The full range of the Rocky Mountains (Rockies) stretches from northern British Columbia to New Mexico. The Glacier National Park in Montana splits the Canadian Rockies from the U.S. Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are a result of the collision between the North American plate and a microcontinent (which consist of mostly British Columbia, Yukon and Alaska) around 120 million years ago.
The Canadian Rockies are mostly made up of shale and limestone, which easily eroded into steep cliffs that made them difficult to access, as opposed to the U.S. Rockies. The Canadian Rockies are further compounded by it's heavy glaciation in the past, further causing it to have steep walls. As a result, the area like the Bugaboos is well known for rock climbing due to it's steep granite rock faces.
The Canadian Rockies holds another kind of treasure - fossils dating back to 500 million years ago. In the Burgess Shale located inside Yoho National Park, one can witness first hand the fossils of complex life-forms dating from the Cambrian period. If one could build a time-machine and travel back to this period, this part of the world would be the floor under the ocean. The Cambrian explosion was marked by an interval of time approximately 538 million years ago when all major animal phyla started appearing in the fossil record. If you would to look up at the night sky facing north, Polaris won't be there. Not even the seven stars that makes up the constellation Orion. Earth looks like an alien world, more like a watery Mars than the Earth we know today. What made the conditions so conducive for this biological event to occur?
Note: For scale, if 192 cm represents the age of Earth at 4.6 billion years, then the explosion of life only occurred in the last 22 cm. Hominids arrived in the last 0.25 cm and the last 5 mass extinctions occurred between centimeters 3 to 19. I guess we can say that we are very lucky thus far!
The most famous site at Burgess Shale is the discovery of over 100,000 fossils in Walcott Quarry back in 1909. Many of these specimens can be viewed at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington D.C.
The city of Calgary sits to the east of the Canadian Rockies and west of the Canadian plains. It is the largest city in the province of Alberta and fourth largest in Canada. In 2022, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) ranked Calgary as the third most livable city in the world, sharing the same spot with Zurich. Calgary has the largest number of millionaires and the second highest median income in Canada. It is also the gateway to four National Parks - Banff, Yoho, Glacier, and Jasper.
Historically, Calgary was established via farming and cattle raising. This led to it being known as Cow-Town, and is currently host to the largest gathering of cowboys (Stampede) in all of North America; even out-doing Texas. Subsequently, what made Calgary the modern metropolis of today is its oil industry.
Day 1 - Arrival At Calgary & Driving On Icefields Parkway - Most Scenic Drive In The World!
Our flight left Kona on time at 8:33pm. It was a clear night with the moon and stars out in full force.
The flight was serviced by a Delta A321Neo with its fancy lighting on the inside!
We can’t believe that the India airline called IndiGo has recently purchased 500 units of these! The seats were a bit cramp but with lots of space to store stuff. Since the flight was a red-eye, food selection was a bit sparse with box dinners. We tried the Chicken Salad and the Turkey sandwich.
The flight to Calgary over the Rockies was spectacular. It was a jaw-dropping experience to see the many majestic peaks protruding above the clouds.
Once we landed, we got our rental car, and made a beeline to a Malaysian cafe serving some local Malaysian / Singaporean / Indonesian fare. The food was not as good as we expected but nonetheless it made our tummies happy!
Our main agenda for the rest of the day was to drive the world's famous Icefields Parkway which meanders through the Canadian Rockies. Indeed it does live up to its namesake and we were in awe the entire journey. The steepness of the mountains provided unrivaled views; while the drive was slow due to the many camper vans along the way - living the Canadian Dream!
We finally made it to the quaint town of Jasper after driving for approximately 4 hours. Jasper is at the confluence of trains, buses, and roads; born from its early humble beginnings as a fur trading post. It is nestled at the base of several mountain peaks incuding Mount Cairngorm and Pyramid Mountain. We even had mountain views from our motor lodge!
This concluded our first day's adventure in Alberta while we fell asleep as soon as we checked into our accomodation for the night. Can't wait what awaits for us tomorrow!
Day 2 - Jasper To Golden
It was a cold and dreary morning on our second day here. We had a quick breakfast at the motel and checked out. We drove through Jasper and made our first stop at Patricia Lake before heading on to Pyramid Lake. The views across the lakes with Mount Pyramid looming behind was majestic. Too bad for the rain and cloud to obscure the views further.
Our second stop on the way to Golden was the Athabasca Glacier, located off the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93). The hike to the toe of the glacier was relatively easy, and it allowed us to get a nice time stretching after a long drive. It wasn't as crowded but there were still a good number of folks on the ice.
