Banff National Park, Lake Louise & Icefields Parkway

The Canadian Rockies - Banff National Park, Lake Louise & Icefields Parkway

Brenda Koller

Hunter Publishing, Inc.

HUNTER PUBLISHING, INC.

comments@hunterpublishing.com

www.hunterpublishing.com

Ulysses Travel Publications

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© Hunter Publishing, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.

This guide focuses on recreational activities. As all such activities contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated individuals and companies disclaim any responsibility for injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made to insure the accuracy of information in this book, but the publisher and author do not assume and hereby disclaim, liability for loss or damage caused by errors, omissions, misleading information or potential travel problems caused by this guide, even if such errors or omissions are the result of negligence, accident or any other cause.

Introduction

My Travel Philosophy

How I’ve Organized The Book

Human History

Geology

Glaciers

Glacial Lakes

Hoodoos

Hot Springs

Life Zones

Montane

Subalpine

Alpine

Plants

Weather and Seasons

Wildlife

Wildlife Encounters

Seton Watching

Wildlife Viewing

Bighorn Sheep

Mountain Goat

White-tailed Deer

Mule Deer

Elk

Moose

Black Bear

Grizzly Bear

Coyote

Columbian Ground Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Golden-mantled Ground Squirrel

Least Chipmunk

Pika

Hoary Marmot

Beaver

Animal Tracks

Birding

National and Provincial Parks

National Park Regulations

Visitor Information Centres

Getting There and Getting Around

By Road

Motorhome Rentals

By Bus

By Air

By Rail

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Private Accommodations

Hostelling

Camping

Photography Tips

What to Bring

Adventures Rockies-Style

Playing it Safe

Backcountry Wardens

Adventuring with Children

Tour Operators

Sports and Camping Equipment Rentals

Adventures On Water

Lake Boating

Canoeing

Swimming

Fishing

Whitewater Rafting

Adventures On Horseback

Adventures on Foot

Hiking

A Wilderness Code of Ethics

Insect Pests

Backpacking

What To Bring on a Hike

Climbing Gear

Day Hike

Backpacking

Duct Tape

Inukshuks

Mountain Biking

Bicycle Touring

Winter Adventures

Downhill Skiing and Snowboarding

Cross-country Skiing

Outdoor Ice-Skating

Travel – General

Travelling with Dogs

When In Canada

Public Holidays – British Columbia and Alberta

Time Zones

The Language

Money Matters

Metric Matters

Telephone Calls

Alcohol and Tobacco

Information Sources

Icefields Parkway

History

Recommended Reading

How This Chapter is Organized

Need to Know

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Wildlife

Bicycle Touring

Beauty Creek Trail to Stanley Falls

Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint

Tangle Falls

Sunwapta Canyon Viewpoint

The Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier

Did You Know? 

The Icefield Centre

Ice Cubed

Icewalk Deluxe

Brewster Columbia Icefield Glacier Experience, tel. 877-423-7433 or 403-762-6735, www.brewster.ca/attractions

