Getting (literally) lost in the Icefields Parkway

A friend of mine from Canada and a few of Josh's Canadian work mates told us that the Icefields Parkway was one thing that we absolutely had to do while in this part of Canada. We had done some of our own research as well. Obviously we went in the middle of winter. We both knew that we wanted to do it. So, we also knew that we had to make sure that we did all our research and were adequately prepared. You have to get a park pass for both Banff and Jasper because the parkway goes through each of them. You also have to have a vehicle with all terrain or snow tyres. Standard tyres will not cut it (especially in the dead of winter) and you are not allowed to navigate the parkway without the right tyres. This is for a few reasons. First, the parkway is isolated for the most part and if you get stuck it can be hours until you see anyone who can assist you. And you do not have reception a lot of the time either, which is another reason that you have to make sure that you do a few things prior to leaving. Doing these things will make your trip a lot smoother and it will give you peace of mind so that if something does go wrong (unlikely if you are smart about it all), you have a plan ready.

First, load up maps if you feel like you need it (it's one stretch of road but there are stops you can get on along the way). Second, fuel up before you go so that you have a full tank to carry you through to the other side of the parkway. There are not many towns along the parkway and pretty much no fuel stops, so you genuinely do need a full tank to carry you through the the other side. Third, have water and snacks so that you can stay hydrated and eating throughout the day. Forth, have phone chargers and portable batteries in your car so that you can make sure that your devices stay charged (even though you won't have reception a lot of the way, there will be points where you do and you should obviously always take your phone with you anyway). Fifth, make sure that your parks pass is in your car. And sixth, ensure that your tyres are pumped up and you have the right type of types to be navigating the parkway (especially in the colder months when ice and snow is frequent and aplenty. Once you have ticked off all these checks, you are ready to explore the Icefields Parkway!

We ticked off all the checks and loaded the maps on our phones so we had them ready. The next morning we packed the car with all our snow gear, water, and snacks and got on the road. It was a three-hour drive each way, not accounting for any pitstops we were going to take along the way (so it is essentially a full day trip). We were so excited to tick this experience off our list for this trip. A 230 kilometre stretch of road that passes over two mountain passes and ribbons through an extreme landscape, this is a trip that definitely demands active and consistent attention to detail the entire trip. The parkway is not salted and cleared like highways are so it can be quite a task to safely navigate it with relative ease and transparency. This is especially true in the months from November to April, when the roads are seldom cleared and the snow builds up metres high around the road. We were told that during the summer months the road can back up as it gets more traffic, so we got to experience it literally seeing just a few vehicles each way, which was absolutely amazing. And of course, there is the wildlife and the wondrous beauty of the environment that literally surrounded us on all sides to look forward to and immerse ourselves in. When we got in the car that morning, we put on a playlist and got our snacks ready for the day ahead. From the second that we left Canmore, the sky was beautiful and the snow was shimmering in the morning sunlight. We drove along the highway for a while, seeing fresh moose tracks off to the steep side of the highway itself. Moose was one of the animals that we really wanted to see on this day trip, so our eyes were peeled and ready to tick off the moose from our mental 'wildlife sightings list'. Sadly, we did not see a moose, however the further we drove, the more deer we spotted in the snow topped fields that surrounded us. After a while, we exited the highway to start making our way up through the snowy mountains. Hours later and we had not yet come across the first of the many sights along the parkway. Eventually, it started to feel like we were going the wrong way. And Lo and behold...it turns out that we were. Pulling over into a little town to readjust and realign, we realised we had somehow actually driven an hour or so in the wrong direction.

Luckily, we did not have to completely turn around. So, we quickly looked to the maps and turned back onto the road to actually make our way to the parkway. When we got on the right road to the parkway (I know, you would think that it is impossible to get lost on a one-road journey, however as it turns out we just did not put in the right directions to actually get to the start of the Icefields. Lesson learnt). Here is the thing. While the parkway itself is a one-road stretch from Banff to Jasper, we had unknowingly begun to drive it a few times when we went to see Lake Louise. However, we had only went up that way a little while (about a quarter of the way to Jasper, to be exact). This was the first time that we were driving the entire stretch of the famous Icefields Parkway in all its glory, to the other end and back (and all in the same day, at that!). I have to say that from the time that we finally got on the right road, it was immediately obvious that we were going to have the road to ourselves for the most part. And we were so excited by this prospect. I mean, how often do you get to travel to one of the world's biggest travel bucket list destinations, and have it all to yourself? 

