Hinton to Banff, Alberta – 25 September 2024
We drove the Icefields parkway to the Banff National Park through Jasper. We had planned earlier this year to stay in both Jasper National Park and Banff National Park in Alberta, which has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. However, a disaster struck Jasper on July 26. After a lightning storm and fuelled by strong winds and drought conditions, the largest wildfire in a century hit Jasper National Park and burned through 36,000 hectares for a period of seven weeks. Only two thirds of the structures in the town remained with 800 houses lost. 25,000 people were evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters from Canada, Australia and South Africa helped to battle the wildfire and at the end of the day there were $800 million in insurance claims – the ninth most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history.
As we drove along the Icefields Parkway through the Jasper National Park to get to Banff, we were deeply saddened to see firsthand the devastating results of this horrific tragedy. A place so beautiful just wiped out in a few weeks. I can only imagine the number of years it will take to fully recuperate.
As we left the burned forests we could at last appreciate the scenery. It was spectacular with the towering Northern Rocky mountains, Fall coloured trees and flowers, blue lakes and glaciers. We stopped at a couple of view points along the way and also at a lodge where you could do Ice Walks and various other adventures. It was absolutely packed with buses of tourists. I went to the gift shop to purchase a couple of coffees and was charged $16 for two small coffees that came out of a machine – what a rip off! Along the way we also passed a walkway suspended above a steep gorge – again filled with tourists. Couldn’t stop but would have loved to have walked on it.
We finally arrived in Banff and settled into the Trailer Court campground. Very busy as it was a long weekend. With all our changing of dates because of the cancellation of Jasper, the extended time in Hinton to fix the RV and also because we had decided to cut our time short and make Victoria for Thanksgiving, we were only able to get 2 nights in this park. A great pity as it was lovely and full utilities – a real bonus when staying in national parks.
We made the most of our time in this campsite and went for a nice hike through the forest to a steep cliff where we could look down to the Bow river and also see some Hoodoos. Hoodoos are pillars of rock that come in a variety of incredible shapes and sizes having been carved from erosion. The cap of the Hoodoo is often a hard, resistant layer protecting the lower unit. If this is removed there is rapid destruction of the base.
We also took a late afternoon ride up the Banff gondola to the top of Sulphur mountain, hoping to see the sunset and weren’t disappointed. It was extremely windy at the top of the mountain but there was a wooden walkway which provided exceptional views of the surrounding mountains and the Banff village below. The walkway extended to the top of a small mountain and didn’t disappoint. Coming back down the mountain the sun had set but the village below was bright with lights.
The following day we moved to a different campground within the Banff national park called Tunnel Village 1 where we spent one more night. This park had no utilities whatsoever but we were prepared with water and our generator. After setting up the RV we took Jax with us for a walk around the Banff village. It looked very much like Whistler though more shops and attractions. We stopped in the village at Evelyn’s coffee shop and had a latte before crossing the bridge over the Bow river to get to Banff Springs hotel. Glorious, sunny weather and a great walk.
Later that day, after leaving Jax at the RV, Derek and I drove to Lake Louise Ski Resort and caught a Parks shuttle first to Moraine Lake and then later to Lake Louise. I loved Moraine Lake but it was also very busy with tourists. The water was a fabulous turquoise and it was surrounded by mountains. It would have been lovely to canoe on the lake but canoes were being rented for $160 an hour – outrageous!!! Across from the lake was what was called the Rock Pile. A small summit built out of large rocks. It had carved rock stairs so we were able to climb to the top of it. There were plenty of people at the top with cameras ready to take photos of the sunset. There was also a couple of newly weds being photographed – what a wonderful setting for wedding photos. Later we caught the shuttle from Moraine Lake to Lake Louise – another beautiful lake with the towering Fairmount Chateau overlooking it.
