clarehappiestoutdoors posted: " Day 7: Jasper We had a day in Jasper and it's far colder than what we've experienced thus far. Many layers were donned this morning for the walk around the shops! The temperature is around -9C and any wind makes it feel so much colder. By late mor" Clare, happiest outdoors!
We had a day in Jasper and it's far colder than what we've experienced thus far. Many layers were donned this morning for the walk around the shops! The temperature is around -9C and any wind makes it feel so much colder.
By late morning things had brightened up a little so we hired some bear spray (for $10), having been advised by hotel staff and locals that they wouldn't go out without it, heading just a mile out of town to do the Old Fort Point Trail. This is a relatively short walk but gives good views over Jasper. There are also bears there at the moment, but due to the cold weather and windchill they appear to have gone into hiding.
The only sighting we had was a few large paw prints near the viewpoint. On the upside, we got our photos at the red chairs, an area that the bears have been hanging out at recently, preventing others from accessing them.
Heading along to the official viewpoint, the views opened up significantly, showcasing the beautiful river below. The turquoise of the water just blows me away every time!
The longest part of the walk done, it was only a short trek down some steps to reach the warmth of the car once again. Back in Jasper, we headed out for another coffee.
Day 8: Jasper
This wasn't the plan! Today we were due to move to Banff but our plans were curtailed by poor road conditions (Icefields Parkway not recommended for travel) and a poor forecast for the afternoon with another big dump of snow and the possibility of white out conditions on the road. Having made a list of places to stop on the parkway we were reluctant to miss everything, so opted to stay in Jasper for another night.
We decided to head out for a walk instead, entering the Jasper National Park just outside the town. At this checkpoint the staff queried our destination and made us aware that winter tyres are mandatory on this road at this time of year. They were strongly advising people not to drive the Parkway. There was no snow at all as we left the park entrance but as soon as we began to head uphill there was a rapid change in conditions. We believed we had the required tyres (we'd certainly paid for them), so were relieved to see the snowflakes on them when we pulled up at our first stop, Goats and Glacier Viewpoint. This saw us take just a few steps from the car to be rewarded by some beautiful views.
Stepping back into the parking area we got amazing views of the summit over the road.
Our next stop took us back towards Jasper to stop at the Athabasca Falls. This was just off the road and, as with other attractions, we found that there were just a handful of others there. There was a short walk again to reach the stunning views of the falls.
The final stop (closest to Jasper) was at the Valley of the Five Lakes. We'd been advised that the first and second lakes were 'best' but given the close proximity of the lakes to one another we decided just to see them all.
Had we not done so, we'd have missed the otter swimming in the third lake. Like many things we've seen in Canada, this looked like it was on steroids in comparison to anything we'd see in Scotland!
Walk done, all that was left was to enjoy the drive back to Jasper, completely snow free!
Knowing there are no stops on the Icefields Parkway in winter, we picked up sandwiches and a fine piece from the Bear's Paw. Leaving Jasper behind, the road conditions appeared slightly better than yesterday. Skies were clear and there were no weather warnings in place; we felt more confident in our ability to make the journey, Bruce driving, me for moral support!
We passed the first plough, churning up the verge early on. We're still not entirely sure why they seem to focus more on clearing the side of the road but wonder if it's to stop folks wandering off the edge of the road?
We had our journey all mapped out with a 'hit list' of places to stop. This was good as it allowed us to chunk the long journey making the distance seem less daunting. In the grand scheme of this trip today was not too long, it was just the conditions that made it seem more, including the knowledge that loads of cars went off at the Big Bend on Monday night!
Although we'd driven to the Goats and Glacier viewpoint yesterday, the sky was much clearer today so Bruce had a quick stop off for a photo while I stayed cosy in the car.
Our next step was Sunwapta Falls. Having seen lots of stunning falls over the last week it was lovely to see these in the snow.
Continuing on, we stopped at the Stutfield Glacier viewpoint. In contrast, I suspect this would be more spectacular without the snow; it was challenging to spot the glacier in the snow!
The road was stunningly beautiful! Given that the highest point in the U.K. is Ben Nevis, we're still higher as I type this in Banff. Not much wonder there's proper snow and lots of it!
Before we knew it we were on the big bend, taking a photo of the road below. The dents in the crash barrier showed where others have struggled. Thankfully we made it round safely.
A little further on we passed the Weeping Wall. This was particularly pretty with the ice tumbling down rather than just water. The big walls here were very impressive!
Based on the road reports it looked like conditions were better beyond the Sashcatchewan River Crossing so we breathed a sigh of relief when we reached the Howse Pass viewpoint at this key 'junction'. Turns out conditions got worse again with more snow on the road but we had a time of calm. In fairness, I felt pretty calm throughout the journey, such is my confidence in my chauffeur. There was only one occasion where the driver lost control slightly - this was when he hit some unexpectedly rutted ice. I, for reasons only known to me, gripped my seat with both hands, not sure that would make any difference! Any uncertainty Bruce felt was well hidden.
Mistaya Canyon afforded us the opportunity to get out of the car to stretch our legs, and having broken the back of the journey we didn't feel the need to rush. The canyon was quite spectacular, although the snow and potential ice made us wary of getting too close; if you were to fall in you'd not be coming out again anytime soon!
Leaving the canyon behind, it was once again the turn of the lakes.
We stopped off at Peyto Lake and this was the first place where we encountered real crowds; admittedly these were small, but after the luxury of having very few people alongside us when out and about of late it took us by surprise, and if I'm honest caused a minor irritation. I can't begin to imagine what it's like here in summer given that this is 'shoulder season'.
The final stop of the day was Lake Louise. It was hoaching; hard to believe how many cars were in the car park, and even harder to believe that someone had driven (or tried to drive) a bus up the road. The bus was stuck creating a queue as traffic had to take turns to get up/down the hill! Despite the crowds we still managed to get a couple of photos looking like we were the only people there.
Relatively plain sailing thereafter to get to Banff. It's been an amazing holiday thus far and hard to believe we're coming to the end.
Day 10: Should've Been Banff
The plan for our final full day had been to have a lie in, then explore Banff. Unfortunately the reality was somewhat different. Going online to check in for our flight the next day, we discovered that the airline had cancelled our flight from Calgary due to an issue with the plane. The option of a flight in the afternoon disappeared while I was in the shower - we weren't sure that we wanted to leave a day early so were taking a short time to contemplate it - meaning we then had a frantic search online, and an extended phone conversation, trying to figure out what we'd do to avoid multiple stops and different airlines. Just as we were about to hit the button on flights home via Seattle and Gatwick, I popped back on to check the airline app and discovered the option of the afternoon flight was back on the table. We therefore hit that button instead, threw our suitcases together and made a swift exit, Bruce driving us to the airport very efficiently!
These are the limited views of the Banff mountains we saw as we drove out.
For an international airport, the signage on approach is not fantastic. We initially found ourselves headed the right way on arrival in the outskirts of Calgary, but then lost the signs and were somewhat unsure of where to go. Stopping at a petrol station to refuel, I asked someone at the next pump for directions. He explained where to go, then just as we were about to leave shouted from his car to follow him; he'd take us to a point where he would signal to us and from there we just needed to go straight. What a star!
Once at the airport things went smoothly. We dropped off our hire car, got the bags checked in and seats reallocated so that we could sit together, and had a couple of hours to relax before boarding. During this time we very randomly bumped into a former colleague, then on the same flights back to Aberdeen.
Not the end to the holiday we'd planned, but a wonderful time overall and some amazing memories created.
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