Along the way to Golden, we stopped on several occasions to take some photos and take in the views of both Banff and Yoho national parks. The further south we drove, the weather started to clear and soon the sun was out in full force. We stopped at the weeping wall and couldn't help but take in the sights.
We stopped at the Yoho National Park visitor center in Field. It was an interesting stop, as the center had on display the various attractions in the area. This included the various animals, the train tunnels, and the famous Burgess Shale fossils.
As we neared Golden, we stopped for a late lunch at a Japanese restaurant. Its one of two in this town. The salad was really good, though the ramen left something to be desired...
We proceeded to Kicking Horse and checked into a ski lodge. The views up here are amazing and the best part is that it is off-season and therefore, it was quiet and peaceful.
We capped off the day with dinner from Eleven 22, an interesting restaurant that is set up in a house and serves a profusion of cuisines. We ordered the Nasi Goreng, Chicken Cashew Curry and Caeser Salad. The Nasi Goreng is not the traditional Nasi Goreng ala Indonesia nor Malaysia but its the chef's own interpretation. It turned out to be very tasty. Uncle Roger might not approve of it but I certainly do!
Day 3 - Golden To Canmore
We hit the road at sunrise and we drove west to check out Rogers Pass. At this elevation, the temperature was quite cold at slightly over 40 F. The pass is a historical site where east and west Canada was first connected. The views up here was amazing - with Rogers Peak looming tall and the glaciers surrounding the many peaks.
Looking further west, we could see the many glaciers of the park.
From here, we backtracked east and headed to Banff. Luckily for us the tourists were not yet out in full force. We even manage to get the classic shot of the main street.
We had lunch at Peak Cafe which was located just off the main walking street in the middle of Banf. The food here was Vietnamese but it tasted more like Chinese food instead! Its definitely not authentic...
To burn off some calories we had accumulated over the days, we hiked up Tunnel Mountain, a rock cropping that stood above Banff. The hike took us a solid hour.
See this video for Tunnel Mountain hike.
This is a perfect spot to see into the town of Banff and it's surrounding mountains. The trail was quite busy, with local families and tourists making their way up to the peak.
Banff was pretty busy, with many tour buses coming in and out dropping and picking tourists off and on. Banff is very reminiscent to Queenstown in New Zealand. You can feel the adventurer and outdoor spirit the minute you enter the town square.
Later, we checked into our cedar cabin just outside Canmore in Dead Man's Flats. The cabins are nestled on the hillside of Mount Pigeon and you can see Wind Tower, and the Three Sisters. It is incredibly peaceful with mountains every which way you look.
In Canmore, we found that there were many Japanese restaurants; so we had to try one. We picked a small restaurant located in the downtown area. To our surprise it was incredibly popular. Ramen Arashi's food was excellent. I couldn't have asked for a better Original Tonkatsu Ramen. It was cooked to perfection with great taste of umame. We also had their Chicken Karaage, and Tofu Salad - both just as good! A great way to end the day!
Day 4 - Hiking Wind Ridge Trail
It started out as a pretty wet day, as the clouds moved in and the rains poured over Banff and Canmore. We decided to try the other Vietnamese restaurant in Banff. It was also located on the main drag, and we discovered that we really cannot rely on the Google ratings for these Asian eateries. To our disappointment, it was another Chinese food restaurant disguised as a Vietnamese restaurant! The Beef & Meatball Pho was missing the meat and the meatballs were quartered to make it look like more. The price was also very expensive. Never again!
We took a drive up Mount Norquay to see what was going on at the top. They had their chair lift running, and the slopes looked pretty green. There is a Via Feratta here which we should come back on a clear day to try.
As soon as the weather cleared, we made our way back to our lodge to do the Wind Ridge Trail. See the video for the hike here.
By the end of the hike we were aching all over! I guess it will be a rest day tomorrow.
Day 5 - Calgary
Its day five and we are finally in Calgary! It was a speedy drive from Dead Man's Flat, as the scenery changed from the towering peaks to the flat plains. Here the sky is very big and the grass seems to go on forever. Then the grass became the suburbs and we knew we were in Calgary. Since we were very hungry, we then decided to get some Vietnamese food off International Avenue in Forest Lawn - Forest Heights. There were many restaurants to choose from as there was one on every block! In the end we picked one called New World Vietnamese Restaurant. It was way better than the ones out in Banff.
Having had our fill, we then set out to drive around Calgary's downtown. It was much bigger than we expected. We got to stop under the Calgary Tower and to capture a few of the interesting buildings.