We finally eased onto that stretch of icy road and the adventure was officially starting. I might sound like a bit of a broken record to some when I say this, however it is so incredibly true that Canada is one of those places that just constantly leaves you in a state of awe. It is one of those places that you just know is going to be stunning in every season and on any given day. And this is exactly what we experienced the entire day (even as the sky swirled with icy cold winds and the snow cover was so heavy that it was sometimes a challenge to actually see the sights). We drove through Bow Valley, taking in the extraordinary rocky landscape and falling in love with it more and more the further we drove. After a couple of hours driving, we happened upon what honestly looked like a flat scape of snow. It was too perfectly flat. We realised when we reached Bow Lake that we had passed Herbert Lake earlier. These landscapes are unreal and seeing all the snow that literally hid tonnes of water and lush green landscapes underneath it, was brilliant. We had bypassed Lake Louise, Lake Moraine, and Vermillion Lakes (they were each either snowed in or, as with Lake Louise, we had spent a day there so we wanted to dedicate today to seeing the other sights). We did not stop to see Johnston Canyon and I do wish we had (we can go again next time we are in Canada, though!). 

Because it was so freezing cold (and honestly, also partially because it was all different shades and textures of the same white undertone. We got out briefly to enjoy and take in the landscape and switch over so I could drive for a few hours and then off we went to the next stop along the way. As it turned out, we we just over an hour away from our next stop on this insanely incredible day trip. The clouds began to gather together more in the sky around us and we we driving further up, up, up, into those clouds. At one point we were driving around this truly huge 360-degree turn and we saw one of the only other cars that we saw this day. It passed us and suddenly we were alone again, just the two of us in this incredible crisp white paradise with snow softly falling from the sky all around us, sparkling as it drifted to the ground and on top of our car. It was a moment that I will always remember (I know, that seems to be a recurring sentence in a lot of these posts but I am so fortunate in that way, that my life is filled with unforgettable moments and incredible individuals that I get to share it with).

There we were, just us in our Eclipse, winding our way around the highest of roads amid the rocky mountains, ice ribbons lacing their way around the snow-covered road and the perfect light grey clouds that layered around us. We had reached Athabasca Glacier! This is the first time either of us had ever seen a glacier so close and it was astounding. To the right of the snowy road was a charming little wooden sign that pointed drivers to a little hotel that, as far as we could see, was closed (the lightless windows and the barrier stopping cars from entering the parking lot was a solid indication) and to the left was the glacier itself. To be honest, it took us both a few seconds before we even realised that it was the glacier. There was so much snow that it was entirely hidden from immediate and obvious view. It was also off-season, so this is practically the only time of year that anyone is likely to be the only people there. But there it was, Athabasca Glacier! And when we focused, its edges became clearer and clearer until it was almost surprising that we had not seen it to start with.

Is it not kind of funny how that so often works? Incredible sights and experiences are all around you and sometimes you are so in the moment, or so unfocused, that you can entirely miss them unless you take a second to focus. Sitting astride the Continental Divide, the Columba Icefield happens to be the largest ice field in North America's Rocky mountains and the Canadian Rockies. We were literally driving across a Continental Divide and it was powerful and humbling and beautiful all at once. We were in awe. And then, as we were driving through the Columbia Icefield away from the glacier and towards what was whirling towards us in a seemingly endless flurry of whites and greys, the icy ribbons seemed to fall away all at once as we dipped down the road and away from the Icefield. On we went, driving from one dreamscape into the next with the kind of peaceful flow of two people who were enjoying the journey and not at all too consumed with just the thought of the destination. Being on the road like this is always one of my favourite things in the world. And doing it with Josh is even better, somehow. Finally, we reach the Weeping Wall. 

