The surreal turquoise lakes and majesty of these mountains truly does make Banff and Jasper National Parks the crowned jewels of the Canadian Rockies. I felt deeply fortunate to be able to spend time communing with some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. While there are so many stunning places on earth, what stood out to me about the Canadian Rockies is how nature really seems to be protected and prioritized.
There are a ton of tourists, especially in Banff, but there are a lot of safeguards and systems to help prevent people from interfering with wildlife and the landscape too much. One easy example is the wildlife crossing bridges over major highways that keep wildlife out of the roads. Since the bridges were created, there’s been something like 80%+ reduction in wildlife deaths from vehicle collisions. They also have super long fences along the endless stretch of highways to keep the animals out. Another thing is that you cannot simply buy your way into owning real estate in Banff. From what I heard, there has to be a “need to reside”, meaning you have to work for the park or a business in town. And because Banff is within a national park, it doesn’t allow building to expand onto new land since the lands are protected, so everything has to be contained to the existing footprint of the town. While that makes it expensive for people living there, it does keep the mountains mostly undisturbed.
Jasper National Park, on the other hand, is enormous and has a lot less tourists. It’s known more for it’s rugged nature and wildlife. The town of Jasper is a lot smaller and feels more like a local town than a glistening tourist hot spot. Unfortunately in 2024, there was a massive wildfire that devastated the town and park. Wildfires are part of nature’s cycle but it will take decades before it comes close to resembling what it was. Despite this, we loved Jasper and the resilient spirit of people and animals alike. We heard a story of a beloved local grizzly bear mama with her cubs surviving the fire by waiting in the river – heartbreaking but also wow. The family that owned the place we stayed also told us stories of the fire and what they had to do to try and protect their cabins, half of which they were able to save. We were there during elk rut season, and we saw elk and heard bugling every day. Sometimes just feet from our back porch. It was so incredible. I was glad to see that there were so many elk still doing fine in a burned area.
It’s needless to say that everywhere we went was mind-blowingly beautiful. Sparkling turquoise water, towering mountains that you can almost imagine bursting through the earth millions of years ago, pristine rivers and valleys, warm yellow leaves of autumn. Even just the drive on Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper was like driving through a sprawling gateway to heaven. And yes, the water really is that blue!
Banff / Lake Louise Highlights: Cascade of Time Garden, Art in Nature Trail, Bow Falls, Johnston Canyon, Tunnel Mountain hike, Moraine Lake, Lake Minnewanka, Bow Valley, Bow River, Lake Louise, Lake Agnes Teahouse hike, Basin Glacial Waters Spa (at the Fairmont), Banff Gandola to Sulphur Mountain summit, wildlife crossing bridges on the highway.
The Icefields Parkway drive up to Jasper is a highlight in and of itself. Bow Lake and Peyto Lake were along this route. Peyto was one of the most piercing turquoise lakes we saw.
Jasper Highlights: Athabasca Falls, Athabasca Glacier, Maligne Lake, seeing/hearing the massive bull elk bugling from our back deck at Alpine Village Jasper.
Where we stayed (and would stay again): Moose Hotel(Banff), Fairmont Lake Louise, Alpine Village Jasper
Parks Canada – Banff / Parks Canada – Jasper / #WildlifeRules!