Having roamed the city by car, we then checked into our townhome in Capital Hill. This was a suburb on the north side of Calgary with good access to many shops eateries within walking distance. Once checked in we then picked up some dinner at the Hurry Curry food court Indian restaurant. The food turned out to be surprisingly good, as they even had a tandoori oven.
After our hefty meal, we decided to go for a walk at the Tom Campbell's Hill Nature Park. Here we had a great sunset view of the city. A great way to end our first day in Calgary!
Day 6 - Relaxing in Calgary
We started the day slow this time, opting to sleep in a little. I think age must be catching up with us as its taking longer to recover from the long up hill hike to Wind Ridge. Having said that, our digs in Calgary is really comfortable and therefore, much more inviting to stay in to just relax.
But soon our tummies started to call. So we set out across north Calgary to eat at Mamak Dang - a Malaysian/Japanese fusion restaurant. Its location is a bit suspect as it is sandwiched in an area that boasts mostly car repair and tire stores(!) I guess its for the cheaper rent.
There were previously at least 3 to 5 Malaysian restaurants in Calgary but it is now down to just two; and even then the two are not pure Malaysian but a mix or fusion of other foods. Its sad to see as many could not survive the Covid 19 lockdowns. This store is run by Alvin - who is actually a Japanese Chef. He is originally from Malaysia, and therefore, knows the Malaysian recipes. The ratings for the Malaysian curries, roti and nasi lemak are pretty high. So we decided to give it a try. We ordered the Yuk Sui Kon Lou Mee, and Nasi Lemak Beef. It turned out that the Kon Lou Mee is not at all like the Malaysian version - but is more Japanese like. But the Nasi Lemak Beef was really good. I think we will be back to try their roti and other curry dishes!
For the rest of the day we did a little shopping by visiting MEC - the Canadian version of REI. Here I found the Salomon hiking shoes were incredibly cheaper especially due to the strong American dollar. We then paid a visit to Prince's Island Park by walking down the Bow River Pathway Bridge, and then west along the south banks to the Peace Bridge.
Unfortunately, the Peace Bridge railings were under repair and so there was a lot of construction on the bridge itself.
Nonetheless, the walk was brisk as we worked up a sweat to burn off some calories. At the end of our walk we chose to head up the stairs to Crescent Heights Lookout Point located in the McHugh Bluff Park. There was a nice view of the downtown buildings standing up against the Bow River from here. The stairs is a great way to get a workout, as it consists of many steps straight up the bluff. We could see several folks doing the stairs multiple times as part of their workout!
Today was in the end an easy day. We learned that all parking in Calgary downtown and in the immediate residential areas are always paid parking; so one will always need to carry some coins. There is a parking app, but it works by stored value, which means that no matter what you have to buy at least CDN$25 each time. Since we didn't really know how much street parking we would be doing, we opted to use coins instead. Beware of the credit card purchase at the parking machines as we were told that those don't work very well either.
We can definitely see why Calgary is voted one of the top ten places to stay. The middle class is strong here, and there is much to do in terms of the great outdoors. We also noticed that the city inhabitants are pretty diverse. Everywhere we went it seemed like a real mix of everybody; with many minorities outnumbering their Caucasian counterparts.
Day 7 - Hibernation Day. Zzzzz.
Today there was a heatwave warning as temperatures in Calgary exceeded 80F.
Although by Hawaiian standards, this isn't very hot, it seems that the UV combined with no clouds and no breeze can lead to a heat stroke. Regardless, we drove around town to the north to visit the Calgary Olympic Park. In the summer, it is turned into a mountain biking haven with many summer programs for the kids. The main ski jumps stood out against the skyline, looking like attacking Martians from some sci-fi movie.
Then by the late afternoon clouds form, and it becomes a lightning show! Big rain droplets reminiscent of Malaysian monsoon rain, pelted the car giving it a well deserved wash.
Although there was some lightning in Calgary it was mostly south of us in Montana or north near Edmonton.
We enjoyed the rest of the day just relaxing at the house while enjoying the pretty authentic Indian and Malaysian food!
Day 8 - Flight Over Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park & A Visit to Sulphur Mountain
We drove to Stoney Nakoda to catch a 45 min helicopter flight around Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park. This helicopter tour is managed by Alpine Helicopters.
We flew towards Mt. Assiniboine, flying above the rugged Canadian Rockies with its many peaks, blue lakes and glaciers. We even flew by Wind Ridge at Dead Man's Flat, the ridge that we hiked few days ago. This time we had a clear view of Mt. Assiniboine and its glaciers.
The video of the ride can be viewed here.
Once we landed, we made a quick drive back to Banff National Park to catch the Banff Gondola up to Sulphur Mountain. The place was packed with people, though we were told that it can get even busier. Once we got to the top, we did a short hike along the ridge of Sulphur Mountain.
