“Cross-Country Canada 🇨🇦 ~Alberta From Cochrane -Through the Icefield Parkway and Jasper National Park to Grande Cache Days 4, 5 and 6: May 27th through 29th, 2023”
From Cochrane in Alberta, Canada, through the entire Icefield Parkway, and Jasper National Park, to just beyond Grand Cache!
Days 4 through 6
May 27th through the 29th, 2023
Day 4: May 27th
Today, whilst still in Cochrane, we had a rest day…well sort of; grocery stop, food prep, laundry, and cleaning.
This is our last day with full hook-ups, as the next two days/nights will be spent, boondocking/drydocking.
Tonight, on our final night, we walked along Bow River
Though Canada is very westernized, it’s still foreign and there are always challenges to maneuver ones way through, especially with lack of any wifi signals.
We have a Canadian SIM card so sometimes we get to read French, when doing searches. (we don’t read or speak French).
Today, I called the Jasper Tourism office (again) and spoke with a nice gentleman. Unlike for a day-only entrance pass at Banff, for Jasper, I ended up getting the Discovery Pass, which is good for a year, since we wanted to travel the Icefield, but were not able to pinpoint an exact date to do so, in advance. I’m not certain my printed pass will be approved for the Icefield Parkway drive, because instructions say to go to the Jasper tourist office and pick up a pass from them, based on my printed pass. We will be entering Jasper from the South, with no office to do so.
The gentleman spoke English, with a heavy French accent, so I hope I understood correctly. Like..yes. What I have will work through The Icefield Parkway and Jasper National Park.
UPDATE:
There is a checkpoint after leaving the Trans-Canadian Highway, and entering Hwy 93, on the Icefield Parkway. They wanted to see our Park Pass. We showed them what we had, and they waved us through.
Perfect.
😍
This is actual info I received, by email, with an electronic copy of this Jasper pass…MUST PICK UP PASS, before entering park.
Contact Information Address: 500 Connaught Drive (we did not have to go to the office. a printout worked just fine)
Email: Inquiries@jasper.travel
Phone: 780-820-1006.
Toll Free: 1-877-560-8782
Hours of Operation:
Jasper Visitor Information Centre will be operating from 9am to 5pm 7 days a week!
Our team can assist you via email or our contact form on jasper.travel.
The confirmation email you receive at the time of purchase (PDF) will serve as your temporary Park Pass until your pass is received in the mail or picked up.
This temporary Park Pass is valid for up to 1 month and will need to be printed and displayed prominently on the vehicle dash. If you are picking up your Park Pass in Jasper, please visit the Tourism Jasper staff at the Jasper Visitor Information Centre on 500 Connaught Drive during opening hours.
Purchase Summary Product Qty Cost Subtotal Senior Discovery Pass 1 $61.75 $61.75 Adult Discovery Pass 1 $72.25 $72.25 Total $134.00
The East Park Entrance is on Hwy 16 between Jasper and Hinton, just east of Pocahontas. The West Park Entrance is on the same highway, 24km (15 miles) west of Jasper Town, near Yellowhead Pass and the border with British Columbia and Mt Robson Provincial Park.
It’s the writing on the pass about the expiration that confused me with these. Plus, instructions are to post in window, when inside park. I asked the first person, if a reduced photocopy of park pass would be allowed, since we are such a small car with equally small windows. This person told me the pass only goes in the window, if we park the car. Good to know. WHY can’t they just print it that way, then? 🤣
I’m sure foreigners coming to America think our ways in our National Parks are challenging, too.
I learned after I got the pass, electronically, it also doesn’t mean it really is expired. BUT, if not printed within a month, it does expire. Now how does anybody know when something is printed? Anyway, I called then, too. I payed plenty of dough, so I wanted to get my moneys worth and not have to re-purchase. It all worked out.
NORTH TO ALASKA
There are many routes through Canada, to make it to the AlCan Hwy; Milepost “0,” at Dawson Creek, being the direction we are heading, and I’m sharing the route we are choosing, based on what we want to see, on our way to Alaska. That being said, Alaska is our main focus for this epic adventure. Canada is quite pretty, very wild, and nice, too, but Alaska holds my heart. I’m also very exited for the big guy to see it for the first time!
Day 5: May 28th
And We Are Off!!
We broke camp in Cochrane, Alberta; hooked up Jonah and began our drive, back to the Trans-Canadian Highway, to enter Banff (again), but this time to drive further than Lake Louise, to get to the Icefield Parkway. Finally, we will end our time, driving through some of Jasper National Park!
