We hit pause on the Canada journey to bring you up to speed with our latest life updates. We’re currently in North Dakota for the annual beet harvest—yes, we're back for another season.
Hey there, adventurers! 🚐
Did this episode get your wheels turning or make you think of your own off-the-beaten-path adventure? If it did, we’d really appreciate it if you could swing by Apple Podcasts to leave us a rating, drop a review, and hit that subscribe button. It’s a little way to help keep the journey going!
Have a hidden gem or an RV tip you want to share with us? We’d love to hear from you—leave us a message!
Safe travels, and we’ll see you out there on the open road!
We managed to sneak in some time for a new family hobby: geocaching. If you’re unfamiliar with it, geocaching is an outdoor treasure-hunting game using GPS coordinates to find hidden “caches.” It’s a perfect way to explore the area, see some cool spots off the beaten path, and enjoy some adventure. We're excited to do this across the country.
One of the highlights from this past week was Lexie’s birthday! We headed to a nearby waterpark, where we spent the afternoon splashing around, enjoying the lazy river, and trying out the slides. We showered Lexie with gifts and had a fun day doing everything she likes to do—lots of Zelda was played. HA!
We're preparing to head south toward Arizona after wrapping up our time in North Dakota. It’s time to chase the warmer weather and continue our!
Have you subscribed to the podcast yet? We're on most platforms—here's the link to Apple Podcasts and Spotify—but you can also search for “Off the beaten path but not lost” on your podcasting app.
Thanks for tuning in and traveling with us!
Question: Have you been to a super awesome waterpark or arcade? Send us a message and let us know where we should go.
Did you know travelers consistently rank the Icefields Parkway in Canada as one of the world's most beautiful drives? As you drive the parkway, you will experience ancient glaciers, emerald lakes, and mountain peaks that will leave you breathless. Stretching between Canada's most iconic national parks, Banff and Jasper, this legendary road isn't just a scenic drive.
Last week on the podcast, we explored the history, glaciers, and some jaw-dropping facts about one of the most scenic drives in the world. If you missed that post, make sure to catch up here to get the whole experience. In this episode, we explore the incredible wildlife, the best camping spots, and must-see landmarks and share our experiences from the trip. We cover a few of those in this post, but be sure to listen to the whole adventure!
Table of Contents
Listen to the Podcast
Hey there, adventurers! 🚐
Did this episode get your wheels turning or make you think of your own off-the-beaten-path adventure? If it did, we’d really appreciate it if you could swing by Apple Podcasts to leave us a rating, drop a review, and hit that subscribe button. It’s a little way to help keep the journey going!
Have a hidden gem or an RV tip you want to share with us? We’d love to hear from you—leave us a message!
Safe travels, and we’ll see you out there on the open road!
The Icefields Parkway stretches 232 kilometers (144 miles) between Jasper and Lake Louise, passing through Banff and Jasper National Parks.
You will need a Parks Canada Discovery Pass. If you're road-tripping like we were, the family pass costs around $151.25 CAD—a great deal for visiting multiple parks over an extended period.
Wildlife Encounters Along the Parkway
The first bear we saw in Canada was within 15 minutes of turning onto the parkway. Talk about starting the drive with a bang! The Icefields Parkway is home to an impressive range of wildlife, from grizzly bears and black bears to elk, bighorn sheep, and even the rare Woodland Caribou (you might catch a glimpse in Jasper). Keep your eyes peeled and your camera ready because wildlife sightings are frequent but fleeting.
Pro Tip: Always keep a respectful distance from wildlife. If you're traveling with pets, always keep them on a leash. Some trails are dog-friendly, like Bow Summit Lookout and Mistaya Canyon, but regulations may vary, especially near sensitive habitats. The park is not only a home to wildlife but also a place where humans must be mindful guests.
Fuel Stops and Roadside Services
One thing we can't stress enough is to fuel up before you begin the drive. There are few places to refuel along the parkway, so starting with a full tank is essential. Between Jasper and Lake Louise, you'll find a gas station, restaurant, and small gift shop called Saskatchewan River Crossing. It's a great place to stretch your legs, grab a snack, and refuel both the car and yourself.
