Icefields Parkway: Arrival day at Lake Louise

After our morning hike at Parker Ridge we continued our drive south on the Icefields Parkway. It is not an exaggeration when people say that this is one of the most beautiful and scenic drives you could ever take. The mountains, lakes and waterfalls, all so beautiful.

We pulled over at Mistaya Lake, it was gorgeous, especially with the clouds obscuring the mountains. 

Mistaya Lake

Mistaya Lake

Mistaya Lake

Mistaya Lake

Mistaya Lake

The dogs were all tuckered out from the morning hike and slept for pretty much the whole drive. 

We pulled over to have lunch at Bow Lake, yet another beautiful mountain lake! 

Bow Lake

Bow Lake

Bow Lake

Bow Lake

Bow Lake

We also saw two bears along the side of the parkway munching on berries. There were the typical "bear jams" with silly people getting out of their cars, so dangerous!

Only about an hour or two later we arrived at the Lake Louise Campground which would be our homebase for the rest of the trip. There are two sections to this campground. There is a fenced in section for tent camping (keeps the bears out) and an unfenced area for those with trailers. Since we had our little trailer we would be staying in the unfenced section.

I really like the Lake Louise Campground. It is well maintained and offers shower facilities which is a bonus when you are on a two week hiking trip. The first thing we did after setting up the trailer at our campsite was to grab the soup and shampoo and head over to the showers. It felt so nice to wash the dirt and grim of the past few days off (there were no showers at the Wabasso Campground in Jasper).

Another nice thing about this campground is the nightly entertainment. There is a a stage in the fenced in section of the campground where nightly talks are hosted by Parks Canada staff to teach the campers about the wildlife in Banff.

 Since we had arrived in the early afternoon we didn't have time for a hike. I suggested that we head up to Lake Louise and walk around the lake.

Unfortunately it had become overcast and the lake was not looking as beautiful as it does when the sunlight is reflecting off the water.

Since my brothers weren't on the trip I decided to take the opportunity to explore the Chateau (they get far too bored and impatient for me to do this when they are around). The stepmother and my dad waited outside with the dogs while I explored. It is a gorgeous hotel, I would love to stay here someday.

I also think the Chateau would be an amazing wedding venue. I fell in love with some wedding photos I saw on a bog a few years ago. http://blog.carmichaelphoto.com/2010/07/lake-louise-wedding-photographer-kirbie.html

While exploring the area I found a stand that provided free plastic dog poop bags. We were running low since dad and the stepmother forgot to pack extras. Since it was their anniversary I grabbed about a dozen, I couldn't think of a more fitting anniversary present! Hahaha

They were very grateful for the "gift". I don't think the stepmother got the "hidden" meaning behind the gift.

After I finished my exploring of the hotel we decided to go on a "chichi" drive. The stepmother is Italian and calls all animals "chichi". The Bow Valley Parkway is a common place to spot wildlife, especially in the early morning or in the evening. The Parkway is an alternate route between Lake Louise and Banff.

As we were driving along we saw a few cars pulled over on the side of the road, we couldn't get a good view of what was there. I did catch a glimpse of the colour of the fur and said "Holy "Moly" Dad! I think those are grizzly bears!"

We drove past and then turned the car around so we would be on the correct side of the road. Sure enough, I was right!!! There was a mother Grizzly and her three cubs eating berries in the shrubs on the side of the road. We were so excited! Dad has been in the mountains many times and has seen tons of black bears but had never seen a Grizzly and now here was not one but four, and cubs too!

We couldn't get very good pictures as it was raining and my dad's camera battery had died so all we had was my little point and shoot with 3x zoom. We were pretty sure they were grizzlies because of the back hump and the shape of the ears as well as the fur colour.

Here are two short video clips of the Grizzlies

Grizzlies on the Bow Valley Parkway

Grizzlies

Unfortunately, a park warden arrived on the scene and asked us all to leave. We had only been there a few minutes. We understand why they do this though, it is for the safety of the bears and for people traveling on the road. It was just disappointing that we didn't get to watch them longer or get better pictures and video.

We continued to drive south on the parkway as we thought we might get lucky again with no wildlife, no wildlife presented itself although we did see people leaving flowers behind at this memorial for the prisoners of the Castle Mountain internment camp which operated during WWI.

Since we did not want to drive all the way to Banff we turned around here and made our way back. We drove past the spot where the bears had been located and they were still there but it was now too dark and rainy to even attempt any sort of photo.

Back at the trailer I called my brother to brag about seeing the bears, he was jealous. His bad luck for not coming out on vacation with me! 

Wildlife Count: 5 Black Bears, 4 Grizzly Bears, 2 marmots and a gazillion mountain sheep.

Jasper National Park: Bald Hills Hike at Maligne Lake

Our first hike in Jasper was at Maligne Lake, the Bald Hills Trail. No dogs are allowed on the trail due to it being caribou habitat and so the stepmother stayed behind at the campground with the dogs while Dad and I went off on the hike,

We set out early in the morning as that is the best time to hike and also to see wildlife. Maligne Lake Rd. is well known for being a great place to spot wildlife and Dad and I were not disappointed. It is a beautiful drive out to Maligne Lake, you pass through mountains and by lakes and rivers.

Medicine Lake

My second bear sighting of the trip came on this day, our second of the trip. We encountered a "bear jam" - cars stopped so people can gawk at the bear. Dad decided to pass by the cars so we could get to the hiking trail but as we pulled by I got some shots. Dad ended up stopping for a second as the bear crossed the road behind us.

Some of the people were crazy/stupid and were getting out of their cars. Rule number 1 when encountering a bear, don't get out of your car! You never know when a bear is going to feel threatened and attack. Common sense people! 

