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Day 3: Banff to Jasper National Park
290km/180mi – 3h35
On the third day, head North through Jasper National Park, and discover the beauty and immensity of the Canadian Rockies. Along the way, you will witness a variety of natural wonders, including lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, and hopefully some wildlife.
Explore:
- Walk around the pebble shores of Bow Lake and admire the surrounding mountains.
- Take a short 20min hike up to the Peyto Lake overlook to admire yet another beautiful blue lake, this time shaped like a sitting wolf.
- Discover Athabasca Glacier by taking either a self-guided walk along the glacier’s edge, or consider the consider the Glacier Adventure tour. This tour actually allows you to walk onto the glacier after an all-terrain bus brings you to the icefield. Also included in this tour is the Glacier Skywalk, a glass walkway perched above the Sunwapta valley.
- Finally, stop at the Sunwapta Falls before finishing the drive to Jasper village.
Eat:
- Bring a picnic and snacks, as there aren’t many places serving food on the way. The only couple we found were The Crossing (not recommended), and the extremely touristy Columbia Icefield Discovery Center at Athabasca Glacier.
- In Jasper, we enjoyed dinner at Tekarra Restaurant, especially the Baked Brie appetizer.
Stay:
- We stayed in Jasper at the Best Western Jasper Inn & Suites.
- If driving from Banff to Jasper in one one day is too much, there are lodging options along the way.
Tips:
- When leaving Banff, follow directions to Route 1A instead of staying on the TransCanadian Route 93. The drive between Banff and Louise Village is barely longer, but much more scenic.
- If you see cars randomly stopped along the road, it usually means there is some wildlife lurking. Get your camera ready, and slowly stop.
- If pressed on time, you can consider turning back at Athabasca Glacier, and returning to Banff village.
- For those who have never seen a glacier from up close, the pricey Glacier Walk can be of interest. The Skywalk, however, is over hyped as it is in reality simply perched above a valley of trees and gravel.
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