Until 2014, Jasper National Park was as far north as Shirley and I had traveled in the Canadian Rockies. It was enough to convince us that the farther we went the better it got so Alaska inevitably became an ultimate destination. US highways tend to run east-west through the mountains so you are usually climbing over passes. The Icefields Parkway in Canada runs north-south mostly through the valley so you are constantly rounding curves to yet more jaw-dropping scenery. The mountains seem even more massive in the far north because the tree line is much lower leaving more mountainside exposed.
More than once people have expressed surprise that we are willing to "drive all that way." But after you have crossed Nebraska a few times you develop a natural immunity to travel fatigue. Even our children became excellent travelers through frequent practice. We never think of it as setting out to drive 12,000 miles. We just take it one day at a time. Every day is itself a mini-destination with things to see and do.
Even before we get to the Canadian Rockies we have already driven 2,471 miles in the US. From the Canadian border, it's another 331 miles north to the Icefields Parkway and then yet another 364 miles to the beginning of the Alaska Highway at Dawson Creek, British Columbia. The Alaska Highway is 1,387 miles to its terminus at Delta Junction. 4553 total miles--just to get to Alaska. Which, as the largest state by far, involves quite a bit of additional driving. People also ask where we go in Alaska. The answer is "wherever the pavement goes." But that is the whole point, after all. In 2014 it took us 20 days to get to Alaska for an average of 227 miles a day. Easy-peasy. But the average includes some days when we stayed put and accumulated no miles and other days when we went twice that far.
Even if there were no Alaska waiting at the other end, just getting there is an adventure. Mountains, lakes, waterfalls, wildlife, wildflowers. If this is the kind of stuff you like, this is the kind of trip you will love.
Our first stop on the Icefields Parkway is always at Lake Louise.
Second stop is just a few miles up a mountain road to Moraine Lake.
In 2017, it was somewhat harder to get there. Canada Parks celebrated 150 years of the Confederation by offering free admission.
From there, it is just ordinary, standard views along the Parkway.
In early June, Bow Lake was still frozen.
Peyto Lake seems clear but there is ice over its emerald waters.
Angel Glacier has "wings" to either side.
You can see how much rocky debris is carried down by a glacier.
Eventually it all gets dumped as a terminal moraine and
in lateral moraines along the side edges.
This is why it is called Icefields Parkway.
We took the ski lift at Whistlers for a grand vista.
Then continued up the trail in the LR corner for even better.
The Icefields Parkway takes its name from the Columbia Icefield or glacier. The haze is from huge wildfires off to the west.
The smoke was a lot worse when the wind was from the west.
At Athabasca Falls, crews from all over the world were practicing whitewater rescue techniques.
"Rescue" is probably the wrong word. By the time they could string their cables the body would be miles and miles down stream. Don't be like the fools who pose for selfies out on those wet rocks. First responders are enormously brave and dedicated. Their lives should not be in jeopardy because some people behave foolishly.
Why did the caribou cross the road?
Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.
There are two Mile O signs in Dawson Creek.
The Alaska Highway museum in Dawson Creek has exhibits that explain the construction.
Tetsa River Outfitters has a campground where we stayed on both trips.
Stone sheep come down to lick salt on the highway.
Memorial for the soldiers who lost their lives building the Alaska Highway.
Soldiers posted the first signs showing the distance to home. Since then, thousands of travelers have added to the Signpost Forest.
There are bison jams on the Alaska Highway just as in Yellowstone. Except that there are more bison than vehicles way up there.
More bears, too.
The Tlingit Heritage Center focuses on the history, art, and artifacts of the First Nations people.
The Alaska Highway itself can be a destination.
Ferocious beasts! Every grizzly bear we saw along the way was eating grass or flowers. This observation should not diminish the hazards of messing with bears.
Fireweed is named not for its color but because it is one of the first plants to return after a wildfire.
This sow grizzly was feasting on fireweed at Lake Kluane.
WWII Quonset huts were sometimes re-purposed as churches.
Technically the end of the AK Highway is not at the border but at Delta Junction, AK
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