The Alberta Rockies – Waterton, Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper (and points in between…)

2022 July 20-29

 

We headed west again towards Waterton National Park, with the rugged mountains on the horizon looming as we approached. Waterton Lake is one of the popular destinations in the Alberta Rockies, perhaps less visited than Banff and Lake Louise, although not much further away from Calgary; the small town at the lake is far less busy and access is a lot easier. Initially, we took the road that leads to Red Rock Canyon where we walked the canyon adjacent to the parking area and then to Blakiston Falls.

 

We then returned to the main road, stopped in the village, walked around the beach, and then had the mandatory High Tea at the Prince of Wales Hotel. 

 

 We then went to Cameron Lake and walked along the lake shore as far as we could, 500 m from the border with the USA. The path reaches a STOP sign warning that beyond this point is a “Grizzly Bear area” and advising that further progress is not permitted. Despite not reaching the end of the lake it was an excellent walk. 

 

We left the lake, and headed to Pincher Creek, back in the “flat lands”, where we picked up necessities and spent the night. The following day took us to Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, long on Alan’s list of “must go there one day” places. This UNESCO site proved to be an excellent display of local culture and history, with access to the top of the cliff over which the First Nations drove bison to their deaths. 

  

I suspect that there was no roof when the jump was really happening

 

We then headed north, stopping for a walk through Fort MacLeod, and continued to Calgary. We had decided to spend little time there this year, planning to meet up with Alan’s many friends there on a later visit, although we did dine with Marsh, catching up on his news. The Glenbow, allegedly open according to its website, proved inaccessible. We spent some time at the Farmers’ & Crafters’ Market at cSpace, the Alberta Craft Gallery, and Heritage Park, which is still a very good place to gain an appreciation of the history of Calgary since the arrival of settlers. It was good to see recognition of the "Famous 5"  (although the contribution to the history of the First Nations in the region remains more limited than one would hope).

 

From Calgary, we made our way west towards the mountains, among more highway traffic than we had seen since Vancouver. We stopped at the riverside at Whitefish Yamnuska Recreation Area, at Tunnel Mountain Hoodoos lookout, and then at Banff Springs Hotel where we had lunch. We then took Highway 1A, which parallels the TransCanada to Johnston Canyon, and walked to the upper falls and back, following which we headed for Two Jack Lake Main campground. We had improved our campsite set-up efficiency so much that we took less than half an hour from arrival to sitting by the campfire with beers in hand. Banff was very busy; we were able to find a parking place downhill from Banff Springs Hotel, however, the traffic was a lot busier than we had seen for a long time. 

 

Whitefish Yamnuska Recreation Area

 

Johnston Canyon

 

 

Following the Rocky Mountains northwards (more northwest than north) we arrived at Lake Louise. On the way, we saw huge signs on the highway saying that access was limited and advising to take shuttle buses to the lake. We were fortunate that in fact we found parking at the upper lot above Lake Louise, and could walk the lakeside and have lunch in the Fairview Bar at Chateau Lake Louise. 

 

  

We crossed briefly into British Columbia again to visit the “Spiral Tunnels” viewpoint and Emerald Lake, where we took the Hamilton Falls walk before returning to the TransCanada Highway and heading further north to stop at the mandatory Mount Rundle viewpoint, then soak at Banff Upper Hot Springs before returning to camp.

 

Before leaving this area, we visited Lake Minnewanka, then drove north past Lake Louise to the Hector Lake “viewpoint” and then to Bow Lake where we walked to Bow Glacier Falls viewpoint through scenery somewhat reminiscent of some places in Iceland. We also stopped and took the Miskaya Canyon walk, fuelled at Saskatchewan Crossing, and then continued on the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, home for the next three days.

 

Bow Glacier Falls viewpoint

 

From our base in Jasper we spent time at Maligne Canyon and visited  Jasper Lake and the Sand Dunes.

