Glacier Trekking along the Icefields Parkway in Jasper National Park

The carful of kids trek across the North American continent to Jasper National Park from Texas.

The carful of kids spent a day and a half in the glorious Banff National Park marveling at the lakes and mountains of the Canadian Rockies. We are headed north now after packing up our cabin at Two Jack Lakeside in Banff National Park where we enjoyed two nights in a Parks Canada oTENTik.

The carful of kids say good-bye to Banff, in the background you see a pair of Parks Canada's Red Chairs suggesting to sit and enjoy an epic view.

The carful of kids are halfway through our road trip adventure that started in Central Texas with the goal of driving to Jasper National Park and back. I made a reservation for another oTENTik--part cabin, part platform tent, in Jasper's Whistlers Campground for the evening after we explore the scenic Icefields Parkway.

The Parks Canada's oTENTiks ( $ 120 CAN a night ) are great for families with platform beds for six people and a table with four chairs inside; though eating inside the oTENTiks is prohibited due to the wildlife encounters within Jasper National Park. The kids love them and I love that I don't have to pitch a tent after a long day of driving and exploring. Just grab the sleeping bags and cooking gear, presto--you're camping. 

Our oTENTik--kids love them and I love the roof if it rains.

After loading up our gear we catch the Trans-Canada Highway 1 North to Lake Lousie, where we stop at the Lake Louise Visitors Center to turn in the Parks Canada X'plorer booklets for a collectible dog tag that the carful of kids receive after finishing theirs. This is also a great stop to load up on supplies and gas because the Icefields Parkway is a desolate stretch of scenic highway.

Back in the SUV the carful of kids turn onto Highway 93 North or Icefields Parkway as it's commonly known--completed in 1940, it's 140 miles long and parallels the Continental Divide. You should give yourself a full day to drive to Jasper National Park especially if you stop along the way.

Along the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic highways in North America.

Jasper National Park ( daily admission is $ 19.60 CAN for a family or $ 136.40 CAN for the Discovery Annual Pass) is the largest national park in Canada encompassing 4,200 square miles. This park, in my opinion, is even more beautiful than Banff NP but a lot less crowded.

The mountain scenery is unmatched on the Icefields Parkway so take your time. The road is well maintained but the driving can get slow if you get behind a lumbering RV--it's a two-lane highway the majority of the way except for the occasional passing lane. 

The carful of kids stop for a photo in front of the vintage Sno-Cat, we won't be touring the Athabasca Glacier in that today.

This is farthest north the carful of kids have traveled in North America and we're all excited. There are pullouts and hikes along the Icefields Parkway but one activity not to be missed is the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre. 

Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre, 80 miles from Lake Louise, is open from mid-April until mid-October for 10 a.m to 4 p.m. most days, during the summer, it's open for 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The admission for adults is $ 54.95 CAN and for kids 6 to 15 is $ 27.50 CAN with children under five free.

I have a kid photographer posing his brother in front of the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre.

I made reservations for this excursion before I left on vacation and I advise you to do the same. It is a very popular activity and when we arrive the huge parking lot is at capacity with cars and motor coaches. Be advised, the only way onto the Athabasca Glacier is on an organized tour through Brewster Travel or Glacier Ice Walks, a guided walking tour.

The carful of kids arrive a little early so we take advantage of the picnic tables outside the visitors center for lunch but there's a cafeteria upstairs if you prefer a hot meal. We also visit the restrooms before we get in line for our tickets, there's plenty.

You can see the Athbasca Glacier from the deck of the Discover Centre.

The tour starts at the Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery Centre where we get our tickets to board the motor coach that takes our group across the highway to the Ice Explorer Transportation Hub. Brewster Travel, a Canadian Tour Operator, owns 22 of the 23 Ice Explorers on the earth, the other one is on Antartica transporting scientists. 

Each Ice Explorer vehicle costs 1.5 million dollars with six towering tires that cost $ 5,000 a piece. They're especially designed to transport visitors to the Athabasca Glacier, the 3.5 mile long tongue of the Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield is the largest ice field in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, it's 125 square miles, but is largely hidden by the mountain peaks.

