Turquoise lakes, forested valleys, ancient glaciers, tumbling waterfalls and mountain peaks as far as the eye can see come together to. This high route is known for its glaciated peaks, turquoise lakes, waterfalls and an impressive view of the athabasca glacier. The icefields parkway, named after the columbia icefields, is also known as highway 93. Before setting off on your icefields parkway road trip, pick up a map in the banff tourism office along banff avenue, the main street through town. The icefields parkway is 227 km of mountain road built almost parallel with the continental divide. Click on the map icons, for more details about each attraction on the parkway. This driving trip is one full day trip and provides you with time to take a few pictures and capture the sights and sounds forever in your memory.
The breathtaking stretch of road between jasper and lake louise serves up many of the most rewarding travel experiences in the canadian rockies. Although it has been visibly shrinking for nearly a century, the. Stunning lake louise and baby blue peyto lake are a good hours drive north from banff, and the icefields parkway, where you can for cyclists one of canadas and the worlds most scenic and challenging routes is along the 300km icefields parkway between jasper and banff simply call into. Attractions along the icefields parkway banffandbeyond. Innbased cycling tour along the icefield parkway in the. Icefields parkway an adventure connecting banff and jasper the icefields parkway is one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in the world, connecting banff and jasper. Sure its only 233km or about 34 hours drive, but you could easily spend weeks, months or even.
Its a minimum of 3 hours driving time, not accounting for any stops along the way. The icefields parkway is the primary northsouth route through the alberta rockies in canada, and one of the most spectacular scenic drives in the world. Rising to the west of sunwapta pass, the dividing line between banff and jasper national parks, the massive columbia icefield is what the icefields parkway is all about. Banff to jasper icefields parkway tour discover banff tours. You can download the chosen images form the list below. The columbia icefield skywalk is a birds eye view of the sunwapta valley, born in the columbia icefields. A guide to driving the icefields parkway elite jetsetter. Tips for driving the icefields parkway banffandbeyond. Youll connect with the canadian rockies in a deep, meaningful and unforgettable way. This is how you transition between the jasper part of the of the canadaian rockies, and the banfflake louise section. Linking lake louise with jasper, alberta is one of the most beautiful journeys on the planet the icefields parkway. Thats why they say a drive on the parkway is like driving on the backbone of the north american continent.
It is named for features such as the columbia icefield, visible from the parkway. Unlike any other, the stretch of road from jasper to lake louise known as the icefields parkway is dotted with more than 100 ancient glaciers, cascading waterfalls, dramatic rock spires, and emerald. The icefields parkway is usually done one of two ways. I drove the icefields parkway north from lake louise to the columbia icefields in 2017. I want emails from lonely planet with travel and product information, promotions, advertisements, thirdparty offers, and surveys. The complete travel and photography guide to icefields. Icefield parkway travel guides download and print these pdf pages to take with you on your trip. There are pullouts for quick hikes, but many of the scenic viewpoints are quickly accessible from the road. Driving the icefields parkway if youre visiting banff, you really wont have done it justice unless youve driven the icefields parkway. Often considered one of the best cycling tour in the world, the spectacular scenery found in the national parks of the canadian rockies is unprecedented in north america. Cycling in jasper and the icefields parkway cycle trekkers. Not long after leaving our campsite at mt robson, michael took a fall off the bike. Driving bow valley parkway between banff and lake louise is must do and see.
Most people plan their trips around being in either banff or jasper, but totally underestimate how much time theyll want to spend on the drive between. If you want to use this icefields parkway on your mobile offline. The forests, mountains, and glacierfed lakes allow just enough space for the icefields parkway to exist. Arcing beneath towering mountains and alongside dozens of glaciers, the 227kilometre 143mile highway connects the picturesque mountain towns of banff, lake. It almost looks like it is driving straight into the mountains that form the backdrop beyond. It is a breathtaking drive both ways and should not be missed if you are visiting the rockies. From transcanadahighway 93 interchange, the first 122 kilometers of the icefields parkway passes through banff national park and the rest of the parkway through jasper national park. The icefields parkway in alberta, also known as highway 93, runs for 142. The icefields parkway parallels the continental divide through some of the most wild and remote parts of banff and jasper national parks. Any visit to banff and lake louise should include this famous and historic journey that can easily fit into your vacation schedule. Along the icefields parkway hwy 93 jawdropping scenery is punctuated by more than 100 ancient glaciers, waterfalls cascading from dramatic rock spires and turquoise lakes set in sweeping valleys. The columbia icefields parkway is one of the worlds most scenic mountain drives that stretches 232kms 144miles between lake louise and jasper. Click below for expert advice on animal welfare in tourism.