 

View east from Jasper Lake Sand Dunes

 

We walked along the Athabasca River bank and finally returned to the Columbia Icefield Centre for the “Glacier Adventure” - walking on the glacier and venturing onto the Skywalk. The tour was interesting and did include commentary on the impact of global warming – photos of the glacier only a century ago show the huge loss of ice – however (as was indeed pointed out by the driver) there is some dissonance in visiting the disappearing glacier on a huge diesel ‘bus.

Returning northwards we stopped at Tangle Creek and its waterfall, Beauty Meadows, the Mushroom and Diadem peaks viewpoint, and stopped at the impressive Sunwapta Falls, then Goats and Glaciers, and finally Athabasca Falls before refueling in Jasper and heading west to Tête Jaune Lodge campground (where we had sought to camp earlier in our trip, unsuccessfully, since it had been full). This campground has very attractive sites on the riverbank, and it was a good spot to contemplate our further travels westwards.

 

 

 

Our next stages of the trip:

 

We’ll return to British Columbia and head southwest through Southern British Columbia before heading to Vancouver Island for the last chapter of the trip this year.

 Hugs

Alan & Marce

Southern British Columbia – the Crowsnest Highway

 2022 July 9-20

 

We spent a few days in Vancouver – we caught up with family, met Marce’s Mum Betty who was joining us for the last five weeks of our Canadian travels this year, took the bed out of the vehicle, and put the rear seats back in to allow the three of us to travel in comfort, camping with ground tents during this stage of the trip. In Vancouver we enjoyed time at parks and Hillside Pool, walking in Stanley Park and English Bay, visiting the beadwork exhibition at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwestern Art, and various culinary experiences including ice cream from Dolce Amore. We took care of some tasks including a repair to one of the lenses, acquiring a couple of camping items for the increase in the team, and packing everything for the next stage of the trip.

 

We then set off eastwards, initially to Hope, with a stop at Harrison Hot Springs, where unfortunately the public hot springs were closed, then on the Crowsnest Highway to Sumallo Grove/Skagit, Rhododendron trail, the impressive view from Cascade Lookout, Spotted Lake, and finally Nk’mip campground for our first night camping with Betty in ground tents. Our newly acquired Gusrevi tents proved very easy to set up (although the ground was stony so putting in the tent pegs was challenging). On our first time setting up camp, it took 50 minutes, which we learned to reduce to half that as we gained experience. 

Cascade Viewpoint

 

The following morning found us at a construction site, as teams were undertaking work in the campground which one would have thought could have been done pre-season. The Nk’mip Desert Cultural Centre proved to be excellent, giving a good insight into the area's First Nations, with a walk through the arid ecosystem, and good displays on the culture and history. We then headed to Johnstone Creek where we walked the Loop Trail, continued to Rock Creek Station, Grand Forks, and Nelson, and enjoyed a drink at Backroads Brewing Co., before continuing to Mountain Park Resort campground for the night. We were learning that we were in peak camping season – the campgrounds were almost full (or full), making it necessary to book sites, which we had not had to do in the preceding two months. This campground was pleasant, although it’s just below the noisy Crowsnest Highway.

 

Looking back to Lake Osoyoos

Continuing east we arrived at Moyie Lake Provincial Park and then Cranbrook Visitors’ Centre, with a good view over the lake; a great place for good bird spotting. We visited the Cranbrook History Centre, then continued to Fernie, Sparwood (where we stopped to visit the “World’s Largest Truck”), then on over Crowsnest Pass to Lundbreck Falls, before continuing via Spring Hill to Fort Heritage campground. 

"World's Largest Truck"

 

Lundbreck Falls

We found that this campground was surprisingly almost empty, we camped alongside the lake, enjoying bird life and horses contesting the bank with geese, set up efficiently, and enjoyed dinner and drinks in the beautiful sunset, with the mountains to the west, and the stars coming out on a clear night. 

We were now in a very different country, this was the start of the plains country, which stretches a couple of thousand kilometers east through Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, which we plan to visit next year. For now, we planned to head back into the mountains and then head northwest. 

