Our EPIC 7 Day Road Trip in Canada: Banff, Jasper, and the Icefields Parkway!

[Music] welcome to the a inspiring Canadian Rockies in August of 2023 we embarked on an unforgettable 7-Day adventure to explore the beauty of this expansive landscape so come and join us on this journey as we uncover the most incredible sites experiences and Adventures awaiting in the heart of the Canadian Rockies we started our journey in Calgary where we picked up our car and then headed to our nearby hotel to get some rest before our journey our plan was to drive up the icefields parkway straight to Jasper to spend our first few days here we plan to spend a day to see Spirit Island at at mine Lake as well as mign Canyon then make our way back down the ice Fields Parkway stopping at all of the major viewpoints to see athabaska Falls sen wapta Falls Columbia ice Fields the Skywalk po lake and a b Lake as we made our way back down to Bam in bam we plan to stay a few more days to see Lake Louise merraine Lake as well as take the gondola up to the top of sulfur Mountain before heading back to Calgary to spend our last couple of days before heading back to [Music] Orlando this boot do this let's do this a your rers I did bring my like Mickey's nonsense SC Halloween shirt with me so Canadians are probably going to think I'm weird say you brought your Micky ears oh should have brought those too this part girls long she's far far from Disney World okay cool heading up to ghost cck there it goes boom We are on map done I don't even have to do it in After Effects before our trip I put together this preset itinerary of places to see as we made our way up to Jasper a few stops were essential and a few optional if we had some extra time throughout the day our very first stop was Ghost Lake nestled at the foothills of the Canadian Ian Rockies ghost Lake as we come to find out is actually a reservoir that is formed along the B River and creates this tranquil [Music] place but I have to admit the highlight of this stop for me was the ground Scrolls who seem to be very vocal about us being [Music] there oh he doesn't like me he cuz I didn't L at me a oh but I like you he like screamed I know he's yelling at me what look at this look at this little incredible place we just discovered oh God some house that is somebody's house what a beautiful location that's huge is one gigantic Mountain we jumped back in the car and headed over to our next stop in bamp which was Cascade ponds Cascade ponds is a series of ponds that sit at the foot of Cascade Mountain and you can see them from the road as you make your way towards bam it's a perfect little stop to stretch your legs for a bit and walk the small trail that makes its way around the pond [Music] Cascade ponds was also the first location that we came across the famous Parks Canada Red chairs you can find these chairs all over the parks strategically placed with peaceful breathtaking views and we were excited to come across our first [Music] one next we headed into bam to stop and see Bow Falls Bow Falls is located just outside the city of bam and is easily accessible with a parking lot nearby but it's a popular destination so if you're driving here I highly recommend arriving early as spaces are limited especially with the frequent bus arrivals throughout the day there is a trail that goes along the Bow River which takes you straight up to Bow Falls itself although Bow Falls boast only a modest 9M drop its beauty is still mesmerizing we lingered here for quite some time exploring the river banks Upstream to enjoy the stunning views including a glimpse of the famous Fairmont bamp Springs in the [Music] distance once we were done at Bow Falls it was getting late in the day so we decided to continue our drive to Jasper on the ice Fields Parkway the ice Fields Parkway is considered one of the most beautiful drives on the planet and stretch stretches 232 km as it winds its way through the Continental Divide between mountain peaks ice fields and sweeping valleys if you have the opportunity to experience this drive firsthand I highly recommend [Music] it we've got a snack bag okay so I picked up a bunch of like Canadian chips so we've got this all dressed up these all dressed up chips and then I also got what ketchup chips this is sweet and spicy ketchup chips so excited to try it I think I want to try the the all dressed up chips first we give these go yeah try CH the chips oo chip they smell like like salt and vinegar it's like sour cream and onion barbec yeah yeah they're pretty good I like it oo look at this wow this is our view right now it's pretty spectacular wo look at that incredible in Jasper we stayed at this adorable hotel called Pine Bungalows which is situated on the Athabasca River we were able to book a cabin on the waterfront which gave us this incredible [Music] view oh my [Music] gosh look at how cute they have Little Bears on them oh my gosh we've got a little kitchenette here how [Music] cute since we were exhausted from our drive to Jasper we were happy to find that there was a restaurant located on a property where we capped off our day with some elk tartar bison short rib and an orette pasta before calling it a [Music] night the next morning we started our day at Sunrise where we started making our way towards mign Lake where we could decide if we wanted