Herbert Lake is just 3 miles from the southern start of the 150-mile long Icefields Parkway, but it is well worth a stop.
CANADIAN ROCKIES Story by Emily Fagan Photos by Emily & Mark Fagan
The mountains were mirrored in the glassy water, and a collection of bright red canoes were stacked next to the boathouse on the other side of the lake. What a blissfully peaceful moment that was. Exquisite lakes backed by mountain spires are a ubiquitous landscape theme in this part of the world. Nearby Moraine Lake is the crown jewel of the region, and it offers the most famous view of them all. A row of jagged mountain peaks stands cheek-by-jowl behind the lake, and the color of the water at their base is a vivid aquamarine. The image is so beautiful it not only plays a prominent role in all the tourist literature about Banff National Park, but it graced the back of the Canadian $20 bill in both the 1969 and 1979 issues. With classic wry humor, since then the vista has acquired the nickname, "The Twenty Dollar View." The 18 mile drive out to Moraine Lake swoops and swerves over undulating terrain on a narrow road, and the spectacular mountain view grew larger and larger as we descended the last few miles down to the lake. In the springtime, between the end of avalanche season and the rise of summer tourist traffic, the road is open only to non-motorized vehicles for a week or so. Riding our bikes on that road without concern for cars while immersed in mountain scenery that is truly out of this
The towering snowcapped peaks and imposing majesty of Canada's Rocky Mountains must be seen to be believed, and it was with great anticipation that we took our RV through the Roosville Border Crossing a few miles north of Eureka, Montana, into British Columbia, Canada. Our hearts had soared during previous RV travels to the Teton mountains in Wyoming, the Sawtooth Range in Idaho, and the San Juan mountains in Colorado, but we'd heard time and again that if you want to see dramatic alpine landscapes, the Canadian Rocky Mountains is the place to go. This proved true for us in spades. The tiny village of Lake Louise, Alberta, about two hours west of Calgary at the western edge of famous Banff National Park, is an ideal home base for exploring Canada's statuesque Rocky Mountains. It is also the southern terminus of the 150-mile-long Icefields Parkway, one of the world's most magnificent scenic drives that connects Banff and Jasper National Parks. On our first morning in Lake Louise, we stood on the lake's rocky shoreline and watched the mountains on the far side of the lake glow pink and then orange as the sun rose behind us. It was a photographer's dream.
CANADIAN ROCKIES
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2021
20
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker