Alberta – Paint Your Landscape

One of the Top Drives in the World ~ Icefields Parkway

August 4, 2016LuAnn

There is a dramatic stretch of highway that parallels the Continental Divide, melding together two stunning Canadian parks. This two-lane highway, stretching from the picturesque little village of Lake Louise in Banff National Park to the vibrant little town of Jasper in Jasper National Park, has been rated as one of the top drives in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, 144 miles of soaring rocky mountain peaks, ancient glacier ice fields, and immense sweeping valleys. I would not be classified a worldly traveler (more a wannabe) but I must agree that it is tops on my list.

This is more than a drive. It’s a journey through natural history, jaw-dropping landscapes, and more than 100 ancient glaciers. It is so much larger than my meager brain can wrap itself around. The best way to describe the beauty of the Icefields Parkway is through photos. Here are just a few of the dramatic sights seen along this winding stretch of road:

Herbert Lake, sitting under the peak of Mt. Tempe, was our first stop of the day after leaving Lake Louise. Its morning reflection was a great start to our day.

Bow Glacier and Bow Falls , one of the many striking glaciers along this beautiful stretch of highway.

Peyto Lake, named for “Wild Bill” Peyto, one of the first game wardens in the park. The unusually bright blue water of the lake, created by glacial “rock flour”, which scatters the blue-green rays of light, coupled with the wide view of the Mistaya Valley, make this one of the most scenic sights along the parkway.

Another glacier seen from Hilda Pass.

And another from the Sunwapta Pass.

The Columbia Icefield, composed of eight glaciers and encompassing an area of about 200 miles, sits near the halfway mark on the Icefields Parkway. This ice mass is one of the largest south of the Arctic Circle and is one of the most reachable in North America. The Athabasca, Snowdome, and Stutfield Glaciers can be seen from the parkway.

The Columbia Icefield Centre, much like a large National Park Visitor Center, is where you can book the Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventure, a 90-minute excursion onto the Athabasca Glacier aboard a massive Ice Explorer. Tours on the Glacier Skywalk, a glass-floored observation walkway 918 feet above the spectacular Sunwapta Valley, can also be booked at the center.

Not unlike most other visitor centers, there is a 20-minute film that can be watched here. We experienced “Through Ice and Time”, the best film I have ever seen in a National Park visitor center.

Snowdome Glacier, part of the Columbia Icefields.

And the mother of them all, the Athabasca Glacier, largest in the Columbia Icefields, is the glacier the Ice Explorers drive visitors onto. In 1844 this massive glacier covered the area across the street at the Columbia Icefield Centre, where the parking lot now sits, another testament to how far these glaciers have retreated.

Thundering Sunwapta Falls, whose power can be felt and heard when you stand on the bridge above it.

The massive power of the Athabasca Falls is created as the Athabasca River funnels into a narrow gorge.

Mountain goats come down from the red cliffs of Mt. Kerkeslin to lick mineral deposits along the road.

A trip to the Canadian Rockies would be incomplete without experiencing this spectacular drive on the Icefields Parkway and the Columbia Icefields. As we drove the winding roads, I was remembering a post I had recently read by blogger friend Sue, who had recently biked this route with hubby Dave and a group of other cyclists. I bow down to you both. 🙂

Those Spectacular Canadian Rockies ~ Banff and Yoho National Parks

July 30, 2016LuAnn

While visiting friends in Cochrane, Alberta, we had to make the difficult decision of how to spread out our limited time in Canada. I recall when we lived in Yellowstone shaking our heads each time a visitor came into the park with a few short hours to spend. We wondered if it was worth the time to visit when so much would be missed. Here we were faced with a similar decision, during peak tourist season, and I found myself as excited as those first-time Yellowstone visitors, wanting to see it all. We were so close to many national parks so of course I wanted a taste of as much as possible, rationalizing that we could always return for more.