Our next stages of the trip:

 

We’ll explore this part of the Southern Rockies before heading north, to Calgary. Then, back to the Rockies to visit Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper before returning to British Columbia and moving southwest before heading to Vancouver Island for the last chapter of the trip this year.

  

Hugs

Alan & Marce

Yellowknife, Northern Alberta, and back to Vancouver to prepare for the next stage

 2022 June 26 – July 9

 

Yellowknife ended up being a good place to live for a while, with some good restaurants, a good brew pub, a couple of good cafés, good infrastructure, lots of lakes including the Great Salt Lake, no mosquitos, and a general positive ambiance. While we were there the weather was excellent, which no doubt helped. We planned to return, probably during early winter or late spring, seeking aurora borealis viewing (obviously not possible in mid-summer), as well as simply experiencing the city at another time of year.

 

En route to Yellowknife

 

We enjoyed our first breakfast in Yellowknife at the park overlooking the lake. Afterward, we met a couple of “Yellowknifers” who had been among the first to be born there after the city had been established, and who had returned after many years for a visit; we chatted and heard stories of how the city had been in the 1940s when they were living in it. 

The late from the Heritage Centre

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre was an excellent visit and we got to learn a lot about the region and the First Nations in the territory. The Farmers’ Market was good, although we missed a lot because we noticed it very late. We visited the Down to Earth gallery, the Gallery of the Midnight Sun, and the iconic Weaver & Devore, and picked up a couple of things at the very good Overlander Camping store.

 

One of our dinners was at the Wildcat Café, a semi-mandatory stop. The view from the Bush Pilots’ Monument was excellent. Another evening we met Russ and Brenna, whom we had met on the Dempster, for dinner with them, which was a great opportunity to catch up and hear of life in Yellowknife. 

 

Bush Pilots' Monument view

 

We were in the city on Canada Day and went to the Plaza overlooking the lake, where First Nations Drum and Dance was taking place. Just after, a concert by William Prince’s band closed the event. A great day! It was a positive experience to see the variety of people there enjoying themselves and to note also that everyone who wanted to speak was able to do so.

 

 

We took advantage of the local Jeep dealer to have our routine maintenance done, having to explain that “no we didn't need a block heater – the vehicle will spend its winters in Vancouver”.

 

Incidentally, we had a challenge managing a separate trip planned for Europe, for which we needed to change flight dates; the pandemic made getting help on the phone near impossible, and attempts to make the change online futile. We stopped at Top of the World Travel in the hope that they might be able to help, and I’d like to record that although this proved impossible, owing to the booking situation, their Manager was outstanding in her willingness and efforts to help with the problem – I cannot recommend her highly enough – many thanks!

 

We left Yellowknife to head south again, passing bison on the highway, picking up fuel at Fort Providence and Enterprise, and camping at the 60th Parallel Territorial Park campground, once again back into the forest (and mosquitos!). The following day we stopped at the excellent Vistors’ Centre at the border with Alberta, to then continue south, passing through Indian Cabins, Meander River, and Footner Lake, to finally transition to agricultural land entering High Level.

 

The High Level Visitors’ Centre and Mackenzie Crossroads Museum was a good stop, we visited the Farmers’ Market and then continued southward via Twin Lakes Provincial Park to Leddy Lake campground, which had a good birdwatching experience in the morning. From here on the surroundings became more agricultural, broken by areas of forest. We stopped in Peace River, walking by the river and viewing the statue of 12 Foot Davis; stopped for excellent ice cream at Grimshaw, where this is a major attraction, then stopped in the heritage center of Sexsmith, and continued to Grand Prairie, the largest city we had seen for a long time. The Heritage Museum was good, although the time was too short to do it justice. 

 

Our next stop was Dawson Creek, where we camped at the Mile 0 Campground. We visited the Pioneer Village, Visitors’ Centre, and Art Gallery, as well as taking the obligatory photos at Alaska Highway Mile 0. We had covered a fair amount of the Alaska Highway within Canada at various stages of our trip, however had not intended to “drive the highway” as such. Even so, we had sufficient time on these stretches to feel a connection of sorts. 