Wilcox Pass

Parker Ridge

Bridal Veil Falls and Panther Falls

North Saskatchewan Valley Viewpoint

Saskatchewan River Crossing

Mistaya Canyon

Snowbird Glacier Viewpoint

Peyto Glacier Viewpoint

Bow Summit

Peyto Lake Viewpoint

Peyto Lake

Legends of the Rockies – Bill Peyto

Simpson’s Num-Ti-Jah Lodge

Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint

Helen Lake

Banff National Park

History

Getting There & Getting Around

By Road

Distances from Banff Townsite

Bus Service

Car Rentals

Taxis

By Air

By Rail

Special Events

Historic Interest – Banff Indian Days

Banff Townsite

§

Distances from Banff Townsite

Friends of Banff National Park

Attractions

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies

Women of the Rockies – Catherine Whyte

Banff Park Museum National Historic Site

Buffalo Nations Museum

Canada Place

Siksika Nation Interpretive Centre

Cascade Gardens

Banff Upper Hot Springs

Banff Gondola

Historic Interest – Norman Sanson

Historic Interest - Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station

Banff Historical Walking Tour

The Banff Centre

The Banff Crag & Canyon

Shopping

Legends of the Rockies – Byron Harmon

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Downtown

Near Banff Townsite

Historic Accommodations – Banff Springs Hotel – National Historic Site

Rental Cabins & Apartments

Camping

Campsites in Banff Townsite 

Tunnel Mountain

Two Jack

Camping Alternative – Kootenay National Park 

Backcountry Camping 

Hostelling

Banff Alpine Centre

Horseback Riding

Whitewater Rafting

Lake Boating & Fishing

Sports & Camping Equipment Rentals

Mountain Biking & Bicycle Touring

Drives, Sights, Activities & Hikes

Bow Falls

Climbing Mount Rundle 

Tunnel Mountain

Vermilion Lakes

Mount Norquay

Climbing Cascade Mountain

Lake Minnewanka Road

Bow Valley Parkway 

Johnston Canyon

Cory Pass – Mount Edith Circuit

Winter Adventures

Alpine Skiing

Nordic Skiing

Outdoor Ice Skating

Wildlife

Scenic Must-See’s

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

To Do List

Backpack the Sunshine-Citadel Pass-Assiniboine Trail.

Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park

Useful Information

Lake Louise

History

Legends of the Rockies – Tom Wilson 

The Village

Distances from Lake Louise Village

Where to Eat

Where to Stay

Hotels/Inns/Lodges

Camping

Campsites in Banff National Park – The Icefields Parkway, Village of Lake Louise and The Bow Valley Parkway 

Hostelling

Hostels in Banff National Park – The Icefields Parkway, Village of Lake Louise and The Bow Valley Parkway 

Adventures

Tour Operators & Booking Agents

Horseback Riding 

Sports & Camping Equipment Rentals

Mountain Biking

Drives, Sights, Activities & Hikes

Lake Louise

Lake Louise Lakeshore

Lake Agnes

Plain of Six Glaciers

Historic Interest - Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse 

Tragedy Near Lake Louise

Rocky Mountain Travel Reflections – The Sound of Thunder

Fairview Lookout

Saddleback/Fairview Mountain

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lakeshore

Larch Valley - Sentinel Pass

Winter Adventures

Alpine Skiing

Nordic Skiing

Outdoor Ice Skating

Useful Information

Information Sources

Glossary of Terms

Bibliography/Recommended Reading

Lake Louise

Introduction

What is it about the mountains that lure us in so captivatingly, leave us with a sense of awe and well being, and call us to return time again? Wilderness is the hallmark of Canada and the Rocky Mountains are one of its defining features. Canada is well known the world over for its cherished national and provincial parks and the Rocky Mountain Parks are the most famous of these protected areas.

The Rocky Mountains are a contiguous chain of mountains that stretch from the British Columbia/Yukon border all the way to New Mexico. The provinces of British Columbia and Alberta share the Canadian Rockies with the Continental Divide (the Great Divide) serving as the provincial boundary, a natural divide running along the highest peaks. The western boundary is a great long valley called the Rocky Mountain Trench and to the east are the Interior Plains. Divisions crosswise include: the northern Canadian Rockies, north of the Peace River; Central Canadian Rockies, from the Peace River to the Crowsnest Pass; and southern Canadian Rockies, south of the Crowsnest Pass to the international border.

In his classic book In the Heart of the Canadian Rockies(London: MacMillan & Co. Ltd., 1906), mountaineer James Outram (1864-1925) compares the splendour of Switzerland’s mountains with the United States and concludes that the wonderous glacial fields, the massing of majestic ranges, the striking individuality of each great peak, the forest areas, green pasture lands, clear lakes, and peaceful valleys, are nowhere found harmoniously blended on the western continent until the traveler visits that section of the Rocky Mountains which lies within the wide domain of Canada.

The Canadian Rockies are one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. About four million people annually visit Canada’s Rocky Mountain Parks to experience the essence of Canada’s natural and cultural Rocky Mountain heritage. The parks offer a mind-boggling array of year-round choices for the visitor with more and more people venturing off the highways and roads to partake in the landscape and discover some of the most stunning scenery the world has to offer. Easily accessible adventures include walking, hiking and backpacking; mountain biking and bicycle touring; fishing, boating and rafting; horseback riding; skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing; and so much more. Then of course, there’s wildlife viewing. Visitors to the Canadian Rockies have the opportunity to see some of North America’s most spectacular animals including 69 different species of mammals. And where else but in the Canadian Rockies can you spend your morning hiking into spectacular wilderness areas and by afternoon enjoy high tea in the civilized surroundings of a grand hotel.

