The Canadian Rockies. Where, when, and how to discover the best photography in America

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1 Updated - July Where, when, and how to discover the best photography in America Published since 1989 The Canadian Rockies Moraine Lake No other place in North America has the variety of landscapes and wildlife that you find in the Canadian Rockies. Although the largest areas of the four national parks here are roadless wilderness, many of their most beautiful features are easily accessible by road and by trail. You won t need a four-wheel-drive vehicle to explore the Canadian Rockies. From the sides of the paved highways, photograph bear, moose, elk, big horn sheep, mountain goats, and more. Drive right up to the edge of a glacier and to the edge of some of the most beautiful alpine lakes you will ever see. Find mountain landscapes more precipitous and more spectacular than any you will find south of here. If you have not yet traveled north to photograph the Canadian Rockies, here are some good reasons why you should start planning a trip now.

2 issue 30 - page 2 The Canadian Rockies There are four National Parks that join here in the Canadian Rockies on the border between British Columbia and Alberta Jasper, Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay. In less than two weeks you can drive through all of them with time to explore, hike, canoe, and photograph some of the most remote, but still accessible wilderness landscapes you will ever discover. Fly into the city of Calgary, Alberta, and rent a car for your photo exploration of the Canadian Rockies. If you prefer to rough it a bit and would like to travel at your own pace, then plan to make this trip in a motorhome or a smaller recreational vehicle. I have stayed in many of the lodges, motels, and bungalows in the Canadian Rockies, but I prefer the freedom of movement I can experience with a camper. I am able to stay in campgrounds near the places I want to photograph. I can stay an extra day or two in an area and wait for the weather to change or I can wait for just the right light or a better sunset. If you or your family prefer to skip the cookouts and you want a hot shower every night, then make reservations for lodgings along your route, well in advance. Make your reservations at least five to six months in advance if you plan to travel during the months of July and August. There is a great range of accommodations throughout the Canadian Rockies. You can book rooms in every type of lodging from simple rustic bungalows to luxury suites at five-star hotels. Watch the weather forecasts when you pack for your trip to the Canadian Rockies. Pack a parka, a raincoat, and longjohns. I needed them all in Alberta. Most of the rain falls on the western side of the Rockies. Some of the cold, wet storms are blown in from Alaska by the jet stream. Rain and snow can fall during any month of the year. Entering the Parks You can drive across the U.S.-Canadian border at many places. On my most recent trip north from California, I crossed the border near Sandpoint, Idaho, and drove north to Radium Hot Springs, where I entered Kootenay National Park. Several years ago, I drove from Vancouver, British Columbia, through Kamloops, B.C. and crossed over the Yellowhead Pass into Jasper National Park. Several times in the past, I have driven across the border near Waterton Lakes National Park after photography workshops in Glacier National Park. From the border crossing near Waterton, it s less than a threehour drive up to Calgary. If you are driving north to the Canadian Rockies from the midwest or the eastern states, you will probably want to cross the border near Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks. If you are driving northward across the U.S.-Canadian Border from the western states, take Highway 93 through Sandpoint, Idaho, northward to Radium Hot Springs. The drive from Radium Hot Springs through Kootenay National Park is very scenic. You ll find many places to stop as the highway passes through the deeplyeroded Sinclair Valley on the way to Castle Junction, halfway between Banff and Lake Louise. If you fly into Calgary, and arrive early enough in the day, pick up your rental car, get on Highway 1, and proceed west into Banff National Park. The easy drive into Banff will take you about 90 minutes and you can avoid wasting the time and the expense for a night in a city motel. If you plan to start your trip in Calgary, be aware that the ten-day Calgary Exhibition and Stampede is always held during the second week of July. You may have trouble getting reservations for a room in Calgary if you plan to arrive during this very popular annual event.