Columbia icefield, map, jasper national park, parker ridge, wilcox pass, parkway, athabasca glacier, icefield centre, information, toe of the. Either drive the whole length between lake louise and jasper as a one way trip. To save these files to your hard drive, rightclick on the links and choose. Lake louise, castle junction and icefields parkway area 2. Icefields parkway of the many exceptional roads in the mountain parks, the icefields parkway is preeminent for scenic grandeur and a variety of interesting features. View ice fields parkway map viewpoints in a larger map icefields parkway interactive map.
Top stops in icefields parkway the most scenic drive in. This tour offers you the opportunity to travel this high country on one of the greatest mountain roadways of the world the icefields parkway. To read about the attractions, viewpoints, campgrounds and lodges, see the article on icefields parkway. The cards feature stagebystage overviews and individual highlights, plus additional helpful information, tips for wildlife viewing and organized parkway tours. Waterfalls, wildlife, fossils and glaciers star in a complex display of natures wonders. The 232kilometre 144 mi road runs through the heart of the jasper and banff national parks from jasper to lake louise and its a marvellous way to see the mountains and a must do. There are so many places where you can pull over to take spectacular photos or find a trailhead to hike.
Icefields parkway points of interest, best hikes, photos. Rated as one of the top drives in the world by conde nast traveller, the icefield parkway is a 232 km stretch of doublelane highway winding along the continental divide through soaring rocky mountain peaks, icefields and. We had a good start to cycling in jasper and the icefields parkway, or not. The icefields parkway linking lake louise with jasper is one of the most beautiful journeys on the planet the icefields parkway. From jasper, we took a day tour of the icefields parkway to banff. The parkway is easily accessible and offers amazing views along the drive. This hike in particular offers stupendous views of crowfoot mountain and the crowfoot.
This full day guided tour includes transport along the famous icefields parkway from banff or lake louise to jasper, as well as admissions to the glacier adventure and. These mountains sharp and imposing, covered in snow, overpowering in size will be the defining images of todays drive. Driving columbia icefields parkway through the scenic canadian rockies is must do and see. Devote a day to the parkway so that you can stop and fully enjoy all the attractions it has to offer. Touring icefields parkway jasper to banff food fun. The parkway completed in 1940, winds through rugged mountains, glaciers, river valleys and pristine alpine lakes. The rest of the icefields parkway traveling north, including the columbia icefield, is situated in jasper. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. I didnt even notice he wasnt behind for a good 10 minutes.
Icefields parkway canada travel guide rough guides. Expect it to take longer in the summer months when rvs. Icefields parkway jasper national park jasper, ab tourist. The columbia icefields is a hydrological apex, the meeting point of three continentwide watersheds. Two other hikes ive done off the icefields parkway id highly recommend include the 14. This driving and sightseeing trip is one full day trip and provides you with time to take a few pictures and capture the sights and sounds forever in. Its unending succession of huge peaks, immense glaciers, iridescent lakes, wildflower meadows, wildlife and forests capped by the stark grandeur of the columbia icefield can be almost overwhelming. It is considered a sight that is not to be missed in the canadian rockies.
Download and save the following kml file in your dropbox. The splendour of the icefields parkway hwy93 can hardly be overstated. Regarded as one of the most stunning alpine drives in the world, travelling the icefields parkway highway 93 is an unforgettable way to spend a day immersed in the canadian rockies. Icefields parkway, jasper national park, alberta, canada. Icefields parkway jasper national park jasper ab t0e 1e0. This trip i drove south from jasper to the columbia icefields. Promenade des glaciers, is a 230 km 140 mi long scenic road that parallels the continental divide, traversing the rugged landscape of the canadian rockies, travelling through banff national park and jasper national park. We spent every day of our stay meandering in beautiful serendipity. Pick up the icefields parkway and drive north to the lookout point for the massive crowfoot glacier on the south end of bow lake. To finish this guide of things to see in the icefields parkway, a map is attached with all the places that you cannot miss. Ahead of me, the road takes a turn and disappears over a ridge. I link the brochures page below and if you scroll down you will find a brochure for summer on the ip. You can also get one at the start of the drive in lake louise.
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