The weather cleared today for our raft ride on the Athabasca River and the rest of the day, although lingering clouds created some great scenery shots on the way back from Jasper to the Glacier View Inn at Sunwapta pass where we are staying.
Today we drove into the town of Jasper for the day. The weather has been unseasonably cold here. We did not plan for this so we stopped off to buy some hats and gloves for our rafting trip. The weather wasn't looking great but the sun broke through which made for a nice afternoon. After our float down the river we met up with Ralph and Fran to have lunch and enjoy the quaint town of Jasper.
Yesterday we traveled from Lake Louise to the Columbia Ice Fields in Jasper National Park. The first picture is taken at Peyto Lake along the ice fields parkway which is in Banff National Park. When we arrived at the ice fields in Jasper National Park we took a bus tour up onto the Athabaca Glacier. It was our first family trip to an ice glacier. We are staying at the Glacier Inn which looks onto the ice fields. This is a unique area because it is considered the only triple divide in North America where you have water flowing from a single source into three different oceans.
Today we went to Yoho Natifinal Park in British Clombia. There we went to Emerald Lake and rented canoes and paddled all around. This might have been one of our favorite days yet. This water is stunning in color and almost looks like it is not real. The sun came out after it down poured all morning. It made for a lovely afternoon. We then went and saw Takakkaw Falls. It was beautiful!
Today we went to Moraine Lake in the valley of the Ten Peaks. We climbed to the top of the hill to get some pretty views. It was rainy but the lake was so beautiful despite the weather and the water was a bright blue. We then went for a hike along the Bow River which is right in the town of Lake Louise. Another great day full of amazing beauty.
Today, we traveled on the scenic Bow River parkway and had an app downloaded that told us all about the different mountains, wildlife and scenery. We all learned a lot. We even got to see a coyote. Once we got to Lake Louise we headed straight to the lake and the famous hotel. The backdrop and lake are absolutely stunning! We hiked along the lake to the far end taking many stops and pictures along the way. We ended the afternoon stopping in the hotel for a hot coco. Perfect day!
Today we took a bus up to Sunshine Meadows. It is a ski resort that does alpine hikes in the summer. We got up early and hiked with the kids making it down just in time before the rain poured down.
Saturday, we visited Lake Minnewanka in Banff. The largest body of water in Banff National Park. The kids loved the stony shoreline.
Kevin and I had a date night with Ralph and Fran at a foodie favorite called The Bison. We had a wonderful evening together enjoying good food and drink.
The smoke has lifted and blue skies are headed our way. Friday, we visited the Banff Springs Hotel. It is called Canada's "Castle in the Rockies". It is picturesque as it sits in the mountains of the alpine town of Banff.
