The road connecting Jasper, Alberta and Lake Louise, Alberta is the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93). It is one of the most scenic drives in the world. Although it is possible to drive this route in 3 hours (not including any stops for food, fuel, etc.), it is a crime to do so due to the jaw-dropping scenery. It may also be impractical because, at the height of summer, slow-moving tour buses, RVs, and cars full of sightseers can cause traffic slowdowns.
If you are driving the Icefields Parkway, you need to do a little planning before departing Jasper or Banff/Lake Louise.
- Plan your meals. You will be on the parkway for at least one mealtime, and possibly two. Once you are on the Icefields Parkway there are only a few food stops between Lake Louise and Jasper. From south to north, they are: Num-ti-Jah Lodge dining room (fine dining); The Crossing Resort (cafeteria, pub & dining room); Columbia Icefield Centre food services (cafeteria and dining room), and the Sunwapta Falls Resort dining room (fine dining). Remember that at lunch time, in the height of summer, restaurants can be quite busy. Also, the dining rooms at The Crossing and the Columbia Icefield Centre may not be open to the public for lunch; they may be either closed or reserved for tour groups. You may find that your best option is to get a box lunch in Jasper, Banff, or Lake Louise before you head out for the Icefields Parkway; that way, you will be able to stop for a picnic at one of the many stunning viewpoints and picnic areas along the way, at your convenience.
- Fuel up. There is only one gas station on the Icefields Parkway (at The Crossing Resort, about the mid point) and their prices are quite high, in keeping with their isolated location. At peak times, there can also be a high demand for fuel, leading to delays at the pumps.
Weather and When to Go
Winter comes early at high elevations, and lingers late. Snow tires and winter driving skills may be necessary on the Icefields Parkway as early as mid-October, and as late as early May. In the winter months, the road may occasionally be closed completely, for as long as 3 days, in order to clear major avalanches. If you are going to drive the Icefields Parkway between October through April, be sure to check the Alberta Motor Association's road report and Environment Canada's weather forecast for Jasper and Banff shortly before you start driving.
The alternate route from Banff to Jasper, avoiding the parkway, is very long. Approximate driving times, in good conditions are:
| Banff to Calgary via Hwy 1 (Trans-Canada Hwy): | 1.5 hrs |
| Calgary to Edmonton via Hwy 2 (Queen Elizabeth II Hwy): | 2 hrs |
| Edmonton to Jasper via Hwy 16 (Yellowhead Hwy): | 4 hrs |
| Total: | 7.5 hrs or more |
The parkway is only closed occasionally — during/after a snowstorm if conditions get bad, or when there is any avalanche blasting to be done, generally just for a few hours. Also, the parkway is not patrolled after 4:30 pm, and there is no cell/mobile phone service along most of it, so it is prudent to plan to drive it only in daylight hours. However, it is important to stress that the parkway is a paved, well-graded highway with wide shoulders. Most of the time, conditions are just fine along most of it; when there are bad conditions, it is likely to be the higher stretches, over the passes and near the Columbia Icefields, that are not in great condition. And the main thing is .... slow down! So often, people think that having snow tires or four wheel drive means they can drive at, or higher than, the speed limit (90 km/hr along most of the parkway). That limit is fine only for summer conditions with bare and dry pavement.
Highlights
The major highlights of the Icefields Parkway, with distances measured from Lake Louise:
33 km (21 miles): Bow Lake and Simpson's Num-ti-Jah Lodge
40 km (25 miles): Peyto Lake and Bow Summit viewpoint, short trail, opportunity to experience alpine flowers/meadows
56 km (35 miles): Waterfowl Lakes and Waterfowl Lakes campground
77 km (48 miles): Saskatchewan River Crossing, Howse Pass viewpoint, and The Crossing Resort. Junction with David Thompson Highway (Hwy 11) to the east.
105 km (66 miles): Weeping Wall viewpoint
112 km (70 miles): The Big Hill and the Big Bend
117 km (73 miles): Parker Ridge trailhead -- 3 km round-trip, spectacular views of the Saskatchewan Glacier and Mt. Castleguard
127 km (79 miles): Columbia Icefield, Columbia Icefield Centre, and Athabasca Glacier. It is extremely dangerous to walk on the icefield and glacier; every few years a tourist is killed here. You can venture safely onto the glacier through a trip on a specially-designed bus, the Ice Explorer (also called the Snowcoach), or you can take an Icewalk with an experienced guide and appropriate safety equipment. If you or your children are interested in technology and heavy equipment ("mighty machines"), the special Terra Buses used here may be worth checking out.
158 km (98 miles): Sunwapta Warden Station
175 km (109 miles): Sunwapta Falls and Sunwapta Falls Resort
200 km (124 miles): Athabasca Falls
231 km (144 miles): Town of Jasper
Note that, although you do not need a National Parks pass to drive the Trans-Canada Highway through the national parks without stopping, this is not the case for those driving the Icefields Parkway. Even if you don't stop at any point along the parkway, you will still be required to have a pass,.
