Canadian Rockies

Canadian Rockies: The Icefields Parkway Has One Gas Station in 232 Kilometres

That’s not a problem if you know it; it’s a serious problem if you don’t. Fill up in Lake Louise or Jasper before you drive the Icefields Parkway. Cell service is sparse for most of the route. Services are available only June through September. The parkway itself – 232 kilometres linking Banff National Park and Jasper National Park – is consistently ranked among the world’s top scenic drives, and the ranking is justified. The Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Glacier, Peyto Lake, and Bow Lake are all along the route, and the drive in a single uncrowded morning has a particular quality that doesn’t survive in photographs.

A Parks Canada Discovery Pass (CAD $72.25 for adults, CAD $145.25 for families) covers Banff, Jasper, Yoho, and Kootenay national parks. If you’re visiting more than one park, it pays for itself within a day or two. Day passes are also available at park entrances.

Banff National Park

The town of Banff sits inside the national park at 1,383 metres elevation in the Bow Valley. Lake Louise, 57 kilometres northwest, is the signature sight: a glacially fed turquoise lake at the foot of Victoria Glacier, with the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise on the north shore. The turquoise colour – intensely vivid and not enhanced in photographs – comes from glacial rock flour suspended in the water. In peak summer (July-August), the Lake Louise parking lot fills by 8am; the park runs a shuttle from Lake Louise village when the lot is full.

Moraine Lake, 15 minutes south of Lake Louise, is the other essential Banff viewpoint and widely considered more dramatic. Access has been managed increasingly tightly in recent years: book a Parks Canada shuttle from Lake Louise village or cycle in. The view from the Rockpile above the lake became Canada’s twenty-dollar-bill image for a reason.

Jasper National Park

Jasper National Park (north of Banff along the Icefields Parkway) is larger and less busy. Jasper town is smaller and less polished than Banff, which many visitors find preferable. Maligne Lake, 48 kilometres southeast of town, is the largest natural lake in the Rockies and has Spirit Island – the small forested island in the lake’s upper reach – as one of the most photographed spots in Canada. Maligne Canyon, a few kilometres from town, is a narrow gorge carved by the Maligne River with bridges at six different depths.

The Jasper wildfire of 2024 burned significant portions of the town and surrounding area. As of 2026, Jasper is fully open to visitors, with rebuilding underway and all major natural attractions accessible.

The Athabasca Glacier

The Columbia Icefield area is roughly halfway along the Icefields Parkway. The Athabasca Glacier is the most visited glacier in North America and is accessible on foot from the Icefield Centre or by guided Ice Explorer vehicle. The glacier has retreated significantly in living memory; markers along the approach show historical extents by decade, and the trend is dramatic. The Glacier Skywalk nearby is a glass-floored walkway extending over a cliff face with a 280-metre drop below.

Wildlife

Elk wander the streets of Banff and Jasper with indifference; it is genuinely common to see them in town. Grizzly bears and black bears are present throughout the parks; bear spray is recommended for hiking. Bighorn sheep collect at roadside mineral licks. In late September and October, the Bow Valley elk rut draws large numbers of bulls into the open meadows.

Practical Notes

The Icefields Parkway is fully open in 2026. Drive slowly and stop often; the viewpoints are signposted and the light changes dramatically through the day. Accommodation in Banff and Jasper towns books out months ahead in summer. Lake Louise hostel (HI Canada) is a rare budget option close to the lake.