Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway is a renowned scenic drive from Banff to Jasper. It is wonderful, and my only regrets are that we didn't take longer over this segment of our trip, and that we didn't get better weather. It was the one part of our trip with dodgy rather grey weather and it would have been lovely to get photos of glaciers with blue skies above. But hey ho, you will have to make do with these.

I think this is Hector Lake, but might be Bow lake

 But below is definitely Peyto Lake. A bit of a hike to reach it, but well worth the climb. Stunning blue glacial lake. And yes it really is that blue.

As you can see up here there is still snow in late June.

 Mistaya Canyon was also very impressive

 At one point a mountain goat just joined us for a run down the road.

 The roads were reasonably busy up to the Icefields Centre. This is where there is a skywalk, and you can do trips out onto the Columbia Glacier, neither of which we thought were worth the money or the crowds, but this is the end of the road for most daytrippers from Banff.

Who would have thought of calling a mountain "Nigel"?

The glacier, which would have been a lot more impressive against a blue-sky backdrop. Unfortunately there wasn't one - just low grey clouds

From here on we had the roads, and late afternoon hikes, pretty much to ourselves. I think these were the Sunwapta Falls. There are falls and lakes all down the Parkway.

 And shortly before reaching Jasper we came across another bear by the roadside, enjoying a grassy meadow by the road until he had a hundred tourists photographing him.