We made our way to Tumbler Ridge, known for walks and waterfalls. We visited the Visitors’ Centre and Dinosaur Museum, then continued to Canary Falls, saw beavers in Lake Green Bowl, and walked the trails at the impressive Kinuseo Falls. In the area, we saw deer, what seemed to be a marten, a black bear, and another lynx. 

Kinuseo Falls

Continuing westwards we stopped to see the chainsaw carvings at Chetwynd and camped at Caron Creek. The staff was friendly, and the site itself was well-equipped, however, its location between the highway and the railway line exposes campers to a fair amount of noise during the night.

 

In the next part of the trip, we visited a variety of places, including Bijou Falls, Tudyah Lake, Whiskers Point Provincial Park, MacLeod Lake, and Davie Lake, before reaching Prince George. On this route, we deviated a short distance to Mackenzie, which proved a worthwhile stop. The staff at the Mackenzie & District Museum was really helpful and interested in sharing their knowledge. We learned about the tree-crusher, which had been built to tear down the forest in preparation for the filling of the reservoir in the valley here – neither being the finest moments in this history. 

 

We had visited Prince George on our way north and had been disappointed to find that the Art Galleries were closed. We now hoped to be able to visit them, however, one was closed because there had been a fire the day before, and the other we wished to visit was closed because of flooding! Marce’s diplomatic and theatrical skills were put to good use and we were allowed into the excellent Aesthete Gallery, where we had a long conversation with Shelby and found several items which we arranged to be sent to us in Vancouver – a great stop!

 

After lunch at Northern Lights Bistro at NL Winery, we headed southwest again, stopping at Purden Lake Provincial Park, the Ancient Forest / Chun T’oh Whudujut Provincial Park, walking the circuit through the forest, then continued to Tête Jaune Lodge campground, which was full (although we subsequently returned and found it to be very good), so we camped at Yellowhead campground that night.

 

The following morning we took a walk in the Cranberry Marsh / Starratt Wildlife Management Area, and then, on our way south, we chose to take the River Safari at Blue River. We were fortunate: on our way there were showers, and on our arrival back at the dock after the boat trip a torrential downpour started, however throughout the boat trip the sun was shining! The scenery alone would have justified the trip, and we were fortunate to see a black bear, swimming across the river, and then on the bank. 

 

Our destination that night was the Paul Lake campground, which proved to be completely full; however the camp host told us that we could camp in the “overflow” which was the car park above the beach at the lake, which proved to be an excellent alternative, probably better in our case than the campsite itself. In the morning the weather, and Cnut and Yuma who had also camped in the car park, encouraged us (Marce more willing than Alan) to go for a swim in the lake, which proved a great start to the day.

 

At this point we deviated from the “direct” route back to Vancouver to detour through the Okanagan, stopping at the Okanagan Market Place in Falkland, in Vernon, lunching at Block, the 50th Parallel Winery restaurant, and camping at Orchard RV retreat, overlooking the valley.

 

The following day we had coffee at the Lake Country Art Gallery and Coffee, Spirit of the Lake to be closed, picked up essentials at Indigenous Winery (with an unexpected Snowbirds air display thrown in), then took the Coquihalla Highway to Hope whence on to Vancouver.

 

This brief run through the Okanagan was far shorter than one would hope to be able to enjoy all on offer, however, we needed to get to Vancouver and so it was, essentially, a taster for another visit in the future. Kelowna exposed us to levels of traffic we had not experienced since leaving Vancouver two months earlier, which was somewhat of a shock, although the Coquihalla was not heavily occupied, and did its job of getting us back to Hope efficiently.

 

Our next stages of the trip:

 

We’ll spend a few days in Vancouver, removing the bed and putting the rear seats back in to allow us to travel with Marce’s Mum. Then head east along the Crowsnest Highway through Southern British Columbia and into Alberta, then through the Rockies and back into British Columbia to head for Vancouver Island for the last chapter of the trip this year.

 

 

Hugs

 

Alan & Marce