I have lived beside the Canadian Rockies all of my life and have been travelling to visit the Rockies since I was a child. Much has changed over the years. Along with park development and increased visitation has come environmental awareness and education. Each visit adds an array of new experiences and knowledge that reinforce my passion for the Rockies. I hope that you have the opportunity to experience some of the incredible sights and activities in this guidebook that I’m thrilled to share with you. I’m confident that you will treasure your Canadian Rockies’ experiences for a lifetime, as I do.

"Go, at any cost, and live among the mountains, forgetting that there is anything else in life . . ." Mary Jobe, an intrepid Rocky Mountain adventurer, ca 1912.

My Travel Philosophy

There’s so much you can prepare before you even pack a bag or make a single travel arrangement. By reading this guide you may already be gearing up for a trip to the Canadian Rockies. There’s much written material available about the Rockies and with the popularity of the internet, scads of information is available at your fingertips. So I’ve included plenty of web addresses as well as suggestions for fascinating further reading. The more you know before you depart, the more enjoyable and safe your trip will be.

In his article The Mental Training of a Traveller (The Geographical Journal, February, 1915), British historian and statesman Viscount James Bryce (1838-1922) gives some good advice that is just as relevant today as it was back then:

If a man enters the finest picture-gallery in Europe knowing nothing at all about the painters, whose work is there stored, their dates, the schools they belonged to, or the subjects they painted, he will derive very little benefit, and will carry away a most confused impression; but a little preliminary study will enable him to appreciate and enjoy pictures in a way which will be profitable all the rest of his life.

So it is when we enter the vast gallery of Nature. If we start to travel with a certain amount of preliminary knowledge, our travels repay us more and more at every step. The three things we ought to carry with us in order to learn and to profit are these: first of all, we ought to know what to look for; secondly, how to observe; and thirdly, how to reflect upon the things we do observe.

There are two ways to arrange your Rocky Mountain visit. You can contact a booking agent, advise them as to when and where you plan to travel, and they can arrange the rest for you: transportation, accommodation, tours and the like. There is usually no fee charged to the traveller for this service and it might save you time, but really you learn very little of your destination in the process. Also, you will be committed to a pre-arranged itinerary. There’s nothing wrong with this, but personally I prefer independent travel for a number of reasons. Firstly, I want to research my destination so that I can learn about the place I’m going to visit and making all of the arrangements is a learning process. Also, after I arrive at my destination I like the flexibility of changing my plans, something that isn’t always possible if you’re on a prearranged schedule.

Every tourist destination has its canned attractions, some of which can be quite enjoyable and some of which are best avoided - the Rockies are no exception. I’m pretty good at spotting and avoiding tourist traps – overpriced establishments that offer little and charge a lot. Chain stores and chain restaurants I can frequent at home but I try to avoid them there, too. I’m partial to family operated businesses as they have a vested interest in treating their customers well and will often go the extra mile. I embrace places off the beaten path, places a little out of the ordinary, places that many tourists pass by, either because they haven’t taken the time to find out about them or because they’re simply happy amongst the hoards at the customary attractions. Realistically, if you’re visiting the Rockies during the peak months of July or August, you’re going to have to put up with some crowds. But there are still some places in the Rockies that few visitors know about and you may well end up with some very satisfying solitude.

Most of the activities in this guidebook can be accomplished independently, but I would like to add a word of caution: if you are not an experienced boater, hiker or backcountry camper and if you are at all hesitant about heading out on the trails, you should sign up for a tour or hire a guide. There are many experienced tour operators and guides to choose from in national and provincial parks and you will learn a great deal from a good tour guide. There are also many interpretive programs and hikes (some of which are free) throughout the parks that are led by Parks Canada and Friends staff and well worth taking advantage of.

If you have children, don’t leave them at home! I often encounter parents who dejectedly state they can’t do something because they have their children along. In some instances it’s wise - we should all know our limitations and everyone’s rationale varies. But it’s been my experience that too often parents assume that children are incapable. Don’t erect barriers - break them down! With proper planning, all of the adventures in this guide can be enjoyed with kids in tow, or at least modified, depending on the age of your children. My son Oliver first visited Jasper National Park at the tender age of three months and at the age of ten backpacked 21 km (13 miles) on the Berg Lake Trail to the base of Mount Robson.

Travel should be accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy. The first tourists to the Canadian Rockies were the privileged class. With the grand hotels open for business, they brought their trunks of belongings and $50,000 lines of credit to spend three or four months in The Mountain Playground of the World. Providentially, with the development of a national parks system, visionaries set aside regions for the enjoyment of the whole people. Today, people of all cultures and walks of life enjoy the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks.

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