Stunning Mountain Views – Icefields Parkway into Jasper
The Icefields Parkway was miles of stunning mountain scenery as we travelled north from Lake Louise to Jasper. The entire 145 miles was a continuous reel of rugged snow capped mountains covered in trees at lower elevations.
Alaska Road Trip Overall Progress:
Shepherdsville, Kentucky, USA to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, Canada
22 Days (5/9/25 to 5/30/25)
3,083 miles
The occasional mountain lake emerged as we coasted into the valleys and climbed high over the next peak. Moose, elk and black bear sightings kept us vigilant as we took in the beautiful panoramic views. We made many stops along the way to absorb the ever changing unique landscape. We spent the better part of two days on the Icefields Parkway.
As we progressed, we eventually eased out of Banff National Park and immediately into Jasper National Park. Equally scenic, we found Honey Moon Lake Campground nestled in among the mountains with magnificent views all around.
“Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.” – The Lion King; Mufasa highlights the interconnectedness of all living things.
The Jasper National Park Icefield Information Centre and Glacier Gallery gave us a chance to see the Athabasca Glacier, which is part of the Columbia Icefield.
Gradually we started seeing the impact of last year’s wild fires. AS many of you recall, the smoke from the forest fires in Jasper National Park and along the Icefields Parkway drifted well into the United States last year. Standing trees blackened by the fire covered the landscape for miles and miles. Nearly 81,000 acres burned in Jasper National Park in July, August and September 2024.
The Icefields Parkway concludes at the community of Jasper, which was obviously hard hit by the fires. Although a few buildings were spared, many structures burned. Signs of rebuilding were everywhere, and significant construction progress can already be seen. However, the natural beauty of the landscape will ever so gradually emerge to their glory over the next thirty to fifty years.
Wildlife We Have Seen:
Black Bear, Moose, Porcupine, Pronghorn Antelope, Beaver, Deer, Elk, Big Horn Sheep, lots of birds
A brief stop in Jasper, and we were off to the city of Hinton and basically out on a highway along the east side of the mountains. We made time for a laundromat in Hinton, and then parked at Freson Grocery as they have reserved an area for about ten RV’s to boondock overnight in their parking lot.
On Wednesday, May 28th, we made our way about five hours north to Dawson Creek, British Columbia. We setup at Tubby’s RV Park for three nights to reset, relax and take care of a few errands. We were able to walk into town several times and found a few items we needed and a great grocery, Save-On-Foods, with relatively reasonable prices for an increasingly remote area.
Dawson Creek is where the Alaska Highway officially starts, and the next leg of our journey to Alaska begins.