The Scenic Highlights
About 30 kilometers south of Jasper, you will see Athabasca Falls, one of the first major stops. The falls are a sight as the Athabasca River plunges through a narrow gorge, creating thunderous echoes that fill the air. It's an excellent place for photography and a short, easy walk from the parking lot.
One of our favorite attractions on the Icefields Parkway is the Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield Centre offers the best view of this glacier system, where visitors can explore the glaciers on guided tours.
As we approached Peyto Lake, vibrant turquoise waters greeted us—some of the most stunning you'll ever see. Due to its glacial rock flour, this lake's striking color looks almost unreal. The viewpoint gives you beautiful panoramic views of the lake, which looks like a wolf's head.
A Drive for the Ages
The Icefields Parkway in Canada is an unforgettable journey through the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen. Whether you're stopping for a hike, snapping photos at roadside pullouts, or just soaking in the views, the beauty of the Canadian Rockies is endless.
We'd love to hear your stories if you've experienced the Icefields Parkway! Please share them with us on Instagram @TheFaiolas or leave a voice message at TheFaiolas.com/message.
The Icefields Parkway in Alberta, Canada, stretching between Lake Louise and Jasper, is a scenic drive through the Canadian Rockies. This road trip offers an unforgettable experience for nature lovers and adventure seekers, from geological wonders to glaciers.
Table of Contents
Listen to the podcast
Hey there, adventurers! 🚐
Did this episode get your wheels turning or make you think of your own off-the-beaten-path adventure? If it did, we’d really appreciate it if you could swing by Apple Podcasts to leave us a rating, drop a review, and hit that subscribe button. It’s a little way to help keep the journey going!
Have a hidden gem or an RV tip you want to share with us? We’d love to hear from you—leave us a message!
Safe travels, and we’ll see you out there on the open road!
The Icefields Parkway, also known as Highway 93, runs for 232 kilometers (144 miles) between Banff and Jasper National Parks. Since its completion in 1940, people have regarded the Icefields Parkway as one of the most beautiful drives in the world. Whether you're an RV traveler, road trip enthusiast, or hiker looking for your next adventure, this parkway offers spectacular views of mountains, waterfalls, and glaciers along nearly every stretch.
Beginning in Jasper, the northern portion of the parkway takes you past iconic natural features like Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, and the mighty Columbia Icefield. As you drive south, you will see some of the most gorgeous lakes in the world. This route truly immerses visitors in the raw beauty of the Canadian Rockies. No wonder more than 1.2 million travelers take this road every year.
Icefields Parkway also follows the Continental Divide, where rivers flow in opposite directions—one side draining into the Pacific Ocean, the other into the Atlantic. The route became a well-traveled scenic corridor connecting two iconic national parks.
Historical Highlights of the Icefields Parkway in Alberta
The Icefields Parkway is a geological wonder with a rich history. Its story stretches back millions of years, tying its creation to the region's natural and cultural heritage.
Geological Time Travel: Driving the Icefields Parkway is like moving through a living timeline of Earth's history. Many rocks along this route are hundreds of millions of years old, dating back to the Cambrian Period when a shallow sea covered this area. If you're curious about ancient marine life, you'll be thrilled to learn that fossil beds in the region still contain remnants of creatures from the era. The formation of the Canadian Rockies began more than 50 million years ago when tectonic forces pushed the ocean floor upward, creating the dramatic peaks we see today.
The Railway’s Role in Early Tourism: When the Canadian Pacific Railway was completed in 1885, it opened up the wild beauty of the Canadian Rockies to eager travelers. By the late 19th century, Swiss mountain guides were leading tourists and mountaineers through the rugged terrain, and the area became an early hub for alpine tourism. The creation of Jasper National Park in 1907 only fueled that excitement, setting the stage for the eventual construction of the Icefields Parkway and making these incredible vistas even more accessible.
