Canadian Rockies are truly spectacular
They started with a big bang more than 100 million years ago
Two words sum up the Canadian Rockies: Majestic. Turquoise.
As in majestic mountains and turquoise lakes as illustrated in our photo above of Mount Chephren and Waterfowl Lake on the Icefields Parkway between Jasper and Lake Louise.
The majesty stems from a collision more than 100 million years ago—when the North American continent was dragged westward during the closure of an ocean basin off the west coast and collided with an underwater microcontinent, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists, forming the mountains in the Canadian section of the Rocky Mountains.
To put things in perspective, the European Alps formed when Africa collided with Europe about 55 million years ago.
The striking blue-green colour of water in mountain lakes stems from fine rock dust, produced by massive glaciers rubbing against bedrock, being suspended in the water, reflecting light and creating the turquoise colours. The sun reflects off the dust particles, refracting blue and green wavelengths of light.
Despite the smoky haze—Blame forest fires in Washington state and Oregon hundreds of kilometres to the south—the hike to Peyto Lake was worth the effort. Our photo shows how Peyto Lake delivers a memorable view of turquoise waters even under less than perfect conditions.
We drove up and down the Icefields Parkway three times during our two weeks in the Rockies and it never failed to impress, even though conditions were never picture perfect for photography. Here, near the Jasper terminus of the parkway, we see the jagged peak of Mount Edith Cavell which commemorates a British nurse who helped Allied soldiers escape German-occupied Belgium during World War I. She was killed by a German firing squad in 1915. A year later, Canada renamed the 11,033-foot Mountain of the Great Crossing in her honour.
The mighty Athabasca Falls, even in the autumn, thunders as the Athabasca River wends its way to Jasper. Athabasca Falls is not very high, by Canadian Rockies standards, but the size of the river makes it one of the most powerful falls to be found in the mountain national parks. Pouring over a layer of hard quartzite, the falls have cut into the softer limestone beneath, carving intricate features, including potholes and a short canyon.
In the background of our photo is Mount Kerkeslin, a 2,956 m (9,698 ft) mountain summit.
Flowing from the glaciers of the Columbia Icefield, the Athabasca River is the largest river system in Jasper National Park. In 1810, David Thompson, Canada's premier map-maker and explorer, plied the Athabasca in search of a viable fur trade route to the Pacific Ocean. Discovering Athabasca Pass in early January 1811, David Thompson's route helped establish Canada as a country that spans the North American continent.
And that’s how it is in the Rockies, history intertwined with natural beauty. With massive glaciers visible in almost every direction in the Columbia Icefields.
With waterfalls—some taller than others—almost around every curve. This is Takakkaw Falls in Yoho National Park, near Field on the British Columbia side of the Rockies. The falls have a total height of 373 metres, making them the second tallest waterfall in Canada. The main drop of the waterfall has a height of 254 metres. "Takakkaw" translates to "magnificent” in Cree.
Not far from Takakkaw Falls you’ll find one of the most amazing things to see in the Rockies, the famous spiral tunnels on the CP Rail Line in Kicking Horse Pass. They are mainly underground, thus, the above graphic to show what’s what.
Opened in 1909, the route called for two tunnels driven in three-quarter circles into the valley walls. The construction and extra track effectively doubled the length of the climb and reduced the gradient to 2.2%. Originally, the grade was 4.5%. The first train to attempt the hill in 1884 derailed, tragically killing three workers. Many derailments followed over the 25 years it took to build to current tunnel system. Read more about the spiral tunnels here and also here.
Stop at Kicking Horse Pass National Historic Site, if you have patience, to catch the fascinating sight of freight trains (and the occasional passenger train) carving a figure eight through the mountains. It appears as though three trains are on the rails as parts of the train enter and exit the tunnels, giving the illusion they are moving separately. We did not have the patience to await a train so we moved on after reading the informative graphics.
Animal bridges, that is, wildlife crossing structures, are another unique and fascinating sight in the Rockies. There are six overpasses and 38 underpasses between the east gate of Banff National Park and the British Columbia-Alberta border—the highest concentration of wildlife crossing structures for any single stretch of highway anywhere in the world.
While the six bridges are the most visible, and the preferred crossing routes for deer, elk, and grizzlies, there are 38 tunnels and culverts under the highway that seem to be preferred by black bears and by mountain lions.
Though many biologists and citizens were skeptical of the wildlife bridges when they were first built in 1996, the six overpasses and 38 underpasses that criss-cross the Trans-Canada Highway are today considered a conservation success story, reducing wildlife collisions by 80 per cent and buoying Banff biologists to rock-star status in the realm of transportation ecology around the world. Delegations from around the world now visit Banff to learn more about the crossing structures in hopes of building similar systems in their home countries, where new roads are cutting through wilderness areas at unprecedented rates.
Parks Canada data proves the efficacy of the crossings. Among large carnivores, mortality rates are 50 to 100 per cent lower along sections of the highway where overpasses and underpasses exist. In those same sections, mortality rates for elk are almost zero, compared to 100 elk-vehicle collisions per year in the mid-1990s. Research has shown that 11 species of large mammals in Banff have used the structures more than 200,000 times, including unexpected species such as red fox, hoary marmot, boreal toads, wolverines, lynx, garter snakes and beavers.
The most unexpected sight we encountered during our time in the Rockies was the CLOSED sign at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre operated by Parks Canada. Twice in one week! We’ll venture a guess that thousands of visitors each day stop at the centre, to obtain information, use the washrooms and take advantage of free WiFi.
Lake Louise in Banff National Park must be one of the most popular stops in Canada for tourists from far and wide. How management at Parks Canada cannot adequately staff the visitor centre is beyond us.