Canadian Rocky's

We left Glacier NP on a gloomy wet morning and we crossed the border into Canada at Chief Mountain about 30 mile further north. This border crossing is only open between May and September as the road is closed for the long winter season. The duty officer was quite abrupt as we approached, no doubt thinking we were yanks from Montana, but his attitude quickly changed when he heard our accent and saw our passports. Being part of the Commonwealth plays to our advantage with Canadian officials.

Chief Mountain viewed from the south on a much nicer day

Our first stop in Alberta Province just north of the border was Waterton NP which adjoins the Glacier NP and is still part of the Rocky Mountains. Just 10 mile west off the highway you are greeted by the most majestic building perched on a hill overlooking Waterton Lake, the Prince of Wales Hotel. This year as part of the 150 year celebration all National Parks in Canada are free entry and we intend to make the most of this bonus.

A classic Prince of Wales Hotel

After checking availability at the township camp ground and finding plenty of spaces for just $24.70 per night including hot showers and within walking distance to the local pub we took off searching for critters and trails. By the way AUD$ and CAN$ are equal value at present.



Waterton township with the campground in the far corner



Waterton Lake viewed from Bears Hump

Waterton looking south

 

Our first drive didn’t disappoint, as we crept along the Akamina Parkway spotting black bears of various colours along the way just on the roadside, not needing to even get out of the RV we had the perfect photoshoot, catching close-up still shots and heaps of video. They really are brilliant to watch as they meander around eating flowers and grass, how anyone could get a buzz out of killing these animals, beggers belief. Thankfully all the vehicles caught up in the bear jams were patient and understanding.

How cute is this young fellow



This cute!! but wait there's more



WOW within arms length

Being in Canada means that the local tap beers are drinkable, so after a wonderful afternoon of photography we pulled up a pew at The Thirsty Bear Saloon a very appropriately named bar. They had a variety of draughts which the barmaid kindly provided free tasters and all but the India Pale Ale were very satisfying.

 

Mum and her cub avoiding the bear jam

The cub took refuge in this tree while another smaller black cub hid in the underbrush

 

Waiting to come down can be a bit of a balancing act

 

Mum got a bit impatient with a car which came to close and made a lunge

 

We stayed till our money ran out and had a great time chatting to the bar staff, a local parks employee and a couple of yanks from Arizona. We stumbled back to the van and managed a feed before collapsing in bed for a well-earned rest.

The Thirsty Bear Tavern was a great watering hole, built entirely with local timber

 

The black bears come in all varieties of colours this one has a white spot

Same guy, you wonder how they can become so aggressive when they look so cute

Next day up early and a 2 mile hike up a 900ft incline to a lookout called Bears Hump which looks down over the lake and surrounding mountains, well worth the effort and aching calf muscles. From here we headed up the Red Rock Parkway for a drive, walked a couple of short trails and checked out the northern park campground.



A Bighorn ram providing a close-up pose looks like he has been in the wars

Not seeing any critters we decided to head back south to the Akamina drive and after a fruitless trip to the end we were eventually rewarded for our patience when we encountered a mother black bear and her cub scrounging for food at the very picnic area we had intended to have lunch at. A ranger stopped by as the bears approached and we stayed in our van adjacent the tables where the bears found some food left by people earlier that day. It is a crime to feed or leave food where bears can get access. Heavy fines apply to people committing these offences, and bear proof bins are available everywhere so there is no excuse.

 



A grizzly bear the size and hump are the distinguishing features, claws are much longer but we're not getting that close to find out

 

The furrow in the forehead is another distinguishing feature of the grizzly, here smelling the flowers. A grizzly has the strength in its jaws to crush a bowling ball

A bear which becomes familiar with human food becomes a pest and most of the time has to be shot as the taste and smell overcomes any form of fear and dominates their behaviour. They can smell 10 times better than a dog and become addicted very quickly and will go to any length including violence to get a FIX.

This bear trap was at our campground

The ranger eventually had to use his bear spray (capsicum) to get the mother to leave even after 10 minutes of trying to coax her away. He said she had obviously been spoilt and may need to be isolated or collared along with her cub. It was good to see for ourselves the responses and behaviour of the mother and cub in this instance, and how quickly their mood changes from docile to aggression.

