The Icefields Parkway is one of Canada’s most scenic drive. It serves as a link between Lake Louise and the city of Jasper and takes roughly around three hours of drive time without stops. However, why wouldn’t you stop? Every mile you cover, always something will make you clamor for your camera.
Emerald Lake is one of the many attractions on the parkway.
I was lucky enough to have spent a week of exploring and gathering fantastic photos along the way through this epic road. I did wish I had more time because I wanted to Kayak to Spirit Island but alas, was not able to. I did come home with many photographs from the journey and hope to go back someday to catch a sunrise on Spirit Island.
Maligne Lake is where Spirit Islad is
What is it like driving like on the Icefields Parkway?
In the summer, lots of RV's, tour buses and tons of other vehicles frequent the road so traffic can be congested. The top speed is capped at 90 kilometers an hour with some places capped at 50 kilometers an hour.
It can be full of tourists
There is wildlife all over the place and you can even see them crossing the street so proceed with caution. Just scan right out your window and you are bound to see an elk, goat, and even grizzly bears.
How much time should you spend on the Icefields Parkway?
This varies from person to person. I personally spent almost a week there while sleeping in the car. The reason is that I like to shoot photographs during the Golden Hour and I am always trying to catch as much sunrise and sunrises as I can.
You don't wanna miss Vermillion Lakes and Mount Rundle
For an ordinary person/family, you can probably see the best highlights around 6-9 hours from start to finish. There are many pullouts with scenic attractions along the way so you have to pick your poison.
What are the conditions of the road?
If you have driven through any decent U.S. highway that is what you can expect in Canada. There is not much difference save for some signs written in French. It has wild shoulders for making quick stops and rarely any potholes to be found.
The road is well paved
When passing through this intense landscape with two high mountain passes it is a lot better than you would expect. Nearly all the street is easy to drive, with just a few regions of steep grade or switchbacks. Large RV's do not have a problem navigating it.
When is the best time to check it out?
The peak time is from July through August. I visited around the latter part of September so I did not have to deal with a lot of tourists. The temperature is already cooling during my stay, which I prefer over the heat. Winter comes early and stays late in this section of the Rockies, snowfall inducing winter driving conditions can happen by mid-October and can last well into the month of May.
In September, fall is already showing its colors
All services on the parkway for example restaurants; lodging and the only gas station have been closed from November to April. If you would like to experience the Athabasca Glacier Ice Explorer experience, it operates from around April to October.
What about the weather and temperature?
In alpine places like this, the weather can change drastically many times during the day and the temperature change from day to day can be extreme. The higher you go in altitude the colder the temperature will be. I always recommend bringing layers of clothes to shed or wear as needed and wear comfortable shoes.
The spring and fall weather can always surprise you; these times may see heavy snowfall out of the blue. The summer will have many dry and sunny days, but you can experience rain as well as light snow at higher elevations. One of the months from November to April can be expected to have temperatures below freezing and a great deal of snow. I did and it was great! I recommend it because it is very easy to miss some cool spots not easily noticed on one side of the parkway. It is possible to stop at places of interest along the way and hit the ones that you missed on the way back. The scenery is magnificent and distinct in both directions. You can either make the return trip in a full day or stay for a night or two at either end in Jasper or Lake Louise, returning from the opposite direction. Gas is very expensive because of the premium of being in such a remote location. Fill up your tank before you get to Banff, Jasper, or Lake Louise. There is only a couple of gas stations along the Icefields Parkway so plan accordingly. If you can bring it from the outside do it. Most restaurants are not cheap and just plain overpriced in my opinion. Not to mention crappy. Bringing your own food, you can have a glorious meal and have a great view of a mountain or a glaciated lake over boring restaurant walls. If you really insist. There are only a couple of restaurants on the parkway. The restaurants in Saskatchewan Crossing, in the Icefields Visitor Center, and in Lake Louise. I went bare cheap. I had a tent that I was going