If Banff is Canada’s Yosemite, a stunning combination of grand vistas, soaring mountains, azure lakes, and dramatic waterfalls, where throngs of tourists clog every attraction and hip commercial development provides visitors with high end retailers, craft beers, upscale restaurants, and expensive hotels, Jasper National Park is Canada’s Glacier. Bigger, higher, rawer, as beautiful, with fewer people and more modest services. Both should be on your must-see list. They are, quite literally, breathtaking.
After a couple nights in Banff, we headed north to Jasper on the Ice Fields Parkway, a 147-mile two-lane road that winds its way along the Continental Divide between the two parks. Conde Nast rates it as “one of the top drives in the world.” I’d never heard of it, so I had few expectations as we turned off Canada Route 1 and onto the Parkway. While the sun shone and the clouds hovered above the peaks, we were treated to an unending spectacle of snow-capped ridges, broad forested valleys, and sparkling lakes. It didn’t last long.
Early miles on the Ice Fields Parkway.
We arrived at Bow Summit, mile 25, just as the clouds closed in. We took a quick walk out to Peyto Lake – the second most Instagramed location in Banff we were told by a breathless millennial – caught a brief glimpse of its remarkable blue water (see photo in John’s post on RV living) and within a minute were enveloped in a blinding snowstorm. The lake disappeared. We were probably the last tourists to see Peyto Lake that day. We went back to the COW, stripped off our rain gear and ate our lunch in the warm comfort of our dining room.
Trail lunch in the COW.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about the color of that water. It was the color of dreams, of flights of fancy, of priceless gems. If I wanted to paint it, what color would I use? Cerulean, Windsor Blue, Turquoise, Ultramarine, Pthalo Blue, Aqua Blue? None seemed to do the water justice. It was better than anything Pixar or Industrial Light and Magic could have invented.
The color of dreams.
During our two days in Jasper, we saw many different colors of water. Green lakes that transition from mossy sage to a deep teal that matched the color of John’s jersey.
The roiling, frothy khaki green of the North Saskatchewan River as it thundered over limestone cliffs into a narrow gorge.
The clear, cold, glass-green water of rivers fed by the alpine snowpack.
The solid white of 14 inches of frozen water that fell overnight and forced us to break trail through several miles of fresh powder up the Bald Hills trail over Maligne Lake.
And finally, Maligne Lake itself. The complete package of deep, jeweled water, saw-toothed peaks, glacier topped ridges, and lush alpine forests.
If only I were a better painter.
Awesome! Jasper is now on the”list.” We did Banff 7 years ago and drove the Parkway to Yoho. Loved it. The picture of Schultz and me that we made into a Liberty puzzle was taken on a hike off the Parkway. You two looks so happy and relaxed!
Maybe not a painter yet , however your photos are wonderful. Thank you.