Skip to main content

Icefields Parkway


We had a beautiful day to drive one of the world's best drives- the Icefields Parkway through both Jasper and Banff National Parks.  The distance of ~250km can take all day because of all of the stops along the way.

In addition to all of the stunning scenery and mountain peaks, we were lucky enough to spot a black bear and mountain goats roadside.


We stopped at the Athabasca Falls and Sunwupta Falls to see and hear the water roar.


Athabasca Falls

Sunwupta Falls

Unfortunately, one of the most striking differences from our visit 15 years ago is the amount of dead coniferous trees in Jasper National Park.  After speaking with the park ranger, we learned that this is due to the invasive mountain pine beetle. Hard to believe an insect 5mm long can cause such damage.


As we moved south to Banff National Park, the devastation did not appear to be as dramatic.


Waterfowl Lake


 Our first family photo in awhile

Comments

  1. Awesome place. Sad about the trees. Live continues apace here at TechInsights. Plan to check your blog a bit more frequently. Cheers, Sinjin

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introducing the Family

This is my first post.  My name is Nathan and I am a 9 year-old boy (almost 10) and can't wait for this trip.  My older sister Chelsea is 12 years old and my younger brother Parker is 7 years old.   I am looking forward to sharing pictures and stories with you over the adventurous year ahead! This picture was taken a couple of years ago so we are all a bit bigger now!

Velika Planina - Slovenia

Velika Planina, in a Nutshell This could have been Heidi's village Ever wish you were Heidi ? Well, it turns out, you can find the backdrop you need for your make-believe at Velika Planina in Slovenia. You can hike (a few hours) or take a cable car up to a high-altitude plain where you will find a village nestled on the lee-side of an ever-present windy peak.  A hearty people live here - a tribe of herdsmen.  They build unique huts, in an ancient way, and allow tourists to explore their space/land. This is not an adrenaline jolt, but it is quaint and unique and undeniably historical.  Come for the views, stay for the peace and quiet. Getting Here The cable car runs fast and saves a lot of time and effort... we'd recommend it You can hike up to this peak from the valley, but it is pretty high at 1600m - a good slog on a service road.   Alternatively, you can take a cable car up from  Kamniška Bistrica .  We did the latter - the kids wanted to 'save the...

Slovenia - Ljubljana

 A Long Time Coming... COVID wasn't much fun for anyone. We fared well, but amongst the things COVID destroyed was our wanderlust - we stayed close to home, and leaned into Canada . Well, with COVID gone(ish), we've started to feel the "itch" again... so we're back on the road - this time on a Euro travel leg.  We pickup our adventures in Ljubljana, Slovenia.   Why Ljubljana (Slovenia)? Slovenia is  beautiful .  It's northern alpine regions are spectacular, boasting emerald lakes, rugged mountains and a notable lack of traffic.  The entire country feels under-sold - like tourism is about to beat down its door... and that's why we came. Ljubljana is in the center of Slovenia, wedged between Venice and Zagreb.  It remains a quaint, friendly, accessible, well-organized and authentic experience.  Ljubljana is a great place to decompress after overseas travel.  Once you've reset your circadian rhythm, Ljubljana becomes an incredible launch po...