This is the 6th post in our series. In the last post, we met the Fuel Guzzler and trekked the breathtaking Johnston Canyon. Now, our adventure continues as we dive deeper into the stunning Canadian Rockies.
- The Back Story
- East Canada - Toronto
- East Canada - Niagara and 1000 Islands
- Rest of East Canada
- From Fuel Guzzlers to Frozen Trails and Everything in Between
- Ice, Bears, and Fuel Scares: A Rocky Mountain Adventure ← This post
- Ice Explorers and Ticket Blunders
- When we lost our son - for real
- The Final Few Days
Our three-day escapade to the world-renowned Banff & Jasper National Parks was about to begin. We were a spirited group of 11 adventurers, split between two trusty fuel guzzlers. Our first destination: the iconic Lake Louise.
Lake Louise, nestled in Banff National Park, is famous for its mesmerizing turquoise waters. A quick Google search will flood your screen with stunning images like this one:
Lake Louise
But our experience? Let's just say it was far from picture-perfect. No turquoise hues greeted us, nor did we meet the serene lady gazing wistfully at the lake.
The weather was downright nasty. Rainy, cloudy, and cold—Mother Nature threw her worst at us that day. At one point, as we sat huddled in our cars in the parking lot, we seriously considered skipping the lake entirely. But perseverance is a hallmark of any great adventure, and after an hour of waiting out the storm, the weather grudgingly improved just enough for us to venture out.
Lake Louise is surrounded by majestic, snow-capped mountains. Of course, we couldn’t see any of them; they were shrouded in a thick blanket of clouds. Imagination had to suffice.
Frozen Lake Louise
90% of the lake it was frozen solid. We could literally stand on it.
Standing on the frozen Lake Louise
Fuel Panic in the Rockies
After bidding farewell to Lake Louise, we set off towards Hinton, our homestay for the night. The distance was about 450 kilometers, and our car had enough fuel for roughly 280-300 kilometers. I figured we’d fill up the gas somewhere along the way, maybe after 30-40 kilometers. Confident in our plan, we followed Google Maps and soon found ourselves on the Icefields Parkway—a road that slices through the heart of Banff and Jasper National Parks. The scenery was indescribably beautiful, making it hard to decide where to stop for pictures.
But my mind was elsewhere. We had already covered about 25 km with no gas station in sight. Then, the unthinkable happened.
A giant sign loomed ahead: “No Cellular Service for Next 287 KM!” My heart skipped a beat. Our fuel gauge showed we had only 15% left, enough for about 250 kilometers, but our destination was still over 400 kilometers away. Panic set in as I realized I had no idea if there were any gas stations along this remote stretch.
I couldn’t keep this to myself any longer. With a car full of anxious passengers—including four seniors and my wife—I blurted out the problem. Panic spread quickly, with everyone offering suggestions. Someone even proposed stopping to ask for directions, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Our travel companions in the other car had already driven ahead, and with no cell service, we were completely cut off.
I considered turning back to Lake Louise to refuel. Meanwhile, my wife, surprisingly calm amid the commotion, pulled out a paper map of Banff and Jasper National Parks. She scanned it and announced that the nearest gas station was at Saskatchewan River Crossing, about 87 kilometers away.
I just turned the car around and headed back towards Lake Louise, now 35 KM behind us. I wasn’t about to gamble on a distant gas station that might not exist.
Back at Lake Louise, we filled the tank to the brim. Relief washed over me; I could finally relax and enjoy the stunning scenery without the looming fear of running out of fuel. It was a small victory, but it meant the world at that moment.
We saw many beautiful smaller lakes with turquoise clear waters along the way. The greenish patches floating on the lakes weren’t algae—they were thin layers of ice!
Turquoise clear waters
Eventually, we reached Saskatchewan River Crossing after about 120 km, and there was indeed a fuel station there. My wife smirked and said, "See, you panicked for no reason." In my mind, I devised a winning strategy to respond to this and when I opened my mouth these words came out: "You were so right!" and the discussion ended - victory!
Wild Encounters and Winter Wonders
There was a small restaurant and gift shop at the stop, so we took a break to stretch our legs, refill our water bottles, and use the washroom.
Then, out of nowhere, we spotted it: a fully grown black bear.
It was huge and right outside the restaurant. We watched in awe from behind the restaurants glass windows, marveling at the incredible sight of this wild creature so close to us!
As we continued towards our destination, the weather took a magical turn—it started snowing. This was our first snowfall in Canada, and it couldn't have been more perfect. We drove through thick tree cover, with everything blanketed in fresh powder. The trees glittered with radiance, partly green and partly white. It was a scene straight out of a winter wonderland, unlike anything we had seen before.
Snowfall
Snow covered greens!
And it looked like this till the farthest point the eyes could see in all directions. We were drowning in natural beauty!
Just like that, the weather changed again. The snowfall was behind us, and we were greeted with clear, beautiful skies.
Clear blue skies
Around 6 PM, we reached our homestay—a large, independent house with five bedrooms, two halls, and a kitchen. It was spacious enough for all of us to stay comfortably.
The journey so far had been nothing short of magical. We had seen frozen lakes, experienced the panic of almost empty fuel tanks, marveled at turquoise clear waters, and enjoyed fairy-tale-like snowfall.
Next Time
We'll explore more of Jasper National Park and share the story of visiting the stunning Athabasca Glacier, a visit that almost didn't happen!
