There are some places on Earth are simply stunningly beautiful and Canada’s Canadian Rockies are one of them. Canadian Rockies are well-defined (trails, maps), well-organized (hotels, food, roads infrastructure) paradise on earth. Basically Canadian Rockies is the land of glacier-peaked mountains, glaciers-fed sub-alpine lakes and rivers, limestone canyons, waterfalls, pine and spruce forests, grassy meadows, and natural habitant of wild animals like grizzly bears, black bears, wolverine, caribous, elks, bighorn sheep, wolves, eagles, and mountain goats.
Canada’s great Canadian Rockies are northern range of Great Rocky Mountains in North American continent situated on the border of Alberta and British Columbia. Basically it includes five national parks – Banff NP, Jasper NP, Kooteney NP, Yoho NP, Waterton NP and numerous provisional parks mainly Mt.Assiniboine PP, Mt.Robson PP, Mt.Revelstoke PP. Best way to access Canadian Rockies is either from Calgary (Just 120 km away from Banff) or Edmonton (Just 240 km away from Jasper) and stay in the mountain towns like Banff, Jasper, Lake Louise, Canmore, or Golden.
I have traveled to this breathtakingly beautiful place in July 2006 for two weeks. It was mainly visiting main attractions plus hiking/trekking trip. There are numerous things to do in Canadian Rockies in summer for all kind of ages – Sightseeing, Mountain Biking, Canoeing, Hiking, Picnicking, Whitewater rafting, helicopter riding, and Backpacking. Since there are lots of things to do in Canadian Rockies, I have decided to write about general highlights of Canadian Rockies and if time permits, detail travelogue of my two weeks of unforgettable experience in Rockies.
Banff National Park – Banff Town Area
(#) Visit Banff Visitor Centre for brochure, maps and trails information
(#) Stroll and Shopping around Banff town
(#) Vermilion Lakes Drive and Canoeing in three beautiful Vermilion Lakes
(#) Tunnel Mountain Drive for Hoodoos and Tunnel Mountain Hike for aerial view of Banff town
(#) Banff Springs Hotel – Remember Harry Potter’s Hogwarts Castle, This is Castle in wilderness
(#) Bow Falls at Bow River, Surprise Corner for Panoramic Banff Springs Hotel View
(#) Banff Gondola – Gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain for aerial view of Banff town and Sulphur Mountain Vista Trail Hike
(#) Upper Hot Springs Pool for mineral water bath and swimming
(#) Johnston Canyon Hike – paved trails to series of waterfalls, easy walk alongside canyon.
(#) Castle Mountain and Storm Mountain Viewpoint
(#) Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours – 90-Minute cruise to the Devil’s Gap
(#) Picnicking at Two Jack Lake or Johnson Lake
(#) Whitewater rafting on Bow River
Banff National Park – Lake Louise Area
(#) Lake Louise Gondola - Ride to the top of Mount Whithorn for aerial view of Lake Louise
(#) Lake Louise and Louise Lake Shoreline Hike – Most beautiful lake in the world
(#)Chateau Lake Louise – Grand hotel facing Lake Louise
(#) Lake Agnes Teahouse Hike - Lake Agnes, Mirror Lake, Beehive Mountains
(#) Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse Hike for Victoria Glacier view and surrounded six glaciers
(#) Moraine Lake and Moraine Lake Lodge, Moraine Lake Shoreline Hike, Moraine Lake viewpoint Hike (Canada’s $20 bill) – Another beautiful lake of the Rockies at the backdrop of valley of ten peaks
(#) Moraine Lake-Consolation lakes Hike – two sub-alpine lakes high up in the mountain
(#) Moraine Lake-Eiffel Lake-Wenkchemna Pass Hike and Moraine Lake-Larch Valley-Sentinel Pass Hike – Masterful hike into rugged terrain of high valley of glaciers
(#) Moraine Lake-Paradise Valley – Amphitheater of stunning panorama of glacier peaked mountains
Yoho National Park and Golden
(#) Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint – Watch train going through one tunnel and coming out from another tunnel in same mountain at Kicking Horse Pass
(#) Takakkaw Falls – Tallest waterfall in Yoho
(#) Iceline - Twin Falls Chalet Hike
(#) Emerald Lake (Canada’s $10 bill) and Emerald Lake Lodge
(#) Emerald Lake-Hamilton Lake Hike – sub-alpine lake high up in the mountain
(#) Natural Bridge – Kicking Horse River carving natural bridge under the rock
(#) Wapta Falls Hike – Canadian Rockie’s Niagara Falls
(#) Golden – Kicking horse mountain resort gondola
(#) Whitewater rafting on kicking Horse River
(#) Lake O’Hara Bus tours - Lake O’Hara, Lake McArther, Lake Oesa Hikes
Kooteney National Park and Radium Hot Springs
(#) Marble Canyon Hike – High gray granite walls
(#) Paint Pots Hike – ochre and red-colored pools
(#) Sinclair Canyon and Sinclair Falls
(#) Radium Hot Springs – largest mineral springs pool for relaxation and swimming
(#) Stanley Glacier Hike
Banff National Park - Ice field Parkway
(#) Crowfoot Glacier – Crowfoot shaped glacier
(#) Bow Lake and Bow Glacier Falls Hike for Lake, Glacier, and Waterfall
(#) Peyto Lake – Very beautiful lake at the backdrop of Mistaya Valley
(#) Mistaya Canyon Hike
(#) Saskatchewan Crossing – finest viewpoint of glacier-peaked mountains of Mistaya Valley
(#) Parker’s Ridge Hike - Saskatchewan Glacier view
Jasper National Park – Ice field Parkway
(#) Columbia Icefield and Icefield Center – Snow coach ride on the Athabasca Glacier
(#) Wilcox Pass Hike - Athabasca Glacier view
(#) Stanley falls on beauty creek – Waterfalls
(#) Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls
(#) Valley of the Five Lakes Hike – five beautiful lakes in serene atmosphere
Jasper National Park – Jasper Town Area
(#) Stroll and Shopping around Japer town
(#) Jasper Tramway - Tramway ride up Whistlers Mountain for aerial view of Jasper town
(#) Patricia and Pyramid Lake Drives – colorful Pyramid shaped mountains
(#) Mount Edith Cavell and Hike to the Angel Glacier – Angel’s wing shaped Glacier
(#) Tonquin Valley and Fryatt Valley Hike – Ramparts of glacier peaked mountains
(#) Maligne Canyon Hike – Magnificent limestone carved canyon
(#) Medicine Lake – beautiful lake with underground drainage system. Full in spring and almost empty in fall.
(#) Boat ride to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake – One of the most picturesque lake in Rockies surrounded by glacier peaked mountains
(#) Opal Hills and Bald Hills Hike – Aerial view of Maligne Lake and Maligne mountains range
(#) Miette Hot Springs – Warmest mineral water pool
(#) Whitewater-rafting on Athabasca and Sunwupta Rivers
Above list is small section of highlights of the Canadian Rockies. There are many more things to do. Many of this highlighted items takes half a day to full day to couple days to complete. Ever since I have seen the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake’s picture in 2003, I was fascinated by it’s turquoise (Greenish Blue) colored water at the backdrop of glacier peaked mountains. At last, I have been to these places and I find myself to be called again by Canadian Rockies. I am definitely visiting them again in next 2 or 3 years for more hiking, whitewater rafting, and possibly romantic canoeing.
