Chapter trip goes inside national parks in the Canadian Rockies

Bruce Hale was a participant on a Canadian Rockies tour organized by the Angeles Chapter Sierra Club. He shares his experience about the natural wonders explored on the trip -- and the value of going with Sierra Club. Click here to learn more about the Chapter's Travel Adventures.

From the trail to Whistler Peak above the town of Jasper. Credit: Photos by Bruce Hale

The Canadian Rockies tour during the last week of July led by Fred Dong and Cliff Caplan of the Angeles Chapter in conjunction with Gary and Sharrie Bailey of the Loma Prieto Chapter gave the 44 participants a sampling of the special beauty of four of the great Canadian Rockies national parks. The trip was also notable for the consistently warm weather we experienced, except for a sudden but brief downpour just as we were returning to the bus from a hike, and for the long hours of daylight (until 10 p.m.) which is typical of the region at this time of year.  

We met the leaders and our skilled and amiable bus driver Bill in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and proceeded to Banff. The leaders put a great deal of work and organization in advance of the trip by packing the bus with snacks and foods for lunches for the whole week. The focus of the tour was hiking in the four great parks. On the tour, we would leave our hotels by 8 a.m. and often not return until around 7 p.m.; there are no stores or restaurants in many of the wilderness areas in which we were hiking, so leaders provided an array of lunch foods for participants to fix their own lunches. 

Reflection of the Bow River, very near the group's hotel.

In Banff, the major tourist center of the park, our lodge was right next to the Bow River and only two blocks from the downtown shops, all easily walkable. Our first sightseeing stop the next morning was Moraine Lake, a classic glaciated lake with the distinctive blue-green water. These colors derive from the tiny stone particles scraped out by glaciers; at first they make the water look chalky white, but as they settle, the water becomes various shades of turquoise. 

The turquoise waters of Moraine Lake.

We go on to visit Lake Louise from which we hike to the historic Teahouse at Lake Agnes and enjoy the panoramic views of Lake Louise and the famous hotel below.

The following day we drove farther north up the Icefield Parkway [Hwy 93] all the way to Jasper, where we stay two nights. En route we made stops at more glaciated lakes and falls, including Peyto Lake, noted for its chalk ice green color, and Athabasca Falls, whose gorge reflects the power of raging water. We do not actually arrive in Jasper until 6 p.m. Jasper -- populaton 4,800, right by the railroad tracks and sporting its own totem pole -- has a quieter, more rustic, almost frontier-like feel than Banff. One of the highlights of our stay was the rainbow I saw over the mountains to the south on our first evening in Jasper.

Rainbow over Jasper.

Our first stop the next morning was Medicine Lake, named by the Indians on account of its once mysterious water-level fluctuations of up to 60m per year. The slopes surrounding the lake remain stark from the 2015 wildfire. On top of a burnt pine tree is a nest with young bald eagles. Another iconic lake nearby is  the long and narrow Maligne Lake, named from the Maligne River which in turn was named by a  priest who had trouble crossing the river. In French maligne means “wicked.” We do a 3 mile hike in Maligne Canyon, a deep gorge carved out by “liquid sandpaper” from running water over tens of thousands of years. 

That evening we take the Whistler Tramway, a 7.5 minute cable car ride, to a viewpoint 600 feet below Whistler Peak itself. The group dines at the cable station right there. Some of us sit at a counter right in front of the windows overlooking the eastern part of the valley below. After the dinner, four of us hike the last mile to the peak, though not quite to the peak itself but to the sub peak ¼ mile shy of the actual peak as we were running out of time before the bus had to leave.

The Athabasca Glacier, the largest of the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield.

For the last two nights we return to Banff by traveling south along the Icefield Parkway once again but with new sightseeing stops on the way. 

We enjoy  a long stop at the Icefield Centre across Hwy 93 from the Athabasca Glacier, the largest of the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield which itself is hidden from view behind the mountains. It is no longer possible to walk onto the glacier from the base. Park officials say that as the glacier continues to shrink, streams and ice caves form underneath so walking on it is hazardous. 

On a prior Chapter trip in 2005, one could carefully walk right onto the glacier. Now if visitors want to walk at all upon the glacier, they have to pay $80 to be taken up by special “ice explorer” buses to a higher level where it is deemed safe. As for me, I declined the ride and instead walked up to the base and enjoyed the exhibits and video in the visitor center. (I recommend the video called “Through Ice and Time.” The sad fact is that since 1870 the glacier has shrunk by a mile and presently is receding by 6 feet per year. In 100 years the Athabasca Glacier will no longer exist.)

As we resume our drive south to Banff, we are privileged to see 10 bighorn sheep grazing on the slopes by the highway at the horseshoe curve. This was my best wildlife photo op. 

On Saturday we do the longest hike of the tour, 11 mile rt in Yoho National Park. To reach the trailhead our bus had to do some unusual maneuvering to get by a series of severe and steep switchbacks. Here is when we really appreciated Bill’s skill!

The hike goes from the parking lot at Takakkaw Falls to Twin Falls. On the way back we were caught in the downpour with hail. It did not last long.  We just had time on the way back to stop at Emerald Lake with its charming lodge dating back to 1902.  We enjoy our farewell dinner at Banff Lodge amid another downpour. We also celebrate the birthday of one of the participants. 

Emerald Lake.

On our last day before departing for Calgary airport, we did the Johnson Canyon hike (similar to Milgne Canyon but this morning very crowded with school kids on a field trip. A sign says that over 1 million people come here. I believe it!). We also visited the Paint Pots (three pools with variations of rust colors called ochre or vermillion from iron-oxide in the soil used by Indians as pigments).

As you see, the days were consisted of lots of sightseeing and hiking. The itinerary rolled out without glitch. The leaders all worked hard to make the trip a success. Everyone appreciated the food and especially appreciated the special beauty and rustic charm of the Canadian Rockies.

Bruce Hale is an Angeles Chapter leader who often leads international trips for the Chapter.