Icefields Parkway: driving between Banff and Jasper (Canada)

The Icefields Parkway links Lake Louise to Jasper over about 230 km, entirely inside Banff and then Jasper national parks, in the Canadian Rockies. The road is paved, well maintained and technically easy in summer, but has no fuel station between the Saskatchewan Crossing (halfway) and the ends: fill up before setting off, especially in a thirsty vehicle.

The real constraint is time: allow at least a full day, ideally two with a night in Jasper, to enjoy the stops. In winter (October to April), the road stays open but becomes demanding — winter tyres mandatory, alpine-type conditions, closed services and low traffic. Always check road conditions before setting off out of season.

From south to north, the must-sees follow one another: Bow Lake and its viewpoint from the old lodge, the Peyto Lake overlook (a short climb to a view of an unreal turquoise lake, shaped like a wolf's head), the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield — where you can walk to the foot of the ice or ride up in a special vehicle — and Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls as you near Jasper.

The Columbia Icefield, halfway, deserves a long stop: visitor centre, the glass-floored Skywalk suspended over a gorge, and guided glacier access. Bring warm clothes even in summer: on the ice, the wind is freezing. The car parks at the busiest sites (Peyto, Athabasca) fill by midday: arriving early changes everything.

Elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bears and sometimes grizzlies: the Parkway crosses rich habitat, and animals regularly venture onto or near the road, especially at dawn and dusk. Collisions with large wildlife are a real issue on these mountain roads. Work by Anthony Clevenger and Nigel Waltho, conducted on Banff park's wildlife crossings, showed that adapted structures — overpasses and underpasses — sharply reduce road mortality and restore large-mammal movement (study via Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Clevenger+Waltho+wildlife+crossing+structures+Banff).

For the traveller, the takeaway is simple: respect the speed limits, be extra vigilant at dark hours, and never stop in the traffic lane to photograph an animal — use the designated pull-outs. Watching a bear from your car is a privilege; feeding or approaching one is forbidden and dangerous, for it and for you.