Blogs from Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, North America

Full day travelling to the Columbia Icefields today with a stop off at Louise Lake (going back there tomorrow for a longer visit but guess what...the lake is still frozen..didn't expect that). Travelling to the Icefields is very scenic - snow capped mountains, lakes, rivers, many glaciers etc. Heard about the history of the early pioneers and first settlers. Once at the icefield, got driven to the glacier by a specially designed vehicle with very large wheels/tyres. Anyway, walked on a glacier today! Pictures will probably tell a better story than my words. On way back, stopped at Bow lake - also frozen - so started to walk on it and after a moment when ankle deep with both feet...oops. Quick backtrack...lol. Seems a little early in the season as still lots of snow and lakes ... read more

The Icefields Parkway has been described as the most beautiful drive in the world, and I am not prepared to dispute that. The 288km journey from Jasper to Banff, the two most famous resorts in the Canadian Rockies, is visually awesome. It takes 4 or 5 hours to drive from one end to the other, should you be crazy enough to cruise through without stopping to take in any of sites. My family and I recently spent nearly a week exploring the area, basing ourselves at each end of the parkway. Unpredictable weather brought us overcast days, mountain peaks shrouded in mist, and evenings that came alarmingly close to the freezing point. Meanwhile, traffic jams on the parkway caused by forest fires in neighboring British Colombia forced us to put our feet up and crack open ... read more

As I sat on my shuttle bus, homeward bound after ten days of hiking and solitude, I glanced at the towering peaks around me: This is what true nobility looks like. Nobility, not to be confused with what man often associates with itself, was all around me. Soaring cliffs capped with overflowing glaciers, rushing rivers cascading through the landscape, and sparkling lakes of turquoise and blue describe what I can only call the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I had a wonderful time with my companions Julie, Alice, and June. They were true women of steel and I thank them for sharing the first four days with me. When they left, I had plenty of time for introspection and prayer. Much like my previous travels, I spent time gaining perspective and making sense of the ... read more

So now onto the first few days. The first day started with Tina picking me and Mari up on the first day from the Juniper lodge. The Juniper lodge has very friendly staff, luckilly for us as we are living in the same building as many of them, and invited us in for free coffee. After Tina picked us up we went to Johnson lake (remember its a completley different area from Johnston Canyon) and had a mini trek with Dave who took us round the lake and gave us a very interesting talk about forest firs and how they are very necessary. Following this tour which probably lasted 2 hours ...ish? We went back to the main information centre in the centre of Banff where we re-met up with Tina. Over the first few days ... read more

I have never heard a train go by and not wished I were on it. And so I found myself on the Via Rail "Canadian" that heads east from Vancouver. Nineteen hours after ambling through British Columbia we arrived in Jasper, Alberta. I slept in the chair overnight, and slept quite well. Trains are infinitely more comfortable than any bus or car, and remind me of more halcyon days of travel. Whoever waves from a bus, or waves at the travelers in a bus? We wave at trains and their passengers and they wave back. The train was long, possibly as many as twenty carriages, with two dining cars and three dome cars for a panoramic view. The scenery was fantastic as we followed the Fraser River, and then the Thompson River upstream. The highlight was ... read more