to use but I found sleeping in the car with the seat down more convenient. I was not going to pay over $100 a night for a motel. Besides, the majority of the accommodation is nothing glamorous, only plain motel style rooms. However, if you are all for comfort, there are some cottage-style accommodations in Jasper like the Becker Chalets. If you have an RV. There is RV parking in Mosquito Creek, Waterfowl Lake, Rampart Creek, Wilcox Creek and the Columbia Icefields. None of them has electricity or sewer services for RV's, so plan to be self-explanatory during your stay. The campsites closer to the cities are available for reservations, like the ones near Jasper and Lake Louise. Expect them to be completely booked in the summer, you want to plan. There are Brewster and Sun Dog Tours who provide shuttles and excursions along the parkway from Banff to Jasper. The parkway is not salted and is not cleared down to the pavement as with other highways in Alberta, it stays as compact snow. There is not any maintenance done in any respect from 3:30 pm to 7 am from November to April. It closes from a couple of hours occasionally for avalanche control for a couple of days during bad snowstorms. There is no mobile phone reception to phone for help and very light traffic during the winter season. All lodging, restaurants and the only gas station have been closed during the winter. Well, yes if you are being an idiot. Grizzly is indeed present in the area and so are moose and elk – both are equally dangerous. Don’t hand feed any animals or feed them at all. Keep them wild and free. Keep a reasonable distance from the animals and exercise fine judgment and you should be fine. I myself had a grizzly encounter. The bear woke me while I was sleeping in the car one morning – it was collecting berries along the road. I left it alone to do its thing and it left me alone.
You'll definitely want to drive alongside the Bow River
Should you go back and forth from one end and back?
Moraine Lake is one of the first things you can check outWhat about fuel?
The Transcanadian RailWhat about food?
I prefer to have a picnic with this viewWhat about accommodation?
I wish I could sleep here at the sound of a waterfallDon’t want to drive don’t have a car?
Carved canyon along AthabascaWhat is it like driving in the winter?
What about bears, are they going to maul me?
Wild life is easy to spot along the Icefields ParkwayHave you driven through the Icefields Parkway?
"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." - Mark Twain
All photos are taken and articles are written by Adonis Villanueva of Always Wanderlust unless otherwise stated.
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Amazing landscape photography.. Each photo is worth putting as a desktop wallpaper!
Thank you :)
Wonderfull photo :D
Beautiful. The colors look stunning.
Drove the same spot last summer. but on a mission from Edmonton to Valemount to save a beach car. it was a lot of forest fire so a lot of smoke and fog. but mission Mission accomplished
fog and smoke from the fires
Ooof! Well, it was still a great experience I hope!
ye a had a blast a was there as a tourist but. My Canadian friends had driven from Vancouver to Edminton with 2 cars and arrived with one. it was a one day trip "Canadian driving in a nutshell"
Wow! Nature make us so relax.
Wonderful.
Amazing photos
Heya, just swinging by to let you know you're being featured in our Daily Travel Digest!
I think you managed to go over pretty much any questions any person could have about this drive, haha!
I'm glad!
Wow, awesome walk through of your trip! The tips and tricks will definitely be useful when I head there :) Your images are amazing. Do you do a lot of masking to keep the colors so differentiated? Thanks for posting!
Nope. Golden Hour > Polarizer > Vibrance > Color Corrrection > Selective Color > Curves Adjustment > Sharpen > Web
Here is my walkthrough on what I do with my images: https://steemit.com/photography/@adonisabril/6vqqdj6j
Thanks for the process! Will have to check it out. Going through a bunch of my old travel work right now re-editing. Always looking for better processes :)
That's the way a travel blog should be written. Well put and amazing images. Dedication and sleep in a car pays back :) Well done mate.
Thank you very much!
What beautiful photos of my friend from Canada, I visited it 10 years ago and I still remember it with a lot of love, I love that country. Upvoted.
Thanks :)
Great practical advice an gorgeous photos. Thank you!
Glad you found it useful :)
Wow! Those are some very gorgeous pictures!
Will follow your channel now.
Thanks!
Welcome!
wonderful photography collection
what a stunning views
Im always fascinated with the beauty if this country.
Western Canada is gorgeous!
Unbelievable places on earth alright absolutely spectacular
It's believable when you go there :)
your photos are crazy cool. maybe one day i can check out icefields parkway.
