a love letter to Canada’s National Parks

Nestled in the Canadian Rockies is a cluster of national parks, each bearing treasured gifts for the visitor.  They offer sweeping views of peaks and valleys and glaciers, visits to turquoise lakes and tumbling waterfalls, and long hikes that skirt the tree line of the spruce forests and rocky slopes of glacial moraines.

 Jasper, Banff, Kootenay, Yoho, and Glacier National Parks dot the mountains spanning Alberta and British Columbia, crossing the Continental Divide, and together forming large expanses of protected land.  Time spent among these landscapes generates a sense of enthrallment, serenity, and sheer gratitude, as well as shaky legs.

 Our good friend Gina flew from South Carolina to meet us in Edmonton, where we scooped her up and headed to Jasper National Park.  An active wildfire impacted the power source for the town of Jasper and surrounding areas, and nonresidents were dissuaded from visiting.  Smoke drifted and hung heavily in the air as crews worked to stave off the fire until rain arrived.  We missed visiting Jasper, a favorite town, but were relieved that things were soon back up and running for residents there.

The south end of the park was unaffected by the fire, and here we enjoyed one of the best walks of the trip, we later agreed, which led up to a pass.  From the pass you had a view of the nearby Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Glacier.  Beyond the pass, we meandered and shimmied and even found a snow tunnel that was hanging on from previous winters, buttresses and all.

Our time in Kootenay National Park included a real highlight - a long hike to reach Radium Hot Springs.  Hot springs are a favorite activity after visiting the natural Liard Hot Springs further north in British Columbia.  Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay National Park is in a large commercial pool setting where the naturally hot water is funneled from the nearby source.  It was wonderful to soak after cool days and long walks; we didn’t even mind bobbing around with strangers (we were lucky to time it as they opened - fewer people).  Radium Hot Springs can be reached easily by car, but it feels much better earned!  The hot springs were a fun departure and made for a blissful walk back to camp.

With each national park comes adjoining mountain towns, brimming with charm and a relaxed (yet still energetic) feel.  Banff, the famed and most visited, has much to offer (e.g. nearby Lake Louise, exceptional scenery, historic resorts, and in-town doings like galleries and shops and eateries).  It is a bustling, crowded, festive town that must be equally idyllic in the winter.  Less touristic, perhaps, and appealing as such are Jasper in Alberta; Canmore, Golden, and Revelstoke in BC; and a bit further southwest, Nakusp and Nelson, also in BC.  These towns offer year-round outdoor recreation and stunning landscapes but with an authenticity that moves beyond tourism.  Even the pubs have charm, with hanging baskets overflowing with blooms (need I go on?).

When it was time for Gina to travel back to South Carolina, we said goodbye in Calgary after wonderful days spent exploring. Heading back to the mountains, we wanted to extend our stay just a bit longer, even though we were missing a Canadian Rockies crew member.  There was one more park to take in:  Glacier National Park in British Columbia. This park is a gem in the Selkirk range and has trails that traverse boulder fields and moraine to reach glaciers and ice caves.  As on any public land, it is awe-inspiring that people create and build these trails, steep and narrow, so that we may safely visit these natural wonders.

This Canadian Rockies landscape, rife with nature, ecology, adventure, and unparalleled scenery, works itself into your being.  We are smitten, and ever grateful for the experience.