Jasper National Park, Canada
(July 15, 2007)
(July 15, 2007)
Lou says....
We have seen some wildlife but not as much as expected and not very many good photo ops. The elk and deer are most visible and we did see several roaming in town streets and yards. Val managed a glimpse of a bear in the woods as we were traveling, but I haven't seen one yet. That should change though as we will be heading up to Hyder and the Fish Creek where the bears gather to catch the spawning Salmon.
The Jasper area contains the most scenic vistas we have seen so far. The Icefields Parkway is just spectacular!
As you travel North from Lake Louise don't miss the Bow Summit scenic overlook! It is off the road, on the west side, and if you are not careful you can miss it. You must turn into an entrance road which may not be obvious. The parking lot has enough room for a big rig if it is not to crowded and if it is crowded you can just loop back out to the parkway. Also be sure to have ample gas. The only gas station between Lake Louise and Jasper charges over $5.00 per gallon!
There are several spectacular waterfalls on the parkway, the largest of which is Athabasca Falls 30Km south of Jasper. However, the most impressive tourist attraction on the parkway is the Columbia Icefield. It is the largest icefield south of Alaska and contains the Athabasca Glacier which you can walk up to or ride onto the glacier in one of the special balloon tired ice buses.
The last thing we did in Jasper was to take the tram to the top of Whistlers Mountain. We went in the evening thinking that time would be best for photos but mine did not turn out well. I did take a series and stitched them into a panoramic image which turned out fairly good. Perhaps mid or late afternoon would be better.
Be sure to stop at one of the visitor centers and pick up the brochure "The Icefields Parkway" put out by Parks Canada. It has an excellent map with all the points of interest and their exact locations plotted on the map.
We have seen some wildlife but not as much as expected and not very many good photo ops. The elk and deer are most visible and we did see several roaming in town streets and yards. Val managed a glimpse of a bear in the woods as we were traveling, but I haven't seen one yet. That should change though as we will be heading up to Hyder and the Fish Creek where the bears gather to catch the spawning Salmon.
The Jasper area contains the most scenic vistas we have seen so far. The Icefields Parkway is just spectacular!
As you travel North from Lake Louise don't miss the Bow Summit scenic overlook! It is off the road, on the west side, and if you are not careful you can miss it. You must turn into an entrance road which may not be obvious. The parking lot has enough room for a big rig if it is not to crowded and if it is crowded you can just loop back out to the parkway. Also be sure to have ample gas. The only gas station between Lake Louise and Jasper charges over $5.00 per gallon!
There are several spectacular waterfalls on the parkway, the largest of which is Athabasca Falls 30Km south of Jasper. However, the most impressive tourist attraction on the parkway is the Columbia Icefield. It is the largest icefield south of Alaska and contains the Athabasca Glacier which you can walk up to or ride onto the glacier in one of the special balloon tired ice buses.
The last thing we did in Jasper was to take the tram to the top of Whistlers Mountain. We went in the evening thinking that time would be best for photos but mine did not turn out well. I did take a series and stitched them into a panoramic image which turned out fairly good. Perhaps mid or late afternoon would be better.
Be sure to stop at one of the visitor centers and pick up the brochure "The Icefields Parkway" put out by Parks Canada. It has an excellent map with all the points of interest and their exact locations plotted on the map.
Issue #5
July 15th 2007
July 15th 2007
Page 4 of 4
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