Our first stop was Banff National Park, in the Alberta province, where we pitched our tent for three nights at Lake Louise campground. What began as a 16 square mile hot springs reserve is now 4125 square miles of unparalleled mountain terrain, Canada’s first National Park, home to seven National Historic Sites. Banff, along with Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks is recognized as part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

I thought our western mountains were breathtaking, but Canada really takes it up a notch with their Rockies, a beautiful melding of heaven and earth. There is an unspoiled “wild-ness” here, thanks to the ice-age glaciers acting as landscape sculptors, creating the rugged mountain ranges and gouging out the valley into a deep basin.

Spectacular glaciers and turquoise lakes above treeline on the Iceline Trail

The glaciers that covered the Canadian Rockies have vastly retreated but have left behind vivid memories found flowing in the turquoise and jade green waters, unusual gorges and canyons, and unique rock formations.

The next morning we set out for the much smaller Yoho National Park, in the province of British Columbia, and the second Canadian National Park. The unusual name for this park is a Cree expression meaning awe and wonder, which was exactly what we were feeling throughout our first hike in a Canadian park.

Although the smallest of the four parks that form the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks UNESCO World Heritage Sites, it holds some of the oldest and most significant shale fossil beds in the world, as well as 36 peaks soaring above 10,000 feet. It packs a punch!

Takakkaw Falls - 830 foot drop in one stretch and 1260 foot drop in total, among the highest in Canada — Takakkaw Falls – 830 foot drop in one stretch and 1260 foot drop in total, among the highest in Canada

Since we had time for only one hike in Yoho, we chose a memorable hike, the Iceline Trail. There are several ways to tackle this hike, out and back, a shorter loop and the big loop. Guess which one I chose? 😉

Terry climbs to get a better view of Takakkaw Falls

The Iceline Trail via Little Yoho (the big loop) is 13-miles, with many of those above treeline. It’s roughly 3000′ of elevation gain made for a challenging hike, but the 360º views of glaciers, flowing streams, and one of the tallest waterfalls in all of Canada made it worth the effort.

One of the infamous red chairs found after completing the Iceline Trail.

The next day we decided to scale back our hiking and chose to hike the Lake Agnes Trail in Banff National Park to a European-style tea house, the highest tea house in all of Canada. It is probably the most “civilized” way to see the Rockies. The trail is 4-miles round-trip, with a 1300 foot elevation gain, just enough for me after our previous day’s trek.

And a visit to Banff is not complete without visiting the most iconic site in the park, the emerald waters of Lake Louise, where millions come every year to bask in her beauty. It is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies, named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter to Queen Victoria.

The world-famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise sits on the edge of the lake, striking an impressive pose. And it looked like millions were there on the day we visited and none spoke our native tongue.

Enough though we visited during peak season and had little time to explore, we wouldn’t have passed on getting a glimpse into these two spectacular Canadian parks, and we will definitely be back. I am already reading about Banff in the winter – snowmobiles, dog sleds, cross-country skiing, sleigh rides. Sounds like fun, doesn’t it? Hubby is not convinced. 😉

Next Up: Icefields Parkway

Friends Old and New

July 25, 2016LuAnn

“There are some people in life who make you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger, and live just a little better.” ~ Anonymous

Wind turbines stand in the canola fields near Pincher Creek, en route to Cochrane

As we left Waterton Lakes National Park, our journey continued northward to Cochrane, one of the largest cities in the Alberta province and one of the fastest growing communities in all of Canada. It’s Western, outdoorsy culture, with rolling hills, turquoise rivers, trails and paths, set against a Rocky Mountain backdrop, was divine.

Cochrane was on our radar, as we couldn’t pass an opportunity to reconnect with friends Jim and Barb. We had met this lovely couple two years ago in Florida, where a quick introduction found us spending the rest of the evening and several days after talking like we had known each other our entire lives. We have since caught up with them in So Cal and were now looking forward to seeing them on their home turf.

Jim and Barb graciously extended an invitation to stay in their beautiful home. We couldn’t have had a lovelier experience had we stayed in the finest B&B.

