Fall Photography in Canada and Glacier Trip Journal

Introduction

We were lucky to find ourselves in the northwest part of the US during the fall of 2009 so we took some vacation time to make a quick run through Glacier National Park and up through some of the Canadian National Parks. This was low cost trip so we spent the entire time sleeping in our rented SUV. We find this approach works well for us as it allows us to travel with out a schedule and stay near our desired morning photography locations.

Typically we would shoot for the first few hours and the last few hours of each day. During the rest of the day we would visit museums, shop, drive to a different area or just relax. For this trip we spent most of our time in following areas.

• Glacier National Park
• Kananaskis Area
• Banff National Park Area

Glacier National Park

We entered Glacier National Park through the West Glacier entrance, drove over the Going to the Sun road, around to the Many Glacier Road area and then up into Canada. There are many wonderful locations to shoot within the park but we focused our limited time in the following spots.

The best know sunset location on the west side of the park seems to be near the north end of Lake McDonald. We had seen some pretty good images at sunrise also but when we tried to shot it was overcast and not much happened. Next we hiked through the Trail of the Cedars and enjoyed the wonderful trees. One area we did not get to visit was the area around Avalanche Lake. You will need to hike back into the area of the lake but we have seen some great images from that area.

When we reached Logan Pass Visitor Center we hiked out to the overlook of Hidden Lake. On the way to the overview we had the opportunity to photograph several mountain goats and squirrels. It is a pretty easy hike into some beautiful views. A popular early morning or sunset location on the Going to the Road is the Wild Goose Island Overlook.

We spend a sunset and sunrise in the Many Glacier Hotel area. We found some great sunset images along the outlet river of the lake and enjoyed shooting sunrise reflections in the lake near the river outlet. After sunrise we traveled around the lake and hiked back into the Lake Josephine and Grinnell Lake areas. In addition we found some great reflections of the surrounding peaks in Lake Sherburne as we left the area. If you are looking for something nice to do one night we really enjoyed David Walburn's Montana Show at the Many Glacier hotel.

Kananaskis Area

As we left the Glacier area we drove to the Kananaskis Area outside Canmore. Most of our time in this area was spent exploring south along Highway 40. There are many nice small lakes along the road so there are many opportunities for reflection images and we captured a nice sunrise reflection at the Wedge Lake. When we reached the Kananaskis Lakes Trail road (just before Kananaskis Lake) we turned off Highway 40. Shortly we turned onto the gravel Smith-Dorrien Spray Trail road. This road will carry you along the west side of the Kananaskis Lake and we found some great images around the Kananaskis Lake Spillway pond.

Banff National Park Area

We next moved to Banff and really enjoyed using it as our base while we explored the Banff National Park. You don't have to travel far outside of town to find some nice images. Simply drive out of town on Mount Norquay Road and turn left on the road just before reaching the Trans-Canada Highway. Follow this road around the corner and quickly you will start seeing the Vermillion Lakes and if there is no wind reflections of the surrounding peaks.

One afternoon we drove the Bow Valley Parkway which is known for it wildlife viewing. This drive starts at the Bow Valley Parkway exit (Highway 1A) west of Banff on the Trans-Canada Highway. It is a nice quite drive compared to the Trans-Canada Highway but we did not see much to photograph. About halfway down the parkway you reach the Castle Mountain Bridge. We were able to walk down to the river below the bridge and capture some nice sunset images of the mountain colors reflecting in the river.

One of the classic location in Banff National Park is Lake Louise. It is typically a sunrise location and if you enjoy shooting alone this area is not for you. There is a large motel located on the shoreline of the lake and the most popular shooting location is behind the motel. Expect a lot of vacationer with their point and shoots to arrive but we did not have any issue finding enough room to work. The subject here is a reflection of Mount Victoria and it's glacier in the lake. We were also able to get a pretty nice image at sunset when a cloud was illuminated over the glacier. The drive to Moraine Lake starts at Lake Louise Village and is only a few miles away. After shooting sunrise at Lake Louise we had enough time to drive up to Moraine Lake before the wind started blowing and get some nice reflection images there. When you arrive look to your left and you will see a large pile of rocks. The views from the top of this pile are hard to beat and we also enjoyed the images we captured down the left side of the rock pile by the lake outlet.