3 to Kamloops Photographers visiting the Canadian Rockies should not miss: Lake Minnewanka for the big horn sheep Vermilion Lakes for the sunrise and sunset Driving the Bow Valley Parkway looking for wildlife Valley of Ten Peaks - wildflowers and mountain peaks Moraine Lake - take the trail to the far western end Lower Consolation Lake - south of Moraine Lake Lake Louise - the trail to the Plain of the Six Glaciers Takakkaw Falls - in afternoon light Peyto Lake Overlook with a panoramic camera Athabasca Glacier on foot or by Snocoach tour Maligne Canyon - walk all the way to the bottom Maligne Lake - take the tour boat to Spirit Island ALBERTA to Edmonton JASPER NATIONAL PARK Maligne Canyon is one of the most spectacular slot canyons in these mountains. Walk all the way down to the fifth bridge for the best photography. Watch for black bears along the road to Maligne Lake. JASPER You will find the best locations for waterfalls, glaciers, lakes, and mountain landscapes along the Icefield Parkway. N^ Maligne Lake Emerald Lake is easily reached from the Highway 1 in Yoho National Park. Yellow lady s slippers grow on the wet side of the lake. YOHO NATIONAL PARK My favorite area in the Canadian Rockies is Moraine Lake, south of Lake Louise. Check out the trails starting at Moraine Lake. KOOTENAY NATIONAL PARK Take the gondola and chair lifts to the top of Sunshine Meadows for some beautiful alpine landscapes near Banff. BRITISH COLUMBIA Radium Hot Springs National Parks of the Canadian Rockies One of the most scenic views in these parks is of Spirit Island on Maligne Lake. Take the tour boat to the island. BANFF NATIONAL PARK There are seven waterfalls in Johnston Canyon, on the Bow Valley Parkway. A suspended walkway takes you into the heart of the canyon for close-up views. Lake Louise to Idaho border BANFF CALGARY to Montana border With more wildlife, more vertical mountain landscapes, more waterfalls, more wild rivers, and more glaciers than you will find in the lower 48 states, the national parks of the Canadian Rockies are one of the most popular destinations of nature photographers from all over the world. There are enough easily-accessible scenic locations and wildlife that can be spotted everywhere along the park roads, that most visiting photographers will be busy with their cameras from sunrise until sunset. Medium and large-format photographers will find many spectacular compositions without packing heavy equipment on long hikes into the mountains. A two-hour hike away from most roads will take you up into the alpine environment of the mountain goats. A few hours in a rented canoe will take you and your camera across lakes where you can experience the solitude of nature. These parks are only a few hours drive from the U.S.-Canadian border. There you can travel to the edge of North America s last true wilderness.

4 issue 30 - page 4 Exploring the Banff area Banff was Canada s first national park, established when it was made accessible by building the Canadian Pacific Railway. The railroad brought tourists, and the hot springs in Banff were a good reason for building the first hotel on the site. The Banff Springs Hotel now has 578 rooms. A sister hotel on beautiful nearby Lake Louise brought in even more tourists. It started in 1890 as a rustic log cabin and has grown to a 515-room luxury hotel that has a multi-level parking garage. The Canadian National Railway followed a more northerly trans-canada route where they built the Jasper Lake Lodge on the shores of Beauvert Lake. Simplify your planning and do some research on the hotels, lodges, and inns in the parks. If you start this journey by flying into Calgary, it s only a 90-minute drive from Calgary to Banff, so you may not want to stay overnight in the town of Banff at all. There are several quiet bungalows in the woods along the Bow Valley Parkway, just a few miles north of Banff. I usually pick a motel or a campground farther north in the Lake Louise area for half the duration of my visit and then drive up to Jasper for the rest of my stay. There are several lodgings between Lake Louise and Jasper. You can easily do this entire trip and stay at only two locations. You may decide to pass through the tourist town of Banff. After several fruitless trips to the buffalo paddocks outside Banff, save your time and start with a drive up to Lake Minnewanka. Turn right at the first exit into Banff. It is almost guaranteed that you will find big horn sheep along the road between Lake Minnewanka and Johnson Lake, near Two Jack Campsite. Large herds of big horns will block the road as they lick the pavement in their continuous search for salt. You may see them eating the rust off fenders of old cars in the parking lot. In the spring and early summer, as they are losing their thick winter coats, they look tattered and disreputable. I place my camera bag on the front passenger seat and strap it down with the seatbelt. With the bag open and a 300mm telephoto on my Nikon, I am ready to grab it at any stop. After turning off Highway #1, the Trans-Canada Highway, into the town of Banff at the Mt. Norquay Rd. exit, watch for the side road to Vermilion Lakes. Three lakes are due west of town, stretched out for about four miles along the highway. These shallow lakes are connected by narrow streams and beaver ponds and surrounded by marshy meadows. If you are staying overnight in or near Banff, the roadside along the edge of Vermilion Lake is the best place in the area to wait and watch the sunrises and the sunsets. Every bit of color from the peak of Mount Rundle, to the southeast, reflects in the shallow lakes. This is one of the best places to spot beaver, Canada s national animal, and the largest rodent in the Canadian Rockies. Since they are nocturnal, you will probably spot them only at dusk and dawn. Cross the bridge over the Bow River in the town of Banff, turn right on Cave Avenue, and drive past the ball field. In the evening, elk graze on the grassy recreation grounds. This is an easy photo with a plain background, if you shoot away from the lights of town. Leaving Banff, you will have the choice of traveling north to Lake Louise on the faster Highway 1 or the more scenic Bow Valley Parkway. These two parallel routes between Banff and Lake Louise are separated by the Canadian Pacific tracks and the Bow River. Take the exit to the slower, more scenic route, starting about five miles north of the town of Banff. Along the Parkway, you are more likely to spot bear, elk, moose, deer, and coyote. You will see plenty of wild rose, the emblem of the Province of Alberta. The first part of the Bow Valley Parkway passes through an extensive aspen forest-. This route is very colorful in the autumn, from mid-tolate-september. There are a few places along the Parkway where you may see big horn sheep at mineral licks. You can usually spot the creatures along the road by watching for the traffic jams ahead. Wood ticks are common along many of the Bow Valley trails. They carry Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, which can be fatal. After a hike through the woods in the spring or early summer, check yourself, your pack, and your clothing carefully.

