Sunday, August 29, 2010

Jasper Canada and Glacier, MT July 3-4





  



Jasper National Park was established in 1907 and is the largest national park in Canada.  Theses Rockies include with 10,878 square kilometres of mountain wilderness. Jasper contains beautiful mountains with crystal clear turquoise lakes and the Columbia Icefield.  The Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres, sometimes reaching a depth of 300-360 metres. The continuous accumulation of snow feeds eight major glaciers including the Athabasca, Dome, and Stutfield Glaciers, all visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Columbia Icefield melting water feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.






 







Athabasca falls, Jasper National
The headwater comes from the Columbia Glacier about 70 kilometers south. Among the most powerful and breathtaking falls in the Rocky Mountains, The Athabasca River thunders through a narrow gorge where the walls have been smoothed and potholes are created by the sheer force of the rushing water carrying sand and rock.




  





Glacier National Park
 Glacier National Park is located in northern Montana. The park encompasses over a million acres and includes 2 mountain ranges.  There are over 130 lakes, countless waterfalls that you can literally touch if you just roll down your window as you drive along the road.  The "Going-to-the-Sun" road is so narrow that no motor homes are allowed and you better keep your eyes on the road because is winding and steep.  Unfortunately, it was raining the weekend I was there so I did not get to take many pictures but I am hoping to return with my parents in September. 








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