Canadian Whirlwind: Alberta

Through the first half of my trip through Canada I spent the whole time in Alberta traveling through and around Canmore, Banff and Jasper.  I won’t go into incredible detail but I just wanted to hit the highlights.

Banff/Canmore:  I spent the most time in Banff National Park.  Mostly because it was the first place I stopped and wanted to try to hit everything but also because the parking lot I was staying (actually in Canmore) had potable water, Wifi, and indoor plumbing which was hard to leave.  While in Banff I hiked, Tunnel and Sulphur Mountains in the heart of downtown then hiked Bourgieu Lake to Harvey Pass a few days later.  On my way out of town I stopped at The Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Vermilion Lakes and Johnston Canyon. 

The Cave and Basin National Historic Site is the hot spring that was discovered by explorers while they were building the Canadian railroad to the pacific ocean.  Once the hot spring was discovered the powers that be decided to turn Banff into a what it is today and entice tourists to travel West.  The slogan all over Banff is “If we can’t export the scenery we will import the tourists”.  While amazingly beautiful surrounded by mountains in the Bow Valley, Banff was teaming with people and honestly after several days I was happy to get away from there. 

In the middle of my stay in the Banff area I took two trips south to Mt. Yamnuska Provincial park to try to boulder.  One day was a failure which I already wrote about but I followed it up the following day and was able to boulder for about 90 mins which was pretty cool and good change for a day over hiking. 

Canmore is home to the Grizzly Paw Brewing Company and the best meal I have had so far on this trip, Ross’ Brisket Sandwich.  As the menu describes it, “Slow Roasted Brisket, Walnut Mustard, Fresh Jalapeno, Dill Pickled Slaw”.  It was amazing.

Lake Louise:  Lake Louise (still inside Banff National Park) is not much of a town at all.  It is an intersection with two restaurants, two cafes, a tiny grocery store, a liquor store, a book store and an outdoor outfitters.  The lake is very beautiful and I completed about a 23km hike around the lake area to the Plain of Six Glaciers which was a great day but for most travelers I would recommend a drive-by of the lake on your way to Jasper or Banff. 

Jasper:  From Lake Louise I moved North up through the Icefields Parkway to Jasper.  The Icefields Parkway is a two lane road closed in the winter through a valley of the Canadian Rockies.  The views were amazing as mountains towered you on either side.  I stopped to hike to Bow Glacier Falls which is the highest point along the road to Jasper.  The Bow Glacier feeds the Bow Lake which in turn flows into the Bow River Valley which is what the cities of Lake Louise, Banff and Canmore all rest in.

Jasper is another small village located in Jasper national park about 2-3 hours West of Edmonton.  It had a lively main street and definitely had more going on than Lake Louise but didn’t seem as touristy or crowded as Banff.  Although, it seemed to definitely rely on tourism there was definitely a local base that made it seem less manufactured and less “Disneylandy” than Banff. 

My first night in Jasper, while trying to find a place to sleep near Maligne Lake, I saw a black bear about 20 feet off the road and a moose walked almost right up to my car.  People always say bears and moose are more afraid of you than the other way around, but these particular animals couldn’t give a shit about me.  They just went about their business without any regard to me sitting watching them.

I completed the Bald Hills hike near Lake Maligne which is my favorite hike so far on the trip.  It was a 20km hike that brought you over the tree line to the top of three different peaks that gave you 360 degree views of all the surrounding mountains and an aerial view of Lake Maligne.  It was a tough hike with a lot of elevation gained a lost through the three peaks but it was well worth it.

I really enjoyed the city of Jasper and the hiking in the park.  The park also provided a lot of backpacking routes which I did not take advantage of and I will definitely make my way back here to spend more time in the city and either backpacking the Skyline Trail or Tonquin Valley.  In hindsight, I would have reversed the amount of time I spent in Banff/Canmore and Jasper but I will know for next time.

After Jasper I traveled back South on the same road I came in on and completed the Wilcox Pass hike.  This was a relatively short hike that put you on an overlook to the Athabasca Glacier which is this sprawling Glacier down the side of a mountain on the west side of the road.  At the top of the pass, I walked upon a herd of big horned sheep.  I got a few good pictures of them that you can see in my “Jasper Photos” page.

After Wilcox Pass, I continued South until I hit Lake Louise then headed West over the mountain range and into British Columbia.  My next stop was Yoho National Park.

Matthew