Our tally on the wildlife we saw from Cochrane to Grand Cache:
2 Grizzly Bears, 2 Black Bears, 7 Elk, 3 Rocky Mountain Sheep, 2 Prairie Dogs, Numerous Canadian Geese, 6 White Mountain Goats, and 3 Deer
We have no pre-planned boondocking or drydocking spots to spend the night, each night, as we make our way to the beginning of the AlCan Highway, in Dawson Creek. I think boondocking sites are way harder to plan for, in advance, than to just wing it, so far. It’s good to have some guidelines, but we never know when we want to stop, until we do. Fortunately, Canada is very supportive of the RVers and this is a bonus, as government land is made available for free boondocking, or drydocking for a small fee is sometimes required, on the honor system.
At Dawson Creek, we will be happy to get full-hookups for three nights.
From Cochrane: ⬇️
NOTE: we will not be stopping at the lake, again. The map would not show the complete route I wanted, so I had to get creative 😎 We already know from being there, we will continue on the Trans-Canadian Highway, instead of taking that exit, as the Icefield sign indicates it’s start, in an additional 34 miles.
This is where we will go and begin, what we hear, is a beautiful drive, loaded with wildlife.
We learned from our first trip to Banff, coming into the very confusing number of lanes of lines to cross, with various requirements of the park can be challenging.
Since the park does incorporate this Trans-Canada Highway, anybody can go through, even without a pass. BUT, as soon as you pull off the highway, one needs to produce one. I’m not sure how this goes down, if you don’t have a pass. Maybe there are kiosks?
So, if you have a park pass in hand, no need to stop, just stay to the right and continue on.
One may ask, why did we not do the Icefield, at the same time as doing Banff, the first time? Well, we really wanted to, but the answer is, primarily, time and distance. These are HUGE areas and they require lots of drive time, to see them all.
The other reason is; because the Icefield Parkway takes around 3.5 hours to drive it, completely. Jonah only has a 12 or 13 gallon gas tank, and we were unsure if there was a gas station, and if so, how inflated would those fuel prices be on such a remote wildness route? The Whale has a 150 gallon diesel tank, so not another thought was given about having enough fuel.
Finally, maneuvering big rigs and the tows in the Canadian provincial campgrounds; well, at 62 feet long, the same is true for most state parks in the USA. We don’t just fit anywhere, like we did with “Tiny;” our trailer, back in the earlier days of our RV lifestyle.
Our mode of operation is usually to park The Whale, and drive around in Jonah. This Icefield is the exception.
If you want options for doing this kind of Epic Trip, one can just drive a car and arrange hotels, for as far as you want to go, North. Or, rent a little RV (like a Class C) to the tune of $6,000/week, or so we’ve heard. We just happen to love our “home on wheels” so much better than the trailer. We are much better equipped and comfortable.
So, back to the arrival at the Banff National Park gate, with the big rig and tow. We didn’t bother with any other line, but the “through line.” We knew what to expect, since we’ve been, and we did not turn off at Lake Louis, but continue on to the Icefield Parkway, which is a turn off on to Hwy 93.
It was about here, that Daryl asked me to get him a sparkling water. I had been glued to the window, watching for wildlife.
I wanted to see a Bear!
As I got up from my seat, I jokingly told Daryl; “if I miss seeing a Bear, for some water, I’m gonna be real mad!” 🤣 No sooner had I given him his water, and I sat down to buckle-up, there was a Black Bear on the side of the road, eating his dandelion salad!
We laughed and laughed!
⬆️ “The Crossing” (fuel stop)
⬆️ It was definitely a steep grade, as we neared the top, (looking down from my where we were). No problem with our diesel pusher. We happened to follow a small Class C, towing a jeep. They had no issues. (for an example) The elevation at the top was 6,453 feet above sea level.
Our goal was to reach the Icefield RV Camp spot for the night, and we did just that! What a wonderful place to stay and we couldn’t get over the views!
My mind is still reeling from all the beauty and the wildlife encounters!
Yup, a little windy!
⬆️ Our new Tennessee Friends: Brooke and Blake!
This camp spot (drydocking) is simply a large paved lot. It has some slope to it, but our leveling jacks handled it. There are basic toilets, and a trash bin. The honor system is at play with a kiosk of sorts/ envelope and drop box for cash, or credit card number.
We will obviously use Canadian cash of $16.75, which is $12.30 US.
More info on this drydocking site: (its only outdated by the fuel issue).
https://www.albertawow.com/listing/icefields-centre-rv-parking-lot/
Towards the evening, we met a very nice couple from Tennessee. They too were camping at the glaciers, and heading for Alaska. We ended up visiting till 10:30PM, and it was still light out!
