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| Call us to find out more |
| 1-403-609-8222 |
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Step right up, folks, and witness some of the most stunning and mind-boggling views the Rockies have to offer… |
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Jasper National Park’s Maligne Canyon stretches on and on, carving deeper and deeper into the south side of the Athabasca River valley. The deepest section reaches 50 meters into the limestone of the Palliser Formation, and at some places the canyon is almost closed shut at the top. It’s a stunning sight from all angles, and a great place to apply your high school geology. The most common place to see the canyon is at the top parking lot, where you can also venture off on a trail that’ll take you all the way down (be prepared to walk back up hill unless you can arrange a car shuttle). Four bridges, which you can reach from parking lots along Maligne Lake Road, also provide easy access. It’s fun to see how the canyon changes at different locations. In winter, Jasper guides lead ice walks through this frozen labyrinth. For more information on canyon icewalks, see below.
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Like a natural palette, the ochre deposits in Kootenay National Park make a clay that Natives used to paint teepees, pictographs and personal adornments. It became a valuable resource that was traded across the Prairies. Formed by clay-like sediments deposited at the bottom of an ancient glacial lake that were mixed with iron-rich water, the clay comes in deeply gorgeous shades of orange, red and even a bit of green. The Paint Pots themselves are three pond-like outlets of mineral springs. Keep an eye out for wildlife tracks from elk, wolf, moose, coyote and bears. The walk is flatter than most in the Rockies – it is wheelchair and stroller- friendly.
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Cree for “it is wonderful”, Takakkaw Falls were aptly named. Thrilling, effervescent and easy-to- access, this is one of the most popular sightseeing destinations in the Rockies and a truly beautiful sight. There are a handful of separate cascades, which together total 380 meters, making Takakkaw the second-highest falls in Canada. The largest one, which dominates what you can see from the parking lot and trail at the fall’s base, is 254 metres. The falls are fed by the melting water of the Daly Glacier and the Icefields on the Continental Divide. Watch for mountain goats scrambling along the cliff at the base of the falls. Park in the lot and walk right up to the edge of the falls to cool off and revel in the power of gravity. Light for photographs is best in the late afternoon of a summer day, when the most water falls.
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Nearly every first-timer to Banff ponders the question after entering the park gates and noticing off the Trans-Canada’s north side the sand-coloured piles which look like they were dropped from Mars. The ‘things’ in question are called Hoodoos – an appropriately silly name used throughout North America for natural rock columns. Seriously speaking, they are an interesting geological feature – a result of slowly eroding silt piles, rocks and gravel that have been cemented together by limestone. The strongest parts are still standing; the uncemented parts have long since tumbled down the valley, dislodged by rain, snowmelt and wind some 11,000 years ago. The best place to check out the Hoodoos is at the Hoodoo Viewpoint, 6 kilometres (3.7 miles) from the Town of Banff, off Tunnel Mountain Road. There’s a pleasant 600-metre (0.4-mile) stroll on a paved path that curves along a cliff overlooking the Bow River. It’s wheelchair and stroller accessible. There are informative placards explaining the Hoodoos and spectacular views of the Bow River, Spray River Valley and Mount Rundle. The best view is from the top lookout.
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The Victoria Glacier rises above Lake Louise’s emerald waters, providing the most famous (and most photographed) backdrop in Western Canada. Mount Victoria is also a popular climb for mountaineers, most of whom reach the summit via the historic Abbot Pass (to the left of the summit if you’re standing in front of the Chateau Lake Louise). You can get a close-up view of the glacier and its neighbours by hiking the popular trail around the back of Lake Louise and up to the Plain of Six Glaciers. You’ll see the Upper Victoria, Lower Victoria and Lefroy glaciers, plus three more unnamed glaciers located on Mt. Lefroy, Mt. Aberdeen and Popes Peak.
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Every winter – which in the Rockies could easily last seven or eight months – the mountain world is virtually transformed. Cold temperatures and low-pressure weather systems bring snow that covers the mountainsides, wooded trails and everyone’s cars in sparkling white powder. Water systems freeze and cornices form on mountain peaks. But the transformation isn’t limited to the obvious. Hike up a canyon to find real, somewhat hidden, winter treasure where creek beds freeze and once flowing waterfalls become suspended in time.
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