Along 232 km (144 miles) of Alberta's western border, there is a highway that runs north to south through the magnificient Canadian Rockies and showcases some of the most mind-blowing scenery western Canada has to offer. I was waiting on my golden opportunity to travel this glorious piece of my still-new province when, at the end of April of this year, I found myself with a week off and no plans. Golden opportunity, indeed.
After consulting multiple weather forecasts, it was determined that it would be in my best interest to start in the south and drive back up in the direction of home. Four hours drive southwest of Edmonton, the adventure started in Canmore; gateway to Banff National Park.
I had never actually been in the town of Canmore, and it is everything I hoped. Parking in the midst of a tourist district, I made my way around town for a bit of shopping and photography. That is until, as you can see incoming, I was reminded of exactly where I was when it started to snow.
I was somewhat disappointed, although the aforementioned weather forecasts and my previous experience in the mountains in spring had foreshadowed this potential. I continued on my way in the hope of driving through the clouds of doom that had arisen seemingly out of nowhere. I made it to the town of Banff, where it was still overcast, though not snowing for the moment. I pulled into a turnout to consult my GPS and when I saw the tourist bus on the other end of the parking lot, I got curious.
"See the
hoodoos!" the sign read. Hmm.... alright...
Well, yeah, look at those hoodoos! And the snow blowing off of Mount Rundle! And the Bow River!
"Keep going!" the sign read. (Okay, it didn't, but there was this trail and a river, and more mountains, so yeah, that's what I saw, sign or not)
Oh, these are pretty!
And wait! Is that... the sun breaking through????
You bet!
Look at that snow blowing off now!
All around me: breath-taking, magnificent, spectacular beauty.
Heaven.
After capturing every possible angle from every possible vantage point, I finally pried myself away and got back in the truck to find my hotel.
Tunnel Mountain Resort is just a few minutes out of town and fantastic, by the way. My only concern was their tiny parking lot, so if you're driving anything bigger than a Ford Taurus, make sure you can manouever that thing.
I couldn't have asked for a better evening for hiking, so I looked for something close and headed out. As it turns out, there is a Tunnel Mountain Trail, which looked right up my alley for both time and difficulty-level.
I set out.
The road to the trail was closed for the season, and I was nervous about the time it would take to even commence this leg of my journey. As it turns out, it was only about 20 minutes in and had the road been open, on the way, I would have missed these:
And away I go!
Up, up, up!
Just when you think you're at the top... NOPE.
And then there's this.
There's Mount Rundle, the Bow River and Spray River Valleys, and Banff Springs Golf Club from 300 metres up.
And then you think you're at the top.... but NOPE.
Cool and creepy tree:
Cool and curly tree:
And then you think you're at the top.
And YUP!
Where the view is rather nice. ;)
And then it's just over 2 km's back down...
After a bath and a yummy supper at
The Elk and Oarsman Kitchen & Bar in town, I started out again in the hopes of getting some photos of the northern lights. Unfortunately, they were not visible on this night, and though my night photography requires some work, I was able to capture yet another of Mount Rundle's personalities.
The next morning dawned beautifully for a drive.
One last shot of town:
...and I'm out!
These overpasses are super-cool. Created to allow wildlife to pass uninhibited over the highway, and still be viewed from the road, they are a photogenic and genius piece of engineering and appear every so many miles in Banff National Park.
Side trip? Sure, why not.
I don't know why I expected Lake Louise not to be frozen.The lake is legendary in summer: known for it's bright turquoise colour created by the runoff from the glaciers that overlook the area. In winter (and apparently still on May 1!) it becomes a walking highway for thousands of tourists, and you can traverse the entire thing for some spectacular views and a different twist on a Canadian favourite.
Bit of snow on the public building...
... and I'm off again!
It turns out the highway I had so longed to discover has a name: the Icefields Parkway. As it winds its way through the mountains, it clings to the base of gigantic mountain ranges and glaciers as far as the eye can see, all of which is covered in feet upon feet upon feet of snow, even into May.
Unreal.
About 120 km south of Jasper, you come to Big Bend: a hairpin turn that winds it's way to the top of Big Hill (the originality in the naming of the area is lacking, but the logic is definitely on point). I pulled over on the side of the road and made my way through the knee-deep snow of the turnout to the edge, and was greeted by this stunning view of the road I had just travelled:
I continued past the Glacier Skywalk, the Columbia Icefield (there were a lot of people there, even so early in the year!) and made my way to Jasper. Just short of town, however, I saw a sign leading me to the Athabasca Falls, which had been mentioned to me by a friend as worth a visit.
STOP THE CAR!
The falls themselves were running at, I would guess, about 20 percent of their usual flow. You can see the larger spill has frozen, leaving only the small yet mighty piece on the right to empty the Athabasca into the natural caves below. This is a great spot to explore, however, and I spent a few hours on the trails, admiring the views, and trying to capture the magic of this hidden gem.
I couldn't get enough of these stairs! So cool, I had to capture every angle!
Another hour or so of driving and I arrived in the town of Jasper. I found my hotel easy enough and hit the local Tim Horton's for a sandwich and a coffee. Then I took my camera and drove the perimeter of the town and walked some nearby train tracks before realizing just how famished I was.
I went back to my hotel, freshened up, and plunked down on the bed to decide whether I needed to go back out, or just to call it a night. It was becoming overcast again and I was so... very.... tired.
But no, I was in Jasper, in the Rocky Mountains, and I had a vehicle and a camera and a few more hours of sunlight!
Queue: Old Fort Point
Just outside of town, I discovered a sideroad that lead into the woods and ended at a beach area on the Athabasca River. "This isn't too bad," I thought, as I got out. I wandered around with my camera and took a few scenery shots, but nothing too exciting. But oh! Wait! There are stairs! Maybe I'll just see what's up there...
Top of the stairs? Decent view.
And a trail.
That lead up.
Okay... guess I'll go a little further...
...and just a little more...
OH MY GOD!
They were wild, though being in a national park gave them free reign and they had no fear of me. They were absolutely majestic and I was beyond floored to be in their presence.
But there was still more trail!
The trail kept going. Due to the incoming weather, I did not.
I don't know what this is, but there were a couple of them.
Then it's back down...
They're still there!!!!
This guy owned the place. He could have stood up and said, "I run this joint," and it wouldn't have been more apparent. He was so beyond description... and so darn CHILL.
The weather the next morning was absolutely perfect. I had never seen Jasper on a sunny day before and I was pumped. I had an appointment in Edmonton, though, and had a four-hour drive ahead of me, so I told myself there could be no stopping.
Okay, maybe once.
Okay... twice.
(I wasn't even out of town yet at this point)
Okay, no really. I had to get home.
I passed a few spots where the mountains reflected beautifully on pristine, flat calm lakes. No, I need to get home. I cannot stop... I cannot stop... I cannot stop...
OH MY GOD. STOP THE CAR!!!
I can't even pick a favourite. What a spot, and right on the side of the highway!
Fortunately, once you're out of the mountains (shortly after this spot) it's a pretty mundane highway drive. I made it home just in time for my appointment, and all with the help of this highly photogenic gal: my favourite basic white chick, adventuring companion, and bucket list buster, deserving of her own moment in the sun...
♥💖💘💖♥
