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From July 1-12, 2011, my wife Malai and I toured the northern Rockies on a long-awaited vacation. It had been eight years since our last visit to the Canadian Rockies, and we had only been to Glacier National Park on one previous trip.
We started with a brief stop at St. Mary, Montana on the east side of Glacier National Park. We headed to iconic St. Mary Lake for the sunset the first night as well as the sunrise the following morning. We then stopped by the Many Glacier Hotel and Swiftcurrent Lake before heading past Chief Mountain for the Canadian border on late morning of day two.
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Sunrise at St. Mary Lake
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Many Glacier Hotel
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Swiftcurrent Lake
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Most of day two consisted of more driving, as we made our way from Glacier to Banff. Our first new location was the Waterton Lake area as we made a brief visit to the famous Prince of Wales Hotel. With a lot of miles (or kilometers now...) still to cover, we continued north, deviating from the open roads of western Alberta to make a scenic drive through Kananaskis Country.
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Waterton Lake and Prince of Wales Hotel
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The scenery in Kananaskis was surprisingly dramatic as we wound along the highway around countless peaks. Many people apparently had the same idea to use the highway on this sunny weekend, as we shared the road with many other cars and motorcycles. The highway also proved to be an irresistible attraction for dozens of bighorn sheep that had taken to licking the road salts. Although the rare chance to see so many bighorns close up was somewhat tarnished by the fact that they were standing on pavement, we did enjoy watching the healthy flocks with many young lambs as they made their way along the highway.
We continued to push on, eventually reaching the last of many highway curves and reaching Highway 1 between Canmore and Calgary. A quick turn to the west and a welcome four-lane highway soon had us cruising toward Banff National Park. We checked in early evening at our cabin near Johnston Canyon, where we would stay for the next five nights, eager with anticipation to explore the Canadian Rockies again after eight long years.
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Bighorn Ram...
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... and Lamb
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It was difficult to decide where to spend the first morning in Banff, with so many tempting options. Eventually I decided on a trip to the famously beautiful Moraine Lake. I had to be driving by 4:30AM to be in place for the sunrise, so it was an early start. I still barely got in to place on the Rockpile at the east end of the lake when the orange-red alpenglow started coloring the peaks. After a very enjoyable sunrise, I headed down the nearby trail for my first look at Consolation Valley on a morning hike. I found great scenery and surprising solitude, completing the entire four mile round-trip hike without meeting any other hikers on the trail.
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Sunrise at Moraine Lake
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We spent that afternoon with a visit to two of our favorite locations in nearby Yoho National Park in British Columbia. We started at Takakkaw Falls, an impressive waterfall that invokes images of Yosemite Valley. From there we ventured west to Emerald Lake, where we had taken a canoe trip in 2003. We passed on the canoe this time, but spent some time walking the lake shore and lodge area, enjoying the cool mountain air.
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Takakkaw Falls
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Emerald Lake Lodge
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The second day in Banff was probably my favorite, as it marked my long and impatiently-awaited attempt to hike to the summit of Fairview Mountain. The modestly named summit is incredibly impressive, towering over 3300' straight above Lake Louise, but still dwarfed by neighboring peaks like Mount Temple and Mount Victoria. My 2003 hike up Fairview offered only a tease of these great views, as most of the surrounding peaks were shrouded in thick clouds.
As I left the cabin (again at 4:30AM) enough light had taken hold that I could see a sky that was again primarily cloud covered, causing a rather uncomfortable reaction in my stomach. I watched the clouds as I got closer to Lake Louise. After nearly turning back to wait for another day with better weather, I decided to press on, optimistic that the clouds would burn off. Arriving at Lake Louise, one massive cloud hung over Mount Victoria, but I was thankful it remained, as it set the backdrop for one of the more dramatic sunrises I can remember.
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Sunrise, Lake Louise
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I spent the next hour capturing the amazing scenes at Lake Louise as sunrise colors combined with picturesque reflections in the turquoise waters. Red canoes sitting in the calm waters became my foreground of choice, but the mountain backdrop did not need any embellishment. I eventually had to refocus and remember that my primary goal for the morning was to stand atop Fairview Mountain, and with the morning clouds slowly dissipating, it was time to hike. I left Lake Louise behind and started up the trail just after 6:30AM.
I trudged the steep grade to Saddleback Pass, where I had to leave the main trail to ascend the scree slopes on the south side of Fairview. I followed a faint trail that gains 1,400' in 0.4 mile, ascending through 8,000' on the way to 9,000'. The highest official trails in the area do not ascend above 8,600', so passing these elevations felt very lofty and I soon climbed well above timberline toward the summit. On my final push, there were clear skies all around, and I knew I would be welcomed with the full panorama that eluded me in 2003. At 9AM I set foot on the summit to a magnificent view and the feeling of grandeur I only get on a mountain summit.
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Lake Louise and Fairview Mountain
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Summit of Fairview Mountain
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Mount Temple from Fairview Mountain
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After descending Fairview, I headed back to the cabin to regroup. Malai and I did some sightseeing the rest of the day, which included several of our eight total black bear sightings while we were in Banff.
