I have always been
very fascinated with Aurora Borealis and this is another chance to observe this
phenomenon. Really wish that it comes true this time. We are getting
excited for our upcoming trip. A trip that we planned very impulsively, just
over couple of emails with Priya and Pranshu. Our two other good friends won't
be able to make it. We took a big risk of Canada visa, especially when there is
a strike at the consulate. Luckily we got the visa in 15 days total...:) So
atleast that's a relief.
Now comes the fun
part of planing the trip. This is a peak season to visit the Rockies, so things
are getting booked faster than expected. As ours is kind of a last minute trip,
so we don't have much option. We are flying directly to Calgary, although I
realized later that we could have flown to BC or Edmonton and took the famous
Via Rail train to Jasper. Anyways, just a note for future travelers. Staying
overnight in calgary and then taking the rental car. Then we are starting our
long drive to Jasper. Jasper is ~ 415km which is around 5 hrs drive on google
maps. But with all the scenic stops, it will be more than 7 hrs for sure. We
are taking a vacation complete indian style. Priya is getting some puris and
parathas for the trip and a lot of indori snacks will be part of the trip.
Planning.
1) Booked Days Inn
hotel calgary airport for o/n stay at calgary...it provides free airport
shuttle, free internet and breakfast...
2) Then two night
in Jasper in Best Western ...
3) Two nights in
Banff in Fox Hotel and Resorts...
Things to carry.
1)Binoculars
2) GPS
3) If you do have
your own car and still want the guided tour, consider renting a GPS audio
guide such as the Gypsy guide - a small device that runs on GPS technology.
It will automatically trigger commentary about history, geology,
directions and quirky Canadian stories.
4) You need
to pack layers of clothing so that you can respond to rapidly changing weather
conditions.
5) Umbrella/
Raincoat
6) Auxiliary cable
7) No foreign
transaction fee credit card
8) Ask for AAA
discounts.
9) Mosquito
repellent
10) Sunscreen
Day 0: We flew
from SNA to SFO and P&P joined us there. The flight from SFO-Calgary
was around 2 hrs. Pretty smooth flight and we arrived at Days Inn, by a taxi
cab at around midnight. Went straight to sleep that night.
Day 1: We started
our drive to Jasper using the Gypsy guide app, but got lost on the way. Still
it was very scenic drive. We came back on Hwy 1 and entered Banff National Park
(BNP) in 2hrs. You can take the park pass for both the parks here. Stretching
roughly 300 miles (480 kilometers) along the jagged crest of the Canadian
Rockies, Banff and the adjoining Jasper National Park take in a vast tangle of
great strapping peaks, mauled by glaciers and capped by the largest ice fields
south of Alaska. And now started the beauty of these parks. The first
sight when we saw the color of the water was ahhh. We had no words. Our first
stop was at Hector Lake which was beautiful.
For 144 miles (232
kilometers), the route follows the Icefields Parkway, one of the world's most
stunning roadways, farther north to Jasper. Along the way, look for elk, bears,
and other wild creatures. Bow River-The dense evergreen trees, swift blue
waters of the Bow, and an abundance of bike trails, picnic spots, and footpaths.
Bow lake's beauty was mesmerizing. The calm water turquoise water with some
mist in the air had a spiritual effect on our souls there. We clicked some nice
shots there. We observed crowfoot glacier and then made our final stop at
icefields parkway. This is one of the most scenic spot on the Hwy 1. We arrived
here pretty late at around 6pm and that was the fist time we saw the explorer
bus tour. They closed that time but we decided to do this our way back. We
stopped at Glacier View Inn and grabbed quick dinner for Ishan. This hotel has
a very good view of five glaciers. But its far from both Jasper and Banff town
centers. We arrived at Jasper pretty late ~10pm and settled in our loft. We
tried Chinese food at Cantonese but were not satisfied with the taste.
Tip: There are very few restaurants and gas
stations on this hwy1, so make sure you carry some food with you. The drive
from Banff to Jasper is beautiful, so enjoy it.
