Icefields Parkway, Alberta

River and Mountains by the Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Sept. 2012

The Icefields Parkway in Alberta begins, at its southern end, a little north of Lake Louise.  It extends 230 kilometres north to Jasper.  We took the Parkway, route 93, twice this past September during our time in the Rockies.  Both days were sunny a good bit of the time with the trip northbound being colder. The land that we drove through, stopped and walked in was intensely beautiful.  So much so, that although we followed the advice of others and took our time, we were still emotionally exhausted by the time we arrived in Jasper.

By the Icefields Parkway, Sept. 2012

Num Ti Jah Lodge on Bow Lake, off of the Icefields Parkway, Sept. 2012

Again, many of the photos I took are of mountains whose names I don’t know.  However, the force of their beauty has remained with me.  I’ll have separate posts on Peyto Lake, Athabasca Falls and Wilcox Pass trail.  Among the photos I’ve included today is one of the Bow Lake area plus the sweeping vistas that we looked down upon after the Parkway had climbed and doubled back on itself.  These last were some of my favourite views.

Looking down on the Icefield Parkway, Sept. 2012

On the Icefield Parkway, a sweeping look into a valley, Sept. 2012

Mountain seen from the Icefields Parkway, Sept. 2012

I have no photos of a few wonderful minutes on our trip south when many bighorn sheep stopped cars in both directions. The animals crossed the road and leapt over the guardrail proceeding down the side of a steep incline. One, in particular, looked through the car window as I returned his or her gaze.  Seeing them was a reminder that we are the migrants in their habitat.

Glacier seen from the Icefields Parkway, Sept. 2012.