The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) connects Lake Louise in Banff National Park to the Athabasca Falls area in Jasper National Park — 230 km of the most scenically concentrated driving in Canada. The highway runs through a corridor of glaciers, turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and wildlife habitat that has no equivalent anywhere in North America. A Parks Canada pass is required for both parks. The drive takes 3–4 hours non-stop; with photography stops, allow a full day in each direction. This guide covers the ten most important photography stops from south to north.
Sunrise and early morning. Bow Lake (40 km north of Lake Louise) is the headwater of the Bow River, fed by the Bow Glacier above. The north shore of the lake, accessible from the gravel parking area, gives a wide view across the flat water to the glacier and the peaks behind it. On calm mornings the reflection is near-perfect. A small historic lodge (Num-Ti-Jah Lodge) sits at the north end and adds architectural interest to the composition.
Mid-morning (9–11 a.m.). Bow Summit is the highest driveable point on the Icefields Parkway at 2,069 m. From the main viewpoint, Peyto Lake below is a vivid turquoise wolf-head shape. Climb the Bow Summit Lookout trail (2 km, 180 m elevation gain) for an even higher perspective that shows the full context — the lake, the valley, and the peaks beyond.
Any time; best on overcast days to avoid harsh shadows in the canyon. A 400 m flat trail from the highway leads to a gorge carved by the Mistaya River — the river has cut an improbably narrow slot through the limestone bedrock, with pot-holes and water-carved curves photographed best with a wide lens from the bridges and viewing platforms above. The water colour in the pool below the main falls is bright turquoise.
Midday (the south-facing glacier gets maximum light). The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Rocky Mountains south of Alaska — the Athabasca Glacier flows out from it toward the highway and you can walk to within 50 m of the glacier terminus from a gravel path off the main parking area. The Discovery Centre on the highway opposite gives an elevated view of the full glacier face with the icefield above it.
The Brewster Ice Explorer tour takes you onto the glacier surface in a purpose-built vehicle. The view from the glacier's surface — surrounded by ice in every direction — is unlike anything from the road. Crampons are available if you book a guided glacier hike.
Morning for the main falls, afternoon for the lower falls. Sunwapta Falls (175 km from Lake Louise) is a horseshoe-shaped waterfall where the Sunwapta River drops into a canyon. The best view is from the bridge above the main falls — the water curves around a rock island before dropping 18 m. A 1 km trail downstream leads to the Lower Sunwapta Falls, a series of cascades with a different character.
Morning and midday. Near Jasper at the southern end of the Icefields Parkway (30 km south of Jasper townsite), Athabasca Falls is the highest-volume waterfall in the Canadian Rockies. The water channels through a narrow quartzite canyon — the constriction dramatically increases the water velocity. Multiple bridges and platforms give different angles from above; a short trail leads to the canyon exit where the river slows into a wide pool.