Wow!!!!! That's about all that needs to be said about the Canadian Rockies National Parks. There's seven of them: Jasper, Banff, Yoho, Mount Revelstoke, Glacier, Kootenay and Waterton Lakes. Jasper and Banff are the largest, most well know and most visited. Unlike our national parks, Jasper and Banff has some large tourist orientated communities inside them, the towns of Jasper, Banff and Lake Louise, with hotels, resorts, restaurants, and just about every thing else a tourist might be interested in. And these parks have lots of folks visiting. I've come to expect that while hiking or bicycling not to meet people who speak English. It's fun meeting folks from all over the place on the trail.
I ran into a family or otters while kayaking one of the lakes. Gail would have loved this picture.
The Canadian Rockies have lots of bears, mainly black bears.
Athabasca Falls
Athabasca River just downstream from the falls
One day I rode my mountain bike on some of the trails, unlike in the USA where there is no bicycle riding allowed on national park trails. One of the trails was right down Teresa and Johns alley. I pushed the bike about as much as I rode it. Anyway, I went over 20miles and was wiped out at the end, which lead to a motorcycle ride to the Miette Hot Springs. I think I would have liked it better before they built these pools, but considering all the people, they had to do it.
Another day I hiked up a ridge alongside Mount Edith Cavell, named after a WW1 nurse heroine. Along the way I passed this “Hairy Marmott” who was posing to have his picture taken. This is the largest marmot I have ever seen. This species are about the size of a racoon.
On the way up the view of the mountain and it's hanging glacier get pretty spectacular.
Mount Edith Cavell
This picture is just to the right of the one above. I had a great time talking with this family from Ottowa. Mom and another son were out of the picture. I was pretty impressed with these kids. It was a long hike up and they did just fine. The parents are teachers and spend the summers traveling with the kids. They were on their way home from visiting the US Rockies and Southern Arizona National Parks.
The lake at the bottom of the hanging glacier
From the highway near Jasper
Maligne Lake
I met this girl and her parents along Five Lakes Valley. Her dad is a college professor from Edmonton. You've got to love the hat!
Along the Icefields Highway.
At first I was upset that this youth hiking group chose to each lunch on the waterfall ledges. Then I thought, what a great picture.
The Icefields Highway.
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