As is often the case with any of our motorcycle tours, the ride back towards home is as good as any other days we ride. Often times we try to make a loop rather than taking the same route going and coming. However, when the route takes us to roads as spectacular as these, it’s best to simply turn around at some point and experience them again. This provides the opportunity to take it all in again and sort of cement the adventure and the views in your mind as you see it from a new perspective… the opposite direction. This particular motorcycle tour is one that simply must be seen from both directions! The Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper is approximately 150 miles long. Each and every one of those miles is full of fantastic scenery and views on BOTH sides of the highway. It would be a crime to ride it only once. A full understanding and appreciation of this region would take a lifetime of study.
Day five of this motorcycle adventure tour was another great day. We awoke early to break camp and get riding so as not to miss the glorious morning sun pounding on the already vibrant autumn colors of the turning Canadian Rockies. We had a full ride ahead this day as we planned to ride the distance we had covered in the previous two. We had refueled in Jasper the night before, this allowed us to simply roll without delay and get started on what would be the best ride south on the Icefields Parkway I’ve ever had! It was so great to do it in the fall, the colors and the crisp morning air lent a feeling of excitement and euphoria to an already great ride. We were in no huge hurry and were able to stop to view many of the vistas provided by the various roadside turnouts. Remember, this is glacier country and it demands your respect and attention as you journey through. The scale and the grandeur are both overwhelming and inspirational as we try to process what our eyes are being treated to.
Anytime one is adventure motorcycle touring, it is a special treat to encounter various forms of wildlife as well as the spectacular views. This ride provides one of the greatest chances of that happening as any ride I know of. Some of the most exciting creatures to be seen in this region are of course bear and elk. One great advantage to having a passenger on one of our motorcycle adventure tours, is that they can always have the camera in their hands and ready to capture anything unexpected. Unfortunately, I was unable to shoot (with my Camera) a large grizz we saw near Athabasca Falls. By the time I got turned around and camera ready, I had missed the opportunity. It’s okay though, I’ve photographed bear before and I will again.
After an extended stop and tour of the Glacier Center at the Athabasca Glacier near the half way point of the Parkway and 4 hours of bliss, we arrived back at the Lake Louise Village for a timely and delicious lunch. Here we met and visited with some other adventure riders and swapped stories while we had a bikeside picnic together for about an hour. It’s always fun to meet a fellow adventure rider and talk about all the great rides that there are to be done.
With Lake Louise being only the halfway point of this day, and with the afternoon sun burning it was time to journey on towards our destination of Waterton Lakes National Park for our final night on the road. From Lake Louise through Banff and back to Waterton was a very nice ride. We rode back through Kananaskis Country as it is the most scenic route and only open for part of the year. With any of our guided motorcycle tours, we try to do and see the things that most interest our guests. The route this day was chosen by Patrick and left nothing to be desired except a nice warm dinner in Waterton. We arrived in time to be greeted by our friends who own Wieners of Waterton and treated to another outstanding cheddar jalapino dog with sweet potato fries. With only a couple hours of daylight left we strolled along the shoreline of Waterton Lake one final time and watched as the sunset on the picturesque town of Waterton and the Prince of Whales Hotel.
After a comfortable night in our Condo, we broke out before sunrise to get to the border crossing just in time for them to open. We fueled in Cardston, Alberta before crossing back into the United States and into Babb, Montana. We had a long day ahead as we planned to ride through Montana, Idaho and back into Salt Lake City, Utah. We hooked onto I-15 and rode along the beautiful and winding Missouri River until we took a lunch stop in Helena. We then blew through Butte, Montana, Pocatello Idaho and finally home to Salt Lake. This was a nearly 700 mile day and while that’s a bit much for most riders, it enabled us to stay and enjoy Canada for as long as possible with our limited time. Motorcycle adventure touring can be one of the most rewarding and memorable things you’ll ever do. At Adventure Riders Touring, we sincerely hope to help as many people as we can to accomplish having such an experience while doing it safely, comfortably and as pleasurably as possible.
