Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 2nd October)

I honestly did not believe my day could be ending like this, I was physically tired from the sitting and driving, I was mentally tired from the concentration and focus that was needed on the road, and I was emotionally tired as a result of all the amazing sights I had experienced during this day…then I saw a sign that said ‘Emerald Lake’…

OK, so this was on my agenda anyway, I was due to visit this place, it was supposed to be something special, but, on my itinerary, this was supposed to be happening tomorrow.  However, here I was, coming off the main road and journeying to another lake, I suppose it was just going to be another lake, I mean I had already seen some out of this world lakes, right…wrong…

This place was so beautiful and I just wished I had more time to enjoy the stupendous surroundings.  It just seemed to be the most perfect time to be there.  The weather was calm, the wind was light, the water was beautifully balanced and still, the reflections were picture perfect as you may agree.  In addition to this, the colour of the water was spectacular, none of the other lakes I had visited so far displayed this particular glorious turquoise colour, it really was very, very beautiful, wow, wow and wow again!

http://www.everytrail.com/guide/canadas-emerald-lake-yoho-national-park

https://www.crmr.com/emerald/


  
  
  


  
  
  


  

Joffre Lakes (lower, middle and upper) Provincial Park

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Sunday 27th September)

As I mentioned in my previous post, before arriving in Whistler from Kamloops, I was advised to visit Joffre Lakes if time permitted and as I was told it would be worth the visit.  I was in two minds about stopping off to be honest as I was quite tired and there was this negative voice in my head saying ‘come on Mubeen, you have seen lots of lakes, it will just be like the rest’!

I ignored the negative voice and found the energy to take on an extra stop.  Although time was short, I reminded myself that although my genuine dream is to come back here one day with Nour (who I missed at every part of this trip), I had to make the most of every opportunity while it was there.  In fact, this is one thing I definitely learnt about life during this trip, if an opportunity is there, you need to grab it with both hands and live it, love it and learn from it…you don’t know what is around the corner!

There was one thing I did not realise about Joffre Lakes, one important thing, there were three lakes, all on different elevations…the photos below are all in order of the lakes that were visited, I did all three!  The sign in photo six shows the distance and time of this hike, as I was under the constraints of time, I did this in a much quicker time!

Spectacular walk, three tremndous colours in each of the three lakes, lovely scenery in the surrounding areas, growth on land and in water, paths dressed with fallen trees, mega sized rocks, waterfalls, different styles of bridges, various wildlife, tricky mud paths, huge tree trunks decorated different aspects of the trail, gorgeous inviting mountains, independent hanging glaciers…wow…again!

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/joffre_lks/

http://www.vancouvertrails.com/trails/joffre-lakes/


  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


  
  

  
  


  
  

Jasper National Park: Drive to Maligne Lake…wow!

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

Never expected to see so many Elks, I suppose the timing was right and I was in the right place, a really good continuation of the day.  I got quite close too which made it more interesting, I have to say the heart was beating a bit.  When I was visiting the Athabasca Glacier, I saw a video of Elks charging at cars and causing some serious damage, I was wise to keep sensible distance and I was always ready to run just in case!

The drive was truly awesome, I had no idea what lay ahead of me and as I said before, the weather really made it for me.  The mountain drive kept me alert, and the view was just spectacular.  The road, the autumnal trees and some of the rocks on the edge of the roads were very nice.  As you can see from these photos, the most fantastic part of this drive was the forest that had been totally obliterated as a result of a devastating forest fire.  I can tell you that this experience was like no other I have had, the smell from the destroyed trees was amazing, like a huge BBQ that has just been put out during camping.  I was left with black marks on my hands and clothes as I brushed through the trees into the forest, it was actually quite sad, I don’t know if you can tell through the photos, but the forest was huge, it just left me imagining what the forest must have gone through as the fire relentlessly ripped through each square km of this land…From all the beauty I saw throughout my trip, there was something very, very special about this devastated forest, the smell, the colours, the story…wow!


  




  


  
  


  
  


  
  
  

Jasper National Park: Lake Edith and Lake Annette

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Friday 25th September)

I got up this morning and the last thing on my mind was the weather, it has been so beautiful so far that I did not think of checking the weather.  Anyway, I got up this morning and it was pouring down, it was miserable and cold…I was not happy!

I decided not to waste any time and start exploring, I ended up visiting a few lakes, a canyon and finished off with time around Downtonwn Jasper, it was also a very good day for seeing Elks…during rutting season!

I heard about Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon but passed by a couple of other lakes on the way.  The beauty of these places I am visiting is they highlight different beauty no matter what the weather, these lakes were very nice, but some of the other stuff coming up truly took my breath away because the weather was so different from what I has experienced so far, the fact that the clouds were so low created quite a spooky atmosphere…

https://www.theswimguide.org/beach/366

http://www.todocanada.ca/city/jasper/listing/lake-annette-lake-edith/


  


  
  


  
  

Banff National Park: Peyto Lake…a true gem, you won’t believe this!

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 23rd September)

Ok, I have seen some beautiful things in my life in different parts of the world, but what this blog is about is something that I don’t think I will ever forget about and will long to visit again.  It is something that I take great pleasure in showing photos about and when my friends and family have seen the video, I watch it with them as if I have never seen the video before and I am left awe struck just like the first time.  From my whole trip, there has been no other place that has left people’s senses bamboozled and struggling to differentiate between reality and non reality, I witnessed over the course of over 45 minutes visitors reactions as they approached the balcony to view this, you may react the same way?

Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake located in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessed from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.

During the summer, significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into the lake, and these suspended rock particles give the lake a bright, turquoise colour. Because of its bright colour, photos of the lake often appear in illustrated books, and area around the lake is a popular sightseeing spot for tourists in the park. The lake is best seen from Bow Summit, the highest point on the Icefields Parkway.
The lake is fed by the Peyto Creek, which drains water from the Caldron Lake and Peyto Glacier (part of the Wapta Icefield), and flows into the Mistaya River.

http://banffandbeyond.com/is-peyto-lake-really-that-blue/



  

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Banff National Park: Herbet Lake, Bow Lake and Num-Ti Jah Lodge

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 23rd September)

Banff was truly brilliant and set me up for the next part of my adventure and that was the drive towards Jasper National Park.  The drive through the Icelands Parkway is said to be one of the most scenic and breathtaking views you can experience and honestly, there were times when I was left totally speechless and I could not even string a sentence together to myself…and that is saying something!  The plan for this part of the trip was to stop at as many places as possible and to cover as much distance as I could before my next stop which actually was not hours and hours away but I was aware that there was much to see.

Bow Lake is a small lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Canadian Rockies, at an altitude of 1920 m.  It is one of the lakes that line the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park and Jasper National Park along with many other such lakes.

Herbet Lake


  

Bow Lake

http://albertatravel.org/Bow_Lake.htm


  
  

Num-Ti Jah Lodge

http://sntj.ca/
  
  
  

Banff National Park: Lake Louise and Mirror Lake

(My solo road trip of western Canada – Wednesday 23rd September)

While I was  searching and planning my trip, one of the most common places I came across known for its sheer beauty, especially at particular times of the day was Lake Louise, it was something I was very much looking forward to.

Continue reading “Banff National Park: Lake Louise and Mirror Lake”