We left the Northern Plains of Montana to continue on to the Northern Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and British Columbia. First stop was the eastern side of Glacier NP, USA this time. We took the free shuttle bus up “Road to the Sun” to the top, Logan’s Pass, altitude 6646’. Glaciers all around, prolific glacier lilies, and watching a mountain goat and her kid traversing a glacier and rock cliffs made the hike up there an absolutely beautiful and memorable experience. There are many waterfalls (one hike took us to St. Mary’s Falls, Baring Falls, and then to Victoria Falls) as the melting glacier waters make their way down. Soaking feet in the streams is always a treat even if the water is a few degrees above 32!
From the east side of Glacier, our trip took us north into Canada to visit Waterton Lakes NP, an international park with the US Glacier NP. This park is described as “Going from the Plains to the Mountains with no foothills.” The wildflowers are much thicker there, the hiking trails are narrower with growth on either side, and the crowds are smaller. So, we enjoyed the experience and are glad we went.
As expected from our last trip to the Maritime Provinces in Canada, most everything is more expensive in Canada. Since Banff/Jasper is so popular we saw a super long line of vehicles entering the park (which we avoided with our having a Parcs Canada Pass). About 90% of all the campers were rentals. And, of course, there are always the bus tours, mostly Chinese (our continuing observation that they are the #1 tourist category). The area felt more strained by the influx of tourists. We attribute that to the poor, rainy, cool weather in June. Many tourists postponed their travel and many campgrounds and hiking trails were closed since they were damaged by the floods. In Banff, we even camped in an “overflow” area the first night, which actually was fairly nice and met an interesting couple driving to Alaska with a 2 year old!
Banff is a cute, typical mountain town with lots of restaurants & bars & shops and the delicious “Cows” ice cream – “Canada’s ice cream.” The name “Banff” is derived from Banffshire Scotland. It is the highest town in Canada with an elevation of 4537’ and the highest peak here is 11,870’. This was Canada’s first National Park in 1885.
Within Banff NP is Lake Louise, which is everybody’s favorite stopping point. This is true especially for Pat (Patricia Louise Munson, hello!) The Lake never fails to provide a lovely setting of glacial clear water, a mountain to reflect in the lake, and a Chateau with floral gardens and a patio to have a glass of wine and an appetizer while reflecting on the magnificence of nature. The hike up the glacier behind Lake Louise was more gorgeous the higher up we went. Glacier flowers abounded and the appearance of glaciers unseen from the bottom appeared to greet us.
The famous Icefield Parkway is a road between the towns of Banff and Jasper in Jasper National Park. The Columbia Icefield sits on top of the mountain range and has 6 principle toes (glaciers) off of it. Straddling the boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, the Columbia Icefield is the largest ice mass in North America, south of the Arctic Circle. Situated in the Canadian Rockies, this ice field covers an area of 130 square miles and has a maximum depth of 1,200 feet [in-between the height of the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building in NYC.] If the Columbia Icefield melted, it would be enough fresh water for one million years and would submerge Canada.
The Athabasca Glacier (off of the Columbia Icefield) is the most visited glacier in North America due to its easy access to the highway. It has lost half its volume in the past 125 years, and recedes about 10 feet a year. It is 3.7 miles long. We decided to hike the glacier this time. Since there are many crevasses and millwells that would be deadly if one fell in, we needed to go with an expert guide. Walking on ice for 3 hours required a layered outfit that reminded us of our mothers dressing us in our snowsuits in the cold weather back east. We were warm, but immobile. If we fell over, we had to help each other up from this “turtle” position. With about 40 pounds of clothing, it was a tough 6 mile walk on ice including jumping over ridges, bumps, up hills, and over streams constantly. We did get to see many crevasses, which are deep cracks in the ice sheet and would be called crevices if this were rock. We also saw many moulins or glacial mills where water flows from the surface into the internal layers of the glacier like a well. A tough hike and worth the experience.
After finishing Banff and Jasper, we decided to go to the Parcs Canada less travelled and started out toward British Columbia. Those parks included Yoho, Kootenay, Glacier, and Mount Revelstoke. Canada’s parks in this region are prolific with wildlife, wildflowers, waterfalls, glaciers, alpine lakes, and vistas. With the fewer crowds in the camping areas and on the trails, we knew it was the right decision.
This area wildlife includes big horned sheep, mountain goats, black and brown bears, elk, deer, moose, and caribou. Grizzlies roam free in the area and electric fences were installed to “discourage” grizzlies from entering those areas as the tent camping and in the slope area of SkiLouise. We did see much wildlife including a grizzly bear munching away, but from a safe distance. There are many glaciers and hence glacial lakes. One of our favorites (next to Louise, of course) is Lake Moraine with its Ten Peaks behind it. The turquoise color of the water is astounding. This color of these glacier lakes comes from a high concentration of very fine sediment called glacial flour which is formed as heavy glaciers grind their way across the mountainside.
We have always found the Canadian Rockies special and they never fail to excite of spirit of adventure and travel. I hope that we have passed this along to you as well.
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