The "Happy Bus" takes us to the Ice Explorer Hub for our excursion to the Glacier.

After climbing abroad the massively cool-looking Ice Explorer, we meet Dan, our student driver--not that he's a new to driving, he's been driving the Ice Explorer for a few weeks now; he's a college student working here for the summer. He starts up the Explorer and tells us a little about her.

It's a climb up into the Ice Explorer.

She's capable of handling a 38% grade and the grade to get to Athabasca Glacier is 32%, the second steepest commercial grade in North America (the steepest is Pike's Peak Highway in Colorado). We're lucky as we have the newest Ice Explorer in the fleet and we'll get to the bottom of the hill the fastest, Dan tells us as he tries to slip her into the right gear. 

As he backs up his Explorer, he asks us to fasten our seats belts and when we reach down to get them, we realize there are no seat belts. Dan cracks a grin and laughs as he reassures us he's a professional--what kind of professional he doesn't know just yet. He has a few more years in college.

All smiles aboard the Ice Explorer, you can see in every direction.

"Just close your eyes if you get scared. That's what I'm doing," Dan tells us and the jokes keep coming.  He looks sideways and tells the first few rows of passengers that he still can't believe that they gave him the Ice Explorer to drive for the summer. 

All kidding aside, Dan maneuvers his Ice Explorer with ease as he takes us on a 3-mile journey to the midpoint of the Athabasca Glacier. He tells us how the glaciers were formed hundreds of thousands of years ago and we learn about blue ice, it's formed when the snow is compressed.

I won't lie, it's COLD but it's one of the coolest things we've done!

After a bouncy and slowing moving ride, we get to the stopping point on the Athabasca Glacier where we can get out and explore--even sampling the glacier water if we want. The carful of kids put on their gloves and their hats and climb down, we're not missing this.

As a part of the tour you have about 20 minutes to explore and that's not enough for us. The glacier terrain is rugged, fragile and treacherous all at the same time. It's an amazing opportunity and even though it's raining when we're on the glacier, we run around like crazy kids.

You feel like you're at the North Pole--the kids love the adventure!

Dan honks his horn and rounds up the stragglers before we trek back to the Ice Explorer Transportation Hub to get onboard our motor coach headed to the visitors center. The carful of kids are a little wet and a little cold so head walk upstairs for hot cocoa and coffee.

One last shot for the kids back home!

The Ice Explorer journey takes about an hour and twenty minutes roundtrip from the visitors center and it doesn't disappoint. It's a signature Jasper National Park adventure and one of the few places you can tour a glacier unless you are headed to Alaska. 

You even have the opportunity to taste real Glacier water and it's AWESOME.

The carful of kids load up and continue onto the town of Jasper where we walk around and check in with the Jasper National Park Visitors Center located downtown. There are lots of services in the town of Jasper for travelers and we stop for gas and groceries before heading over to Jasper's Whistler Campground, located 3 and half miles outside of Jasper, for our campsite.

After a day of Glacier Adventuring, the carful of kids enjoy dinner at the campsite at Whistlers Campground.

Know before you go: The weather is variable from moment to moment and the carful of kids had ice cold rain on our visit but the sun was shining at the visitors center. The carful of kids layer up for the tour and I suggest taking a waterproof and fleece layer. Be sure to pack some gloves and hats and wear hiking boots or other shoes with traction--it's slushy on the glacier.

The camera didn't like the cold, wet conditions and refused to operate and the iPhone required one hand ungloved to operate. Mom's not a complainer, I just warmed up in the cafe after the tour. 

Jasper National Park has 21 oTENTiks that are reservable for 2016 season starting in January. These are highly desirable sites and fill up quickly for the summer season.

Up next: Kootenay National Park in British Columbia

The Lakes and Pool of Banff National Park

The carful of kids left Central Texas a week and a half ago to drive to Jasper National Park; we have made it to Banff National Park after stopping in the Black Hills area of South Dakota and Glacier National Park. Along the way we have stayed in a tipi and a cabin, but for the next several nights we will be staying in Parks Canada's oTENTiks while we explore the rugged beauty of the Canadian Rockies.

In the dead of winter I look forward to blissful summer days by researching unique places to stay during the carful of kids' summer road trips. When I get excited then I know the kids will be excited too--sometimes I venture outside of a Mom's comfort zone but the carful of kids love the unique and sometimes rugged.

The Parks Canada's oTENTiks are a great compromise of the unique yet comfortable. The oTENTiks are great for families with platform beds for six people and a table and four chairs inside, though eating inside the oTENTiks is prohibited due to the wildlife encounters within Banff National Park.

What kid doesn't want to spend the night here?

The Banff National Park oTENTik sites ( $ 120/CAN per night ) are located in the Two Jack Lakeside Campground--a quick seven mile drive from the center of Banff. It's on the shore of Two Jack Lake which is attached to Lake Minnewanka, a world away from the tour buses and crowds of the town of Banff.

The campsites at Two Jack Lakeside Campground are close together and the oTENTiks are mixed in with regular tent sites; each site comes equipped with a fire pit and bear box.There are hot showers in the rest rooms with a utility sink with hot water outside that's great for dishwashing.

Banff National Park was Canada's first national park and established in 1885; now, 5 million tourists visit it annually. The daily admission is $ 19.60 CAN for a family or $ 136.40 CAN for the Discovery Annual Pass. Pack your patience like you would pack picnic supplies because parking is a premium as I learn.

Two Jack Lake at dusk, one of the most magnificent campsites we've had.

After a quick drive to Lake Minnewanka, a couple of miles from our campsite at Two Jack Lakeside, we turn onto Bow Valley Parkway, or 1A. It's the scenic highway that runs parallel to Trans-Canada Highway 1 from Banff to Lake Louise, be advised that it's closed overnight from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. for wildlife protection.

Our first stop along Bow Valley Parkway is Johnston Canyon created by Johnston Creek. This hike continues to two falls along a forested path then a metal catwalk attached to the canyon wall. It is shaded by towering trees and every surface is covered in verdant moss.

After hiking a little more than a half a mile, the carful of kids reach the thundering Lower Falls. It is hard to believe that the creek cut through solid limestone to carve this area. You can continue onto Upper Johnston Falls another mile along the path but the carful of kids turn back.

The Johnston Canyon area is open from dawn to dusk; it has bathrooms and a privately owned resort with a small cafe and gift shop. The carful of kids load up and drive further north for our next destination Lake Louise.

Outside the Lake Louise/Banff National Park Visitors Center; you can get the Parks Canada X'plorer booklets for all nearby parks here.

The carful of kids continue on Bow Valley Parkway for another 23 miles to reach the Lake Louise area. This area has a small grocery store, a deli, an outfitter and gas station for travelers, along with the Parks Canada Lake Louise Visitors Center.

The Lake Louise area is popular and parking is limited--very limited, unless you are a guest staying at the The Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise. When we arrive we are unable to find a spot in the parking lot and are turned away. I drive over to the Morraine Lake area only to be turn away again because of the lack of parking.

Mom might be annoyed but we have Kinder Eggs--the forbidden chocolate for American Kids.

Well, not what I wanted for the day, the carful of kids duck into a roadside picnic spot for lunch. The sandwiches are helping alleviate a mean case of hangry until I notice a raindrop on my paper napkin. Within minutes, it's pouring.

As the carful of kids sit in the car, watching our plans wash down the creek like a fallen leaf I notice the cars filing out of the Lake Lousie turn-off. I look at my best friend and traveling companion as we give each other a knowing look.

The rain is chasing people away, bet there's a parking spot, I say as she nods. The carful of kids strike gold on the second attempt to park at Lake Louise.

Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful places in the world with its opaque emerald green water that you have to see in person to believe. Above the lake is the Victoria Glacier nestled in the mountains that makes any photo postcard worthy.

It can be cloudy one moment and sunny the next.

Lake Louise is the starting point to the hidden hike-in tea houses- Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers. Lake Agnes is the closer teahouse at 4.5 miles roundtrip--a little far for the carful of kids this time.

The carful of kids take Lake Louise Lakeshore trail instead, an easy 1.25 mile hike each way to enjoy the view of the lake and the wildflowers. As we are hiking around, we see lots of hikers that are not prepared for the ever changing mountain weather--always pack a fleece and rain jacket even in the height of summer.

After a brisk walk, the carful of kids head into The Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise for a snack and a break. I find some coffee for the grown-ups, the kids find Toblerone for themselves.

Sitting with my kids in a field of poppies, LOVE.

The Chalet Lake Louise was first built in 1890 by the Canadian Pacific Railway though it has been remodeled over the years and not much remains of the original property; it's still an impressive hotel. The gardens outside the hotel are just as impressive as the interior, the Chateau Lake Louise is a popular stop on the tour bus route so it is congested during the day.

After a memorable trip along Lake Louise, the carful of kids are ready to try to get into the magnificent Moraine Lake, a little over eight miles outside of the village of Lake Louise. This is the most photographed area of Banff National Park and another popular spot without much parking, best viewed in the early morning or late afternoon.

The water is even more magnificent at Moraine Lake, some tourists ask if it is dyed.

Again, the carful of kids hit parking gold and find a spot right in front of the moraine, a large boulder pile that glaciers deposit when they started to retreat thousands of years ago. Moraine Lake was featured on the Canadian twenty dollar bill. This view is most associated with Banff National Park.

Moraine Lake is a glacial fed lake and doesn't reach capacity until mid-June. Located in the Valley of Ten Peaks, the refraction of light from the rock flour produces the brilliant turquoise color of the water. Rock flour is the silt-sized ground rock so small it's suspended in the water giving it the opaque appearance.

He's part mountain goat.

Moraine Lake is open from dawn to dusk; there's is a resort here and canoe rentals. The Rockpile Trail takes you on top of the moraine ( 80ft)--the best views are from this viewpoint.

It is hard to tear the carful of kids away from the inspiring lakes of Banff but I promised the kids I would take them swimming this evening. It's 35 miles back to the town of Banff but give yourself 45 minutes to get back; we drive back to Banff the quicker route taking Trans-Canada Highway 1.

Can't wait to get in the pool!

After ducking into a Banff city park for a picnic dinner, we head to one of the three hot springs in the Canadian Rockies--Banff Upper Hot Springs ( 1 Mountain Avenue, 2.5 miles south of Banff). Discovered in 1844, it's one of the most popular attractions in Banff and it's open from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The admission is $ 7.30 CAN for adults and $ 6.30 CAN for kids; you can rent a locker for an additional $ 1.00 CAN.

So this is a different experience for my carful of kids and probably the most international experience they get when they are in Canada. Canada, for the most part, is very similar to the United States and that is why this is the first country they have visited.

Banff Upper Hot Springs ranges from 98F to 104F year round.

To get to the pool you have to walk through the separate changing rooms--there isn't a family changing area. Some people are less conspicuous of their bodies and maybe the men are even more free with their bodies than the women.

I suggest to my boys they should follow me through the ladies changing room only to get vetoed instantaneously.

"OK, then meet me on the other side before you head into the water," I tell them as they vanish through the swinging doors. All they really have to do is walk through the changing room, I tell myself.

Well, when I meet up with my boys on the other side, just moments later, I greet a wide-eyed, nearly eight-year old.

"Well that was awkward!" he blurts out as the boys bust into a giggling fit and a dude passing us can't help but chuckle.

It seems the carful of kids are shocked when they see a few naked people--now let me say, it didn't see anyone doing anything inappropriate. Just changing but for my protected carful of kids it's quite cosmopolitan. So if your kids can't handle it, skip this pool--there are others that are more family friendly.

Once we get into the pool the kids notice that everyone is just sitting around taking a soak and some of the older ladies look like they don't want to get their hair wet. I have to explain that everyone here is enjoying the therapeutic benefits of the legendary mineral water and this is not the place to cannonball.

This doesn't compute for the eleven-year old.

I enjoy myself as the stress of driving 3,000 miles melts away and the kids watch me still kinda confused. After a few minutes, we decide to move on since kids can overheat in water this warm rather quickly.

The carful of kids chatter all the way back to our campsite at Two Jack Lakeside. This day won't be forgotten anytime soon, whether it's because of the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rockies or the naked people, only time will tell.  

Know before you go:  There are ten oTENTik sites at the Two Jack Lakeside Campground that are reservable for 2016 season starting in January. These are highly desirable sites and fill up  quickly for the summer season.

Johnston Canyon is one of the more popular hikes in Banff National Park so it is advised to hike in the early morning or early evening.

If you plan to hike in Lake Louise or Moraine Lake area, it's a Group Access Area meaning you have to travel in a tight group of four or more due to the heightened activity of grizzly bears. Carry and know how to use your bear spray, take your time to be observant of tracks and scat and let the bears know you are there by making noise.

Up Next: Icefields Parkway and Jasper National Park

Banff National Park--Unbelievable Jewel of the Canadian Rockies

What kid doesn't want to sleep in an authentic Blackfoot Tipi?

The carful of kids stir as the light falls in from the top of our tipi in Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, we have lots of plans for today but I can't think about that right now. All I'm thinking about is the deflated air mattress that I'm laying on right now.

We all have those nights when the sleeping is interrupted and shallow, those nights that sunrise can't happen fast enough. The best thing you can do is get up, shake it off and have a cup of coffee.

The view from my sleeping bag, the sleeping could have been better but it's definitely something we'll remember for a while.

My best friend and traveling companion and I climb out of our sleeping bags and start on breakfast. The smell of food lures the carful of kids from their sleeping bags and we look up to find them poking their heads out of the tipi.

After we have the camping gear loaded back in the SUV we decide to venture around the camp ground to explore a mountain brook that runs next to it. The carful of kids hike through the cover of fir trees, traipse down the embankment, across the banks full of tumbled river rocks to the shallow, pristine mountain brook.

At the Crandell Mountain Campground, close to town but feels miles away.

The girls decide the water looks too inviting so we stick our feet in, good thing we wore our water shoes. The boys stay on the bank skipping rocks since they didn't put on their water shoes this morning like I asked.

The mountain water in Canada is refreshing and after a bit it really starts to tingle the feet. So revitalizing, it wakes us up more than the coffee. We squeal happily and splash through the brook until Melissa blurts out, "I see movement."

Well you don't have to tell me twice--I grab a couple of boys by the backs of their shirts, who have more mouth than sense, drag them across the tumbled river rock, push them up the embankment and through the cover of fir trees. When we reach safety, I turn around hoping to see my daughter and best friend behind me and not a man-eating wolverine.

The boys are ready to defend us with rocks and pebbles and have a hard time walking back to the safety of the campsite--I guess it goes against the boy code of honor. When we reach the safety of the picnic table, my best friend and daughter tell us they saw momma bear sticking her snout through the brush on the opposite side of the bank to investigate all the noise.

At this point I have to throw the boys in the SUV because they want to go bear tracking. I might be a fierce Mamma on occasion to defend my carful of kids but I am no match to a mamma bear defending her cubs. A close encounter for sure and the carful of kids talk about it for the rest of the day.

I take this as our cue to load up and drive north to Banff National Park, 230 miles away, which takes us about four hours to drive. Once we get on Alberta Highway 2, we take the opportunity to refuel with a quick stop for gas, groceries and Tim Horton's, Canadian's Dunkin' Donuts. Refueled we head through Calgary and make it to our destination for the next couple of days, Banff National Park.

Banff is the town that lies within the boundaries of Parks Canada's Banff National Park; it has hotels, restaurants, museums and tons of shopping. I find it a bit touristy and it's always crowded, especially the main road, Banff Avenue.

The Carful of Kids sit for a moment after climbing all over Cascade Gardens in Banff.

We find a place to park right over the Bow River Bridge along Birch Avenue, the carful of kids will be walking around town for the next few hours so I find a central location. Our first stop is Cascade Gardens ( 101 Mountain Avenue behind the Parks Canada Administration Building, open from dawn to dusk, Free ) to admire all the plants we can't grow in Central Texas.

Since my best friend and I love flowers and gardens they live in, we have to walk through this one. Public gardens are great for kids as long as you let them run around and the big girls talk flowers among ourselves.

While walking down Banff Avenue, we find the UNESCO's World Heritage Plague for the Canadian National Parks of Banff, Jasper, Kootenay and Yoho.

We walk over Bow River Bridge to the Banff Park Museum, a National Historic Site ( 91 Banff Avenue, open 10 a.m to 5 p.m., Admission $ 3.90 CAN/Adults, $ 1.90 CAN/Youth ) Built in 1903, it's an great example of decorative cross-log construction and it's full of mounted specimens from Banff National Park so kids can see the animals that are hard to spot in the wild.

We need some crepes!

We walk down Banff Avenue souvenir shopping when we stumble upon Skoki's for crepes and frozen yogurt ( 109 Banff Avenue, open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.). YUM, a couple of my favorites; after refueling, we wander down to the Banff Visitors Center ( 224 Banff Avenue, open 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.) for more local information.

Time to change gears and experience some nature, I find the Bow Falls Trail across from Bow River Bridge that takes the carful of kids to Bow Falls. It's a paved path that is .75 miles long with a 32-foot elevation gain, a great way for the kids to let loose and run.

At the Bow Falls, the carful of kids run along the path to use up some energy.

The carful of kids marvel at the power of Bow Falls before finding the path that leads to the Banff Springs Hotel. No trip through Banff is complete without walking through its elegant lobby.

The Banff Springs Hotel is the jewel of Banff; it was built by the Canadian-Pacific Railway in 1888 and part of the grand railway hotels of Canada like the Prince of Wales Hotel and Chateau Frontenac. It is an example of the Scottish Baronial Style with 764 rooms on 15 floors, it's a beautiful property.

The Banff Springs Hotel, this is where I like to stay without a carful of kids.

After we walk through the public areas of the Banff Springs Hotel, the carful of kids are ready to check out the campsite. I have reserved one of Parks Canada oTENTiks, a cross between a rustic cabin and a tent.

The carful of kids first stayed at Parks Canada oTENTiks last summer at La Mauricie National Park in Quebec. The carful of kids love them so I reserved them for our entire tour of the Canadian Rockies.

Each oTENTik can sleep six but only one can sleep on top.

The Two Jack Lakeside Campground is a quick seven mile drive from the center of Banff but it's a world away from the tour buses and crowds. The Two Jack Lakeside Campground is on the shore of Two Jack Lake which is attached to Lake Minnewanka.

Each oTENTik is structurally the same and is equipped with an outdoor picnic table. Inside, you will find a table with four chairs and platform sleeping area equipped with foam mattresses--you can sleep six and the carful of kids throw their sleeping bags and pillows on top. There are some differences from park to park, like some have electricity and some don't, so check the Parks Canada website.

We are camping in Bear Country so everything has to be stored in the bear box on-site.

The oTENTiks ( $120/CAN per night, no minimum stay required, no cleaning deposit) are in high demand and can be reserved starting in January through the Parks Canada website.

The oTENTiks of Two Jack Lakeside Campground are mixed in with the regular tent sites and this campground is tight. The restrooms have showers with hot water and there is a utility sink with hot water outside that you can do dishes.

Does it get more beautiful than this?

Since there's plenty of daylight after dinner, the carful of kids walk down to Two Jack Lake that is steps away from our site. We spend the rest of the evening skipping rocks and enjoying the majestic beauty of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Know before you go: Crandell Mountain Campground has flush toilets with sinks but no showers. You can take a shower at the Parks Canada Townsite Campground in Waterton Park.

The sites at Crandell Mountain are well equipped with a picnic table, a bear box and fire ring. There's evening ranger activities during the summer that are great for kids. There isn't a dishwashing station, you have to wash your cooking gear in cold water at a spigot.

The tipi was great for the kids but you need to pack a tent liner to ensure that your air mattresses doesn't get punctured during the night. This campground is more secluded than the campground in town yet still close to the conveniences of town.

Up Next: Another Day in Banff National Park