Jasper to Banff: Cycling Inside a Postcard

Imagine cycling inside a postcard. This is what cycling in the Rockies might have looked like. The reality was sometimes quite different. While it was one of the most scenic bike trips we’ve ever done, it was also one of our most challenging trips. Our last visit to the Rockies was back when Neil was less than six months old. On that trip we mostly hiked and camped, and he was a happy camper in the hiking carrier.

This time, biking our way, the terrain felt almost always hilly. Yes, I know it’s impossible, there were also some downhill sections. The weather was always changeable and never truly hot, and while traffic was generally OK and the shoulders were wide, there was one section going downhill from Bow Pass where the shoulder was almost non-existent and some huge RVs passed very close to us.

We spent a couple of days around Jasper after our canoe trip. Since it was raining, we checked out the very nice Miette Hot Springs. Somehow Neil’s shoes were left at home, which we realized just as we were almost ready to start cycling. He refused to do the trip in sandals, probably rightly so. As a result we were faced with the seemingly impossible task of finding kids’ runners in Jasper, and quickly. Eventually, we managed to find a pair and we were off. We also didn’t take any rest days for several reasons and did the whole trip in an 8-day stretch. While our days weren’t long in kilometers (our longest day was around 40km), they were very exhausting due to the climbing involved.

Our first day of the cycling trip was mainly through the burnt forest outside of Jasper. It was one year after the big fire, and while downtown itself seemed like it was back to normal, there were residential areas that were deeply impacted. Driving into town we passed a burnt gas station, black all over – a reminder of the force of that forest fire.

Camping was relatively easy because many campgrounds have first-come, first-served sites. Of the campgrounds we stayed at, only Jonas Creek had a cycling area, which was so nice. It seemed not complicated to create something like this in all campgrounds and we were not sure why that’s not the case. Most campgrounds also had really nice shelters with a fireplace, which was handy on rainy evenings or mornings.

Climbing to the Columbia Icefield was the most challenging day, and I seriously started looking at the RVs at one of the viewpoints, thinking we could ask them for a ride. Gili was against that, so we continued our very slow climb.

Just before the Columbia Icefield Centre, our slow-motion climb crossed paths with Dario, an inspiring cyclist from Italy completing a cross-Canada tour. He was moving much faster than us, but we reconnected at the campground that night and later had the pleasure of hosting him at our home in Vancouver before his flight back to Italy. At Sunwapta Pass there’s a Starbucks that seems awfully out of place, but we still took advantage of their baked goods and a coffee, which were surprisingly reasonably priced. That same night, a group of guys doing a mountaineering course kept the shelter’s fireplace going, which was pretty awesome since it was quite cold.

Arriving in Lake Louise felt like a massive milestone. Finally, signs of civilization! We took full advantage: had a nice lunch the Trailhead Cafe, indulged in some treats at Laggan’s, and stocked up on food at the super-overpriced supermarket (not as bad as the store at Saskatchewan Crossing though!).

From Lake Louise, we rode along the Bow Valley Parkway. It wasn’t the most breathtaking stretch visually, but it was one of my favourites because of the gentle terrain and very little traffic. The only downside was our campsite that night at Protection Mountain Campground. After encountering super friendly rangers at the other campgrounds, we ran into a very harsh ranger who insisted we couldn’t stay without a reservation. She suggested that we take a taxi back to Lake Louise and come back the next day, and even threatened to call the warden. Luckily, we found a solution by sharing a site with a nice American couple.

The last day was tough – we could feel the fact that we hadn’t taken any rest days… But arriving to Banff felt very rewarding. We stopped to take a rest by the river and a couple told us that they saw us on the way. That happened a few times. I guess when you move that slow, there is a good chance to be spotted. In Banff a lovely Warm Showers family hosted us for the night. It was great to get to know them and share some cycling stories. Also taking a shower was amazing after eight days on the road. The kids had a lot of fun playing Lego, and they rediscovered their love for it.

The next day, the kids and I checked out the Banff hot springs, which were less impressive than the ones in Jasper, but much closer to town. In the meantime Gili hitchhiked all the way back to Jasper to retrieve our Modo minivan. He caught the bus to Lake Louise early in the morning, intending to ask for a ride at the gas station. Within a couple of minutes he was on the road with a ride all the way to Jasper, from the first driver he approached. On the drive back to Vancouver, we stopped in Golden for a whitewater rafting trip on the Kicking Horse River. The kids loved the biggest rapid, right at the start, appropriately named “Alarm Clock”, as well as a quick swim (only Neil and Gili).

After the nine-day Bowron Lakes trip and eight days of cycling in the Rockies, the kids’ favorite part might have actually been that half-day of rafting. But it was great to end our summer adventures on such a high note!

Here you can see the basic route from Jasper to Banff and the elevation profile, showing the two passes: Sunwapta Pass and Bow Summit, both just over 2,000m high. The mapped out route is 290.1km, but actual kms biked were quite a bit more due to sidetrips etc.