Never have I found a road more scenic, more beautiful or more accessible than the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper Alberta. Directly along the backbone of the Rocky Mountains, the Icefields Parkway travels between the towering peaks of the surrounding mountains, winding its way from valley to valley in a slow and steady route. The road is neither in perfect condition nor does the path make your blood race and your heart pound. Indeed the road itself is quite tame. This is perhaps one of its better virtues since you are constantly surrounded by the awesome majesty (yes I just said that) of the surrounding mountain peaks, glacier-fed lakes and rivers and stunning scenes. A more demanding road would simple take away from this natural wonder which is so abundant that even a casual glance in your rear-view mirror can take your breath away as you see the local peaks reflected behind you in a new viewpoint which you missed as you travel forward.
The road truely does take on a new perspective depending on the direction you travel. Banff to Jasper is not the same as riding from Jasper to Banff. It is almost as if the road belongs somewhere in the twilight zone. The same mile markers, the same two lane highway; only each direction provides a totally new perspective on the surrounding scenery. Indeed it is worth driving in both directions when you have the opportunity, you certainly would not be disappointed.
Your neck muscles will get quite a workout just trying to take in all of the views as you drive down the road and a motorcycle is, in my opinion, the perfect platform to veiw the drive. I haven’t yet seen a car, truck or van that can offer the unimpeded view of the area. Even the sky has a part to play in the ever changing surroundings. For all the joy of riding this road I find that I just cannot enjoy the lakeshores or mountain views without frequent stops along the roadside. When I round a corner and am flanked by a great, green-grey glacial lake with such mountains as are seldom even written in poetry or grand storybooks, I just have to stop and sit to take in the full beauty of the vast landscape.
Expect to spend twice as much time as you think you will on this road. The everchanging views will tempt you to stop more than you expect. To take the side roads up to the hidden valleys which fissure off from the main road in every direction, to just sit and watch the clouds roll over the tops of the peaks and to watch the ever changing reflections on the surface of a lake. Stop; smell the green, the flowers the dry grass, the breeze as it sweeps over the snowbound peaks or down a glacier face. Listen to the rushing streams of melting ice and snow. Embrace the slow pace of time as it wears away at the root of the mountians, listen to winter cling on the sides of the mountains and in the shadowed crevices as spring grasps at the fleeting warmth in the high passes and valleys.
Words can begin to prepare you for such sights however fall far short of the real experience. I have yet to see such a natural wonder anywhere in my travels. The rest of the world seems to grow pale and plain for a few days after riding this road as my mind races to remember all of the splendid views which all but overwhelm you as you ride the Icefields Parkway.
