I love open roads. Driving a scenic stretch of road with your favorite music, podcast or audio book on is oddly satisfying. Roads also happen to make great leading lines for photographs. They draw you into the scene, taking you on a ride to the subject at the back of the frame. Maybe favorite subject is of course mountains. If you've never driven down the Icefield Parkway inbetween Lake Louise and Jasper, Alberta I would highly recommend it to anyone if they ever get the chance. It is one of my favorite drives in the World. Actually, you can't go wrong with any road that winds through the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the views are just so epic.
Today I'd like to share with you a few of my most cherished lengths of road with you!
Icefield Parkway, Alberta
As I said above, the Icefield Parkway in Alberta is indeed one of the most scenic drives around. It has burly mountain peaks, glaciers, stunning lakes and you might even get lucky and see and elk or a bear along the way. It travels about 230 kilometres from Lake Louise to Jasper and is VERY popular during the Summer months (for good reason). The views will have you gaping the entire way. The photo here is looking up at crowfoot mountain in the early morning hours, which resides above the gorgeous Bow Lake, not seen here.
Red Rock Canyon Parkway, Waterton Lakes National Park
Pictured here is the start of the Red Rock Canyon Parkway in Waterton Lakes National Park Alberta. This is a true hidden gem in the Canadian Rockies, right on the border of Glacier National Park in Montana. It feels like the old frontier of a wild west movie. It has mountains, grizzly bears, glaciers, buffalo, open plains, and even some pretty damn good food options. We recently did a road trip through all of Canada from coast to coast and this was in my top 3 places we visited. One thing you will have to watch out for here though is the wind. Lots and lots of wind 😅.
Alberta Highway 40
Highway 40 AKA the Kananaskis Trail, is one the greatest and wildest drives in Canada. It is close through the late Autumn - late spring months for road conditions and wildlife closures. There is abundant wildlife to be seen here if you are lucky. Bears, elk, moose, mountain goats, coyotes, wolves, you name it! I hope your car can handle driving up and down a lot of steep hills 😉. Highway 40 tops out at a whopping 2,217m (7,273ft) on Highwood Pass, making it the highest road in the entire country.
Bow Valley Parkway
The Bow Valley Parkway or Highway 1A is the old section of highway that used to run across Canada. This section in particular goes from Lake Louise Alberta, to Banff Alberta. These days it makes for a lovely alternative if you want to take in the sights and stay away from the rush of the new highway 1. It is often times closed during certain times of the day and year for cyclists or wildlife. If you're into cycling, this is definitely a bucket list destination. Pictured here is perhaps the most iconic view of the route, the majestic castle mountain towering above as you drive by.
Highway to Heaven or Hell?
This photo was also shot in Waterton Lakes National Parks. It is facing towards the grasslands and not the epic mountains behind me, but that's because this Sunrise was to good to pass up. This photo has minimal editing and I almost had to turn down the saturation because the sunrise was so colorful. Perhaps one of the most insane sunrises I have ever seen.
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