The Icefields Parkway of Alberta

The Icefields Parkway is the most beautiful drive of all the thousands of miles we have driven. The Parkway was built for the sole purpose of enabling travelers to experience Canada’s powerful Rocky Mountain natural landscape. Because it is a scenic drive and not a transportation corridor, one needs a Canadian National Park pass; large trucks are not permitted. We may be having a gasoline high-price crisis, but the many RVs traveling this awesome 143 miles belies that fact. This includes many Europeans who rent C-vans and think they are getting a bargain compared with their fuel prices back home.

As we drove north from Lake Louise, we climbed steadily to the Bow Summit, the highest point on the Parkway. Broad sweeping valleys, vast wilderness of magnificent peaks, ancient glaciers, and chilly, pristine mountain lakes gives one a feeling of being in a wonderland close to heaven. Wildlife is prevalent. The great horn sheep are majestic as are the elk with their huge racks. Grizzly and black bears are visible in the distance, but they seldom are as close as the elk and the sheep. The unsurpassed mountain scenery parallels the Great Divide; the high altitude parkway marks the water shed point at which all water flows either east or west. Be sure to fill your gas tank before leaving Lake Louise as there is only one station between there and Jasper. Drive up some of the side roads to view wondrous sights like Glacier, Bow, and Peyto Lakes. They are photo opportunities not be missed. Sunwapta Falls, Athabasca Falls, and Kerkeslin Goat Lick are also must stops.

Why did we enjoy such a drive: Good roads, no billboards, wildflowers, clean air, perfect weather, blue sky with fluffy clouds, mysterious mountains, rushing cold rivers and winding creeks that turn to solid ice in the winter, powerful waterfalls, beautiful reflective lakes that duplicated the snow capped mountains, and meeting friendly people in the pull-off places. Our new Toyota Tundra, with its powerful engine, six-speed transmission and 4.3 rear end, towed the big five-ton Airstream up the steep grades with ease.