Canadian Rockies
Tuesday 26th June
A day driving.
After leaving Dawson Creek we headed towards Grande Prairie in Alberta – lost an hour as we crossed into a different time zone. The scenery changed to rolling prairies.
At Grande Prairie we turned south and back into forests. A little north of Grande Cache we had our first glimpse of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
There were few laybys and turnoffs were all logging tracks, however we eventually found a suitable area to park overnight – a few miles north of Hinton.
Wednesday 27th June
After a short drive we reached Jasper National Park – entry fee per person per day!
We had a stroll around Jasper and saw one of the Rocky Mountain viewing trains. Jasper was surrounded by high mountains and it was a pleasant little town.
A day driving.
After leaving Dawson Creek we headed towards Grande Prairie in Alberta – lost an hour as we crossed into a different time zone. The scenery changed to rolling prairies.
At Grande Prairie we turned south and back into forests. A little north of Grande Cache we had our first glimpse of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
There were few laybys and turnoffs were all logging tracks, however we eventually found a suitable area to park overnight – a few miles north of Hinton.
Wednesday 27th June
After a short drive we reached Jasper National Park – entry fee per person per day!
We had a stroll around Jasper and saw one of the Rocky Mountain viewing trains. Jasper was surrounded by high mountains and it was a pleasant little town.
From Jasper we started our journey along The Icefields Parkway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site some 230km in length linking Jasper to Banff. The scenery was incredible and there were viewpoints at regular intervals – no information panels only large arrows pointing out the names of the mountains.
We walked to the snout of the Athabasca Glacier – not an attractive spot due to the vast areas of moraine. The Athabasca Glacier was just one of a number of glaciers in the area all fed from the Colunbia Icefield.
Overnight on the Icefield Centre carpark with incredible views of the glacier and mountains – but cold.

Thursday 28th June
This morning we continued our drive along the Icefields Parkway making stops at numerous viewpoints. The views towards the various glaciers were very impressive especially those across Bow Lake to Crowfoot mountain and glacier. We reached Lake Louise by lunchtime – a small settlement with one main square of shops. In the afternoon we drove the short distance to the actual lake – very busy and touristy but incredibly beautiful. The turquoise blue waters were surrounded by high mountains and the glacier heading down from Mount Victoria. We walked along the northern shore of the lake until the lake’s end.
Overnight at Lake Louise tent camping.

Friday 29th June
We woke to a rather overcast day. Despite the clouds being down on the mountains, we drove up to Moraine Lake – again a beautiful setting, one far less commercialised than Lake Louise. We climbed up the terminal moraine to a wonderful vantage point, then walked along the lake shore to the waterfall at the end.
From Lake Louise we took the Bow Valley Parkway to Banff. This road took us through forested areas but there were a number of lookout points with views to the mountains. We also had a coyote run across the road in front of us.
We parked on the roadside in Banff and got a fine – parked too close to a rubbish bin! (So much for a warm welcome to tourists)
Banff is a lovely town despite the crowds.
Overnight at Tunnel Mountain Campground No. 1 in Banff.
Saturday 30th June
Spent the morning shopping in Banff – 3 hrs was the maximum time allowed for parking so it was all a bit of a rush – we didn’t want to risk another fine. We then drove around the town to see the sights – Bow River Falls, Banff Springs Hotel, Bow River.
I wasn’t feeling too well so we found a layby outside the town – I had a rest and a nap before we headed to cousin Paul’s son James and his wife Laurie’s holiday home in Canmore – very stylish.
We spent the evening talking with them and a friend of theirs who was staying with them.
Overnight in Nicolle, on Laurie and James’ drive.
Sunday 1st July
Canada Day.
We headed for a pancake breakfast in Canmore Park – a maple syrup pancake plus sausage fritter provided by WI – delicious and free (but we gave a donation to WI that more than covered the cost).
At noon we went into Canmore town itself in order to watch the Canada Day Parade. This was good fun and one of the bands playing was the official Calgary Stampede Band. The floats and parade included Calgary Queens past and present – some of the older ones were finding it difficult not to fall off their horses.
We then walked through the town centre – it was a pretty place with a lovely, almost alpine atmosphere. We walked back to the flat along the banks of the Bow River (which was running high).
Had a late lunch with James and Laurie in a pub/restaurant overlooking the town – superb views of the distant mountains.
We spent the evening chatting.
Monday 2nd July
We left Canmore this morning and headed back past Banff to pick up Route 93/95 south to the USA border. There was very heavy traffic heading into the National Park but we had a good run south through Raduim Springs and Cranbrook to the border with the U.S.A. Initially the scenery in the Kootenay National Park was magnificent but we soon lost the views to the high peaks and entered an area of high, forested rolling hills.
The USA border officials were processing each vehicle very slowly, so we had a long wait. We had to surrender a tomato to them as it didn’t have a label of country of origin on it – seems they only allow USA tomatoes into the country. The border guard did say we could keep it if we cut it up but we let him have it!
After a long day’s drive we reached a Walmart at Ponderay in Idaho – overnight here.
Tuesday 3rd July
A long day’s drive through spectacular scenery.
To begin, we headed south to join Interstate 90 at Sandpoint. We then headed west/south west. The road was narrow and twisty as it headed through high, forested hills. After entering Montana, the valley started to widen out and the forests thinned out giving way to more agriculture, especially animal rearing. Montana began to live up to its name as the state of the big skies.
We overnighted at Walmart in Butte – an interesting former mining town - old mines were visible on the hills surrounding the town.
A diversion from here took us to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton, Agate Fossil Beds, Mount Rushmore and Badlands before crossing the Great Plains[click].
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