Trip to Jasper & Banff National Parks (March 2002)

Our memorable trip would not have been possible if Narasimhan and Deepa hadn't come to Edmonton from Toronto. On both sides we did a lot of groundwork so the trip would go smoothly. Narasimhan & Deepa took care of the itinerary, booking of accommodations, car rental, etc. Shiva and I on our part planned the route, things to carry etc. We got route and area maps in advance. The main concern was the weather, with temperatures that week around the -25ºC mark. We would be experiencing Canadian winter at its worst. Winter here must never be taken lightly. Things can get really nasty so one cannot do anything but respect the winter. Some of the trip essentials included taking items like flashlight, army knife, candles, matches, a shovel, spare blankets & an ice box and lots of water and fruits to name a few. The icebox is actually a large insulated container very much similar to the portable water coolers in India except that it is in the shape of a box. This was to keep the food and water at room temperature. These were basic in case of any emergency. The best way to keep warm is to layer oneself with multiple clothing instead of just one heavy jacket.
Now getting to the actual trip:

14/03 - Thursday
We received Narasimhan & Deepa at the airport. We had a late lunch and in the evening we drove around the University of Alberta, legislature building & downtown. We also rented a car (a Ford Taurus station wagon) for the trip.

15/03 - Friday
We had breakfast and started for Jasper around 9am. We prepared rotis, chole & curd rice for lunch. We also took some "ribbon pakoda" and "malaadu" for snacks.
Jasper National Park is situated West of Edmonton The area's main attractions are the spectacular views of the Rocky Mountains and numerous lakes of which Maligne lake is the largest. You can see a lot of wildlife during Spring/Summer.
We reached Jasper by around 2pm. We checked into the hotel (Marmot Lodge). After freshening up, we drove around the place and visited two frozen lakes (Patricia & Pyramid lakes). It was too cold to roam outside, moreover it was very windy. So we decided to visit a Pool parlor. It was the first time Shiva & I were playing Pool. Narasimhan knew the game so he taught us. We had dinner (Mexican food) at a restaurant adjacent to our hotel. We retired to bed early as we had booked for a guided tour to the Maligne Canyon the next morning.

Inside Jasper National Park : Narasimhan, Shiva & Sowmya

16/03 - Saturday
The tour guide picked us up after breakfast. He took us to a Sporting goods shop. We had to wear high snow boots that came upto our knees and were also given spikes to wear underneath the soles of the boots. Then we set out for the icewalk. It's a 4 km trek along a canyon. We had to do some amateur climbing uphill to view 2 frozen waterfalls called the Queen & Angel Falls. Then we climbed down the canyon to reach the bottom of the waterfalls. You can actually walk on the frozen floor of the canyon. The floor was icy and a couple of feet thick. The spikes helped us to walk steadily as the floor was very slippery. It was terribly cold, but awesome. The whole tour lasted about 2.5 hrs. It was truly amazing and a lifetime experience! They charged $35 per person but it was worth every penny.

Inside Maligne Canyon. Angel waterfalls behind us!

Deepa beneath the icy floor!

(L to R) Narasimhan, Shiva, Sowmya &Deepa

We returned to the hotel & checked out. We then had lunch at Pizza Hut and proceeded towards Lake Louise & Banff. Enroute, we came across Columbian Icefields which is the largest ice mass in the Rocky Mountains, and is a remnant of the great ice sheet that once blanketed most of Canada. It covers about 325 sq. kms to an estimated depth of 350 metres. The landscape resembles Antarctica! It is frozen even in summer. The guided tour to these fields is closed during winter so we just drove past it.
Our next stop was Lake Louise. Lake Louise is an extremely beautiful lake set amidst the Rockies. It was completely frozen and we even 'walked' on the lake. It really looks magnificent during Spring! The huge Fairmont Chateau hotel overlooks the lake on one side.

We're standing on Lake Louise behind the Fairmont Hotel in the background

We're standing on Lake Louise with the Rockies in the background

Then we proceeded towards Banff , which is just 60 km from Lake Louise. It was evening by the time we reached Banff. The town of Banff is within the national park and is much bigger and commercialized than Jasper town. There are lots of shops, hotels and different restaurants catering a wide variety of cuisine. There is a 5 star hotel called the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, built in European style and is supposed to be first hotel in the world built with 250 rooms! Now it has nearly 750! It's a historic place because the British Royal family and several Presidents have stayed in the hotel.
We checked into the Banff International Hotel. As it was late in the evening, we took a walk along the streets and then had dinner at an Italian restaurant. We retired for the night.

17/03 - Sunday
We had an early breakfast, checked out of the hotel and resumed our sightseeing. First we visited the Banff upper hot springs. Natural hot springs feed this bathing pool. The outside temperature was -20º C while that of the springs was 35º C! Next we proceeded towards the Sulphur Mountain for the Gondola ride. The gondola is actually a cable car. The gondola rises 701 m from the lower terminal (1,585 m) to the summit (2,451 m) in just 8 minutes! The ride was very scary, but thrilling. The summit houses an open-air observation deck, which offers a spectacular view of the snow capped Rockies, Canada's highest restaurant and a gift shop. We left Banff and started for Edmonton. We stopped for lunch at a Mexican restaurant in a place called Red Deer and reached Edmonton at about 5 p.m.

18/03 - Monday
After an early lunch we visited the Muttart Conservatory. It's a plant conservatory where there are 4 glasshouses shaped like pyramids. Each of them houses varieties of tropical, temperate, arid and other seasonal plants. Next we went to the West Edmonton Mall which is supposed to be the largest Mall in the world! It includes an ice skating rink, 6 cinema theaters, a water theme park, an artificial beach with simulated waves, a dolphin pond, a children's theme park, a mini golf course, an IMAX theater and a 5-star hotel! In the evening we went bowling. It was my first attempt at bowling and I didn't do all that badly.

19/03 - Tuesday
Shiva had taken the day off. We had a late lunch and dropped Narasimhan and Deepa at the airport around 3 p.m.