The Banff and Jasper National Parks of Canada are two sister parks with a beauty of their own. They offer two distinct views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, one in the south and the other in the north.
Asking which one is more beautiful than the other is like comparing the beauty of two different women. Therefore the safe answer is, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
The Banff National Park deserves credit as the first national park in Canada, established in 1885. First Canadian Prime Minister John A. Macdonald commissioned it as a 26-square-kilometer spring reserve. It later grew into a 6,641-kilometer mountain view resort with annual number of visitors reaching almost four million.
Although Lake Louise, a crystalline lake named after Queen Victoria’s daughter, is the site most commonly associated with Banff National Park, there are many other breathtaking sceneries to enjoy. Just some of these are Lake Moraine and the Valley of the Ten Peaks, and majestic Castle Mountain. The latter is so aptly named, for it looks like a castle hanging in the air, carved by nature, no less.
In fact, Harry Potter fans might refer to it as an enchanted castle built by some evil witch. You cannot miss this castle as you take that one and a half hour drive west from the city of Calgary in the province of Alberta. Calgarians are so lucky! Going to Banff National Park is so easy that it is the undisputed weekend pastime.
Downtown Banff is just as scenic, surrounded by old buildings, mountains, and lakes. This is the perfect spot to buy souvenirs and to chat with the locals. You will find out that if you plan to buy some property in these parts, you will only be able to own the house title, not the land.
After all, Banff is a national park, and along with Jasper, has been designated a United Nations World Heritage site as early as 1984.
Jasper National Park is much bigger, located north of Banff, connected to its sister park by the Icefields Parkway. The parkway offers a breathtaking view of majestic peaks, glacier deposits, and North American wildlife. Jasper is about 10,000 kilometers in size with trails totaling 1,000 kilometers.
One of the best ways to travel the Banff and Jasper national parks is by renting an RV. Coming from city of Vancouver in the province of British Columbia, you are driving east towards the Alberta border.
Hopefully, you own an RV, otherwise, renting one will just be as pricey as staying in a hotel. However, it is easy to economize by cooking your own meals in the tiny-but-will-do RV kitchen. On your drive, you should never miss Mount Chephren near the Icefields Parkway. The lake and mountain combo are just too breathtaking!
Jasper National Park was established in 1907, a much younger park indeed, but definitely the biggest national park in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Do not forget to visit Medicine Lake, a lake that the aboriginal Indians considered enchanted because of its now-you-see-it-now-you-don’t nature. Maligne Lake, on the other hand, is the second largest glacier-fed lake in the world.
In both national parks, whether Jasper or Banff, you have a choice to savor the natural springs. However, most tourists would rather be out in the cold, there being no shortage of winter or snow-driven activities in this part of the world.
All I ever want to do is write. Of course, I have to worry about the dishes and the laundry like everyone else. That includes taking a bath daily and keeping the house spic and span. A person has to sleep, too and enjoy a good meal. To detach myself from the writing and relax my eyes, I would go to the library to read a few good titles. Or watch an episode of CSI or Law & Order online. And then I'm back! Life is so simple for me.