Canada: Rockie Mountains: Icefield Parkway, Banff & Canmore

 (Post by Colin)

Hi Folks..

Ok - I have set myself today to get as up to date as possible on the blog..  Since the last update allot has happened. After we left Jasper we drove along the Icefield Parkway towards Banff  - another town and the second famous Rockie Mountain national park.  We  actually stayed in a place called Canmore when we got there ( smaller and cheaper)  After  4/5 days of Rockie Mountain adventures we then drove out of the Rockies into British Columbia  towards the wine region - the Okanagan Valley. We spent a few days there and then drove along the scenic route to Vancouver - where we have been for  almost a week. Kizzy is going to do the blog entry on the Okanagan Valley and I will finish off on the Rockies in this blog...

The Icefield Parkway is  a famous driving route connecting the national parks Jasper and Lake Louise and Banff.  Words cannot really describe how beautiful it is.. I could spend months travelling along here and not get bored. For those who are interested in camping and cycling - I can't think of anywhere better ..  There are camp sites all along the route and you could spend each day cycling from on to the next whilst admiring the views.. The air is pure and the views are breathtaking..

Icefield Parkway -Kizzy and Col

Icefield Parkway..

We did not stop in the campsites  or cycle- our goal was to get to Canmore - but stopping at key sites on the way to admire the scenery and do at least one hike. The first stop we made was  at the Athabasca Falls...

Athabasca Falls

Kizzy at Athabasca Falls

We then moved on to what is known as the Weeping Wall.. Self explanatory really - but as the ice melts in winter it looks like the wall is crying...

Weeping Wall Sign

Weeping Wall

and then to Columbia Icefield which is the site of a huge glacier..  You can pay $50 to get in a truck and  go onto the  glacier itself and /or go on a hike onto the glacier with a guide.  We were more tempted by the hike  but it was too late in the day to begin one..  So we just took a look and as you can see it is pretty impressive..

Columbia Icefield

Columbia Icefield

One interesting and slightly scary fact - is that the Glacier has receded significantly in the last 50 years.  We saw a marker showing how far it has receded and were shocked..  It is definitely getting warmer...

As we continued along the road we  came across a load of stopped cars... Literally 20 cars all stopped - we got out to take a look and  we noticed some bears !!   Yeeha !   Obviously we were not the only people hoping to spot them !  We saw one black and one brown one - we still have no idea what kind of bears they are ... I was so excited and tried to get some photos -  but I am afraid they did not pose too well...

Bears on Icefield Parkway

Bears on Icefield Parkway

After all the literature we had read on Bears and being careful and the trails we came across where bear warnings meant they were closed off - I was a little surprised to see that these Bears seemed totally  oblivious to our existence..

We  tore ourselves away and carried on towards Peyto Lake. This was a very short hike to see the lake and wow..  !!

Col & Kizzy at Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake

The colour of the lake is just incredible.. It is this colour because of the way it reflects the light..  There are some more photos of this on our Picasa album - well worth reviewing..   Note that you can find all Picasa pics -   if you look at the labels on the right - there is one called Photo Albums..


 A few pics of Wildlife and nature..

Chipmunk

Flower

Next stop was for a hike.. We decided that we wanted to get one in and we had heard that this was a good one..

Trail Name: Bow Glacier Falls
Weather: Rain and then glorious sunshine
Bear Sightings:None

The trail was around 10k there and back and it started off at the amazing Bow lake.. This place is just stunning...

Bow Lake

Bow Mountain

The trail leads all round one side of the lake and then it gets tougher.. going through various types of environment until you reach the waterfalls.. Here is a selection of pics...

Petrified tree

Kizzy and an Inuksut

Stairs up the mountain..

Stream under ice..

Tired we drove the rest of the way to Canmore to our hotel..  We were really lucky and had picked up this amazing deal on these posh aparthotel rooms..  Grand Rockies Resort..  Check out the view from our window..

View from our apartment - Grand Rockies Resort

View from our apartment - Grand Rockies Resort

They were so posh they even had a kind of space age programmable shower...

