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Lake
Louise and other Rocky Mountain escapes
by Jerry W.
Bird
http://www.skilouise.com/
 In
the coming editions of our event-filled travel
magazines, I will describe some of our many
positive experiences at Lake Louise and
Banff
National Park over
several decades, provide a variety of visitor
interviews,a brief history of the area and personal
comments from our U.S. and overseas guests. The
focus will be on why you should include Lake Louise
when planning your travel itinerary, or joining one
of Air Highways and BC Scene Magazine's Sponsored
Tours of the West. At one time I had the privilege
of handling the advertising for Lake Louise Ski
Lifts Corporation, and going back even further in
the 'time tunnel,' I had a similar experience with
Travel Alberta in Edmonton (small wonder I am such
a fan of the area). For starters, here's an excerpt
from "Hot
Springs and Freezing
Glaciers," a story
I wrote for "Roads to Canada's Great Drives." It
was published by Latitudes Magazine of Montreal,
and read by 400,000 upscale Canadians and
Americans.
The Teahouse of Lake
Louise
If you really want to seize the moment,
rent a canoe, or pedal your way to Bow Falls,
Tunnel Mountain, or 101 equally delightful places.
Heading north west from Banff, one can cruise the
Trans Canada via Sunshine Village to Lake Louise in
a breeze. For a change of pace, however, take the
old road (Hwy 1A) along the north bank of the Bow
River via Johnston Canyon, with its ink pots and
nature walks. Chateau Lake Louise is a jewel in an
exquisite crown. Talk of beauty and serenity! --
when one's creative spark needs rekindling, the
Chateau is my choice. You can paddle a canoe in a
scene right out of Hiawatha, or take the alpine
trail to a Tea House for granola cakes and wild
berry tea. The azure lake far below gets even
smaller, as you climb the corkscrew path. Breathe
deeply folks -- it gets to be a challenge near the
top. Guess who was left standing still by a German
couple in their mid 80s?
Jasper Sunwapta
Safari
Louise is a hard gal to say good-bye to
-- but not to worry -- there's more beauty ahead.
The Ice fields Parkway ranks among the world's
great highroads, with glaciers standing like 100
icy sentinels. Jasper National Park begins at The
Columbia Ice fields, a marvel of nature with the
largest mass of ice in the Rockies. A fleet of Snow
coaches traverse the Athabaska glacier, looking
from a distance like ants on a giant vanilla
marshmallow sundae. This seventh wonder is part of
a formation that blanketed Canada for a million
years. The highway follows the Sunwapta River,
joining its cousin the Athabaska at Sunwapta Falls.
The hottest water on the entire drive (54°C)
is at Miette Hot Springs, near Jasper Lake and
Punchbowl Falls. Don't worry, it's cooled to a
comfortable 39° in the swimming pool.
To assist our readers and
potential tour guests a further search, we provide
a "Preview" of what's available on the Lake Louise
Web site, should you wish to dig
deeper.
 Preview
of Official Lake Louise Web
Site
For Lake Louise and Related Areas of
Alberta and S.E. British Columbia
Things to do: Attractions Guided Tours
Activities Interpretive Destination Areas
Recreation
National Park Information Trail Systems
Downhill Skiing Fishing Summer Activities
Winter Activities Services: Helpful Info for
US Visitors Information Centres Food and
Beverages
Shopping: Art, Antiques and Jewellery,
Malls
Accommodation: Hotels and Motels,
Campgrounds, Hostels and Bed and Breakfasts
Parks Canada: A World Heritage Site, Camping
and Campgrounds, Visitor Information Centres, Easy
Hiking Trails In Banff Park, Interpretive Programs
In Banff Park Interpretive Programs In Lake Louise,
Parks
Canada Winter Info: Scenic Drives,
Interpretive Exhibits and Museums, Wildlife,
Skating, Winter Walks and Tours, Cross Country
Skiing and Snow shoeing, Ski Touring and Ice
Climbing, Trail Etiquette, Driving Safety,
Avalanche Safety
Parks Canada Passes: Cave and Basin, Banff
Park Museum, Upper Hot Spring Pool
Parks Canada Activities: Scenic Drives,
Walking and Hiking, Nature Watching, Front Country
Camping, Swimming and Soaking, Boating, Fishing,
Fishing Permits, Mountain Biking, Horseback Riding,
Back Country Camping
Parks Back country: Wilderness Pass, Back
country Reservations Mountaineering Safety
Registration Recorded Information
Parks Natural Hazards: Driving in the
Mountains, Falling, Getting Lost, Weather, Bears,
Elk, Deer, Sheep, Wolves, Moose, Cougar, Ticks
Parks Regulations: Give Wildlife Space, Food
and Garbage, Put Pets on a Leash, Leave it for
Others, Respect Restrictions, Obey Closures, Disarm
Firearms, Wildlife Watch Alberta: Banff
National Park, Canmore, Calgary, Drumheller,
Edmonton, High River, Kananaskis, Jasper, National
Park, Lake Louise, Lethbridge
http://www.lakelouise.com/
National Parks Update
Canada's three new national parks are described as
northern gems that literally put you on top of the
world. The federal cabinet and the Inuit have
ratified a deal struck after four years of talks to
establish three national parks - Sirmilik,
Auyuittuq and Quttinirtaaq - in the new
territory of Nunavut. The Inuktitut names chosen
for the parks illustrate the frozen terrain's major
features;"place of glaciers," "land that never
melts" and "top of the world." This is a way for
the Inuit to connect with the rest of Canada. The
parks will highlight things that you can't find
anywhere else in the world," said Paul Amagoalik,
one of the Inuit negotiators of the deal. Auyuittuq
National Park is better known for the scenery it
provided for the 1997 James Bond movie The Spy Who
Loved Me. A stunt double for actor Roger Moore, who
played Bond was shown skiing over a mountain peak
with a parachute. The remote locale of Quttinirtaaq
National Park attracted former prime minister
Pierre Trudeau and some buddies one summer for a
canoe trip on the rugged Ruggles River.
Meanwhile, Sirmilik National Park is best known
for its bird sanctuary on Bylot Island, a nesting
area for snow geese, and spring feeding area for
the wondrous narwhals, a mottled white whale that
sports a unicrotype horn. This adds about 80,000
square km to the country's system of national
parkland. One of the major snags in negotiations
was sharing control over the parks between the
Inuit and the federal government. In the end,
Ottawa maintained final authority on all decisions
but with joint park committees managing the sites.
The Inuit maintain their hunting rights in the
parks.
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