When my buddy Frank shared his photos from his family trip to the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Lake Louise, Jasper) I thought they had been seriously photoshopped. They did not look real to me. There was no name for the color of the water. But he assured me they were real. I also heard from people about the wealth of wildlife sitings and to die for vistas on the spectacular scenic Icefields Parkway (road from Banff to Jasper). So, of course we had to go!
Booking campgrounds in Canada was not the same as in the US, so I was surprised when I went to book in April only to find nothing available in the areas close to where we wanted to stay. In my searches, they were all government campsites, nothing privately owned – which may be a function of knowing how to search for them, but in any event, I could not find anything. So we wound up booking in Kootenay National Park on the west side – which turned out to be helpful for our drive back to Washington State. That said, it was the saddest campground ever. First, it was 6 degrees celsius.
There were no hookups for water or electric at the site, so we were very cold! And no internet or cell service. Actually, as we drove there from Banff area, the highway sign warned us that there was no gas or cell service for the next 105km on the highway and our campsite was within those km. We were warned…
In the US when we arrive at a campsite, there is usually a registration office and folks there give you a map and tell you where everything is. At KNP, we were confused to find only a “self-registration” kiosk. Our name was there for a reserved site and if we wanted a fire, we could leave $8 for a permit and help ourselves to the wood. Knowing ahead of time it would be a long drive to Jasper, we decided we would book a hotel so we could spend more time there rather than drive there & back in a day. As we thought about it, we also decided why not stay in Banff too and enjoy a break from the camper. It was a very good call.
We left early the next morning, leaving the camper in Kootenay and drove to Banff Park Lodge. Fantastic hotel with an amazing steam room & jacuzzi which we took advantage of. Much better than 6 degrees & freezing. We also had decided to try to make the most of our time and save ourselves some driving and booked a couple of tours. That afternoon, we toured with a small group to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Frank was not lying. Moraine was more brilliant, it was a bit cloudy so the vibrancy at Louise was not as bold – but in any event, quite remarkable. We also spotted our first Black Bear along the highway.
@ Lake Louise 
Chateau Lake Louise 
Moraine Lake 
@ Moraine Lake
When I texted these photos to my twins, Meg was very impressed saying “That is so beautiful it doesn’t even look real”. To which Jack replied, “it’s not real, mom is just trying to show how much photoshop she learned”. Haha.
We were impressed by our tour guide’s knowledge and learned about how the Canadians work to preserve wildlife (and human life frankly) by keeping them off the highways with underpasses, overpasses and fencing. When they built the first 2 test overpasses, they counted 2 animals crossing in a year (having spent $3M, that was $1.5M per animal). But eventually they learned to use the overpasses and are now copied in other countries. They are designed to obscure the animals as they cross so as not to scare the animal with the cars nor the humans gawking at the animals.
Black Bear! 
Roadside sheep 
Wildlife Overpass
We went to a restorative yoga class and then had a delicious dinner at Masala Authentic Indian Restaurant, enjoyed the jacuzzi and a great sleep in a KING SIZE BED.
The next day we slept in, took a steam (ok and the jacuzzi) and then traveled to Jasper. The Icefields Parkway was indeed a spectacular drive. Brian drove up to Jasper and I drove back to Kootenay the next day so we could both take it in. It is one of those drives where you just keep going, wow.
We stayed at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. A town unto itself (really). I wish I had done a bit more research so as to take advantage of what the property had to offer, but instead we booked a wildlife tour for that evening and a day trip to Maligne Lake and Spirit Island and Maligne Canyon. The wildlife tour was a bust – cannot predict when the animals will grace you with their presence, but the only ones we saw on that tour were right by the hotel property! The next day, though, was well worth it. The only way to get to Spirit Island is by boat – even the campers have to paddle out to their campsites.
Maligne Canyon 
Maligne Lake 
Spirit Island 
Views from the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
And when sending pictures from Spirit Island and the lake by the hotel, Meg sent a “gasp” emoji and Jack replied, I think mom is just sending us the default macbook backgrounds. Hahahaha.
We were grateful it was a bit warmer on the Sunday we went back to Kootenay, our stay in the camper that evening was very nice, peaceful and firelit. We had a very, very long drive the next day to get to the Northern Cascades, and leaving from Kootenay rather than Jasper helped save 4.5 hours.
We got a very early start the next morning on our return to the US. At the border, the crossing agent took our lime and avocado. I think he was planning to make some guacamole. Just a guess.
Wanderlust In Silver 