Icefields Parkway Area

From the Lake Louise area we drove north along the Icefields Parkway. The entire parkway seems to be one photographic location after another. As you drive along you will pass a constant stream of peaks and lakes. It is a beautiful drive so all you have to do is try to decide where you want to stop. We had hoped to shoot sunrise at Bow Lake but it was raining and nothing exciting happened. Next, we moved to Peyto Lake and hiked to the wooden viewing platforms. Even though it was overcast and drizzling we were able to get some nice images.

When we reached the Columbia Icefield we stopped and took the riding tour onto the glacier. You just can not appreciate the huge size of everything until you are standing in the middle of the glacier looking up at the rising peaks. While we were on top it was cold and raining so be sure to bundle up even if it is nice down below.

Jo really enjoyed the Athabasca Falls area. We stopped during the middle of the day and it was very crowded. In addition the light was overhead and very harsh so we returned late in the afternoon. She was able to get some very nice images of the falls with the mountains as back drops.

Jasper National Park Area

We really enjoyed the town of Jasper and the area around it There are many great locations to shot images starting with all the elk roaming the town and the nearby Patricia and Pyramid Lakes. The lakes are located just a short way up the Pyramid Lake Road. We enjoyed going to the end of the road and walking past the closed gate. It is less than a mile to the inlet area of the Pyramid Lake. This inlet area seemed to be a little more protected from wind and we got some pretty nice sunrise images in this area.

The Jasper area can be pretty touristy so if you want to find a little more solitude head to Highway 93A south of town. This is a section of the old two lane road running between Jasper and Banff and we spent a morning exploring the area after an overnight snow had fallen on the tops of the mountains. We captured some nice reflections of the snow dusted peaks in the small ponds along the road. One area we very much wanted to visit was the Mount Edith Cavell road that exits off of Highway 93A. The road was being paved and was closed but we very much want to return someday to visit this area.

While in the Jasper area we drove out to Maligne Lake and road a boat to Spirit Island. The area is beautiful and we really enjoyed the boat ride and history of the area. The day was overcast so it was pretty difficult to get a very good image of Spirit Island. The boat only stops for 10 minutes at the island so you don't have much time to work but the day was sure fun.

Yoho National Park Area

Yoho park is a special place. It does not have a large town nearby like Banff and Jasper but it is where we captured some of our best images. We spent time visiting the Yoho Valley Road and enjoyed the Takakkaw Falls but we really got better images along the Emerald Lake road. We spent most of our time in two locations. First, we spent some time at the Natural Bridge but in order to avoid the crowds and harsh light we again had to visit very late in the day. In fact the sun had already set when Jo got here best images.

Second, we spent a wonderful afternoon and sunset at Emerald Lake. We found some great reflection shots on the picnic area trail to the left side of the parking lot and a nice reflection of a sunset lit mountain right behind the first building on the island. Jo also got some nice bird images around the area as they seemed to be pretty tame.

If you could only visit one location in Canada, you should try to get to the Lake O'Hara area in the fall. To access this area you will need to obtain a ticket to ride the bus to the lake. When we road they were only taking 42 people a day to the area and to get a ticket you had to call three months ahead of your trip to purchase the ticket. I found this website and started calling the ticket office first thing each day three months in front of our trip. Each time I got through to a person they had already sold out and it took 8 times before we got tickets.

The bus ride takes about 30 minutes to reach the lake and is an adventure in itself. Once you reach the lake you are free to hike the trails until the bus ride out in the afternoon. The area is one of the most impressive areas we have ever been and we really over did the hiking. We covered around 12 miles during the ten hours we were there exploring both the Opabin Lake and Opabin Plateau areas. We were lucky with our timing and the Larch trees had just turned a great gold color.

Final Thoughts

We had seen some wonderful images of Glacier and the Canadian parks before our trip but nothing prepared us for the beauty of the area until we saw it for ourselves. There are so many great locations to photograph that it was very hard for us to develop a game plan. The great thing about the area is that there are so many great things to see it is hard not to find nice subjects. Hopefully this journal will give you some ideas while planning your visit.

If you ever have any questions, suggestions on how to improve this guide or just wish to send us an email with a great photography spot, please contact us at ginnphotography@comcast.net.

Thank you and good shooting,

Jo and Phil