- milk-jade on the approach to the boathouse, becoming more and more that electric turquoise as you move towards Spirit Island. Our guide was a geology student of Edmonton, and told us that the colour is greater where the glacial melt enters the lake. Better flour of rock, more refraction.
Spirit Island: What They Don’t Tell You
| Expectation | Reality |
| It’s an island | Technically a peninsula—only becomes a true island when water levels peak in summer |
| Named by explorers | Named by the Stoney Nakoda Nation for spiritual experiences their ancestors had here |
| You can walk on it | Nope. You view it from a platform. Walking on the island is prohibited to preserve it |
| You’ll have time to explore | You get 15 minutes. Maybe 20 if your guide is generous |
Fifteen minutes felt rushed. I did not even have enough time to complete the loop trail, have a place without a selfie stick of another person in the shot, and enjoy the view when the boat horn echoed.
If I did it again? I would reserve the Premium Cruise- adults, smaller group, 30 minutes in the island, rather than 15. Or I would hire a kayak and then a whole day. This lake has three backcountry camping sites that can only be approached by paddle: Hidden Cove, Fisherman’s Bay, Coronet Creek. Just imagine how it would be to wake up and have no soul around.
Practical Details:
- Cruise duration: 90 minutes (Classic) or 2 hours (Premium).
- Boat capacity: Small groups, glass-enclosed and heated.
- Season: Late May through early October, depending on ice conditions.
- Book ahead: These sell out. I’m serious. Pursuit runs the operation..
- Alternative: Rent a canoe or kayak from the boathouse—but budget the whole day.
The Wildlife Question (And Why I Got Lucky)
Everyone asks: “Did you see any bears?”
The honest answer for most Rockies visitors is no. Bears are wild animals with enormous ranges. They don’t perform on command. Some people drive the Icefields Parkway a dozen times and never spot one.
I saw two. Cubs, actually. Siblings, maybe eight months old, tumbling through a wildflower meadow about 15 metres off the road near Saskatchewan Crossing.
I pulled over. Stayed in the car. Spent ten or fifteen minutes at a 200mm lens looking on them as they wrestled in the daisies, utterly indifferent to my presence. I never saw their mother, and it was probably the best thing.
It is the way wildlife viewing in the Rockies should be: it requires patience, fortune and a sense that maybe you should not be owed anything by the animals.
What You Might See (And Where)
The data on the number of bears in the Parks Canada of Banff is grim. The park includes black bears which are threatened – only 35 to 40 are left. Grizzlies have a population of approximately 70, and this is not that many, until you consider that there are actually more grizzlies than black bears.
| Animal | Population (Approx.) | Best Viewing Areas | Best Time |
| Black Bear | 35-40 in Banff | Bow Valley Parkway, Icefields Parkway near Saskatchewan Crossing | April–November, dawn/dusk |
| Grizzly Bear | ~70 in Banff | Backcountry, Lake Louise Gondola area, Sunshine Meadows | May–October |
| Elk | Common | Banff townsite, golf courses, Jasper townsite | Year-round, rutting season Sept–Oct |
| Moose | ~150 in Jasper | Maligne Lake Road, Medicine Lake, Waterfowl Lakes | Summer, near water |
| Bighorn Sheep | Common | Icefields Parkway pullouts, Miette Hot Springs road | Year-round |
| Mountain Goat | Moderate | “Goats and Glaciers” viewpoint on Icefields Parkway | Summer |
Jasper has a road known as the Maligne Lake Road that is regarded as among the best wildlife corridors in the Rockies. Bighorn sheep are found around Medicine Lake. Moose wade in the shallows. Bears plunder avalanche trails. Three times did I drive it on my journey, once at dawn once at night fall, And behold, Three times I caught a sight.
A Note on Responsibility
Parks Canada dictates that you are to keep 30 metres away when you see elk and deer, 100 metres away when you see bears and cougars. That’s ten bus lengths. One might think it was too much until he recalls that elk are the most harmful animal in the parks, harming more visitors than any other animal in the parks, simply because people believe that they are friendly and attempt to be near them.
They’re not gentle. During the rutting season, the bulls have been known to charge cars.
Carry bear spray. Know how to use it. And when you are in your car and you see wildlife, remain in your car. The bears I watched? I never opened my door.
Hiking above the treeline: Into the Alpine
It is one thing to drive the Parkway. Another one is getting out of the car.
I do not mean the paved point-of-view walks–they are all right as that. I refer to the paths which go beyond the wood line and when the air is very thin and the size of the Rockies really counts.
Parker Ridge was my favourite. The trailhead is just to the south of the Columbia Icefield and the hike is only 5 kilometres round trip having a gain of approximately 250 metres. Mid-western by Rocky standards. The reward, however, is a glacier view of the Saskatchewan Glacier, one of the principal outlet glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, which is spreading out below you in a river of ancient ice.
An hour at the ridge I stood. Blowing through the jacket I have. It is rather the point that the glacier is doing absolutely nothing. The ice has been drifting since the ages. It will still be there when I get away–only now it is fading away more rapidly than it was.
