Thursday, July 16, 2026 IceFields Parkway, Jasper, Mt. Robson

 Thursday, July 16

Waterfowl Campground has 100 campsites, all of which were filled last night.  It is nicely spread out and treed, though, so didn't feel crowded.  The lake is gorgeous and calm in early morning light.

We continue on the IceFields Parkway this morning, pausing at viewpoints and areas.  That's the parkway down there from a high viewpoint.

Stopped at Coleman Stream Picnic Area for breakfast.  Lots of ground squirrels all over the place - looks like a prairie dog town!  They chirp when we get near and dive into burrows, but soon come back out.

This chubby guy looks like he gets more than his fair share of food!

We stop at Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre which is crazy busy already.  Nice Visitor Center with displays, restrooms, restaurant and gift shop across the road from the glacier.  There are options to ride a specialized vehicle out onto the glacier or walk a glass-bottomed viewing area (both for $) or you can walk over to the "toe" of Athabasca glacier. 

1919

today

 We've seen and walked on a few glaciers in Alaska, so settle for viewing.  Sad to see how much it has shrunk over the years, and it continues to do so.  Scientists predict it will mostly disappear as soon as 2040, depending if warming temps continue.  What will happen to the rivers then!?! And the trees, and the wildlife, and the people?!?!

 *RVers can overnight here in an area of the parking lot for a minimum fee and there are lots of people who did so.

The air is so clear, crisp and clean!  Smells amazing.

Next stop is Sunwapta Falls on the river of the same name which originates at Athabasca Glacier.  Amazingly powerful moving water! The name is Stoney Indian meaning "turbulent water". Quite a few people and Beth takes family pics for several groups, many of whom seem Middle Eastern.   

The trail continues through a canyon to lower falls.   

The next stop is Athabasca Falls which is in Jasper National Park, but also just off the highway and equally busy.   It is one of the most powerful falls in Canada, fed by glaciers and the Athabasca River.  The river has carved a rugged canyon here as well.

 I offer and take a few more group photos

and get one of us as well.  

From here it is about 30 miles into the town of Jasper.  There were horrendous forest fires here in 2024  and we see major devastation when approaching town.  Lots of construction going on. Over half of the 374 destroyed properties have been approved for re-building or completed, but it is obviously a work in progress.  Burned trees are prominent on the south side, though new wildflowers and other growth are visible.  

Small town, and the main street is short but busy.  We shop at a grocery store here, get gas and find a shop with wine, so at least we supported a little bit of the recovery! What does exist is very busy.

Areas further north, like Malign Canyon, are in better shape we hear, but we turn west here and head for Mount Robson Provincial Park.

Quick stop at Moose Lake which is beautiful, but no moose.

Snow-topped Mount Robson is the highest point in the Canadian Rockies at 12,972 feet and is part of the Rainbow Range.  They have a nice Welcome Center with this beautiful view.  No maps, though, but they tell us we can get maps at Valemont Welcome Center, down the road, so we continue on.  The folks at Valemont are not very helpful with maps or information  "I don't know much about camping." 

 Time to find a place to alight for the night, and with the fridge a bit iffy on propane, we look for a place with electrical hookups, which eliminates most of the provincial park sites. We choose Canoe River Campground which turns out to be a good choice, with shade, electric and showers! Greg walks and finds the river but those sites are reserved far in advance, we're told.  Temps have been climbing since we are back on the west side of the Rockies now (84 when we stop) so the AC feels good till things cool off nicely. 

Huge, dinner-plate-size mushrooms growing here.

Met a girl from Switzerland here who was visiting for 3 1/2 weeks and impressed with the vastness of Canada.   (Yesterday we saw a license plate from Argentina! - now that's a road trip!)

Pretty sky tonight.  We will begin turning south tomorrow. Still in mountain time now, so we're going to bed with the sun.

Tacos for dinner.  And we play our nightly cribbage game... I think we are about even now, but Beth's getting better at shuffling!

Wednesday, July 15 Canadian Rockies, Icefields Parkway

 Wed. July 15

Fifty-three degrees this morning.  After cereal with fruit, we visit beautiful Beauvais Lake.  

Several geese hanging out, and ducks on the lake.    One couple of ducks are building a nest on a tussock (is that the word for a clump of grass near shore but surrounded by water? I don't think I've ever used that word before!) and we see the male bringing sticks for the construction. 

There is a nice playground, but we did a double-take with the Bear in Area sign posted there. I guess you don't send your kids to the playground alone!  We see several deer on our way out.

Near a town called Sparwood (we're in British Columbia now)we pause to take in "The World's Largest Truck".  See the boy beside its 12-ft diameter tires?  The TeRex Titan was used in mining and built by GM.

There are frequent signs to watch for wildlife, but they also have an animal detection system for quite a few miles.  The only one we saw with a message, just said "Slow Down", so I assume that meant there were animals detected in the area?   

 They also have animal bridges, which we read has greatly reduced traffic accidents involving wildlife.

  We will go up on the western side of the Rockies for a while, before crossing east near Banff.  We heard there was a fire up by Golden, so turn east before then, though we see no signs of fire or smoke. The big Canadian Fires in the news are all east, near Ontario.

Again, we travel in valleys where the rivers and trains also travel.

We stop for gas in a town called Radium Springs, which has this neat sculpture at the main intersection.  

Lots of A&W's in the smallish towns we pass - reminds me of Dairy Queens in the US.

We pass some construction as 93N veers east towards the TransCanada Highway.    

The Simpson River is a gorgeous blue with lots of daisies. 

We go through  Kootenay National Park and make a few scenic stops including beautiful Numa Falls on the Vermillion River.   All of the Canadian National Parks are free this Summer with something they are calling "Canada Strong Pass." How nice!

We aren't the only ones enjoying the area where Tokumm Creek spills into Marble Canyon.  We pass signs for Lake Louise but aren't tempted as we've been there and remember the remote overflow parking lots = crowds.  Banff area is wonderful and beautiful, but too crowded this time of year for us to appreciate.  We visited Banff and Jasper on our 2013 Alaska trip.

Bow Lake is a beauty too.  And then we are on the Icefields Parkway.

And the uphill climb to this view of Peyto Lake was worth it.  The amazing color is from glacial rock flour ground by a slow moving glacier.  It is carried into the lake by melting ice where it bounces and reflects sunlight. That's why the rivers are so blue too.

We pass a few campgrounds along the Parkway,  including one named "Mosquito" - not too inviting.  One has a  "Full" sign,  so we decide to try the next one with openings, which is Waterfowl Lake.   Quite a few spots at 3:30 or so, so we snag one and settle in.  Only tents and small RV's will fit here and by dark, the "Full" sign will be posted.  We are seeing quite a few tenters this trip! 

We check out the lake and walk the campground.  Yes those are picnic tables in the water in the first picture.  Apparently the lake level is quite high!  Only a few waterfowl about.

No mosquito problem - yeah!  Maybe because it is cool?    Fancy hot dogs and beans for dinner tonight with chips and cherries, followed by reviewing pictures and Cribbage.  The temperature falls so Beth will need that extra blanket tonight!