It was a very pleasant hike, away from the crowd. There are a few false peaks before the actual summit. Most part of the ridge involves scrambling over steep rock faces with steep drop-offs. Not recommended for those with a fear of heights!
Day 9 - Great Curry Laksa, Views, and a Little Bit of History
We started the day in a lazy way as we waited for 11am to roll by so that we could go grab some Malaysian food. We tried the Fish Ball Curry Laksa and Chicken Satay from Banana Leaf Tropical Restaurant. This is a Malaysian Taiwanese restaurant just south of the airport. The food here is pretty authentic for the laksa and the satay sauce was as oily as it gets! We also tried the Ais Batu Kacang (ABC) from another nearby Malaysian restaurant called Mamak Dang. Its not exactly like the Malaysian version as the ice is coarse, and it is missing the "gula melaka" (brown sugar made from coconut palm) and cendol (green rice short noodle like sweet). Regardless, it was good for a hot day in Calgary.
We then drove around town taking in more of the sights. It would seem that because Calgary is on a great plain, that the downtown city center is the view to take in. Otherwise, its just blue skies and flat suburban greenery. This time we went to a vantage point on Scotsman's Hill over the arenas of Saddledome, Convention Center, Event Center, and Stadium. This is where the Calgary Stampede is held each year. This time it runs from July 7th through July 16th. It is the largest annual rodeo, exhibition and festival celebrating ranching in North America. At this time preparations were in full swing. It is also where the Canada Day firework will be fired from. So this would be one of the prime locations to see the fireworks.
The Saddledome is a sight to see, as is the new convention center. It makes for a great photograph against the Calgary downtown skyline. It is also complemented with the greenery along Elbow River, one of the tributaries of the Bow River. On the bluff there is a nice neighborhood of Ramsay, where the older homes are giving way to newly built multi-million dollar replacements. These house have a great view.
After scouting out Scotsman's Hill we then went to Fort Calgary to see what was behind the history of this place. Apparently it is the site of the first fort built by the North Western Mounted Police (NWMP). They first met the local natives here and were granted access to build the fort here by the nations who used this place as a gathering place. It is also a place to recognize Treaty 7 that was signed in September 1877 between the Crown and the 5 First Nations. This treaty was 7 of 11 that were made with the Crown. The First Nations sought the protection of their lands and their culture in exchange for access to build the train line. They felt that they could trust the Crown, since the Mounties of Canada were already protecting them from the influx of Americans.
Within the grounds, a few historical wooden buildings remain. In the grassy field, next to the fort, is the statue of Colonel James MacLeod of the North West Mounted Police. It is surrounded by First Nations expressions of history with an eye on the future.
There were preparations for Canada Day celebrations, and this space was to host the indigenous events. Its a great contrast to see the old with the new, as there were teepees lined up against the downtown skyline.
There were also several art installations in the area made of wood. At first glance it looked like someone put up housing frames without the walls. Then on closer inspection, one can then see the outlines of faces carved into the profile of each piece. An interesting perspective.
Overall, Fort Calgary is in interesting place that highlights the old and the new together. During Canada Day, it will be filled with people and a great pow wow!
Day 10 - Happy Canada Day!
Today we set out to Kootenay National Park to hike the Stanley Glacier Trail. The traffic along Highway 1 was slow going. Seemed like everyone was leaving Calgary going west to visit the parks. After a 2 hour drive, we finally arrived just after 2 p.m. and found ample parking spots at the trailhead. We immediately started our hike, and were met with incredible views from the onset.
According to AllTrails, this is quite a popular hike among locals. We did come across quite a few hikers on their way out such that by the time we got to the base of the glacier, we had the entire place to ourselves. The hike was quite strenuous, especially on the incline past the unmaintained section. The loose scree didn't help either. However, we were rewarded with incredible views from the top of the trail.
On the way down we could see the trail we took up and we also caught a rock slide on video. Thankfully no one was on the slope when that happened! We also did two stream crossings and were cooled by the mists from the waterfalls.
This will definitely go down as one of the best hikes we've done thus far. Take a look at the video of the hike here.
Day 11 - Flight Over the Bugaboos
We woke up early today as we had a long drive to Golden to catch a chartered flight to the Bugaboo Provincial Park. Traffic was very light and we made it there in less time than we had planned. The flight was operated by Whitetooth Helicopters.
Since this was a chartered flight it consisted of 3 landings - on an alpine tarn, a meadow next to the Bugaboo spires and finally, a glacier.