Shower -Grand Rockies Resort

Shower Programmer - Grand Rockies Resort

Kind of pointless actually... Once you played around with all the functions once - you  realised that it was a decent shower just as a normal one - forget all the extra functions..

they even provided a huge Gas BBQ on the balcony - which was great for us.. as we  could eat at home and save money..

Canmore itself is a tiny place - they say it is a spillover town from Banff. Alot less to do than in Banff but very pretty and quiet.. Beautiful views... A good place to base yourself..

Canmore Rail track.

Whilst in Canmore we had the best restaurant food so far in Canada ! If you have been reading the blogs progress you will have gathered that food has been fairly disappointing in general.. The restaurant - Castillo's had just opened and  had a Mexican chef - we had  3 tacos for $10 each which is incredibly cheap for Canada.. This was fresh , homemade and tasty food..

Us with the Castillo team 

Kizzy and Castillo team

 We visited Banff - which is a much more commerical place..   and expensive to stay in. You could tell that people came as much for the party as for the hiking and outdoor life.. We thought it was ok  - nothing special..  Its the mountains and the nature not the towns we are here for..!

Colin in Stetson

Kizzy in Banff town

and then finally - the hiking..  During our time here we did some of the longest and more adventurous hiking..


Hike 1
Hike Name: C Level Cirque
Weather: Glorious sunshine
Bear sightings :None

Ok - this hike was really tough..  up hill and steep for most of the way - but worth it for glorious views at the end.    The other cool thing was that we met a really nice German couple - Michael and Amrei who we did the trail with.   They are travelling in Canada and US for a year.  More adventurous than us - they are staying in Walmart carparks each night where possible.  This is free.  So they have only food and fuel costs for a car they bought at the beginning and will sell at the end. It's like a people carrier so they can sleep reasonably well in the back..   Lovely people and we hope to meet  with them for a beer when they arrive in Vancouver (if they get here before we leave )  . I gained a new nickname - you won't believe it but it's Mountain Goat - apparently I'm not bad at this hiking thing ;-) Here are a few  pics.

Some kind of Squirrel

halfway,,,

view from the top..

Micheal, Amrei, Kizzy and Col

Micheal and Amrei had told us about a great hike around Lake Louise which  we took on the next day..

Hike 2

Hike Name: Plain of the Six Glaciers
Weather:  Rain then glorious sunshine followed by hail and rain !
Bear sightings :None


What an amazing hike - through snow and rocks - along side the river and up into the mountains..

Lake Louise

Lake Louise from  higher up..

Colin hiking through snow..

Col & Kizzy- Lake Louise in distance

Around half way through the hike we came across a tea room... where we had a tea and a hot chocolate and caught pur breath..  The people that run the place - live in it in the summer months.  It must be amazing when all the tourists go and they have it to themselves..  I asked the girl how she got the job and she replied - "nepotism"...

Kizzy - knackered at the tea house..

Lake Louise from above..

We met a  lovely Brazilian couple Marc and Camilla - on this hike and walked with them for  a short while...  before we parted ways just as the hail and rain - thunder and lightening started !

Colin posing..

The next day we began our drive out of  the Rockies  - through another national park - Yoho  - we stopped for a  short hike here as well..

Hike 3

Hike Name: Emerald Lake

Weather:  Rain and more rain !

Bear sightings :None

The great thing about this hike is that randomly we bumped into the Brazilian couple Marc and  Camilla just as we were beginning the hike  and so walked together.   These kind of coincidences are enough to make you reconsider belief in fate.. ;-)   Such a lovely couple..   It was great to meet them..

Emerald Lake

Camilla, Colin, Kizzy and Marc

Emerald Lake

 From here we  drove to  Mount Revelstoke where we stopped for the night in a  cheap motel..    We actually drove through several more national parks.  Canada has so many beautiful places. The aim by now was to move on to the  Okenagan Valley for a few days before reaching Vancouver..

For Picasa Pics click  here...

Missing you all. Take care...


Colin & Kizzy.