30MAY-01JUN15 - Jasper, AB (via golden, bc & the icefields parkway)

Saturday AM, 30MAY, we got on the road for Lake Louise, AB, but during the drive Dan decided to shorten the drive to Golden, BC, only.  It was a beautiful drive along Lake Okanagan & then onto the Trans Canada Highway 1.  We soon learned our GPS’s did not have the best info for Canada.  Once we left populated areas, we lost all details & only saw the roadway & train tracks (if any).  Biggest issue is the speed limits shown away from cities are usually wrong (sign will say 90kph but GPS shows 70 or 50kph?).  On the drive we apparently passed thru the Revelstoke National Park & Glacier National Park; but the Canadian Park Service had no signs announcing their presence, or if they had Visitor Centers?

We stayed at the Whispering Spruce RV park (former KOA) in Golden, BC.  Not the best, but OK.  And the manager apparently had been celebrating her birthday long before we go there.  After arrival we learned the Park Service website was crashed & inop; so we could not do any pre-arrival planning.

After sleeping in a little on Sunday morning, we headed to Jasper, AB.  First stop was Lake Louise, AB, & the Fairmont Chateau on Lake Louise.  Although the hotel is almost a century old & supposedly world famous, we were not impressed with the exterior design.  The Fairmont lodges in Banff & Jasper have more visual appeal. (See below BLOG link for our visit to Banff.)  The parking lots are not designed for large RVs w/Toads, the place was overrun with tourists, & there was nothing to do but take pictures.  So we had a snack & got back on the road.

http://theryanrvexpress.blogspot.com/2009/09/0203sep09-banff-ab.html

http://www.fairmont.com/lake-louise/

We were soon driving on the The Icefields Parkway (Alberta 93) to Jasper.  Immediately we had another GPS issue - the GPS says it is 700 kilometers, but we know it is less than 400?  We soon learn there are hundreds of Canadian rental RVs w/poor, foreign tourist drivers on the roadL  Our next stop was the Icefield Visitor Center to view the Columbia Icefield.  This attraction was also overrun with tourists; & another major disappointment because the Park Service exhibits are closed, the Park Service is not showing the movie, & it is “local” day so locals get in free!!!  The only thing we saw worth doing was riding the special ice busses onto the Columbia Icefields, but that was $50 each & a one hour wait to board.  So once again our visit was short & we got back on the road to Jasper.

In spite of our disappointments the Parkway is a spectacular drive & that part was worth it.  In fact, at Tangle Falls there was a sign that said watch for Sheep & sure enough we saw several Mountain Goats on the side of the road; & several Big Horn Sheep in the meadow.

http://www.icefieldsparkway.ca/

Our next bad news was there was no RV hooks up available at Jasper because the Park Service hasn’t opened all the campgrounds yet.  So we took a dry camp spot for one night & will move to a hook-up spot tomorrow.  We then went into town for info, walkabout, & dinner.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/jasper/index.aspx

Monday morning we headed into Jasper w/Gumbo for a walkabout & fresh baked pastries at one of the many bakeries in town.  Then back to the RV to move it to campsite with electric & water.  After setting up camp again, it was back into the Toad (w/Gumbo) to see a few of the natural wonders of Jasper National Park.

First stop was Athabasca Falls on the Athabasca River.  Dan is not sure but this is the first River he remembers viewing that the waters run north & end up in the Arctic?  Our return drive to the town of Jasper was on the old icefield highway, 93A.

Next stop was the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, where we ate our picnic lunch on their lawn.

http://www.fairmont.com/jasper/

Last stop of the day was to hike portions of Maligne Canyon.  This is an extremely beautiful narrow canyon with water thundering thru it.  We parked at the top & started to hike down (there are six bridges on the hike with spectacular views).  Corrie & Gumbo made it to bridge 2-1/2 & Dan made it to bridge three; before we all started the hike back uphill.  If we had known how trail worked, Corrie could have went back to Toad & picked Dan up when he hiked down to bridge six.  Note – in winter the walls & floor of the canyon ice over & you can hike the canyon floor w/proper ice equipment.

Then it was back to the RV where Corrie & Gumbo decided to take a nap.  Dan headed to the Jasper Tramway for a little high altitude hiking.

After dinner Dan took Gumbo for a walk & ran across two cow elks w/calves (note – more people are injured in the park by getting between a cow & her calf, than bears).  More elk wandered thru our camp area right before sunset.