Just over 300 metres high (around 1,000 feet for my American friends), the Weeping Wall sits at the base of Cirrus Mountain. We had wanted to stop for a little while to switch drivers, so it had come along at the perfect time. We literally stopped the car and pulled over for what ended up being the longest stop for us on this day trip. We saw one car pass us by while we were there and they seemed to not be too taken with the grand awesomeness that is the Weeping Wall (which, honestly, seems insane to both of us but perhaps they were locals and, like is so often the case anywhere in the world, so preoccupied with their day to day lives that they had either seen it a million times before or knew they could see it another day). The waterfalls that, in the warmer months, gushed down the side of this rocky mountainside were entirely frozen to the eye, forming perfectly smooth ribbons of ice that gracefully barrelled down the rocks. We were so fragile, so minuscule, standing there. And it was wondrous. Crisp, shimmering white snow and ice blue frozen streams were a perfect contrast against the brown and grey rocks and deep emeralds of the trees. This was the last big stop on our way over to Jasper and we eventually got back on the road, being aware that as perfect as our timing was, daylight was beginning to run out.Eventually, we were close to Jasper and we had yet to see a single Moose (disappointing, I know). And then, two dark shapes came into my peripheral vision. We stopped the car, and then behind us, illuminated in the soft red light of our taillights, two moose entered the road from the right side of us. Absolutely huge, they seemed to either be unaware of us or uncaring. We knew better than to just get out of the car in the fading early night light to get a closer look, but it was enough to see them so close to us. And we were (as had happened so many times earlier that day), in absolute awe. You hear that moose are huge but I can honestly say that you cannot prepare yourself for how massive they actually are until you see them for yourself. Riding the natural high from seeing this astounding creature in front of us, we drove on until we eventually reached the beautiful night lights of the sweet little alpine town of Jasper. We filled up on fuel (thankfully getting there before the fuel station closed for the day - if it even does close, that is, we were not sure if it did), got some snacks and water for the drive back home to Canmore, and we turned around to take on the Icefields Parkway for the second time that day. Coming back from Jasper in the dark added another layer to the day. We had driven the Parkway in the light and now we got to drive it in the dark. It was another experience in and of itself.

We had seen so much on this incredible journey. And then, a few hours into the drive back towards Banff and then Canmore, we saw what at first seemed to be more moose. As I eased onto the brakes and we got closer to them, however, we realised that they were elk. Almost as massive as the moose, yet different in and of themselves, they were amazing to see so close. My only qualm with them is that they were literally right in the middle of the road. A mixture of exhaustion from being on the road for more than eight hours at this point and complete adrenaline and excitement overtook us and we were both in literal shock (and myself also being nervous to try to edge around them to get back). They were beautiful and they were powerful and their antlers peaked higher than our car. Carefully, slowly, we did edge around them and then I eased back on the accelerator. By the time we had gotten dinner in Canmore to take to our apartment and had parked the car in our spot, we had spent around twelve hours on the Icefields Parkway that day. And it was one of the best days of that trip.

Parker Ridge and Wilcox Pass also obviously get some honourable mentions and are some awesome sights to see along the Icefields Parkway. Glacier Skywalk was closed, so we have to do that next time as well. Unfortunately we also missed Mistaya Canyon, Medicine Lake, Maligne Lake and Canyon. And of course there is also one of the biggest places I was dying to see that we decided against (mostly because we thought that, based on how frozen - and thus entirely unclear - Lake Louise was, we would not be able to actually see the famous methane bubbles) was Abraham Lake. I do wish we had gone, however it makes me so excited to go again with Josh. The Icefields Parkway is an awe inspiring bucket list destination and experience that everyone should endeavour to do at least once in their lifetime (if not more than once, like we plan to!). At every turn along that road, there is something exciting and wonderfully awesome to see and experience. And it is all worth it. We are both already so excited to go back.

'I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently? And then it covers them up snug, you know, with a white quilt; and perhaps it says, "Go to sleep, darlings, till the summer comes again.'

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass