Day 8 — Jasper → Banff
the trip from Jasper to Lake Louise/Banff is one of the most breathtaking moments of the journey: a wild land, crossed by the Icefield Parkway (one of the best panoramic roads in North America), amidst majestic mountains, vast forests and colossal glaciers. In November 1883, three Canadian Pacific Railway workers searching for gold instead discovered a cave with hot springs on the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Alberta. The government immediately purchased the land and created Banff National Park, Canada's first national park.
The park covers 6,641 square kilometers (slightly less than South Tyrol) of valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows, and rivers, and is a paradise for hikers, with over 1,600 kilometers of trails. The Trans-Canada Highway, Banff-Radium Highway, the scenic Bow Valley Parkway, and the majestic Icefields Parkway are the main roads that traverse the park and facilitate visitors in spotting abundant wildlife: caribou, elk, deer, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, brown bears, grizzly bears, wolves, and a large number of small and large mammals.