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Banff Area
Mount Assiniboine
Lake Louise Area Photo Galleries
Jasper Area
Mount Robson
Updated: January 2013. Click on an image to see the FULL size with a caption.
The Alberta Rocky Mountains are my favourite part of Canada. It has it all - spectacular mountains like Mount Assiniboine and Mount Robson, some of the best hikes in the world like the Berg Lake Trail to Mount Robson and the trek from Sunshine Meadows to Mount Assiniboine, oustanding winter activities like downhill skiing at Lake Louise and Sunshine and skating on the frozen Lake Louise, hot springs, delightful villages and all forms of accomodation from basic to luxury at Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise.
After flying to Calgary, the gateway to the Alberta Rockies, it is a short drive to Canmore with the Three Sisters and on to the Banff National Park and Banff. Banff is a modern small city nestled next to Mount Rundle and Cascade Mountain with the Bow River, Vermillion Lakes and the Gondola. Banff has all forms of accomodation including the Banff Springs Hotel. Near Banff is the Kananaskis Country, skiing and hiking at Sunshine Meadows, and Grotto Canyon. The drive from Banff towards Lake Louise passes Castle Mountain and Johnston Canyon. Highway 93 turns off at Castle Junction and passes Mount Whymnper and the Paint Pots on its way to Radium Hot Springs.
A long hike from Sunshine Meadows brings you to Lake Magog and the spectacular Matterhorn Of the Rockies, Mount Assiniboine, towering at the end of the lake. A short hike to the Nublet has even better views of Mount Assiniboine and the surrounding valleys, lakes and mountains.
The drive north from Castle Junction passes Mount Temple before reaching the gem of the Albertan Rockies, Lake Louise. The view of Lake Louise and Mount Victoria from the Chateau Lake Louise is one of the most picturesque views in the world, especially on a warm summer day. In the winter there are ice sculptures and you can skate on the lake. Lake Louise ski area is large and exciting. There are excellent hikes at Lake Louise like the Agnes Teahouse and the Plain of the Six Glaciers. A short drive is one of the classic views of the Rockies - Moraine Lake with its 20-Dollar view of the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Nearby is the slightly remote spectacular Lake O'Hara and beautiful Takkakaw Falls. The drive north from Lake Louise on the Columbia Icefields has more mountain views, the Crowfoot Glacier, and a stop at beautiful Peyto Lake.
The drive from Peyto Lake to Jasper is one of the best in the world, passing Howse peak and Mount Chephren along the way. After stopping at Columbia Icefield, you have to take the Ice Explorer tour onto thr Athabasca Glacier with views of Mount Andromeda, Mount Athabasca and the icefall from the Columbia Icefield. The drive continues passing Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls before ending at Jasper. Jasper is a pleasant village with nearby lakes and the Jasper Tramway to Whistlers Peak. Although Mount Edith Cavell is clearly visible from Jasper, the drive to Cavell Lake and the short trek to the Cavell Pond highlight its beauty with the mountain and Angel Glacier towering overhead. The highlight of the visit to Jasper is Maligne Lake where you take a scenic boat tour to the world famous view of Spirit Island.
A short one hour drive from Jasper brings you to the Mount Robson Visitor Centre and its view of Mount Robson. For some, this is enough, but to really see Mount Robson, you have to hike the Berg Lake Trail to Berg Lake nestled below the North and Emperor Faces of Robson.