Suggested Increases along the Parkway
| Trail | Distance | Difficulty | Highlight |
| Parker Ridge | 5 km round trip | Moderate | Saskatchewan Glacier viewpoint |
| Wilcox Pass | 8 km round trip | Moderate | Views of Athabasca Glacier and Columbia Icefield |
| Bow Glacier Falls | 9 km round trip | Moderate | Waterfall fed by Bow Glacier |
| Peyto Lake Viewpoint | 1.4 km round trip | Easy | The famous wolf-head shaped turquoise lake |
| Helen Lake | 12 km round trip | Moderate-Hard | Alpine meadows, wildflowers, possible wildlife |
In this area of the Rockies, the alpine area begins at about 2,200 metres. Beyond that there are trees, tundra, the shrubs are small, the wildflowers bloom in summer, and wild animals such as hoary marmots, which whistle in your direction. I listened to them before I looked at them, which seems to be the point.
The Edge of Fear and Suspension Bridges
Not everything in Alberta requires hiking boots and bear spray.
In between Banff and Jasper, I took a detour at one of those adventure destinations, the ones that have suspension bridges across cliffs, cliffs where they have platforms where they hang out over the precipice, the adrenaline-tourism tourism. I will not lie that I was not nervous.
The bridge swayed. The man in front of me paused in mid-span to record a video this meant that I also had to pause, which also meant that I also had to look down. The bottom of the canyon was perhaps 100 metres down – far enough that the river appeared a thread.
It is precisely because I am not afraid of heights. But there is something in a bridge that passes over your feet that fiddles with the animal half of your brain. You hold faster to the cables than you need to. You step quicker than you will. And then you are on the other side and you just want to repeat it.
These sites are found all along the Rockies: the Glacier Skywalk by the Columbia Icefield, the Banff Gondola, canyon walks in several parts of Jasper and Kananaskis. Are they touristy? Sure. But there is a positive side to fear which is the one which is controlled, you realize that it is safe, but your body does not know.
The Unplanned Destination: Live Music in the Mountains
I had not decided to remain during the festival.
I was going to drive back towards Calgary in the schedule, however, somebody at the hostel in Jasper said that there was a music event that weekend- outdoor stage, local and touring, mountains in the background. I’d already seen the lakes. Already done the hikes. Why not?
It is weird to listen to electronic music in a place where you had earlier in the morning watched elk graze. It was not as many as I imagined, perhaps a couple of hundred persons, but the intensity was genuine. Hands in the air. Light-catchers streaming along. The type of unconscious happiness that cannot be easily made.
I do not have a deep thing to say on this. Only that Alberta was a surprise to me. I went to see glaciers and cataracts, and there I was at sunset dancing in a field behind the Rockies. Travel does that sometimes. The itinerary breaks and what comes to fill the gap is more than what you had planned on.
What I’d Do Differently
A week on the road convinced me that a few things were evident:
I’d spend more time in Jasper: The attention goes to Banff–that town is larger and the facilities are more advanced–Jasper felt wilder. Quieter. Not polished so well as I liked. There will be at least three days you can spend in the Maligne Valley alone, in case you are serious about wildlife.
Earlier I would reserve rooms: The high season in the Rockies is mid-summer. The hostels fill up. The reservations in the campgrounds need to be made months in advance. I was fortunate enough to have had a last minute cancellation in the Jasper HI Hostel, however, luck is not a plan.
I’d bring better rain gear: The climatic conditions in the mountains change quickly. I had seen a rainless morning change into a hail storm by 2 pm. Layers count. Waterproofing matters more.
I’d slow down. It is the platitude everybody tells and no one lives by, but it is true. The Parkway isn’t a checklist. The lakes do not mind whether you have photographed all of them. My most enjoyable experiences were those that were not planned, the bear cubs, the festival, the hour spent sitting at Bow Lake watching the light change because I had no other place to go.
Final Thoughts
I have used scenic roads in the past. The Pacific Coast Highway. The Amalfi Coast. Iceland’s Ring Road. They are all beautiful in their own effects.
The Icefields Parkway does otherwise. It’s the scale, I think. The manner in which the mountains simply go on and on–peak after peak after peak– till your brain ceases attempting to process it and simply understands that you are in a big place. There was a place that was there before humans arrived, and will be there when we are no longer.
The glaciers are retreating. That is what lies beneath this beauty, the unpleasant fact. Since the end of the 1800s, the Columbia Icefield lost half of its volume. The Athabasca Glacier is retreating at a rate of 5 metres per annum. A portion of that which I beheld might have died out in a generation or two–at least in that form.
I don’t know what to do with that except to say: go now. Not because it’s on some bucket list. Not because Condé Nast said so. But because places like this are rare, and getting rarer, and the experience of standing in front of a glacier-fed lake that’s been forming for thousands of years is worth more than any photograph can capture.
In place of tea-cakes and wicket-layers, Albert provided turquoise water and angry waterfalls and bear cubs in wildflowers and a suspension bridge that left me with shaky knees. It provided me with silence when needed and music when I was not sure I wanted music. It provided me with the type of journey that reorganizes something minor within you – the one you are still contemplating months afterward, inquiring when you can envision it next.
I’m already planning the return.