The video of the flight can be viewed here. As we flew towards the Bugaboos, we could see three distinct mountain ranges - the Monashee Mountain to the west, the Purcell Range of which the Bugaboos are part of, and the Rockies to the east.
All three are geologically different, in the the mountain ranges to the west being older than those to the east, and that the Purcell Range has pure granite faces, while the Rockies being the youngest is made of resistant beds of folded and faulted sedimentary strata. This is why Bugaboos is a rock climber's heaven.
Upon take off we flew towards the Howser Towers and then round Hound's Tooth to see Snow Patch and Crescent Spire. Here we also caught a glimpse of Kain Hut and Appleby Dome Campground. Encircled here is the Kain Hut overlooking the Bugaboo Creek Forest Road.
Encircled here is the Appleby Dome Campground site above Kain Hut (not in picture) with Snow Patch and Crescent Spire.
Our next stop was at an unnamed glacier with a nice alpine lake at its base. Here we could see the top of the indentation that marked the prior height and depth of the ice. So much had melted that there is now a thriving meadow with wild flowers.
Soon we made our way back to Golden. It was a once in a lifetime trip that definitely makes one to want a helicopter! Imagine all the places one could visit...
Day 12 - Relaxing, Packing, and Reflecting
Our final full day in Calgary, had us mooching around the house relaxing and packing. We did some cooking, ate our leftovers, and generally just hanged out. This house was definitely very comfortable. By late afternoon we decided to get some shopping done as we visited Atmosphere and MEC to see if they had our hiking shoes. As it turned out the Salomon shoes here are cheaper than in the USA; helped especially by the favorable exchange rate. We then took a drive south and stopped at our favorite drive through Starbucks for their Dragon Fruit Mango Lemonade refresher.
We then drove back into downtown and through the small Chinatown along the banks of the Bow River between Center Street and 4th Ave SE.
Venturing further into downtown to admired the architecture of the Bow, Studio Bell, and the mini parks in the area.
It was then time to reprise our visit to Kinjo Sushi, for more Magic Steak, Salmon Sushi and their famous crispy garlic or regular chicken. By then it started to rain.
The weather in Calgary is amazing, it can be super sunny and hot, then chilly cold with rain lightning and even hail. I guess this is why it is called the Great Plains!
Day 13 - Happy 4th of July and Travel Day
So our trip to Alberta has come to an end. Today is our travel day back to Kailua Kona. We flew from Calgary to Seattle on WestJet and will then connect from Seattle to Kona on Delta. YYC was pretty empty in the morning but I still managed to get a Starbucks!
We then had a three hour layover at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, so we made "camp" at the Delta Sky Club Lounge. It was busy when we arrived, but soon settled into a less busy pace as we found refuge on the upper deck. The food spread was pretty impressive, with fillet mignon, asparagus, Cajun chicken with rice, a spread of salads with hummus and couscous, and sandwiches. There was even a full bar, an ice cream station (that was very popular), and drinks galore. For those who are more health conscious, there was also a full fruit bar. I guess this is why many travelers expend the extra dollars for membership to these lounges. The amenities were also pretty good, with separated kid play areas, showers and business stations.
As we sat here in the lounge, it gave us time to reflect on our trip. The best part being the helicopter rides high above the mountain ranges, with landings that allowed us the opportunity to hike a little in these rare spaces. Although we didn't do as much hiking, what we did do were long and steep - the typical characteristic of hiking in the Canadian Rockies.
We visited five national parks in the area - Jasper, Banff, Yoho, Glacier and Kootenay - each with their unique differences. We also learned that Calgary is a curious place of many diverse people. It celebrates its history with its indigenous people and welcomes a foray of foreigners who have come to make this home. This has indeed made Calgary a very livable city, well deserving it top 10 ranking.
The things to watch out for when visiting the area:
1) Only go to Banff if you want to be with a whole bunch of other people paying a high price for everything. We would do it but once.
2) Take a slow drive across the Icefields Parkway. There is so much to see and appreciate. As you reach Jasper, there are opportunities for bear, elk and deer sightings.
3) Take in the big sky and country of the plains. When we first landed it was strange to see so much sky and no hills or mountains around Calgary. And then as we drove north, the mountain just start to fill up that sky with peaks that are just dramatic and amazing.
4) When hiking, watch out for gopher holes and gophers! This animal that looks a little like a prairie dog only heftier. Their dwelling holes spot the many hillsides and sometimes paths. Stepping into these holes will spell trouble for the ankles.
5) If you like cowboys and cowgirls, then visit during the Calgary Stampede. Its the largest in North America, and even with the influx of many throughout the continent, Calgary is still very clean and very civilized.