to take the boat ride over to Spirit Island however along the way we couldn't resist stopping at the breathtaking Medicine Lake even though it wasn't a part of our planned itinerary seeing that there was no one else around we simply had to take advantage of the moment and enjoy this View [Music] despite the detour we managed to still be among the first visitors to arrive for the day malign lake is one of the largest natural lakes in the Canadian Rockies spanning 22 km to the glacial Mount channels of the Coronet Glacier as beautiful as malign lake is the Highlight here is located 14 km away and is only accessible by taking one of the boat tours or kaying with a stroke of luck we managed to secure the last two spots on the first boat tour if you have the opportunity I highly recommend taking this 90-minute boat tour especially if you catch the first departure during the journey we had the chance to delve into the rich history of the geological wonders of malign Valley while soaking in the breathtaking views of his snow cap mountain peaks upon reaching our destination we disembarked to follow a brief 15minute Trail along the picturesque Shoreline offering spectacular views of spirit Island Spirit Island holds profound spiritual significance for the Stony nakota First Nation who View Mountains as physical embodiments of their ancestors its unique positioning surrounded on three sides by the same mountain range is exceptionally rare and holds special importance for the Stony Community standing here in the presence of spirit Island was a profoundly moving and peaceful experience even though we were only here for 15 minutes I understand now why it's named Spirit Island it's one moment from this trip that will forever stay with me once we returned from our cruise we had lunch at The View cafe that overlooks mign Lake before jumping back in the car and heading to our next destination which is mign Canyon however before getting there I spotted a Charming Riverside stop that I simply had to explore one of the greatest advantages of having your own car on trips like this is the ability to create your own itinerary when you encounter unexpected gems along the road you have the freedom to stop and explore at your leisure unlike strict schedules followed by organized tours this flexibility is always our preferred way to travel malign Canyon which is the deepest in Jasper National Park has depths exceeding 50 m in certain spots it offers an opportunity for exploration via six Bridges spanning different points of the canyon the second bridge standing over 50 m above the water provides the highest vantage point if you venture deeper into the canyon you'll encounter a third bridge where you're able to see This Magnificent [Music] waterfall since we still had time in our day we decided to add one of our optional stops in our itinerary Pyramid Lake Pyramid Lake nestled at the foot of pyramid mountain and overlooking the town of Jasper is among the 20 small lakes formed by retreating glaciers in the pyramid bench area it's renowned for fishing and paddling and drains into the Athabasca river through pyramid Peak we followed a small Trail along the Lake's Edge to bask in the breathtaking Mountain Vistas before heading back to our hotel on our way back we stopped by nesters market which is their local grocery store to pick up some dinner yeah sweet and spicy ketchup let's try it I like it I was expecting it to be more ketchupy but it's like the slightest hint of ketchup like cuz these are sweet and spicy ketchups so maybe these are a little different here dinner with a view dinner with a view look at this couldn't ask for a better restaurant [Music] yeah we a little friend joining us for dinner after the meal we decided to use the rest of the day to explore the small trail that went along the river in front of our cabin to cap off our day we were able to see our first deer and Elk across the river and they say here that you want to make a lot of noise or sing while you hike so that you don't accidentally start startle any bears so just in case you are wondering most of our hikes ended up sounding something like this it's final [Music] countdown the next morning we got up early to start making our way down to bamb we had a full itinerary of places to see as we made our way back down the ice Fields Parkway so we left before the sunrise to start making it to our first destination and it was on this drive where we encountered our first up close elk sighting just off the [Music] road after our marvelous encounter we headed to our first location atab aska Falls which we were excited to have all to ourselves Athabasca Falls stands out as one of the most powerful waterfalls within the Mountain National Parks cascading over a layer of hard court site it has sculpted intricate features including potholes into the softer Limestone beneath within its short Canyon originating from the glaciers of the Columbia ice Fields the Athabasca River is one of the largest river systems in Jasper once we finished admiring the power of the athabaska falls we got back on the road to start heading to our next location but along the way I couldn't help but stop at a small Lookout called goats and Glaciers this is a beautiful spot overlooking the Athabasca River but unfortunately we didn't see any goats but we did see some glaciers