The next day we took advantage of our close proximity to Johnston Canyon with an early morning hike. The trail gets very heavy usage during the summer, but a very early start allowed us to have the trail to ourselves. Several picturesque cascades decorate the narrow canyon, where the trail often leads across hanging catwalks over the top of the raging waters. I dabbled in some slow shutter release photography and even shot some video along the way.
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Johnston Canyon
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Johnston Creek Video (23 sec / 9 MB)
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Later in the day we continued our sightseeing around the Lake Louise area. As we headed up Bow Valley toward the gondola area, a rather large bear greeted us along the roadside. Looking monstrous compared to the black bears we had been seeing, the size alone immediately gave this away as a grizzly. To date our grizzly sightings had been limited to zoos and a view of two Yellowstone bears through a scope that were far enough away that they resembled two brown dots. So, we were quite thrilled to watch for a few minutes as this wild grizzly foraged among the wildflowers and even stood menacingly on its hind legs at a passing car. It was our favorite wildlife encounter of the trip.
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Grizzly Bear in Bow Valley
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The cool, clear weather continued for our last day in Banff, so we made a return visit to Moraine Lake. After another sunrise shoot, I headed solo up the Larch Valley trail toward Sentinel Pass. While this had been on my wish list, I knew getting to the pass would probably not be possible with all the heavy snow earlier in the year. Despite this, I had a very enjoyable visit to Larch Valley and the highest of the Minnestimma Lakes (still 95% covered in deep snow). Several hoary marmots occupied the tundra below Sentinel Pass, surrounded by a gorgeous amphitheater of the Wenkchemna Peaks. With the predicted problematic snowfields blocking the route to the pass, I was content to play it safe and turn back at the upper lake and return to Moraine Lake. After reuniting with Malai at the lake, we made one last trip up the Rockpile for an overlook of the signature blue-green waters below and said goodbye to Banff.
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Moraine Lake
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Upper Minnestimma Lake
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Jasper National Park was next on the destination list, so the following day we headed north along the Icefields Parkway. The magnitude of scenery along the parkway cannot be overstated, as we passed countless overlooks of undeniable glory. Peyto Lake Overlook in particular caught my eye, as a morning reflection in the turquoise waters below defined the essence of the Canadian Rockies.
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Peyto Lake Overlook
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Unfortunately as our geography changed, so did our weather fortunes. Low clouds and very cool weather moved in immediately upon our arrival in Jasper, and remained our companion for our whole stay there. With a high temperature of 55F during our three days, the weather was cold enough to be a novelty. We made a tour of the popular spots, most notably Maligne Lake and the Path of the Glacier Trail at the base of Mount Edith Cavell. While the higher peaks proved elusive in the low clouds, I did my best to capture the waterfalls and mood of the cloudy, damp mountain scenery over the next few days.
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Tangle Creek
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Angel Glacier
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The damp weather did not deter me from a boat tour to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake. Ironically, one of my goals for the vacation was to capture a clear weather photograph of the island, as my only previous shots in 2003 were on a gray, cloudy day. As it turned out, the weather this time was actually worse. My time trying to photograph Jasper could best be characterized as an endless battling of the elements. After days of fighting mist and limited views, Spirit Island fell right in line, despite my romantic whims that the clouds would suddenly part upon my arrival. Still, the gloominess of the scenes along the lake had their own charm, and I did my best to capture the mood.
Not everyone was deterred by the weather, however, which seemed perfect to the resident loons we saw on almost every lake we visited. We grew particularly fond of a family on Patricia Lake, where the adult male and female stood guard and furiously worked to feed their two fluffy brown chicks. While I had seen some loons up close before and heard their haunting calls echoing in the night on northern lakes, these were the closest loon encounters I had ever had, and I enjoyed capturing the experience with photographs and video.
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Maligne Lake
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Spirit Island
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Loon Adult and Chick
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Loon Call Video (20 sec / 8 MB)
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After our time in Jasper was up, it was time to start our long journey home with a return visit to Glacier. The weather cleared as we headed south, so that we were back in sunshine well before reaching Montana. Our main goal for the next two days was to sightsee along Going-to-the-Sun Road and Logan Pass, which we had been unable to visit in June 2009 as the road had not opened yet. Normally open in late June, the iconic road was high on our list to visit - unfortunately we faced the same closure gates on this trip. Due to record snowfall in the area, the road had its latest opening date in history (as an added insult, the road finally opened the day after we left). So, we were resigned to exploring the same lakes as on our previous visits, focusing on Lake McDonald, St. Mary Lake, and Two Medicine Lake. Construction delays on Highway 2 and other factors made for a long day of travel, but blue skies, numerous animal sightings and the grand views were all enjoyable. We made the most of our brief time in the area, feeling disappointed about the road situation, but otherwise thankful for a nice end to the trip.
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Two Medicine Lake
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Lake McDonald Sunset
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In conclusion, we had a very enjoyable and exciting adventure. After years of anticipation and planning, we both agreed that we made the most of our time and saw a lot of great scenery and enjoyed several unique experiences. It is always difficult to say goodbye, especially when we know it may be many years until we can return. However, we brought back countless great memories we can revisit any time to celebrate our journey.
Click here for Part I of the full photo gallery (Banff and Yoho)
Click here for Part II of the full photo gallery (Glacier and Jasper)
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