Canadian Rockies Part 2 of 3

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Day 5 Jasper 6th June Sun

The sun finally shined much brighter this morning and our spirits were lifted. We spent quite some time at the Jasper Info Centre where we purchased several gifts. We ended up heading back to Pyramid Lake again in hopes of taking nice pictures. Though it was brighter, it was unfortunately cloudy. Plus, this morning, the lake was not as calm as last evening.

Anyway, we set off on the Icefields Parkway and stopped at the Valley of Five Lakes with hopes of catching beautiful views of the five lakes. However, to our greatest horror, we ended up lost - again. Well, once again, the route was not clearly marked out and so we were at times unsure of where to go. After walking for over an hour, we finally saw the ‘First Lake’. Thankfully it was supposed to be the most spectacular one and indeed it was. The lake stretched for a few km in length and we had to walk quite a bit before it was finally out of sight. But when we reached a junction, we decided we were lost and did not know where to head for. We prayed, and God answered our prayers: a couple came walking by (after we had walked for almost an hour and a half, we saw no one) and they pointed the way out for us. We followed them and managed to make our way out to the carpark again. It was certainly an unforgettable hike - lasting almost 3 hours!

Further up, we stopped at Horseshoe Lake - a beautiful lake with a deep emerald colour. There, some youths were trying out swimming and we were treated to a sight when they jumped into the near zero degrees water.

Athabasca Falls was up next. A common tourist spot, the falls did not disappoint. The power of the falls were so great that we could feel the water vapour from the viewpoints!

q Overnight: The Rocky Mountain Retreat Bed & Breakfast

Day 6 Jasper - Lake Louise 7th June Monday

On the way to Sunwapta Falls this morning, we passed by Tangle Falls too. Both falls were beautiful though you had to hike some 2.5km further to the lower Sunwapta Falls. But the hike is definitely worth it.



Following that, we arrived at the Columbia Icefield. It was certainly a beautiful day - the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining brightly. We boarded an Ice Explorer or a SnoCoach onto the Athabasca Glacier where we were given time to walk on the ice itself, throw snowballs at each other and admire at the vastness of ice surrounding us. It is sad to note that the Icefield is slowly declining in mass due to global warming.

We made our way further along the Icefields Parkway and stopped at Bow Valley Summit. We were treated to a beautiful sight of snow as the elevation there was over 2000m above sea level. In some parts, snow almost reached up to our knees! A short walk brought us to Peyto Lake - a very distinct lake with its shape resembling an outstretched palm.


Weather on that day: Jasper: 5.7 - 17.5

Further up, we took pictures at the partially frozen Bow River and just sat around one of the clear streams. We arrived Lake Louise in the evening. We decided to make full use of the day by heading for the Lake to check out the view. It was indeed spectacular. No wonder it’s world famous! We even toured the Chateau Lake Louise - definitely world class!



We settled down for the night at Lake Louise Inn - the cheapest accommodation in the tiny village.

Lake Louise: 1.9 - 13.7
q Overnight: Lake Louise Inn

Jasper - Lake Louise: 235 km

Day 7 Lake Louise - Banff - Canmore 8th June Tuesday

It was really cold as we got up this morning - we found frost on our car! However, the sun was shining brightly and that motivated us. We headed back to Lake Louise to snap some more pictures of the Lake. Following that, we took a 4+ km hike up to Lake Agnes (300 over m gain in elevation), passing by Mirror Lake on the way. We were treated to a beautiful sight of the village from the high altitude of 2000m.



Next stop was Moraine Lake and the Valley of Ten Peaks. It was indeed a pity that the Lake was not completely filled as a lot of snow had still not melted from the mountain tops. Hence certain parts looked a bit dried up. It was also rather cloudy when we reached there so the photos did not turn out too nicely.

Before heading for Banff, we made a detour and crossed over into Kootenay National Park, BC. We had wanted to view the beautiful Marble Canyon. However, it was a pity that the trail was closed due to forest fires last year. Not satisfied, we headed for the Paint Pots, thinking that it would be a nice sight too. Apparently, we were wrong. It turned out to be some small pool of water with a kind of different colour. Not worth going if you ask me.

We arrived Banff in the evening and decided to visit the Hoo Doos - some bizarre natural rock pillars that resembled humans. We didn’t know how to walk down to get a close up view so we had to make do with Ah Gu’s zoom lens.

Following that, we drove on to Canmore where we checked into Carney’s Rose Chalet for the night. In fact, we would be spending three nights here! We were given the entire basement of the house for sleeping and it was indeed spacious. Hosts Bernice (whom we call B) and Lester Carney were very chatty and homely.

Weather on that day: Lake Louise: -2.2 - 16.3
Banff: -2.2 - 16.3
q Overnight: Carney’s Rose Chalet

Lake Louise - Banff: 59 km
Banff - Canmore: 22 km

Day 8 Canmore - Banff - Canmore 9th June Wed

We drove up to Lake Minnewanka this morning but it wasn’t a very beautiful sight as the lake was kind of dried up. The freezing cold wind also forced us to return back to town instead after a short stop there.

Some time was spent at the Cave and Basin Historic Site where we learnt more about the origins of Banff National Park and the town itself.

Next up was Cascade Gardens where we got a postcard-perfect shot of Cascade Mountain and Banff Avenue in the foreground.



Thereafter, a short drive brought us to the lower terminal of Sulphur Mountain. One could actually take the 5-hour hike up the mountain and get a free ride on the gondola down later but we decided to opt for the less strenuous 7 minute ride up the gondola to the Upper Terminal of Sulphur Mountain. Views of Banff townsite were clear and we had a glimpse of mountain goat too!



Upon descent, we took a soak in the Upper Hot Springs Pool near the mountain where the natural water was maintained at around 40oC. It wasn’t really that hot if you asked me but it certainly was refreshing.

After the soak, a short drive brought us to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. This ‘Castle’ is certainly larger and more impressive than the Chateau at Lake Louise. The interior was unique and very medieval. After some exploration, we popped by to have Afternoon Tea in one of their restaurants. The wait was rather long and we were growing very impatient. Fortunately, the quality of the food made up for it. (Dad enjoyed a superb but pricey English Tea).

After our stomachs were filled, we had the energy to walk down to the Bow Falls and take some more pictures.

Weather on that day: Banff: -1.3 - 19.8
q Overnight: Carney’s Rose Chalet

Canmore - Banff: 22 km

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