Day 2: Made some
sandwiches in our loft and left at 10am for Maligne Lake cruise at 11. This
drive was around 50 mins and was very scenic. We spotted big horn sheep here.
There is high chance to spot wildlife on this way. Maligne Lake is
one of the top attractions in Jasper. There is only one family owned cruise
line which takes you to the spirit island. It took about an hour and half for
the round trip. They only allow to stay at the spirit island for 10-15 mins,
but you can stay longer and catch the next ferry back. We were really lucky as
it was a very bright and sunny day. The cruise is really worth the money. To
preserve the pristine nature of the spirit island, they usually discourage not
to walk on it. Very scenic spots here and cameraman's best shots.
After the cruise,
we started our way back to Jasper town, as we were running out of gas.
There was no gas station close to Maligne lake. We took lunch at a Subway in
Jasper that day. After lunch we went to visit the Fairmont Jasper Hotel. When
we arrived here, weather changed very quickly with a heavy downpour and gusty
winds. This hotel was amazing with a beautiful view of the lake. We headed
to Maligne Canyon afterwards. There were three trails which takes you to the
Maligne canyon. We took not a very strenuous hike and there were plenty of
spots here. Dense green forests with the view of canyon and the scare of
confronting the bear makes you realize the power of nature. It reminds me that
we are not in a zoo. We then headed to Miette hot springs in Jasper and spotted
a elk and a moose near the lake at around 6pm. The day light remains till
almost 9, so we got a lot of time to cover things. Hot springs was ok and
can easily be skipped if you are short of time. At night we stayed back in Best
Western.
Day 4: Fox Hotel
had very good breakfast in chiliy's restaurant. We headed to Fairmont
Hotel at Lake Louise. It was around 40 mins drive form downtown Banff. It was
hard to find a parking spot here and seemed like the most popular Canadian
Rockies destination. Lake Louise was beautiful and the Victoria glacier on top
of it makes it a perfect scenic backdrop. It was definitely a photographers
paradise. It's worth staring few minutes at the magic of nature
and definitely a hidden gem in the Canadian Rockies. I fulfilled my dream
of kayaking in between the glaciers and it was my lifetime experience. We
didn't do hike to the tree house but I believe its worth doing the
hike around the lake louise.
We had some
amazing hummus-falafel sandwich for lunch and then headed to Lake Moraine. This
was my favorite lake of the Rockies. Crystal bluish-green water with some
ten Rockies surrounding the lake. Perfect was the word! The parked
canoes and kayaks added a lot to the scene. We spotted a grizzly bear
here which was part of a research project on the Bears. It had a GPS tracking
device attached to and they were checking the behavior of the grizzlies.
It started pouring but we still went for a small hike near the lake. I just
wanted to stay here forever and never wanted to come back. We went to Peyto
Lake afterwards but it was pretty dark by the time we arrived there. So
couldn't appreciate its beauty very well. Overnight back in Fox hotel and
relaxed in their cave style Jacuzzi.
Day 5: Our trip
was coming to an end today. We got up early and headed to Banff Gondola
and Sulphur Mountain. Banff Gondola is totally worth it with some breathtaking
views of the Rocky mountains. I believe we were running short of time here
and had to skip few scenic point. After taking off from Gondola, we hiked to
the top of sulphur mountain and reached the cosmic ray observatory. It was one
of the oldest canadian observatory. I saw people hiking to the Sulphur mountain
from the bottom and it seemed like a very good hike. On our way back to bottom,
we bought some souvenirs from the Rockies and started our way back to
Calgary.
The trip to
Canadian Rockies absolutely mesmerizes the tourists and stands to its
hype. Every night I used to check the aurora website for the forecast.
I didn't get a chance to observe the Aurora here as well. So my trip was
incomplete without that. But we all had a very good time here and hope to come
back here soon. For Bollywood fans, movie Tum bin was shot exclusively in Banff
and you will enjoy the movie more after visiting here.
