If you’re looking at the ultimate summer road trip across the Canadian Rockies, the 232-km Icefields Parkway should be on your bucket list. Connecting Lake Louise and Jasper, this highway was the highlight of our trip to Alberta where we saw some of the most gorgeous scenery in Canada! Here’s why you need to add this to your itinerary, and what to know:
The Scenery is Incredible
It is no exaggeration to say that this is one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the world! For over 200 km, the views are truly mesmerizing as travelers pass one breathtaking mountain and/or lake after another. The highway passes through two of the top national parks in Canada – Jasper and Banff National Parks. Along this highway, you will find lookout points, waterfalls to hike to, along with hiking trails that lead to canyons and/or many other interesting landscape formations.
Plenty of Photo Stops
Make sure you have your cameras ready! The scale of the scenery, the heights of the mountains, the size of the waterfalls along with glaciers on the mountains will keep photographers on their toes. Your heart will want to “take nothing but pictures, create nothing but memories”. And don’t worry, you won’t need to just pull over and take pictures quickly. Along this highway, travelers will find plenty of photo stops. So simply keep on driving and admiring the scenery, because you’re never far away from a photo stop!
A Unique Experience Awaits
About half-way between Jasper and Lake Louise, travelers will arrive at the Columbia Icefield, the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains of North America. Some of the most beautiful landscapes in Alberta’s mountain county are the massive glaciers that start from the Columbia Icefield and go down the mountains.
While there, make sure you do the tour to the icefield. You will ride a bus on big tires, called a snowcoach for an adventure on ice. After a short bumpy ride moving at about 6 km/hour, you will disembark at the end of the road and have 30 minutes to walk out on the ice. Don’t worry, you won’t fall! The ice is several hundred miles thick. This was the first glacier walk attraction in North America, and since then, thousands of people have stood on this glacier each year!
Great Place to Spot Wildlife
Jasper and Banff National Parks are a wildlife photographer’s dream. The abundant wildlife in Canada’s mountain country is one that very few places in the world offer. Mountain goats are very common, and deer and elf can be spotted by the edge of the highway. Travelers can also spot bighorn sheep, and it’s surprising how close one can get to them. In some parts, mostly on quieter roads, they can be spotted walking up to the cars! Even bears could be spotted along the highway, and don’t worry as they’re not harmful! Wildlife abounds in this region of lakes and snow-capped peaks.
What You Need to Know
Have I convinced you to do this drive? If yes, make sure to fuel up before leaving Lake Louise or Jasper, because there are no gas stations along this highway. Also, make sure to pack snacks because there are not many places to stop for a snack along the highway. Other than the Altitude Restaurant at the Columbia Icefield, we only found one place to grab snacks which was at The Crossing Resort, which is about 80 km from the start of the highway in Lake Louise.
Another important thing to know: phone signals are limited! Make sure to have your itinerary printed before doing this drive, because to our surprise, there was no phone signal along this highway at all! We had limited service when we stopped at the Columbia Icefield, but other than that, there is no signal until you reach Jasper or Lake Louise, the towns located at the ends of the highway.
Last but not least, make sure you plan an entire day for this drive! While the highway is only 232 km long, what sounds like a 2-3 hour drive will end up being 8 hours! You will want to make plenty of stops to admire the scenery, and do not skip the Columbia Icefield due to time. The scenery is inspiring, so take the time to enjoy every moment of it!