Definitely one for the bucketlist!
@originalworks
Those are incredible pictures and story line to boot!
What a great place to visit.
I love seeing places like this so remote and still full of nature.
Thanks for taking us all out of the city and bring us to nature through your lens.
Thanks :)
Gorgeous!
:)
flowers are very beautiful, and amazing. i really like do not forget visit my blog ..
Your photos are very good I like her
I like her too whoever she is
Looks amazing. I need to travel through this area.
You must :)
very nice photos ! Followed. i like composition on the first photo a lot :) keep it up
I've got thousands more...I can't keep up :)
Such an awesome post (I resteemed) the daisy photo looks so amazing, doesn't even look real! And I love the section on what about bears haha! would love to go sometime!
You guys came to Washington, you could have driven another 2 hours and Vancouver is right there :)
Well we did go to Vancouver, but we went by train ( worst idea ever haha ) at night time too, so we didn't even get to watch the scenery, nor did we realise trains in Canada and America are SO slow!! Wish we had driven!
It's hard to get to places with public transport in the US/Canada because both are a driving culture :)
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You have some mad skills! Every single one of these pics are EPIC!!! The Canadian Rockies are on our bucket list of things to do with our fam jam. Thank you for capturing such beauty that we all may experience through these pics.
Just go there during the shoulder seasons - June or September less tourists and still bearable weather.
We homeschool so time is on our side. Thanks for the great tips! Can't wait to visit that beautiful country.
Looks like you had a wonderful time and absolutely amazing photograhy. This is definitely going into furture travel plans.
Thank you :)
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Honestly, I merely paid attention to the description. I just saw the PHOTOS with big eyes. So colourful and vivid. I felt one time to download all the images and save them in hard drive so that I can use them later as Desktop Wallpapers
all pictures look really amazing!
Thanks :)
I believe this is one of those Lakes Between Banff and Jasper, last summer, you ask when is the best time to check out, NEVER, its too beautiful to leave. Lady from Ontario, appreciating a bit of our Country. Thanks
Hahaha! That's a good way of putting it!
Amazing.
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Wow..! So beautyful, Love this..!
Stunning photos! If I'd stop for a picnic over there I'll probably end up not eating much. The view would distract me too much :)
LOL.
That flower photo though...nice! Great post, lots of good information. I second sleeping in the car, but if you can get an SUV and lay down in the back of it, you'll sleep ever so much better. Also, if you happen to be visiting in the shoulder season, late October, there are some really good hotel deals to be found, especially in Canmore.
Yeah I checked out Canmore. That's where I would by food and gas :)
Wow this nature there is a beauty, thanks for sharing your pictures!
You're welcome :)
Looks like heaven on earth. That waterfall is unreal!
Hi, I really like your posts, if you want to start following me, I'm new to this, regards
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What a beautiful place to explore in Canada. I am really struck by the scenery that lay before my eyes. I hope I can go there and pay a visit. Upvoted!
Wow! I did not know about that area. Incredibly beautiful, and great photos!
Thanks :)
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This is an amazing view of nature! I really love all the snaaps! I really wonder if I get chances in life to visit places like this! I used to travel a lot but most of them included only the historical places and most pilgrim centers!
https://steemit.com/photography/@haizil/if-this-clay-statue-has-divine-powers-let-it-speak-to-me-he-gave-a-quick-reply-for-him
This is a pilgrim center which I visit every year for its historic importance and its colorful procession! Please have a look and tell me what you feel about it! It will be a true encouragement.
the scenery is very beautiful all eyes fixed on there, it is beautiful if me and family can come here @ampon
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Beautiful pictures! Looks like an amazing adventure. I'll add this to our ever growing list of places to visit. Thank you for sharing.
wowww beautiful images! Proud to live in this country. Planning to do that drive again this summer. And going to be posting some photography from last years visit sometime soon!
The Canadian Rockies. Unbeatable... I only have two posts right now, but feel free to check out some previews of it in my intro!
Thanks for sharing this! upvoted!
I agree, I can't wait to go back!
Nice post and fabulous photography.
Upvoted