Jasper Maligne Valley The Maligne Valley extends southeast from the town of Jasper through one of the most distinctive landscapes in Jasper National Park. Following the Maligne River toward Medicine Lake and Maligne Lake, the valley passes between forested slopes and rugged ranges of the Canadian Rockies. Its combination of mountain scenery, lakes, river corridors, […]
Banff Park Museum Introduction Standing near the Bow River at the southern end of Banff Avenue, the Banff Park Museum is both a natural history collection and a remarkably preserved artifact of the early national park era. Established in 1895 and moved into its present building in 1903, it is the oldest natural history museum […]
Banff Peyto and Bow Lakes Along the Icefields Parkway north of Lake Louise, Peyto Lake and Bow Lake reveal two very different perspectives on the glacial landscape of Banff National Park. Bow Lake lies almost directly beside the highway, its broad expanse framed by Crowfoot Mountain, Bow Glacier, and the Wapta Icefield. Meltwater from these […]
Banff Lake Louise, Beehive Lake, and Lake Agnes Introduction Lake Louise is a place of contrasts: still turquoise water beneath Victoria Glacier, forested slopes veiled by passing cloud, and the Fairmont Chateau standing at the water’s edge. These photographs move between broad views of the lake and close details of its shore, gardens, and historic […]
Banff Ice Fields North of Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway climbs through Banff National Park toward the Continental Divide, passing glacier-fed lakes, steep rock walls, and broad mountain valleys. Bow Summit, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, and Crowfoot Glacier reveal how ice and meltwater have shaped this part of the Canadian Rockies. Farther north, the road […]
Banff Lake Minnewanka Introduction Lake Minnewanka stretches deep into the mountains northeast of Banff, its long blue-green waters framed by the steep slopes of the Palliser and Fairholme ranges. Fed by mountain streams and the Cascade River, the lake occupies a broad valley that feels markedly wilder than its proximity to Banff might suggest. From […]
Banff Trans Canada Highway Introduction The Trans-Canada Highway cuts through Banff National Park along one of the great mountain corridors of the Canadian Rockies, following the Bow Valley between immense ranges of limestone peaks. What began in the 1950s as a scenic two-lane road has become one of Canada’s principal transportation routes, carrying travelers through […]
Banff Moraine Lake Moraine Lake lies high in the mountains above Lake Louise, where a glacially carved valley narrows beneath the immense walls of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. The lake’s extraordinary blue-green color comes from fine rock flour carried in meltwater from the surrounding glaciers, while the steep peaks rising almost directly from […]
Jasper Icefield Mistaya Canyon Mistaya Canyon lies along the Icefields Parkway in the northern reaches of Banff National Park, where the Mistaya River has carved a narrow, twisting gorge through the limestone bedrock of the Canadian Rockies. Reached by a short trail descending from the parkway, the canyon provides a dramatic contrast to the broad […]
Jasper Whirlpool Valley Introdcution The Whirlpool Valley extends southwest through Jasper National Park, following the glacier-fed Whirlpool River through a broad mountain landscape of forests, gravel flats, wetlands, and steep ranges. The valley is reached from the Icefields Parkway and Highway 93A, where the quieter Moab Lake Road provides access to trails and viewpoints along […]