Wednesday, September 30th, 2026
This morning we met our motorcoach driver and guide, Richard. He will be with us for the next three days. He was a great driver and we enjoyed his knowledge and humor!
We left Jasper and will end the day in Banff with a full day of sightseeing on our way.
We rode along the Icefields Parkway. It was a 144-mile highway. This highway links Jasper with Lake Louise. It was a beautiful drive with stops along the way!
We still saw remnants of the Jasper National Park wildfire from 2024.
Look closely to see quite a few elk along the side of the Parkway.
We followed along the Athabasca River. It was a major mountain river in Jasper National Park that flows over 765 miles.
The Rockies were snow-covered and glistened.
Our first stop was at the Athabasca Falls. It was considered the most powerful waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. It had an 80 foot drop and a width of 60 feet. The falls cascade down a limestone canyon which took thousands of years to carve by the Athabasca river’s powerful force.
The short clip below demonstrated the power of the water at the falls!
The Sunwapta River was a major tributary of the Athabasca River.
We could view the Stutfield Glacier from a lookout point where we stopped.
Mt. Alberta was 11,873 feet at its peak. It was the 5th highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
Below was another waterfall along the Icefields Parkway!
The Columbia Icefield was our next stop. We visited the Icefield Glacier Discovery Center and had a buffet lunch in the Altitude Restaurant. The restaurant had panoramic views of the Athabasca Glacier. Since Kay had to eat gluten free, the restaurant prepared a plate in the kitchen following protocols so there wasn’t cross contamination. We appreciated the willingness to accommodate.
Athabasca Glacier was a 10,000 year old sheet of ice. Due to our warming climate, the glacier has lost about 16 feet of depth per year and receding rapidly.
After lunch we took the Ice Explorer on the icy slopes of the glacier.
The Ice Explorer slowly took us to the glacier where we were able to walk on it.
After walking on the glacier we visited the Columbia Icefield Skywalk. We could see waterfalls, mountain goats, and the Sunwapta Valley. The walkway had a suspended glass floor that was 918 feet in the air.
The glass floor was on the left in the picture below.
Waterfalls that we saw from the Skywalk.
Mountain goats were eating down below us.
Peyto Lake was a glacier-fed and was a beautiful turquoise color. This beautiful color was the result of glacial rock flour (fine rock dust) that reflected the sunlight.
The lake was widely noted for its distinct wolf-head shape and located in a valley of the Waputik Range.
The drive was so scenic as we headed for Banff. The mountains were majestic.
The Banff Ptarmigan Inn was our hotel for two nights.
