(August 3-30, 2018) Crossing British Columbia

From Stewart, BC, we made our way across British Columbia towards Jasper National Park in Alberta. The morning we left Stewart was lovely, with tattered clouds hugging the mountain slopes and mist rising from the rivers and lakes along the way. Our route took us along the spectacularly scenic Glacier, Cassier-Stewart, and Yellowhead Highways, BC-37a, BC-37, and BC-16, respectively.

Travel Itinerary 2018 – Alaska Part V – Onward to Jasper & Banff

As we made our way further from the coast the skies became progressively more smokey. We passed through occasional areas of dense smoke and low visibility and could see plumes of smoke rising in the distance. The forests of British Columbia were burning.

Indeed, British Columbia was having its worst fire season on record, with over 650 active fires at the time, topping the previous year’s record as the then worst fire season. Yet more signs of a warming climate and human-induced climate change.

To break up the long drive we stopped for three-night stays at the Shady Rest RV Park in Houston, BC, and at the Northern Experience RV Park in Prince George, BC. Air quality at Prince George was terrible due to dense smoke – the air thick with the smell of burning.

Around Jasper National Park of Canada

The heavy smoke persisted all the way into Alberta and Jasper National Park. As we crossed into Jasper we passed tracts of forest burned in last year’s fires. We were appalled at how many beetle-killed trees were evident in the remaining forests throughout the park – more casualties of drought and the warming climate – standing fuel just waiting for a lightning strike or careless person to spark the next conflagration.

We stayed for seven-nights at the Jasper Gates Resort and RV Park, just outside the east entrance to the national park. We had waited until late-May to book reservations and this was almost too late, given the popularity of the park and the few campgrounds available. RV sites in the national park campgrounds were booked up and we were lucky to get a site at Jasper Gates, given the late date.

We enjoyed our stay in the area, but conditions were very poor for sight-seeing on most days due to heavy smoke. We had only one or two days with fair visibility and we made the most of it with drives around the park and down the Icefields Parkway. On smokey days we mostly stayed in camp or ventured into Hinton or Jasper village.

Sights we especially enjoyed include glaciers along Icefields Parkway, Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, and Tangle Creek, as well as the occasional elk or big horn sheep.

We also enjoyed several brews and meals at the Folding Mountain Brewing taproom, just a short walk from the campground. Great brews, interesting food, and a dog-friendly patio. What more could one ask for?

Around Banff National Park of Canada

From Jasper we drove south along the Icefields Parkway into Banff National Park. Smoke was especially heavy that day, shrouding the mountains in a choking haze and leaving only tantalizing glimpses of the scenery along the way.

Our route eventually joined the Trans-Canada Highway, AB-1, for an easy drive the rest of the way to historic Banff township. As for Banff National Park, we were immediately struck by the incongruity of a heavily traveled four-lane interstate highway running through the heart of such spectacular mountain beauty.

We stayed for seven-nights at the Tunnel Mountain Village II Campground, just outside of Banff. Again, we booked reservations in late-May and were very lucky to get a site at such a late date. Banff National Park is immensely popular and is visited by throngs of tourists each season. There are few campgrounds in the area and these few book up quickly – lesson learned, book early!

We enjoyed our stay at Banff and took day-trips around Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, and Jasper National Parks. We also enjoyed trips into the historic townships of Banff and Canmore. Both towns are heavily visited and have many interesting shops, restaurants, and entertainment offerings. We found Banff itself to be heavily congested with traffic, at times.

Smoke was very heavy for some days, but we were fortunate on other days when rain helped cleared the air. We made the most of the sight-seeing opportunities on the clear days.

We were disappointed that we did not get to visit Lake Louise or Moraine Lake due to heavy visitor traffic – all parking areas and overflow lots were filled to capacity and the only reasonable way to visit was by bus shuttle – not an option for us while travelling with pets.

Around Yoho National Park of Canada

Banff National Park is interesting in that it is surrounded by provincial parks and three other national parks – Yoho, Kootenay, and Jasper. We took day-trips to each of these three national parks while staying at Banff.

Smoke was very heavy on the day we visited Yoho National Park, severely limiting visibility. What we could see of the scenery was spectacular. We especially enjoyed visiting Emerald Lake and the Natural Bridge site on the Kicking Horse River.

Around Kootenay National Park of Canada

We visited Kootenay National Park on another day just after a storm. The air was much clearer. Fog still hugged the valleys and slopes along the drive in Banff, while a heavy overcast persisted in Kootenay. Still, spectacular scenery!

Along the Icefields Parkway – Jasper National Park of Canada

Finally, our last day-trip was back into Jasper National Park along the Icefields Parkway. The air was still clear from recent rains and visibility was good. We got to see much of the scenery we missed on our drive down to Banff. Again, amazing views and new vistas at every turn of the road. We especially enjoyed seeing several of the mountain lakes and remnant glaciers on some to the peaks.

Farewell to Banff

All too soon our time in Banff was done and we packed up to head back to the lower Forty-eight. We enjoyed our visit to Jasper and Banff and would love to return. I think, though, that next time we would plan to visit earlier in the season, the better to see more snow on the mountains, as well as to avoid fire season and peak summer crowds.

That’s all for now. Safe travels and enjoy the journey!