After I got a few shots of the bear we continued on to the trailhead for the Bald Hills Hike. This trail starts off in a wooded area and after a decent elevation climb you break free of the tree line and get a wonderful view of Maligne Lake.

 There is very clear signage at the start of the trail saying that dogs are not allowed on the trail. There is even more signage along the trail, it is impossible to miss. This is not some random Parks Canada rule, it is because the trail is in Caribou Habitat and the presence of dogs can be disruptive to them. The caribou population in Banff and Jasper is very small and it is important to protect their territory as much as possible and one way of doing this is to ban dogs from this hiking trail. Despite the clear signage we still saw somebody with the dog on the trail. My dad informed him that dogs were not allowed and that he would receive a fine if Parks Canada staff saw him with the dog, he claimed to have not seen the signs, impossible!

This is not a particularly challenging hike for most people. I huffed and puffed my way up the trail while my dad patiently stopped to wait for me. Yep, I am slow, but if I take my time I get there eventually. That is what happens when you are a student who lives a sedentary lifestyle buried under your books and are overweight. However, one of the main themes of my blog is that even the overweight and not so fit people can still hike the trails and enjoy the beauty of Canada's landscape. You just have to make sure to listen to your body and be prepared with water, a snack and proper clothing and footwear. These are essential for any hiker regardless of their ability level.

As you gain elevation you begin to catch glimpses of Maligne Lake through the trees. It was a beautiful day and a perfect temperature, however, it was hazy which made for less than stellar pictures. The view in person was magnificent.

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake

 We finally made it out of the treeline and we were now on the exposed hillside, hence the name of Bald Hills. The trail goes in several directions and can go on for miles and miles. It is up to each individual to decide where they want to go and how far.

Dad and I found a nice spot to sit and have an early lunch with a nice view of the lake.

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake

 After lunch we decided to continue climbing up rather than walking along the relatively flat trail that ran to the east. We joined up with a solo hiker from the States at this point. He was a very nice man and he and dad had some great conversations as we continued on our trek. We got to the top of one of the hills and Dad wanted to pose for pictures. This was terrifying for me as I am not a huge fan of heights when there is nothing preventing me from plummeting to my death. The pictures do not show this well but where my dad had me pose was uncomfortably close to a huge drop. I felt ill the whole time he had me standing there.

The trail continues on connecting each peak. We could see some storm clouds starting to roll in so we thought it prudent to begin our decent. I certainly did not think it advisable to be on an exposed hillside during a thunder storm.

We could hear the thunder in the distance and as we were descending we felt the rain drops start to fall. We stopped to put on our rain gear, and sure thing, as soon as we put our rain coats on it stopped raining and the storm rolled away. Of course, if we had not had rain coats we would have been sure to get drenched, that is how these things work right? ;

The beginning/end of the trail is flat and lined with gravel. As we were walking back along this part of the trail an accident occurred.  Yep, I fell. Leave it to me to hike through the mountains and scramble over rocks and not fall. Instead I fall on a flat gravel path. I wasn't hurt too badly but a huge bruise formed on my right leg and lasted for a good 2 weeks. It was a beautiful bruise, very attractive!It was very sore and the dogs loved to bump into at every chance they got. Ouch!

Once we got back to the car we ditched our hiking packs and walked down to the lakefront to grab some pictures of Maligne Lake up close. Maligne Lake is most famous for Spirit Island. Unfortunately, the only way to get to Spirit Island is by boat. You can canoe, however, it would take several days of travel to reach it, Maligne Lake is very long. There is a cruise that you can buy tickets for that will take you out to the island but is not cheap and still eats up a few hours of your day. Canoeing out was not an option and we were not willing to drop the money on the cruise.

Maligne Lake

Maligne Lake

Here are three short video clips from the hike:

Bald Hills Hike - View from the top
View of Maligne Lake from Bald Hills Trail
Maligne Lake waterfront

After a stop at the bathrooms it was time to start making our way back to the campsite which meant driving back along Maligne Lake Road. Wonder if we will see any more wildlife?

We saw this adorable baby mountain sheep on the side of the road all by itself. I was afraid that it would get hit as it was right in the road.

Then, at the Medicine Lake viewpoint we saw a whole heard of mountain sheep hanging out. They were very comfortable being around people which is actually not a very good thing. Sure, it is a thrill for a tourist to be able to get up close with the animals but this lack of fear by the animals means that they are in greater danger of being killed, etc. Dad and I stopped as I wanted to get a picture of the lake. It was impossible to walk around without nearly bumping into the sheep, they were everywhere.

 One of the sheep was kind enough to pose for me by the lake.

People who have seen only the picture below have questioned me as  to the authenticity of the picture. They say it looks fake, as though there is a fake goat there or its image was superimposed. Nope, I was incredibly lucky to happen to be in the right place at the right time. My dad told me I should not tell people that I took this picture right next to a parking lot and let them believe I encountered this animal while on a hike in untamed wilderness. 

Look how friendly these sheep were, people were petting them! 

 There were same babies on scene as well.

My wildlife count for the trip so far: 2 black bears, one black bear cub, 2 mountain sheep babies and 8 mountain sheep. Pretty good for only day 2 of the trip!

Dad and I stopped in town on the way back to the campsite to go to the Bear's Paw Bakery as I had heard that their signature Bear's Paw was delicious. Well, it was a bit of a let down, it was kinda boring. Oh well! It was also on this stop in town that Dad and I discovered the regular grocery store. We checked it out and it was much nicer than the one in the main tourist section of the town. It was bigger, nice and clean, and had a good selection. It is called Robinson Foods and is on the corner of Connaught Drive and Balsam Avenue.