Mum surveying the picnic area

 

 

Baby bear sniffing out the forbidden fruit, a left over piece of foil

 

AHH hooked for life unfortunately, human food is a drug for these guys

 

Running away, capsicum spray produces a quick response but the lure of human food is worth a second look

When we eventually left the mother and cub they were heading for the trail we did the day before, so we hoped that those hiking the trail at that time kept a careful eye as these two bears were not happy chappy’s.

 

A deer with a magpie just launching itself, note the extra long tail

 

 

A busy chipmunk getting some nourishment

 

The next morning we walked the last of the shorter trails to a waterfall, all the rest went for miles and miles to frozen lakes and the continental divide, one even back into the US at the end of the lake. After the walk we decided that it was unlikely to experience any better spontaneous interaction better than the previous day so we headed out of the park and headed north to the Bison Parkway and some close and personal with these animals.

Mother bison and calf



A calf bison



Enclosed in a huge compound which is accessible by vehicle, several families made up the herd and despite photographing through the fence after completing the internal circuit we had a very satisfying experience as we watched several mothers each with calves very close by. The 2 bulls were happy rolling in the dirt oblivious to our intrusion. These animals are shedding their winter fur and need to rub on something to help remove it. Once removed their hide is like smooth leather.

 

Peek a boo a small bird in a nesting box provided by the rangers

Further north we left the Rocky’s for a while and experienced the hills and adjacent prairies which were lush with wildflowers of all colours and intensely green paddocks full of beef cattle, horses and all other domesticated animals. Plenty of wind turbines producing electricity for the towns proving that Canada is a forward thinking country, with ambitions to increase production of renewable energy.



A small wind farm providing power to the local farmers, these farms are scatted all over the US and Canada

 

Remnants of the catastrophic landslide at Frank in the Rocky's caused by coal mining under the mountain peaks. More than 82 million tonnes fell from Turtle Mountain in 90 seconds

 

The landslide killed 100 of the 500 residents in 1903, the coal mining company denied all responsibility and continued mining till forced to stop in 60's and then they turned the place into a tourist attraction

 

By the end of the day we camped at the Stoney Nakoda Indian Casino which provided a free camp with WiFi, a violent storm hit just after we pulled up, thankfully, and the rain bucketed down for hours. It rained all the next morning as we headed south and then northwest around the Kananaskis Valley to Canmore a very popular snow skiing area in the Southern Canadian Rocky Mountains. The town was very crowded with tourists so we didn’t stay and headed further north en-route to Banff NP.



When the snow fields have thawed there is always the roads in Canmore



This Wily Coyote found himself stranded between the duel highway

 

1 minute later trying to cross in front of us a huge truck forced him to make the right decision and return to the grass interior, we think and hoped he retreated to a drain further back, it was so close to his final moments, none of the other motorists even slowed down

Banff NP is a very popular park with many tourist attractions and it straddles the Rocky’s with Hwy 1 creating a 4 lane obscene corridor right through the middle, a park road provides an alternate route through the park but for some reason it was closed to traffic when we arrived. All the campgrounds were full and booked for the coming week so we declined the offer to wait, and pushed on along Hwy 93 called the Iceland’s Hwy to a campground in the forest. The mountain views were spectacular with some glaciers visible creeping down the valleys. All the peaks were snow-capped just like in the US.

 

Waterfowl Lake frozen over and beginning to thaw

 

 

Snowbird Glacier

 



Mountain peaks with layered rock



 

Distant glacier behind the pine trees

 

It rained all night and began snowing as we headed further north and higher along the Hwy, then it REALLY!! began snowing, LIKE!! “should we be driving in this kind of snowing”. We arrived at the Iceland’s Visitor Centre with a foot of snow on our roof and needed a plough to get up the stairs and inside. We thought for about 1 second if we would take the shuttle up to the Columbia Glacier and decided, what is the point looking at a glacier in a whiteout? It’s all white right!!

Jen having fun in the snow



Driving became a bit hazardous as we climbed up the mountain road



The Icefields in action it can snow here every month of the year

This guy just went to the visitors centre for a pee

We continued on north in our first full blown snow storm/fall and revelled in the amazing scenery as we weaved through the Rocky’s for another 50 mile. The rivers and waterfalls were sensational and when we exited onto Hwy 93A we encountered a black bear scurrying into the forest, crossing the road just in front of us.