5 issue 30 - page 5 Exploring the Lake Louise area The highways, the railroad, the campground, most of the lodgings, and most of the services are located in the valley, three-and-a-half-miles east of Lake Louise at Lake Louise Village. The Banff National Park Visitor Center is next to the small shopping center in the Village. When visiting any park for the first time, I always check out the visitor center. This one is definitely worth a stop. Back in the horse and buggy days, a narrowgauge railway took guests up to the big hotel on the edge of the lake. Now, most of them seem to arrive in tour buses. The paved shoreline trail, in front of the hotel is lined with tourists all summer long. The best photographs of Lake Louise are made at sunrise, just as the first light of day strikes the rugged, snow-covered peaks of the Bow Range. While the surface of the lake is still in shadow, the reflections off the mountains are even more spectacular. Check the bulletin board at the Visitor Center for the exact time of sunrise. In summer the sun rises early, this far north. If you have a half-day or more to explore the area and are looking for a little solitude, follow the well-marked trail from the huge parking lot, around the front of the large hotel, to the far end of Lake Louise. Few visitors proceed much farther than the boat landing near the flat delta at the far western end of the lake. Here the trail starts to climb up to the Plain of Six Glaciers. It s two miles farther and a climb of about 800 feet to reach the teahouse perched on the edge of an avalanche path with a fantastic view of the Victoria Glacier. After lunch and a cold drink, continue up another half-mile of switchbacks to the very end of the trail where you can look down into the deep blue crevasses of the glacier below. Over twothousand feet of cliffs reach almost straight up above that overlook. From that cold and windy perch, I spotted a mountain goat making its way very slowly across what looked like a vertical wall of rock and ice. Take a warm jacket and wear solid hiking boots for this trek, although it is not much more strenuous than the hike to the teahouse at Lake Agnes, which is one of the most popular hikes in this park. Both destinations lie at about the same elevation on my topo map. After hiking both trails, I recommend the Plain of Six Glaciers. Moraine Lake About halfway up the paved road to Lake Louise, just before you reach the Paradise Bungalows, you will see a sign pointing out the left turn to Moraine Lake. This is my one of my favorite lakes in the Rockies, a great location for photography, and the place that I d recommend you stay for a few nights while you explore Banff National Park. Although the Moraine Lake Lodge has been rebuilt and modernized, it is small, quiet, and a wonderful place to unpack and relax while visiting the area. Along the road to Moraine Lake, there are several beautiful waterfalls and cascades that can be spotted. Watch for the paved pullouts that usually indicate that there is some reason to stop along the road. After shooting the falls or the cascade, look down the hill on the other side of the road. In the damp mossy places growing in the spray beneath culverts and drainage pipes on the downhill side of the road, you will often find some amazing mushrooms. These mountains may be wall-to-wall with wide-angle panoramic scenes, but you don t want to miss the tiny details. As you approach Moraine Lake, but just before you see it, you will spot a long, wide pull-off on the left side of the road. Stop and look out over the deep valley called the Valley of Ten Peaks. The stream down below is Moraine Creek, flowing from the lake. From this overlook is the best view of the Ten Peaks that make up the Wenkchemna Range. These peaks surround the deep valley holding Moraine Lake. Directly south, the forested line of Panorama Ridge drops into a hanging valley at the base of a vertical peak called Mount Babel. In this hanging valley, and out of sight, is Lower Consolation Lake. In early summer, snow still covers most of the peaks and the nine separate glaciers that rest high on sides of these mountains. Paradise Creek

