Rocky Mountain Road Trip: Part 6

Did you read Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 4 and Part 5 of our adventure?

Day 9: DRIVE  Icefields Parkway and Jasper National Park

This was a (very) scenic driving day north about 3.5 hours along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper town in Jasper National Park, and then returning the same route back to Johnston Canyon for our last night at that location.

 
The Icefields Parkway drive met and surpassed all heightened expectations we had of it.


I don't know if there are any other roads on earth that get you to this extreme closeness with monstrous mountains and glaciers. It was breathtaking.

 
The drive was LONG. Really LONG. The kids were troopers and Kya especially loved the  free Canada National Parks "Xplorers" children's activity books for each park, so that was extra fun for her in the car.



By comparison, Gavin asked for many pit-stops and rests along the way.

 
The Columbia Glacier was the most accessible glacier along the drive, so we stretched our legs and hiked up close to the ice. It was very chilly and snowing!



 




We finally made it to Jasper town, where we had lunch and shopped at downtown local stores.


Jasper Brewing was a hit!
The noisy restaurant with quite a few other rambunctious kids made us feel right at home. And the food was excellent too.

Those nachos!

 
While in Jasper National Park, we did a short Maligne Canyon hike that was crazy unusual with many canyon bridge crossings. There were far too many people and too much cement for my liking, but it was still a great stop en-route.

Back at Johnston Canyon after our long day of driving, the kids relaxed with their favorite past-time: throwing stuff in the creek.
 
Their pile of "supplies" for throwing.