A plunging waterfall cutting through its very own gorge

We found a lovely campground beside the Athabasca River downstream from the incredible falls which funnel down through a very narrow gorge carved into the bed rock. The campground was 15 mile south of the very popular tourist town of Jasper and within the Jasper NP which continued on from the Banff NP.

2 elk fawns with mum, they hang around the campgrounds and town to escape the predators in the bush

 

 

Mum tending to the demands of her young

 

Another mum protecting her young from us the perceived threat

 

Satisfied all is good it's time to move on

 

The following day we headed into Jasper did the washing and explored the area spotting several moose and black bears along the way, one bear was limping and we suspect it could have been hit by one of the idiots driving too fast, don’t know why they even bother coming to the park. Unfortunately the police here don’t patrol the roads to stop them, or at least not often enough.

This bear thought he owned the road and just took his time

 

Meandering along with not a care in the world as the bear jam builds behind us

 

Having internet access surprised us as this was a first in a NP anywhere on the North American Continent. Concerned about needing to reserve campsites we decided to check availability at Denali NP in Alaska, a long way north but extremely popular with limited sites. We managed to book the last RV site at Denali for the rest of June and through to mid-July a full month. We booked for June 19 which then gave us just 1 week to travel 1,800 mile.

A large moose feeding on the side of the road without a care

 

This guy's antlers could grow to 6 feet across by October when they start to rut for dominance and mating rights

 

The trip north from Jasper was great, the temperature quickly increased to a comfortable 8 – 20 Celsius and the days grew rapidly longer with sunset approaching 2300 and sunrise at 0330 and twilight in between, no need for daylight savings here, just very strange going to sleep with the sun so high in the sky. The region is commonly known in summer as the land of the midnight sun with the longest day being June 22. At Denali about 64 degrees latitude north there will be virtually no twilight at all.

A lazy bear filling himself with an abundance of wildflowers

The Alaska Hwy begins at Dawson Creek 330 miles north of Jasper and travels to Delta Junction 1,522 miles northwest through British Columbia, Yukon Territory and into Alaska. The highway was built in just 9 months by the US in 1942 to prevent a Japanese land invasion, an incredible feat with the equipment available at that time.

The first sign post was placed by a homesick US soldier from Illinios working on the Alaska Hwy now there are 90,000 plus signs and the number is still growing

 



One of the many lakes along the Alaska Hwy with stunning views



 

A Trumpeter Swan, a very large bird

 

The unpredictable weather around the Kluane NP can bring showers or snow very quickly

 

The Kluane Mountain range is only small compared to the range behind which contains 9 of the tallest 16 mountains on the continent but can't be seen

 

The trip was spectacular with many grizzly and black bear, moose, sheep, mountain goats, bison, etc, etc sightings along the way, at about 1800hr we’d pull over and find a camp for the night and then continue on the next morning clocking up approx. 400 mile per day. We did the miles so we could spend a couple of days at the Kluane NP in Yukon Territory. This is the largest icelands area in the world outside both north and south poles containing 1,500 separate glaciers, includes Canada’s highest peak Mt Logan at 19,551 feet high and 9 of the tallest 16 mountains in North America. Unfortunately, the Kluane Range blocks a view to these peaks which can only be accessed by plane or an incredibly long snow hike.

 



Shores sheep grazing on, well we don't know, along the side of the road

 

 

Very cute but definitely looks like the proverbial sacrificial lamb



 

Again the views and information gained about this wilderness area was invaluable, the area totally different again with wildlife roaming freely, the highway because of its rough surface is like riding a roller coaster through a safari park, RV’s leap frogging each other at stops for various sights, food breaks, rest stops and sleep opportunities. Just Great Fun!!

The bears always come up for a look and smell while eating

Some tend to get a little annoyed with the attention and keep checking around

 

Some just go about their business and don't really care

 

It was a quick “North to Alaska” trip through Canada this time but the return will hopefully allow a much longer stay unless Alaska is as good as we’ve been told and we run out of time. Let’s see what happens.

Bye For Now

 

 

 

 

Beers and Cheers with a tasty pint of "What the Huck"

a wheat brewed beer at the Thirsty Bear Tavern

Waterton Lakes NP Alberta, Canada

 

J & J