We learned this couple are also on the FB group “RVing Alaska 2023.” They recognized our “Jonah and The Whale” outfit, from photos I had posted on the group. We were parked, not too far from where they were.
It really is not a very big world, at times.
Day 6: May 29th
Next day, we woke up to another beautiful morning, near the glaciers. By the time we broke camp, a storm had rolled in, just as we departed, to complete the Icefield Parkway. Right away though, I spotted two Rocky Mountain Sheep, grazing on the side of the hill.
(hint; enlarge and look around the lower green) ⬇️
⬆️ The entire Icefield Parkway Drive
Why even do the Icefield Parkway? I say why would anybody NOT?
They say the Icefields Parkway is one of the most scenic drives in the entire world! I honestly have to agree and I’ve been to 92 countries around the world and have seen some pristine beauty!
This 143 mile-long route, winds its way through both Banff National Park and Jasper National Park; connecting Lake Louise with Jasper, two of the best places to visit in Alberta.
The drive along the Icefields Parkway (Highway 93), starting just beyond Lake Louise and ending in Jasper, takes about three hours, with the Columbia Icefield roughly in the middle.
The Icefields Parkway has jaw-dropping scenery, and my favorite part is commercial traffic (18-wheelers) are not allowed.
The Icefield is a wide, well-maintained route. and it’s just you and other tourists.
There is that one place, where it’s quite steep, but our 42’ 3-axle, 45,000 lb diesel-pusher has a Cummins 450 hp engine on a Freightliner Chassis.
No problem.
⬆️ As you can see, Banff and Jasper National Parks are basically connected, by the Iceland Parkway, making this a MASSIVE area that is NOT to be missed!
We ended up driving in and out of the sun, amongst clouds and rain, for the rest of the day. I spotted another Black Bear in a large meadow, but too far for a good photo.
All too soon, we were coming in to Jasper, which is a town, in the National Park, just like Banff is town in its National Park.
“22 BEAUTIFUL Stops on the Icefields Parkway”
https://thebanffblog.com/icefields-parkway-canada/
Feeling completely filled-up on all things Canadian Rocky Mountain, we did not take any side trips in Jasper. Driving through was enough for us and we were having so much fun viewing wildlife, we just wanted to continue on to Grande Cache, where we would fuel-up and begin looking for a place to spend the night.
After leaving the park, we enter Yellowhead Hwy for a little ways, till we turned off on to Hwy40, when my electronic map stated “North To Alaska.”
That was cool!
⬇️ Pics from finishing our drive through Jasper National Park
⬆️ Rocky Mountain Sheep
⬆️ First time ever seeing these white Mountain Goats in the wild!
⬆️ Goodbye Jasper National Park!
We were pretty excited to drive through a Caribou Wildlife Corridor, today, but even though they are suppose to be migrating at this time, we did not see a one.
⬇️ Okay, this was a bit exciting. We saw a pickup truck ahead, parked a little funny with flashers on… as we were slowing down, we saw two Grizzly Bears in a grassy area, off the road. They looked right at us, but I could not get pictures fast enough, since they were on the drivers side.
We got pulled over (not easy to do), and I got out and walked back aways to see if I could get a few good pics. I assure you I did not closely approach any Grizzlies. I was at least three full bus lengths away, and used my zoom lens.
The bears were in some tall grass, but I got the best shots I could, from a distance. It was so cool.
⬆️ Enlarge to see…. These are not mature adult grizzlies, but youngsters, by the looks of them
**********
We fueled-up, and drove on to find a pull-out for the night. Options were very slim on Hwy 40, for big rig set-ups, by the way, but we had been on the road for going on six hours, and needed to stop.
We found an okay place, and got set-up. About an hour later, while I was working on my photos, and Daryl was napping. I heard honking. I looked out the window and saw our friends from Tennessee, drive on by! That was very fun and it made me smile!
We ended up in a spot truckers use, too. I liked that they keep their running lights on, all night and were parked behind us.
Good night from Canada, from somewhere on Hwy 40.
Next stop; Dawson Creek,
Also, if interested. I went back to a previous blog and posted a whole lot more pictures from Banff, since the second trip through, I wasn’t the one driving. If you want to see them, here is the link to the Banff Blog, as it was too much to repost them on this blog:
My next blog series will be All About Dawson Creek British Columbia; the starting point for driving the AlCan. We will depart from there and finally reach ALASKA, after six boondocking/drydocking nights!
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Hello and Welcome to our Travel Blog Website, We enjoy writing about our experiences and taking photos of our adventuring along the way. Our names are: Daryl and Pen, but Daryl calls me “Bunny.” We met, quite randomly, whilst both… Read More