The next several days we were treated to Barb’s scrumptious home-cooked meals and were the lucky recipients of Jim and Barb’s tour guide expertise, giving us a taste of Calgary (a beautiful city) and a full-day tour of Kananaskis Country, where the breathtaking Canadian Rockies surrounded us at every turn.

Our visit ended with an invitation to their annual block party, where 60+ neighbors warmly welcomed us into the fold. I found myself wishing for someone to adopt us. I was ready to pack my bags and head north.

And if that wasn’t enough, I had one more highly anticipated visit while in Cochrane.

When I was certain our travels were taking us to Cochrane, I reached out to a blogger friend in the hopes that she lived closed enough and was interested in meeting. She did and she was and a plan was hatched. And now I can say that I have met one of my favorite bloggers, Sue Slaght of Travel Tales of Life. If you aren’t already following her (and I’m sure many of you are) you really should check her out. Funny, engaging, and chock-full of adventure, Sue’s is the consummate blog that all tourism boards would love to know. Over coffee, both Sue and I agreed that meeting felt like reconnecting with an old friend.

Sue & me at Legacy Guitar House in Cochrane

I find meeting those who you can easily engage in conversation, yet find comfort in the silence, one of the most delightful pleasures in life.

We cannot thank Jim and Barb enough for their gracious hospitality, and hope to see them again next spring. As for Sue, I would have been so disappointed had we been so close and our paths hadn’t crossed. I hope this is just the first of many visits.

A sign outside a great restaurant, Anejo, in Calgary. Our crazy political scene is not lost on our friends north of the border.

Quiet, Uncrowded Waterton Lakes National Park ~ Alberta, Canada

July 20, 2016July 19, 2016LuAnn

What started at an annual Rotary meeting between clubs in Montana and Alberta quickly blossomed into an international spirit of cooperation, a convergence of like values, celebrating the peace and goodwill between two nations with the longest globally undefended border.

In 1932 Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park joined together as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, the first of its kind. The joint efforts of both the U.S. and Canada are reflected in their wildlife and vegetation management, search and rescue programs, and joint interpretive programs. In 1995 Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park was designated a World Heritage Site.

In the 80+ years since, 138 international peace parks and similar protected transboundary areas have sprung up on five continents, some in the most combative corners of the globe.

While still in Glacier National Park I enrolled us for the International Peace Park Hike, an 8-mile hike along Upper Waterton Lake, which included a boat shuttle trip back from Goat Haunt. Jointly led by a Glacier Park Ranger and Waterton Park Interpreter, this seemed the perfect way to begin our Canadian adventure.

Bright and early on a gray, cloudy day we headed for Waterton Lakes National Park, giving ourselves plenty of time, or so we thought, to purchase tickets at the marina and meet our guides at the trailhead. Not aware of the road construction between Glacier and Waterton Lakes, the delays prevented us from arriving on time. To placate my disappointment, Terry convinced me that a rainy, foggy day wasn’t the best time for a hike or a boat ride. I reluctantly agreed.

We waited a couple of hours until the fog burnt off then proceeded to the same trailhead we missed earlier and hiked the Bertha Lake Trail, a 6.5-mile hike to an alpine lake. The switchbacks seemed to never end, and at one point I remarked to Terry, “there had better be a damn fine lake and waterfall at the end of this trail”…and there was.

After a pizza/microbrew meal and a stroll around town, we decided, weather permitting, that a hike to Crypt Lake should be on the agenda for the next day. It is rated by National Geographic as “one of the world’s most thrilling trails”. Sadly it was a wash-out as the rains moved in and stayed for the day. Nonetheless, we found Waterton Lakes to be a lovely little town, and vowed to return to finish the two hikes we had on the agenda.

“Shaped by wind, fire, and water, Waterton remains for all time a place of spectacular beauty, a Canadian legacy of mountains, lakes, prairies, forests, alpine meadows, and wildlife.” Our visit to Canada may have gotten off to a soggy start, but an anticipated visit to friends put the sun right back into our days.

Next up: Cochrane