6 issue 30 - page 6 Lower Consolation Lake The sides of the road, right at your feet, are usually covered with wildflowers from late June well into the month of July. Asters, yellow and white daisy, paint brush in all colors, and wild rose paint a colorful foreground across this very popular image. This scene can be found in most of the books, posters, calendars, and postcards illustrating the Canadian Rockies. It s another mile down the road to Moraine Lake where you will find the Lodge. At the edge of the big parking area, there is a good place to set up your tripod for a view of the lake from the top of a huge rock pile, the rockslide that long ago dammed up the valley and created this lake. The view from the shoreline trail is one of my favorites and is almost all the way to the far western end of the lake. From there, you have a much better view of the vertical walls of the glacier-capped peaks surrounding the lake. From either end of the lake, you will need mid-morning light for the best photography. Morning light is not only better than afternoon light on most of these scenes, but the afternoons are often overcast with rain clouds. Late in the morning, the skies begin filling with cumulous clouds that create patterns of shadows across the peaks. The shoreline trail to the far end of Moraine Lake is about a thirty-minute walk. Near the lodge, rent a red canoe and paddle over to the far side for a different view and a different photograph of Moraine Lake. Just beyond the canoe dock, there is a fork in the trail. The trail to the right leads up to Larch Valley, a great destination in the autumn. The larch is the only deciduous conifer. In the autumn, all its needles turn yellow and fall off. This enables the larch to conserve energy through the long months of winter at these elevations. The trail to Larch Valley is only about two miles, but it s a steep climb, up ten switchbacks about 1200 feet up from the lake. The view of the peaks of the Wenkchemna Range above all that yellow foliage is definitely worth the hike. Before making this hike, check with a ranger at the Visitor Center to make certain that you have not arrived too early or too late for the peak of the autumn color. My favorite hike in this area leads in the other direction, to the east of Moraine Lake. Lower Consolation Lake is reached from the same trail that also leads to the top of the pile of rocks at the eastern end of Moraine Lake. This two-mile trail crosses the stream that flows from Moraine Lake, along a rocky causeway and then starts up across a talus slope below Wenkchemna Peak. The trail is easy to follow as it starts up a long gradual slope through a sub-alpine forest. The forest floor is carpeted with soft light-green feather moss and, in the open areas you ll find a carpet of mountain heather with tiny white bell-shaped flowers. In the early summer, you ll find wild rose, dwarf dogwood, and the white pasque flower (that looks a bit like bear grass) along the trail. After forty-minutes of walking, you reach a hanging valley at the base of Mount Babel. Watch for bears on the wide meadows between the trail and the stream and this beautiful alpine lake that reflects several glacier-covered peaks in the distance to the south. Grizzly bears are fond of decaying meat. If you come across the well-ripened carcass of a deer, elk, or moose, along a trail, watch out for bears in the area. Their diet also includes cow parsnip, horsetails, various berries, avalanche lily bulbs, and the tender roots of most plants growing on high alpine meadows. On several of my hikes into the Skoki Valley area, northeast of Lake Louise, I have come upon fresh diggings in the shallow soil around the shorelines of alpine lakes.

7 issue 30 - page 7 These diggings are often so fresh that I m sure that more than once, a grizzly heard me coming and left the area. It s always a good idea to carry a bear bell tied to your pack if you don t want to surprise a grizzly along the trail. Photographers are often the first people out in the morning and the first on the trail to the lake to shoot the sunrise. This is fine unless you meet up with the first grizzly of the day. There are dozens of small lakes in the alpine terrain called the Skoki Valley. An easy all-day hike will give you time to explore several of these lakes. The trail starts at the Lake Louise Ski Area, on the east side of the valley. If you are going into the Skoki Valley, watch out for the bears. You are more likely to see a bear in these parks. When you spot one crossing the road you are driving, slow down and watch for the bear cubs that may soon follow the mother. Bears crossing a road are often followed by cubs. After entering the park at Radium Hot Springs on my most recent trip, I spotted a large black bear crossing the road along the Kootenay River. I pulled off the pavement and waited with a 300mm telephoto. It took several minutes of waiting, but two black cubs eventually followed their mother across the road. Black bears seem to inhabit the lower river valleys. The grizzlies are usually found in the higher meadows and on the avalanche paths. In the spring, grizzlies can be found searching for creatures like mountain goats, deer, or elk that lie buried under the melting snow of last winter s avalanches. They often have to settle for the tender young cow parsnips and avalanche lily bulbs. If you are climbing across avalanche paths, like the large one above Lower Consolation Lake, watch out for grizzlies. Follow the park and campground rules about food and don t leave food in your tent, and garbage or dirty dishes around your campsite. I ve had bears tear open my backpack to reach a stick of chewing gum they could smell. They can easily rip open a metal cooler in search of food. All campgrounds in the Canadian Rockies have bear-proof garbage receptacles. You can easily spot Mt. Bident and the four tips of Quadra Mountain. The trail ends a hundred yards from the lake at the edge of an huge field of lichen-covered boulders that have dropped from the vertical cliffs of Mt. Fay and Mt. Babel. To reach the edge of the lake, you have to scramble across an avalanche of stones. Take your time and avoid slipping, especially if your path is slick with rain. I ve photographed Lower Consolation Lake in the early morning and in the late afternoon. Morning light is best for this location. A 17-24mm wide-angle lens will be necessary to frame the whole lake, from the foreground of stones to the tops of the surrounding peaks. Work with your polarizing filter to darken the sky and enhance the clouds above. Don t eliminate their reflections in the surface of the lake. Allow three hours for this hike: one hour to reach the lake, one hour to scramble across the large boulders to the edge of the lake, and one hour to return with time to stop and photograph the cascades along Babel Creek. Boulder-scrambling can be very strenuous and you ll need both hands free for the task. Carry your camera in a backpack or a fanny pack for this hike, and carry your tripod on a shoulder strap. Yoho National Park Lake O Hara is regarded by many who know the Canadian Rockies well to be one of the most beautiful of all alpine lakes. It is located directly west of Lake Louise, on the other side of the same peaks ringing that lake in Yoho National Park. The number of visitors to Lake O Hara is controlled to reduce the impact on the fragile subalpine vegetation. Visitors must make advance reservations to stay at the campground or in the cabins or the lodge, and must ride into the area on their private bus. Yoho National Park is easy to reach from Lake Louise. Follow the Trans-Canada Highway west over the Kicking Horse Pass on the Continental Divide. This foot summit is also the Alberta/British Columbia line and the boundary between Banff and Yoho National Parks. About seven miles west of the pass, watch for the right turn to Takakkaw Falls. The road is now paved all the way to the bottom of the falls. Along the road you ll climb steep switchbacks up to a flat valley with a great view south to the jagged tops of the Cathedral Crags.

8 issue 30 - page 8 Takakkaw Falls You ll see them better on your way back down this road. A short trail from the parking lot at the falls leads to a bridge over the Yoho River and a trail that leads right up to the base of Takakkaw Falls. Leave the trail and move closer to the edge of the stream for a better foreground in your photograph. Move up too close to the falls and you ll get soaked. Takakkaw Falls drops in several cascades that, combined, fall 833 feet to make this waterfall the third highest in Canada. First is Della Falls on Vancouver Island, and second highest is Hunlen Falls in Tweedsmuir Park, British Columbia. All the water dropping over Takakkaw Falls flows from a small glacial pond at the base of the huge Waputik Icefield hidden over the crest of the mountains above. Back on Highway #1, drive west about five miles, just past the town of Field. Turn right on the road to Emerald Lake. About a half-mile down this road is the Natural Bridge. The Kicking Horse River has worn a hole through the weak shale and, instead of dropping over as a waterfall, it pours through a hole in the more solid rock. An interesting subject if you can find a good composition. On my last trip, I spent more time photographing the moose I spotted at the nearby mineral lick. Icefields Parkway A few miles north of Lake Louise, Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway and the Canadian Pacific railroad tracks both curve westward across the Kicking Horse Pass into Yoho National Park. The road to Jasper continues to climb northward and is called the Icefields Parkway. The mountains along that route also start to climb. If you are starting this trip in the early morning after spending the night at Lake Louise, make your first stop at the edge of Herbert Lake, about two minutes up the Parkway. Make your way down to the edge of this small lake and watch the first light of the rising sun reflecting from the top of Mount Temple. This is the best time of day and one of the best places to spot wildlife along this route. The terrain north of Herbert Lake gets vertical along the Parkway. Watch for the sign pointing out the road