The “Wonder Trail” and Road Construction: Before the parkway, explorers, artists, and surveyors used the route known as the “Wonder Trail,” a rough track through the wilderness. Construction of the road began in the 1930s as part of a government project during the Great Depression, employing over 600 men. With manual labor and a single tractor per crew, building the road was no small feat. Ten years later, in 1940, the parkway opened as a gravel road, offering access to some of the most remote and stunning parts of the Canadian Rockies.
Interestingly, during World War II, this area served as a training ground for Allied soldiers, including the American 87th Mountain Infantry. These soldiers practiced mountain warfare, learning to survive in alpine conditions by training on the glaciers you can see from the Icefields Parkway today.
The Mighty Glaciers Along the Parkway
If you're fascinated by glaciers, this drive will leave you in awe. Glaciers have played a crucial role in shaping the landscape of the Canadian Rockies, and many are still visible today, offering a glimpse into the region's icy past.
Glacial Movement and Erosion: Over the past 2.6 million years, during a period known as the Quaternary, the Earth experienced multiple ice ages. During these cold spells, vast ice sheets covered much of North America. As temperatures warmed, the glaciers began to retreat, leaving behind the rugged mountain valleys and alpine lakes we see today. One of the most famous glaciers you can visit along the parkway is the Athabasca Glacier, part of the enormous Columbia Icefield.
The Columbia Icefield: Covering 325 square kilometers (125 square miles), the Columbia Icefield is one of the most enormous ice masses in North America. It feeds several glaciers, including Athabasca, Dome, and Stutfield Glaciers, and serves as a watershed for rivers that eventually flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. The Athabasca Glacier, located near the parkway, is one of the most accessible glaciers in the world, and visitors can walk on its surface with guided tours.
Over the past 125 years, it has lost over half its volume and receded over 1.5 kilometers (nearly a mile). Markers along the parkway show just how much the glacier has retreated. Seeing the glacier so close was one of the coolest (pun intended) experiences.
More Glaciers to Discover
While the Athabasca Glacier might steal the spotlight, several other glaciers along the Icefields Parkway are worth mentioning. The Crowfoot Glacier, for example, was named for its resemblance to a crow's foot, though one of its “toes” has since melted away. Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan Glacier feeds the North Saskatchewan River and is the largest outflow glacier from the Columbia Icefield.
Further west, the Freshfield Icefield and Wapta Icefield offer more remote and less-visited glacier experiences, ideal for seasoned hikers and mountaineers. These icefields play a critical role in the region's ecosystem, feeding the rivers and lakes that support wildlife and human communities.
A Drive Like No Other
The Icefields Parkway is a journey through time, history, and the raw beauty of nature. As you pass by ancient mountains, retreating glaciers, and turquoise blue lakes, the powerful forces that shaped this land over millions of years will remind you of their impact. Whether you are interested in geology and history or simply enjoying a stunning road trip, this route has something for everyone.
Have you traveled the Icefields Parkway? Share your stories with us on Instagram @TheFaiolas, or leave a voice message.
Mount Revelstoke National Park in British Columbia, Canada, is west of Glacier National Park, and it doesn’t get the same buzz as some of the big-name parks. Located just outside the small yet vibrant city of Revelstoke, this national park provides visitors with an intimate glimpse into one of the world's last remaining inland temperate rainforests. At just 260 square kilometers (100 square miles), it’s the smallest national park we’ve visited so far, but don’t let its size fool you.
Table of Contents
Listen to the Podcast
Hey there, adventurers! 🚐
Did this episode get your wheels turning or make you think of your own off-the-beaten-path adventure? If it did, we’d really appreciate it if you could swing by Apple Podcasts to leave us a rating, drop a review, and hit that subscribe button. It’s a little way to help keep the journey going!
Have a hidden gem or an RV tip you want to share with us? We’d love to hear from you—leave us a message!
Safe travels, and we’ll see you out there on the open road!