next we ventured into the renowned Sam waa Falls which consist of Upper and Lower water falls fed by the Athabasca Glacier the Upper Falls boast an impressive 18m drop with a short hike leading through the Pine Forest to the lower Falls where you can find three waterfalls that Cascade over the sunwapta river as we made our way to our next Des destination I caught sight of another stunning Viewpoint with even more glaur that I just had to snap a photo in front of next we began our journey towards tangle Falls which can be easily overlooked if you're not paying close attention since there aren't many signs leading up to it however it's conveniently located right off the road and definitely worth taking a few minutes to appreciate its beauty while we were there we stumbled upon a small Trail leading up the side of the waterfall allowing us to get a closer look and truly admire this stunning site our next stop was the Columbia ice Fields Viewpoint to admire the spectacular view before arriving at the glacier Discovery Center the glacier Discovery Center serves as the hub for the Colombia icefield Adventure offering various activities such as glacier hiking or visiting the glass floored Skywalk which is what we opted to do while at the glacier Discovery Center we learned that there was a mudslide blocking the icefields parkway towards bam causing many of the visitors to be stuck in bam this rare situation allowed us to be the first and only visitors on the Skywalk that morning which is a stroke of luck we still can't believe the Columbia icefield Skywalk boasts a remarkable glass bottom platform suspended over 9918 ft above the this rugged terrain providing breathtaking views of waterfalls and Glaciers among the entire walkway once we returned we indulged in a meal at the Discovery Center got py with the Glacier View that view not too shabby since we couldn't continue due to the mudslide we decided to cross the road after our meal and take a closer look at the Columbia icefield Athabasca Glacier the Athabasca Glacier is one of six main toes of the Colombia ice fields and it's easily accessible from the parking lot as you drive toward towards the lot you'll see small signs along the road indicating where the glacier was in previous years unfortunately the glacier has receded at a rate of 5 m per year and has lost over half of its volume in the last 125 years while you can reach the edge of the glacier from the Viewpoint a tour is required if you do want to walk on the glacier itself when we finally heard that the roads were clear we continued our journey towards our next destination which was po Lake po lake is a vibrant Blue glacier-fed Lake that is located in bamp National Park throughout the summer months Glacier Rock flower flows into the lake which gives it this breathtaking color and it's absolutely [Music] beautiful next we headed to B Lake which is one of the largest lakes in B fed by the Melt water from the bow Glacier in the wapta ice Fields this lake lies at the base of bow Summit and has this beautiful aquamarine color Bo Lake ended up being one of my favorite stops on the icefields Parkway and is well worth a visit while you're here our final stop on icefields Parkway was crowsfoot Glacier which is a small Overlook point where you can view the glacier the runoff of this Glacier feeds into Bo river which flows through b national park at the very end of our day we were so excited to finally make it to our hotel while in bam the Royal Canadian Lodge so we just checked into our hotel at the Royal Canadian Lodge and oh my goodness look at this we have a fireplace [Music] for [Music] what look at how beautiful this is it's a little rainy we got a trainer view but that's okay look at how spectacular this room room is you like it it's pretty nice yeah pretty cozy pretty cozy little firl fire it is 5:00 in the morning and we are heading to lake Louis we the only ones on the road right now we determined to get a parking spot we're determined to get a parking spot so we're going to get there we're going to be the first ones there I doubt it I bet people will get there even early I bet is like Kelly Park yeah there's at least a handful of people already there we're at Lake Louise and we got a parking spot and we're definitely not the first ones here it's the first the first parking is already taken and it's only 5:49 in the morning so now we're just waiting for the sun we're here we made it Lake Louis is renowned as one of the most breathtaking mountain scenes in the world and you can easily see why it has beautiful tur turquoise Waters tinted by Rock flower from the glaciers and draws millions of visitors every year we were thrilled to get a chance to experience this iconic location at Sunrise we spent some time here watching the sunrise and as the sun rose so did the number of people that started to show up until we found ourselves completely surrounded onto the pier so we decided to take a break and find a place to grab coffee in the Fairmont to warm [Music] up once we were done we decided to take a walk along the trail that ran the perimeter of Lake Louise in order to enjoy a different view of the [Music] lake [Music] [Music] after Lake Louise we made our way over to the lake Louis Ski Lodge where we could take the shuttle up to marraine Lake personal vehicles are not permitted to