up to the Peyto (PEE-toe) Lake Overlook at Bow Summit. After a short, but fairly strenuous, walk up from the parking lot, you will be standing a thousand feet above a glacier-fed, blue-green lake. The panoramic view is breathtaking. The blue-green color is caused by the finely ground rock deposited by streams flowing from a glacier up the valley, to the west. Off in the distance, to the right, is the Mistaya Valley. This location is perfect for a panoramic camera. A very wide-angle lens, in the 17-20mm range, will frame the lake. There is a loop trail leading farther up the mountain, but you will find the best view for a photograph of Peyto Lake right there on the overlook platform. Some of the most spectacular alpine scenery in North America is found along the route between Peyto Lake and the Columbia Icefields. Although you can easily drive from Lake Louise to Jasper in three hours, allow at least one whole day for the 144- mile trip. All along the Icefields Parkway, you will be able to photograph reflections of glacier-capped peaks reflecting in icy blue lakes and wild waterfalls cascading down thousand-foot cliffs. You will probably spot mountain goats, elk, bears, and moose from the highway. Take advantage of the many marked scenic pulloffs to stop, explore, and photograph. Watch for the marked trailheads and take the time to walk the trails to the scenic overlooks and the hidden lakes. Most visitors pass through this part of the Canadian Rockies too quickly and try to drive the Icefields Parkway in one day. There are places to stop and spend the night at several lodgings and a dozen campgrounds along the way. Driving north, keep an eye on the shores of upper and lower Waterfowl Lakes for wildlife. This is moose country. A couple miles north of Waterfowl Campground watch for the sign to Mistaya Canyon. Stop at the trail leading down an old roadbed to a bridge over the waterfalls.

9 issue 30 - page 9 Walking back from the falls, I spotted a small black bear eating buffalo berries along the trail. It is easy to tell the difference between grizzlies and black bears. Black bears are more often seen in these lower river valleys. Mistaya is an Indian word for grizzly bear. They are usually found in the higher mountains. Two miles north of the Mistaya Canyon Trail is the bridge over the North Saskatchewan River. For years, crossing this river was difficult and dangerous, until this bridge was built in the late 30s. This spot is still called The Crossing. The nearby Crossing Resort is a good place to stop for gas. Many waterfalls drop into the valley where the Alexandra River and the North Saskatchewan River meet. This area is called the Weeping Wall on my map. Small cascades drop from melting snowfields in the Cirrus Mountains above the valley. A few miles farther north, this valley widens where the Icefields Parkway crosses Nigel Creek, makes a wide, sweeping turn and climbs steeply up Parker Ridge. Stop at the bridge to photograph the cascades of Nigel Creek and stop again about half-way up Parker Ridge for a great view back toward the south. The curved slopes of the deep, U-shaped glacial valley are part of the Castle Mountain Syncline, which runs for miles through both Banff and Jasper National Parks. From this overlook, you can see the snowfields on the Cirrus Mountains. At the top of this long grade up Parker Ridge are several ponds where I ve seen moose every time I ve made this drive. Watch for moose in the willows growing in the shallows around ponds. During the winter they usually stick to the lower river valleys. In the summer, they can be found higher up the slopes of avalanche paths, grazing on willow and alder bushes. You may also find moose in the early morning and the late evening around the mineral licks near the Natural Bridge turn-off on the road to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. Approach them cautiously, as a female with young can be every bit as dangerous as a bull moose. Just beyond the ponds, on the other side of the highway, you will see the trailhead for the Parker Ridge Trail. It s a two-hour hike, so allow a half-day for this moderately strenuous trek to the viewpoint above Saskatchewan Glacier, one of the most spectacular views along the entire Parkway. You might want to add an extra day to your itinerary just for this hike. It can be cold and windy at the crest, so take a heavy parka and wear solid hiking boots. You may see mountain goats in their natural environment on rocky slopes where stunted alpine wildflowers grow low to the ground. Look up to the top of the ridge from the parking lot and pick out the trail winding up the mountain. On my last trip, I lightened my load by taking only one camera body and three lenses in a waist pack. It was much lighter than carrying my whole backpack. Back on the Parkway, just a few miles north of the Sunwapta Pass, where you leave Banff and enter Jasper National Park, you reach the Columbia Icefield. Most of the Columbia Icefield, the largest sheet of glacial ice in North America, is completely hidden from view behind the peaks to the west. From the Parkway, you can see the Athabaska Glacier curving down a wide valley on the north side of Mount Athabaska. As big as they are, these glaciers make up a tiny fraction of the Columbia Icefield. Make the left turn off the Parkway and drive down to the foot of the glacier. Follow the trail from the parking lot leading up onto the glacier where you can actually stand on the ice. This glacier is slowly retreating up the valley as it melts. At the visitor center across the highway, sign up for the Snocoach tour of the glacier. Ride out onto the glacier in an all-terrain vehicle. More waterfalls are along the Icefields Parkway a few miles north of Athabaska Glacier. Tangle Creek is one of my favorite waterfall locations. The creek spreads out across cliffs and drops in a veil of spray and small cascades, down to the edge of the road. I prefer to explore these unexpected spots along my route and avoid the more popular tourist stops like Sunwapta Falls. When I spot a dozen tour buses in the parking lot, I usually keep going. At the top of a long grade, about ten miles north of Sunwapta Falls, there is a large paved pulloff when you can safely stop to photograph the goats. The goats gather here to eat the clay soil on the hillside across the highway. When I stopped to photograph a herd of at least forty mountain goats licking the roadsides, they ignored me and other photographers as they went about their business.

