One of the most picturesque roads in the world. The road stretches from Athabasca Falls in Jasper National Park to Vermillion Pass in Banff National Park. 150 miles long, the drive takes 3 hours one way, or a 6 hour round trip with no stopping. 8 hour round trip from Calgary, so you may want to stay overnight in Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper. Note that the only gas station on the Icefields Parkway is at Saskatchewan River. You can get gas in Banff, off the roadway. Our tour group started from Jasper, and viewed Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon the first day, before returning to Jasper. Glacier fed Maligne Lake, was the first of several glacier fed mountain lakes, turquoise colored waters. Maligne Canyon, with water rapids through a narrow limestone walled canyon. There is a daily park fee to enter either park, but that fee was waived in 2017 due to the 150th anniversary of Canada. The next day we drove from Jasper to Athabasca Falls, with a first hand view of the violent water falls from just a few feet away. Saw elk on the highway. From here we drove on the Icefields Parkway, a mostly straight two lane road, along the Continental Divide. Towering mountains on both sides of the road, and the occasional glacier feeding water into the turquoise colored lake or river alongside. An hour later, our bus stopped at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Center. Multiple restaurants, souvenir stores, restrooms with flush toilets, and tickets for the Columbia Icefield ride and Glacier Skywalk, a glass walkway over the Sunwapta Valley. We boarded a heavy duty 30 ton Icefield Explorer vehicle, each with six 5' tires, for a ride onto the Athabasca Glacier, the largest glacier south of the Arctic Circle. Walked on the glacier, in a cordoned off safe zone, together with hundreds of others. Got back onto the Icefields Parkway for the drive to Peyto Lake, another glacier fed mountain lake, with postcard pictures of turquoise waters amid surrounding mountains. 2 hour drive from the Icefields Discovery Center to Lake Louise, passing Saskatchewan River, the only gas station on the 150 mile Icefield Parkway, with gas at an astronomical $1.70 CAD per liter, or $6 US per gallon! We arrived at Lake Louise and stayed overnight at the world famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, overlooking the green blue Lake Louise, with mountains adjacent to the lake, and a glacier in the background. The next day we drove the short distance to Morraine Lake. This was not a sure thing on the itinerary, as the road to the Lake is often closed once the small parking lot and parking along the road is full by mid morning. Morraine Lake is another post card glacier fed turquoise lake surrounded by mountains, and is the most photographed lake in the Canadian Rockies, after Lake Louise. Short trip to Banff, the largest city along the Icefields Parkway, where we stayed two nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs, the castle looking hotel overlooking the city. Rode the gondola, but view obscured by forest fire smoke. Checked out Bow Falls and the Hoodoo Viewing Point. 90 minute trip from Banff to Calgary, leaving the Icefields Parkway behind, but with a lifetime of memories of the towering mountains, majestic glaciers, and bright turquoise alpine lakes. All 21 pictures taken from a moving tour bus on the Icefields Parkway, hence some reflections on the windows, and trees photobombing! read more

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