Awe-inspiring; Banff & Jasper National Parks

"If you were to sit down and try to design an area of the world that would be the most spectacular, the most awe inspiring and the most scenically overwhelming, odds are it might look a lot like Banff and Jasper National Parks. It’s almost as if the postcard was dreamed up after seeing this place; everywhere you look there is something else that will take your breath away."  (www.lonelyplanet.com)

The overwhelming sights are hard to share online; however, click on the links below and browse through the photos. Unfortunately, the skies were filled with smoke several of the days; however, the views were still beautiful!

My visit to Banff & Jasper National Parks was awe-inspiring at minimum!

A drive south and west of Calgary through Kananaskis Country revealed the foothills and front range of the Canadian Rockies.
 
A visit to Banff wouldn't be complete without a visit to Lake Louise.

However, Moraine Lake made my visit complete; an unbelievable crystal clear blue glacier fed lake.

Peyto Lake is another glacier fed lake in Banff National Park. A quick jaunt up the Bow Summit revealed these views.

A drive across Sunwapta Pass led to the Columbia Icefield which feeds eight major glaciers including Athabasca, Castleguard, Colubia, Dome, Stutfield, Saskatchewan.

In Jasper National Park, Athabasca Falls flows from the Upper Athabasca River over quartzite and limestone.

A drive through the Johnston Canyon and a hike along the Johnston Creek was peaceful and serene.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.

                                       Edmund Hillary