A Brief History of Mount Revelstoke National Park in British Columbia Canada
In the early 20th century, loggers heavily cut down the surrounding region. In 1914, officials established Mount Revelstoke National Park to protect the area's unique old-growth cedar and hemlock forests, many of which are hundreds of years old.
One of the park's standout features is the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, a 26-kilometer (16-mile) scenic road that takes visitors from the mountain's base to the subalpine meadows near the summit. The Meadows in the Sky Parkway was built in the 1920s, allowing tourists to access alpine environments previously reserved for only the most adventurous hikers. The road winds through a range of ecosystems, from the damp, shadowy rainforests of the valley to the bright, flower-filled meadows at the top.
The Giant Cedars Boardwalk
The Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail and Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk on the Trans-Canada Highway are must-see stops on your way to the Meadows in the Sky Parkway. On the podcast, we mentioned that the Skunk Cabbage Boardwalk was closed, but guess what? It was actually open, and we even stopped there (haha). It totally slipped our minds! We didn't hike the trail because the mosquitoes were out in full force, but we did walk down to the water. That's probably why the trail didn't stick in our memory!
We did enjoy walking around the short but pretty Giant Cedars Boardwalk. The half-kilometer loop immerses visitors in an ancient forest where Western Red Cedars and Western Hemlocks tower overhead, some reaching over 800 years old. Walking among these giants is a humbling experience. Also, the area is beautiful, with the ground covered in a dense carpet of moss and ferns.
The trail includes numerous stairs, adding a mild physical challenge. Unfortunately, the boardwalk was damaged during our visit, transforming it into an out-and-back trail instead of the usual loop. Yet even with this limitation, the sight of these ancient trees, standing like sentinels of time, made the effort more than worthwhile.
Meadows in the Sky Parkway
The Meadows in the Sky Parkway is the crown jewel of Mount Revelstoke National Park. As you drive along the winding road, the scenery constantly changes—starting with lush temperate rainforests at the base, through dense woodlands, and finally to the breathtaking alpine meadows at the summit. Plenty of pull-offs offer views of the Columbia River Valley and the distant Monashee Mountains.
For families visiting the park, the Beaver Lodge Kids' Bike Park near the Nels Nelsen Historic Area is a great spot to stop. This fun, family-friendly area features gentle biking trails where kids can enjoy themselves while navigating small obstacles. There's no bike rental available here, so bring your bikes and helmets. Kylie and Lexie (our kiddos) particularly enjoyed the scavenger hunt offered in the Parks Canada Explorer Books program. We spent much time running around, spotting signs of wildlife like animal tracks and scat, which only added to the excitement.
Just a bit further up the parkway, a quick detour will take you to the Nels Nelsen Viewpoint, named after a Norwegian immigrant who made his mark on the area by setting ski jump records on Mount Revelstoke's natural slopes in the early 1900s.
Exploring Trails and Alpine Wonders
At higher elevations, the scenery shifts dramatically. Near the top of the parkway, you'll find yourself in the Balsam Lake Picnic Area, surrounded by stunning alpine vistas. In the summer, the meadows are carpeted with wildflowers, creating a scene from a postcard. From Balsam Lake, a shuttle bus takes visitors the final 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) to the summit area, known for its delicate ecosystem that needs extra protection. Once at the summit, the Heather Lake Trailhead offers a short 400-meter loop around a picturesque alpine lake.
Wrapping Up the Journey
While Mount Revelstoke National Park may not have been our absolute favorite stop on our Canadian parks tour, its history and natural beauty make it a place that’s absolutely worth your time.
For anyone planning a visit to Mount Revelstoke National Park, take the time to immerse yourself in the park's quiet beauty. Walk among the towering cedars, drive through the ever-changing ecosystems on the Meadows in the Sky Parkway, and soak in the views at the many scenic viewpoints along the way.
If you've been to Mount Revelstoke National Park or are planning a visit soon, we'd love to hear your stories and experiences. Share your adventure with us on Instagram @TheFaiolas or leave us a voice message here: