Highway 93 is a north-south highway in Alberta, Canada. (Part Two)

/ moragnoffke

In my last post, Visiting Alberta Rockies, I told you about visiting Lake Louise. I received a lovely encouraging comment from Alisendopf saying that we had chosen a good time to visit as nowadays Lake Louise is brimming with tourists. We had the Lake virtually to ourselves which would be rare now. You can see how private and unfrequented it was.

Highway 93 is a north-south highway in Alberta.

I am going to tell you about the sights we visited in order, along the route, although we stopped to visit some of the following sights on our way back from Jasper. First we were required to buy the Canadian national parks permit in order to travel on the Icefields Parkway and at the parkway gate there was a booth where we bought the permit. As we drove along the scenic route to Jasper from Lake Louise we were so struck by the geological formations. I am not going to even try to give you an explanation of the geography as it was so vast. We were told that snow can be expected at any time of year but, as we were traveling in autumn, we would miss the extreme weather conditions of winter.

Peyto Lake

Our next stop after Lake Louise was Peyto Lake which is near the highway. It is also turquoise in colour because it is fed by the glacier which has scoured and crushed the rocks into a fine powder called flour which gives it its colour: blue, green or turquoise. It was named after Bill Peyto (1869 – 1943) who was an early mountain guide, trapper and warden for Banff Park, Alberta.  As a South African I found it interesting that he was enlisted in 1899, by Britain, to serve in Lord Strathcona’s Horse Regiment in the Boer War (Freedom War in South Africa).

As we continued, we enjoyed the amazing views of rock faces, snow and a river bed alongside the road.

River along the Icefield Highway, M Noffke, 2014.

Saskatchewan River Crossing, Alberta

You can find The Crossing Resort 85 km (51 mi) north of Lake Louise, at the junction of Highway # 93 (the Icefields Parkway), and Highway # 11, the David Thompson Highway. It was named “The Crossing,” as historically in the 19th century, it was used as the place to cross the North Saskatchewan River when travelers and fur traders made their way to and from British Columbia and Europe. The North Saskatchewan River flows out into the Hudson Bay and that’s why it became part of the major traders’ route.

As we traveled the highway the Saskatchewan River Crossing was the only place where we could get basic services, between Lake Louise and Jasper. We stopped to fill up with gasoline and get something to eat at the restaurant. One can lodge there but we drove onto Jasper. Luckily we were traveling at a time where these services were open as they are seasonal and closed during the winter.

  • Saskatchewan Crossing, M Noffke, 2014
  • Saskatchewan Motel Office, M Noffke, 2014.

Athabasca glacier

Next place we stopped was to look at Athabasca glacier: we were so thankful for the jackets we bought which protected us against cold icy wind that nipped at us. We didn’t really care what we looked like at this point we just piled on the layers.

  • Derek at Athabasca trying not to be cold, 2014.
  • Athabasca glacier, D Noffke, 2014.

Athabasca falls

The last place along the way which we stopped at was the Athabasca falls. I love waterfalls. I feel the energy and I find it to be very sacred. As I stood looking out at the falls and observing I thought about all the generations of different cultures who might have come before to stand at this point. I felt at one with these people. Look at how the water has forged into the rock over the years.

  • Top view of Athabasca Falls, M Noffke, 2014
  • Close up view of Athabasca Falls, M Noffke, 2014
  • Athabasca Falls, M Noffke, 2014
  • Athabasca Falls river , M Noffke, 2014
  • Athabasca Falls/ river, M Noffke, 2014

Next up will be our last stop and visit at Jasper: with elk and grizzly bear.

Take care.

27 thoughts on “Highway 93 is a north-south highway in Alberta, Canada. (Part Two)”

  5. What gorgeous photos you took of your adventures!!! Peyto Lake is the most beautiful lake I’ve ever seen – that turquoise color, WOW! I’m glad you enjoyed yourself and it looks super cold but still a good time! I love what you wrote here: “As I stood looking out at the falls and observing I thought about all the generations of different cultures who might have come before to stand at this point. I felt at one with these people.” I love those magical moments! 💖

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  6. The turquoise colour of Lake Peyto must be due to a particular type of chemical present in the rock concerned. Anyway I liked its colour. Thank you for sharing such amazing pics along with description.🙏🙏

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  7. Yeah!!! I’ve been waiting for this post 🙂 Thank you for the mention – that was very kind of you.

    I was wondering how you’d feel about the glacier. The wind is always howling on a glacier, due to the air currents going over the frozen ice. I did a crevasse rescue course there a few years ago. We did dozens of ‘rescue’ scenarios, which meant standing around for about six hours in crampons, dealing with ropes and pullies, etc. It was the middle of summer, but I was wearing long underwear and a full puffy down jacket.

    The falls look amazing! I’ll admit, I’ve never been. Usually I’m heading straight for the mountains, and miss many a roadside opportunity.

    It’s lovely to see Peyto Lake unfrozen 🙂 I’m usually back-country skiing in that exact location you are standing. I’ve also skied across Peyto Lake, and then climbed the glacier at the end. SO much fun in the winter 🙂

    Thanks for your lovely trip down memory lane. I love to see these places through the eyes of tourists or newcomers. So special.

    Take care,
    Alisen

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    • Thank you, I feel like I can’t really do the trip justice with all its splendor and beauty nor with the amazing geology. I wish I could write about it with knowledge…. I was actually quite apprehensive about the glacier, not being familiar with it so that is why we viewed it from a distance. Your description of the wind makes sense. I admire you for doing a rescue course in such cold conditions but I am sure it’s an important part of being a guide. Sounds amazing and grueling. I think I would feel safe being in one of your groups.

      It’s amazing how different the landscape can be at different times of the year. Sounds like a wonderful time in winter. Take care, Morag

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      • Viewing a glacier from afar is not a bad idea. They are slippery, and a bit dangerous if you don’t know where to stand. I think for most, just being able to eyeball a glacier, and feel it’s cold wind, is more than enough. I am so happy for you and your adventurous husband got to explore this area. It’s a rugged sort of untamed beauty 🙂

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      • Thanks Morag. That IS my motivation. Encourage. To give courage. I’ve not always had courage, and it took me a while to learn how to create and cultivate it. Now I’m on a mission to help others find their courage. All these experiences in Canada, where you were so far outside your comfort zone, will definitely help you face whatever challenges you have back home right now. Call upon them when stressed.

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  10. OH WOW, thank you for sharing these! Beautiful photographs! I’ve always wanted to visit Canada, one day!! 🙂 and Athabasca falls is just amazing! I too love waterfalls, one of my best adventures were abseiling next to one in Hazyview.

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