Icefield Parkway – This was definitely one of the top drives in the world. It is 232 km of highway winding along the Continental Divide through soaring rocky mountain peaks, Lakes, icefields and sweeping valleys. There are many sights on the way.
Bow Lake – This small lake is sourced from the glacier melt of the crowfoot Glacier and Wapta icefield and has some great views. We spent about an hour here, walking along the lakeshore trail and taking a ton of pictures. If you have more time, there are several longer hikes in and around Bow Lake that you can enjoy.
Peyto Lake – Another stop along the icefield parkway and just past Bow Lake is a chance to see more turquoise blue waters and towering mountains. Its not exactly a hike but a short walk that takes you to a lookout.
Mistaya Canyon – This scenic gem is sculpted by the rushing water of Mistaya River originating from Peyto Lake and is accessible by a trail that is a 1 km round trip to the canyon and river. This hike is something you do not want to miss.
Columbia Icefield – On the border of Banff National Park and Jasper National Park, you will find the largest glaciers south of the Arctic Circle. This is your chance to walk on the Athabasca Glacier, one of the six “toes” of the Columbia Icefield. If you’re looking for a tour, hop aboard the “Ice Explorer” bus, which will take you to the icefield, where you can walk around on the glacier.
Before we hit the Skywalk, we relaxed with a cup of coffee with the view of glacier in the background.
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk, is a walkway on the edge of a cliff with incredible views of the Sunwapta Valley. Not for the faint of heart, the skywalk has a glass bottom that can be challenging for some people.
Jasper National Park – We stopped by 2 gorgeous waterfalls Sunwapta and Athabasca in this park.
Sunwapta Falls – Another stop on the icefield parkway is the stunning Upper Sunwapta Falls. It is only a few meters from the parking lot. There is also a lower Sunwapta Falls that requires a scenic hike of 1.8 mile round trip. We did not have time to do the lower falls.
Athabasca Falls – Short walk of 0.6 miles from the Parking lot with walkways and view of waterfall and Canyon from all angles
It was late evening by the time we completed visiting Athabasca Falls. Our initial plan was to drive all the way to Jasper downtown to have dinner, but given the late hour and that we were quite tired after a long day, we headed back to our Airbnb in Canmore and ordered take out.
If you have an extra day, I would suggest spending it in Jasper downtown and also hike the Valley of 5 lakes in Jasper National Park.