10 issue 30 - page 10 Mountain goats - mother and kid The males were challenging each other for the best spots. The females were busy keeping their kids from wandering off. A dog in a passing car saw the goats, stuck its head out the car s open window and let out a wolf-like howl. The entire herd of goats took off, straight up the hill. Not a true goat, these creatures are more closely related to the mountain antelopes of Asia. It is estimated that there are almost a thousand mountain goats in Banff National Park. The mountain goat has a thick off-white or cream-colored coat. Their heavy winter coat is shed in the spring. By summer they can appear very ragged. Both sexes have thin black horns that curve rearward. The female s horns rise upward for two-thirds of their length and then curve backward. The male s horns curve backward in one continuous arch. You can spot the females as they herd their young along. Their kids are born in June and stay with the mothers for one year. In the high mountain environments, where they spend most of their lives, mountain goats are shy and difficult to approach. In the summer, the goats come down from their alpine habitat in search of a supplement to their diets. Along the Icefields Parkway, you can spot large herds that have come down from Mount Kerkeslin to lick the mineral-rich clay and gravel along the roadside. Elk are usually spotted along the wide, grassy edges of the Parkway. Pull over as far as possible and turn on your emergency flashers before stopping. The tour buses speeding up and down this highway are a definite hazard. Without even walking across the road, you can easily fill your viewfinder with an elk, using a 300mm lens. When you are on foot, always approach the wildlife slowly. Never cause a creature to move away or change its path because of you. You are probably causing it some stress by just being there. Athabaska Falls is only a few miles further north. When you reach Athabaska Falls, you may prefer to continue the trip north on the more scenic alternate Highway 93A. It s not much farther to Jasper. Keep a watch out for mountain caribou. The herds are small and not often seen. You may spot a small group in the Sunwapta Valley in the summer. They eat tree-lichens found in old-growth forests as well as lichens found on rocks. Their food supply is not plentiful and these few remaining herds are vulnerable to extinction. Exploring the Jasper area Jasper is a convenient place to stay several more days while you explore the northern end of the Icefields Parkway and the Maligne area. Jasper National Park is larger than Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay National Parks combined. So plan to stay a while. There are plenty of lodging choices in the town. The three-mile Patricia Lake Loop Trail skirts the shore of the lake where you will spot deer, moose, elk, and beaver. Get out there in the early morning for the best chance of spotting the wildlife. This far north, the sky stays light much later than you are probably used to. In the summer, you can walk the lake trail without a flashlight as late as 10:30 pm. Southeast of Jasper, you ll find more beautiful scenery and many more subjects for your camera in the Maligne Valley. Follow your map and the road signs to Maligne Canyon, where the river has carved a 150-foot-deep vertical-walled slot canyon in the limestone mountains. The trail drops down closer to the water where it is easier to photograph the cascades and the potholes in the limestone. The white cascades in the deeper and darker sections are too contrasty and too hard to photograph on a sunny day. Moss-covered crevices in the canyon walls drip with rain and spray from the falls. You ll need a tripod and a 20mm lens for the overall views, plus a telephoto for the small details

11 issue 30 - page 11 farther downstream. Pack a macro lens. You ll find plenty of mushrooms in these woods. It s a forty-five-minute walk from the upper parking area to the fifth bridge that crosses the canyon. Allow at least two hours for photography along the way. If you are traveling with someone who doesn t want to walk all that distance, they can walk back to your car and drive down to the fifth bridge, meet you there, and save you the long uphill walk back upstream. There are signs that mark all the bridges. I have seen more black bears in the Maligne Valley area than anywhere else in these parks. Drive the road to Maligne slowly and watch the edge of the forest. You may spot cars stopped ahead where some wildlife has been spotted. Harlequin ducks return each spring to the Maligne Valley, where they nest and breed along the fast-flowing clean rivers. These colorful birds winter along the west coast and return to the Canadian Rockies in early May. It was feared that river rafting activities along the Maligne River were reducing the population of this species. River activities along the river from Maligne Lake to Medicine Lake are now banned from May 1st to July 1st. After July 1st, the river