We started our trip in Jasper National Park, arriving there in the late afternoon. Since we had a few hours before sunset, we opted to go on the Edith Cavell trail. It was a quiet trail, beautiful views with different sceneries, passing through forests and meadows. Large mosquitoes followed us on most of the trail, somehow leaving us alone towards the top for a snack break.
The next day, we went up the Maligne Canyon trail, following the river to see the six bridges. It was an easy trail, very well marked in both French and English, and we started to realize how much water was in the area, in forms of rivers, waterfalls, and huge lakes.
We then drove down the Maligne Lake road, and passed by the very relaxing Medicine Lake before having lunch at the Maligne Lake.
No rest for the weary, after a quick lunch, we drove down south of Jasper to the Valley of the Five Lakes and found our first favorite spot, with red chairs located around the third lake. The lake was reflecting the surrounding landscape, and those chairs were perfectly placed for a small break. We later saw a few more of those in different places, and learned that they are purposely placed by Parks Canada to promote some unique locations. What a great idea!
On the way back to campsite, we decided to visit Jasper, which is a cute little town, smaller and quieter than Banff. Looking for a place to eat, we stumbled upon Alba, which had an amazing oxtail pasta. It was so good we went back a second time the next day, and got extras to reheat over the campfire.
Talking about campsites, pretty much all campsites we stayed at were fully booked, although they didn't feel very busy. The amneties were excellent for campgrounds, with self serve firewood included in the camping permit. Washrooms were clean, some included hot showers, and water from all taps was drinkable.
Reenergized from the Jasper excursion, we were also excited to check out the Miette hotsprings. We started in the morning with the nearby Sulphur Skyline trail. The views up top were beautiful, although quite windy.
The Miette hotsprings opened at noon, which timed perfectly with our way back. We did not expect such line at opening time, and debated whether to wait in line or not. This was due to the covid restrictions as they allowed a trickle amount of visitors through the day. Thankfully the line moved fast and we enjoyed a nice shower and a warm dip.
Our last day in Jasper started with visiting two huge waterfalls, the Athabasca falls, and the Sunwapta falls. Both of them were impressive, the first one even more so, with large quantities of water falling into the gorge. It was a powerful display of nature.
In the afternoon, we had booked a visit to the Athabasca Glacier through Ice Walks. Tamara was our guide and chaperoned us for a couple hours into the glacier. We even got to taste the clean and refreshing glacier water!
Heading down to Banff National Park, we passed by another two large lakes, first Peyto Lake, then Bow Lake. The area is full of those large bodies of water, and it makes for a beautiful drive. We stayed the night in Johnston Canyon campground, with some instant noddles for dinner.
As we were staying in the Johnston Canyon campground, we started our time in Banff National park with the Johnston Canyon to Ink Pots trail. The first half was somewhat crowded on the family friendly trail, while the second half was much more quiet ending to the five see-through lightly coloured pools named the Ink Pots. We did errands for the rest of the day in Banff, getting groceries and supplies for the remainder of the trip.
The next day, we luckily were able to secure a late parking spot by Moraine Lake. Both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake parking lots were usually full by 7am, and as we had hikes planned around each of those lakes the following days, we planned to wake up early for the former, and book a shuttle for the latter. With the sun out, views were amazing, and Lake Moraine showed its bright blue-green color. We walked around the lake and went for a canoe session in the afternoon.
After a good night's rest, we woke up early and headed out to Lake Louise around 7am. While the waters didn't look as magnificient as Moraine Lake, it made up with its majestic scenery and incredible mountainous background.
We had planned a long hike that day, starting at Lake Louise, passing by the small Mirror Lake, then by Lake Agnes and its crowded Tea House. Lake Agnes was huge, and seemed to change colors as we walked along it.
The hike topped with a delightful view of both Lake Agnes (left) and Lake Louise (right). It was a beautiful view with a much needed rest.
Being less than an hour away from Banff, Yoho National Park was on our list to visit. We only planned a day, and chose to see Takakkaw falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada, and Emerald Lake, another new favorite spot.
Our final hike was around Moraine Lake. We took the 9am shuttle from the Lake Louise Park and Ride, which was pretty convenient, and saw two bears on the way! The hike started at Moraine Lake, and crossed through different sceneries, ending up surrounded by the Valley of the Ten Peaks.
Our last day in the area was a rest day in Banff, finding a lake nearby to picnic and nap. As rain drizzled on and off, we saw a wide rainbow spreading across one of the large lake. Somehow, wildlife also came out after the rain; elks and bighorn sheeps could be found crossing the road.
Visiting those three National Parks was a fun experience. Sceneries were incredible, lakes were massive, waterfalls were powerful, and wildlife was abundant. Trails and campgrounds were very well maintained, and even just driving around was a fun adventure.