park at Marine Lake but you can take a shuttle public transportation or guided tour we opted to drive ourselves to Lake Louis so that we could arrive earlier and just use the shuttle to Marine lake merine lake is as beautiful as Lake Louise with mesmerizing Blue Waters that will take your breath away there are even piles of Boulders that have a trail leading up to the top so that you could get this phenomenal view of the [Music] lake and by the way this footage has not been altered in any way this is actually what the lake looks like and it's [Music] stunning [Music] when we got back from Marine Lake we decided to take the ski lift up to see if we could get a nice Viewpoint of the area and perhaps see some bears on our way [Music] up [Music] unfortunately about halfway up the mountain it started raining on us and in addition to the colder Air at the top of the mountain we had a freezing bone chilling experience and we weren't able to see much from the top but it was still a really cool experience but we did opt for the closed gondola on the way back since we were [Music] freezing later in the day we went from one Gondola to the other since our next stop was the famous bamp Gondola situated at the base of suur mountain the bamp gondola offers an 8-minute ride above treetop ascending 700 M to the summit of sulfur Mountain that Towers above the town of [Music] Bam from this vantage point you can discover six distinct mountain ranges extending out into the Horizon and the views from the upper terminal are breathtaking since it was getting late in the day we decided to see if we could grab a bite to eat while we were up here and luckily enough we were able to get seated at the Northern Lights Alpine kitchen which is a buffet with the most spectacular views after dinner it started to rain but Noah didn't want to lose the opportunity to take the boardwalk up to the the sofra mountain weather Observatory to take in the views before we made our way back down so he braved with the weather and made his way up to the top of the trail to capture this amazing site to cap off our [Music] day [Music] the very next morning we got up early to start making our way to see the famous Johnston Canyon Johnston Canyon offers a beautiful Trail through Lush forest and suspended catwalks to see the upper and lower Falls unfortunately for me I had injured my ankle the day before for and was unable to make it very far so Noah ventured off ahead of me to see if he could get a glimpse of the waterfall so since I was injured we decided to take it easy and rest for the day and explore the city of bamp that afternoon before grabbing room service and calling it a night the next morning we got up early and caught our next sighting of belel on the side of the road in bam as we made our way up to capture a photo with the famous bam sign once we were done we started making our way over to Golden where we caught sight of the famous Canadian Railway as we made our way to our next destination the golden skybridge the Golden skybridge is home to Canada's highest suspension bridges these bridges are suspended 426 ft above of the Columbia Valley with Incredible views of the Rocky and peal mountain ranges there are two bridges that cross the valley and the entire experience takes about an hour to do and if you're looking for an epic experience this is definitely something you'll want to [Music] try after the golden skybridge we started making our Trek back towards Calgary to spend our last couple of days and we couldn't leave Canada without staying in one of the famous Fairmont hotels and I have to admit I was very excited and when we walked into the beautiful lobby at the Fairmont Calgary it did not disappoint the room on the other hand was a little underwhelming and we weren't quite happy that we had to pay extra for functional internet on our very last night in Canada I couldn't think of a better way to finish off our incredible Adventure than having dinner at Sky 360 but before we headed in for our reservations we couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a sneak peek of the views from the observation deck on the top of the tower [Music] if you're brave enough there's even a glass floor here where you can get a photo of yourself suspended high above the city streets Below located 600 ft in the Calgary Tower this revolving restaurant gives you magnificent views of the City of Calgary and the Rocky Mountains in the distance [Music] if you made it this far in the video I want to thank you for joining us on our incredible journey through Canada this video has been a bit of a departure from our usual style and I hope that you've enjoyed it as much as we've enjoyed sharing it with you our trip through Canada has been nothing short of magical and at times just felt like an incredible Dream It's moments like these that truly make me grateful for opportunities we have to explore such breathtaking places so thank you Canada for exceeding all of our expectations we truly are grateful for all the memories that we've made here until next [Music] time oh

Channel: Chrissa Travels

Views: 89,641

Keywords: canada, visiting canada, candian road trip, banff national park, jasper national park, icefields parkway, canadian vacation, banff, lake louise

Id: 3AOOUQhh7-o

Length: 36min 2sec (2162 seconds)

Published: Fri Mar 08 2024