Category: Alberta

After making several stops along the Icefield Parkway, you arrive in Jasper.

I visited this cozy little town on a cold and quiet day for the first time last year in March.

After driving all the way from Lake Louise to Jasper in almost one go (since most of the rest stops and viewpoint areas were still closed at that time of the year) I arrived exhausted at the Marmot Lodge, my accommodation for the night.

I visited the town of Jasper and learned that people can’t buy a house in Jasper as their second home nor can they build new houses in Jasper.

I also learned from a local waitress that a hike to Patricia Lake is definitely worth the effort.

So I hiked it the next day.

The full two hours.

And I found a sign that said ‘Patricia Lake’.  And the lake itself, covered under meters of snow.

I promised myself to return to this place in summer and later that year I did.

This time I drove.

Look at everything as though you are seeing it either for the first or last time, then your time on earth will be filled with glory. 

Next stop on the list is the Athabasca Glacier.

You will see this massive glacier appear on your left side.

Tickets and start of the tour are on the right of the highway.

Although a ticket to go up to the glacier with the Ice Explorer is not cheap, it’s well worth it.

First a bus takes you from the parking lot all the way up the hill across the highway. From there you transfer to the Ice Explorer, a sort of vehicle specially made for driving on glaciers.

Once you arrive at the glacier you got some time to explore and walk around. You can even taste the pure glacier water and you can see how dramatically the glacier has shrunk through the years.

Brewster, the company that organises these tours, also sell this cool experience in combination with the Glacier Skywalk. This attraction opened recently but is a waste of money, personally. You definitely can have better views for free in the area and  although the attraction is called Glacier Skywalk, there is no glacier in sight. So save your time and money and buy that moose sweater for your parents instead.

The seeker embarks on a journey to find what he wants and discovers, along the way, what he needs. 

If you want to see wildlife during your visit to the Canadian Rockies then this hike offers you a pretty good chance to see some bighorn sheep. You don’t even have to look that hard to see them as they will be just roaming around the meadows you’ll be traversing.

The hike starts at the Wilcox Pass Campground a little bit south of the Athabasca Glacier. Turn right off the highway and park at the parking lot.

The first part of the hike is through a forest. Once you reach the meadows you’ll soon encounter the bighorn sheep. They just stare at you, not giving a damn what you are doing there.

After you took some snaps of the bighorn sheep you soon will have a great view of the Athabasca Glacier. Take your time here as there are so many great viewpoints to admire the majestic Athabasca Glacier.

If you like to continue your trail to Wilcox Pass please be advised that there is an infinite meadow awaiting you. The whole hike is a one way hike so if you have a car be prepared to turn around at one point.

Take care of all your memories… For you cannot relive them.

Let’s continue, next on our list is Peyto Lake.

Peyto Lake is a very popular and easy stop along the Icefield Parkway.

Needless to say the view is phenomenal !

You can reach the typical viewpoint in 15 minutes so you should not skip this little stop on your way to Jasper.

There are times to stay put, and what you want will come to you, and there are times to go out in the world and find such a thing for yourself. 

Had a good rest last night near Hector Lake ?

Time to move further north.

Next stop : Cirque Peak

This is a day hike usually done between June and October. The view from Cirque Peak is truly spectacular and another must do to add to your list.

You can park your car on both sides of the highway for this one. On your left side you will see the Crowfoot Glacier Viewpoint and on your right side you can enter the Helen Lake Trailhead parking lot. The parking lot was pretty busy when we went so this place is pretty popular.

You start your hike with a light elevation through the woods. Once you are out of the woods it mostly is going through meadows until you start your scramble of Cirque Peak which is quite intense.

The view from Cirque Peak won’t disappoint you.

Adventure is a need. 

After you took a refreshing plunge into Herbert Lake you can continue on the Icefield Parkway.

Next stop : Hector Lake

The tricky part about Hector Lake is that the little parking lot and the start of the trail are not well indicated. The trail is not well known and there is only a small signpost at the head of the trail that says ‘Hector Lake Trail’. Keep your eyes open on your left hand side once you passed Herbert Lake.

Once you found the head of the trail you can start your descend until you will encounter the Bow River. Please use caution when you cross this river as the stream may be pretty strong and deep. Once you crossed this you are almost there.

A little further you’ll see the lake appearing through the trees and find a great camping spot.

Hector Lake is a gorgeous place to explore. You even have free canoes and peddles at your disposal. Please have respect if you use them and return them afterwards to the same spot where you’ve found them.

My friends and I used both canoes last summer and had the great idea to cross the entire lake but I must admit we miscalculated the distance. What’s new…

Also, halfway our battle across the lake my friend and I were noticing our canoe was sinking very slowly which caused a lot of laughter from our friends in the other canoe. Once we reached the shore we emptied the water out of our canoe and took a nice little break.

The views are amazing and you feel like there is no single other soul in sight (which is probably the case).

We ended up spending three hours rowing to the other side of the lake and back but it was all well worth it !

Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true. 

One of the highlights of your journey through Western Canada will definitely be your drive along the Icefield Parkway. This road starts north of Lake Louise where you turn off Highway 1 and enter Highway 93, better known as the Icefield Parkway.

There are a heap of places to stop on this scenic road to Jasper but I’ll be sharing seven of my favourite spots with you this week going from Lake Louise (south) to Jasper (north).

The first stop would be at Herbert Lake. This lake is right off the highway and doesn’t look that much more exciting than the others you have just passed. But don’t be fooled.

Park your car on the parking lot on your left hand side and walk around the lake. At one point in the back of the lake you will discover a jumping plank where you can take a refreshing plunge into the cold water.

Be warned, leeches are common around the jumping plank and the shore so keep an eye out for them. We went in a bunch of times but had no problems.

Enjoy !