rafters return. Stand on one of the bridges over the Maligne River for an action shot, looking straight down on rafters screaming down the white water. You will see why they frighten the ducks. The water level of Medicine Lake fluctuates drastically. In the early spring, the lake fills to overflowing. By late summer, the lake is almost empty. In the autumn, a few narrow streams cross the muddy lake bottom. The lake bottom has been eroded into a network of limestone caves and channels that drain into the Maligne River. The lake has no visible outlet. You can often spot animals crossing the empty lake bottom in the autumn. Everyone has seen the photograph of the small wooded island on a mountain lake surrounded with snow-capped peaks. That is Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, about twelve miles south of Medicine Lake. There are no lodgings and no campgrounds near Lake Maligne. There are no roads around the lake. To reach Spirit Island, sign up for the boat tour. The first boat leaves at 10 in the morning and the last boat of the day leaves at 5 pm. For the best light, plan to take the last boat. When the boat reaches the dock at the narrows, about 2/3 of the way to the end of the lake, get off and make the short walk to the viewpoint at the end of the trail. You will be given just enough time to set up your tripod, and make several exposures before they blow the whistle for everyone to reboard for the return voyage. The nearest campground is about two miles south of Jasper. Arrive and select a room or a campsite early in the day. Everything fills quickly on a busy summer weekend. Whistlers Campground has over 700 campsites but they can all fill early in mid-summer. While I was writing this in Whistlers Campground, near Jasper, a herd of elk were grazing their way through the woods around my campground, not more than ten feet from me. A single male was watching the heard of several dozen females and their young. Every so often a squeal was sounded and they moved off in a different direction. The young have light spots on their sides. By resting my camera and telephoto lens on the edge of the picnic table, I was able to get a good selection of images before my fellow campers noticed the elk and charged in with their video cameras. Elk are the most visible wildlife in these parks, especially along the roadsides. A single elk or a whole herd can stop traffic anywhere by their presence. After a week or two of photographing every one you encounter, you may become more selective and stop only for the bull elk with the largest racks Pick up an Altitude SuperGuide on the Canadian Rockies, as well as topo maps of the areas you will visit. The habits and movements of some creatures are fairly predictable and they can often be found in the same places, year after year. Others move constantly in search of food. It is partly luck and partly skill, but with some knowledge of where to start looking, and a sharp eye, a photographer with patience can capture some incredible wildlife images in the Canadian Rockies. Have a great trip and send me a postcard!

12 NATIONAL PARKS Internet Resources Kootenay National Park: Jasper National Park: Yoho National Park: Banff National Park: RV and MOTORHOME RENTALS Cruise Canada: CanaDream: Canada RV Rentals: WEATHER CONDITIONS My life-long career in photography began at San Jose State University in After college, I enlisted in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, serving as a photographer and darkroom technician. In Germany, my skills and experience with equipment and lab work were developed and polished. I took the opportunity to photograph the beauty of nature in the Black Forest. Returning to California in 1965, I produced industrial and military training films for Raytheon Electronics and began showing my color nature prints. From 1969 through 1981, my photography was exhibited and sold in West Coast galleries. During the early 1980 s, I taught color darkroom workshops, then expanded to include field trips. Former customers, who had purchased my framed photographs, wanted to learn photography. My Pacific Image Photography Workshops offered adventures to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest deserts, national parks, Hawaii, New England, Canada, England, and the South Pacific. The workshops evolved into writing and sharing my adventures with others. Photograph America Newsletter provides information on where, when, and how to discover the best nature photography in North America. The Canadian Rockies Weather: The Weather Channel: SPECIALTY CLOTHING CAMERA EQUIPMENT Photograph America Newsletter is published quarterly (four issues/year) by Robert Hitchman assisted by technical associate/wife, Katherine Post Office Box 86, Novato, CA All contents of this newsletter copyright Robert Hitchman Please don t make copies for your friends. This is a violation of Federal copyright laws. This newsletter survives on subscriptions.

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