Icefields Parkway is a street in Alberta, Canada and leads from Jasper to Lake Louise.
background
The Icefields Parkway (= Highway 93/93 A) connects the two national parks Jasper National Park and Banff National Park over a length of 230 km.
At the beginning of the 1930s, the Canadian government forced hundreds of unemployed people to build the then named "B-J" (Banff-Jasper) for 20 cents a day. Using shovels, pick axes, and a few old tractors, these workers began building a single-lane gravel road through the Canadian Rockies.
Due to the auto boom of the 1950s and 1960s, the road was gradually expanded, paved and renamed the Icefields Parkway.
mobility
In the summer a good route with two passes over 2000 m. In winter and the transition periods, the road can be completely closed depending on the weather. There are few petrol stations along the way. It is therefore advisable to fill up the tank before setting off.
Tourist Attractions
There is a lot to see along the 230 km (a selection from north to south):
- Horseshoe Lake. A smaller lake, the headland of which is a short walk from the parkway. The lake is one of the less visited places by tourists. The steep cliffs on the shore offer opportunities for cliff jumping, but warnings are issued due to accidents that have occurred (Parks Canada warning video on YouTube).
- Athabasca Falls
- Sunwapta Falls
- Columbia Icefield. The glacier at an altitude of 2000 m has an area of 325 km² and is 350 m thick in some places. If you want, you can take a bus tour with the Brewster Ice Explorer or a guided tour on foot for CAN $ 36 (as of June 2007). You are explicitly warned about your own activities on the glacier outside the markings! There is an acute danger to life. Warm clothes and sturdy shoes are mandatory!
- Sunwapta Pass. At 2030 m the second highest point on the road and at the same time the border between Jasper National Park and Banff National Park.
- Weeping Wall. Two small waterfalls in a steep wall that look like two eyes are crying.
- Peyto Lake. Glacier lake with a bright turquoise blue color, best seen from the viewpoint at Bow Pass.
- Bow Pass. Highest point on the route at 2067 m.
- Lake Louise. At the end of Highway 93 is Lake Louise with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel and the train station from "Dr. Schiwago" as well as the exit to Moraine Lake with the impressive "Ten Peaks Valley".
activities
- hike
- Canoeing
security
At all parking lots near waterfalls etc. there are signs urgently warning against thieves. So always take valuables with you.
climate
Even in summer, it is cold to icy and windy at the Columbia Icefield. Since you move between 1062 m (Jasper) and 2067 m (Bow Pass) everything is possible in terms of weather. Even snow in June.
