Bear sightings are not uncommon, and we spotted a beauty enjoying breakfast as we drove the Icefields Parkway.
Lake Louise is a wonderful home base for exploring Canada’s national parks in the Rockies as well as the beautiful towns of Banff and Canmore.
Happily satiated with in-town explorations, we ventured north from Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway for a drive through unmatched natural beauty. The sensational views started right away, and we craned our necks in every direction to take in the astonishing scenery as we drove. The Icefields Parkway is a major highway and there is quite a bit of large vehicle traffic on it, both semi-tractor trailers hauling goods and rental RVs hauling tourists, and unfortunately there are very few designated overlooks or rest areas where you can pull over to admire the views at leisure. The first stopping points is just over 3 miles from the beginning at Herbert Lake. It is tempting not to stop right after starting this scenic drive, but Herbert Lake is well worth taking a moment to explore. The next overlook isn't for another 18 miles at Bow Lake. In the early morning hours we had Herbert Lake to ourselves, wandering along the shore admiring the mountain reflections in the still water. Bow Lake is much more dramatic and is also much more visited. The parking area quickly filled with rental RVs during the hour we were there while tourist buses arrived and departed continually. But few people left the parking area to go down to the water's edge. We swished our fingers in the icy water and took a seat on a boulder to marvel at the panorama before us. The mountains were as immense as the lake was still. Time
stopped as we pondered the millions of mornings these mountains had witnessed just like this one. Suddenly the silence was broken by a crashing sound high above. An avalanche had started and we searched the steep, distant peaks to find the source of the disturbance. Finally, we spotted it as an entire wall of ice slid down one mountainside. Less than four miles further north we came to another overlook that was perhaps the most sublime of them all—Peyto Lake. There was a short hike through the pine woods from the parking area out to the overlook, and we picked our way through muddy ice and rocks along the trail. When the trail ended and the view opened in front of us, our jaws dropped. A vibrant royal blue lake filled the valley between the gray mountains. It looked like God had deliberately tipped over a can of rich blue paint to fill the nooks and crannies between the craggy cliffs. Hiker after hiker came up the trail behind us and stopped dead in their tracks just like we had, gazing at the view in wonder and mouthing the word, "Wow!" It was hard to match anything like that on the rest of the Icefields Parkway, but there were still many highlights yet to come. Suddenly we noticed a cluster of cars blocking the road ahead of us, and when we pulled up, we discovered they were watching a black bear nearby
CANADIAN ROCKIES
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2021
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