Saskatchewan
River Crossing
into Jasper National Park
After Rocky Mountain House, there were no more cities on the map until the Saskatchewan River Crossing, the northern entry into Banff National Park and the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park.
At each bend and dip in the road, the mountains seemed to sail closer. First a hint, then a promise, then an expectation.
The lowering clouds only seemed to dramatize the forcefulness of the mountain landscape, especially in contrast to the flatness of the prairie and the depths of the Badlands. I found it difficult to comprehend how such huge mountains could just appear, rugged and craggy, so suddenly.
The white gleams of glacier ice were in stark contrast to the dark pines and firs. The reservoir that ran parallel to the highway, Abraham Lake, was a brilliant turquoise, as if it just had to be different.
And then we were past the valley and in the park, watching the Sunwapta River in its icy silvery flow.
This entry is on the north end of Banff National Park; it is just a short drive north on the Icefields Parkway before one enters Jasper National Park.
Icefields Parkway is called that for good reason. Not only do you pass towering peaks and (to me, the most impressive chain) the Endless Corridor of stark wall-like mountains, but you also pass rivers, waterfalls, and lakes in profusion. Be sure to use your "Icefields Parkway" map from Parks Canada / Parcs Canada, which you will receive when you buy your parks pass; it's excellent!
And the glaciers!
This is part of the massive Columbia Icefield, which we visited a "toe" of on our return leg.