Driving the Alaska-Canada Highway in December, Colorado to Southern BC

We left Estes Park after a whirlwind Thanksgiving week (the Rockies were literally that windy, with blowing snow too!), headed north to Canada on our way back to Alaska. 

Wyoming had peaceful, serene scenery, and a whole lot of nothing.

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

We were not even at the Montana border, and already snow storms were looming. 

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

Even though the state lines are somewhat arbitrary boundaries when you are embarking on a 4,000-mile trip, it felt like an accomplishment for the day when we crossed into Montana at nightfall. Unfortunately, that's when the snow started and it continued until we stopped near Livingston for the night. If only the snow could have held off for just one more day! We had an appointment the next day in Kalispell to buy winter tires for the Subaru. Meanwhile, we narrowly avoided a buck in the pelting snow and I'm sure numerous other deer that we did not see, while crawling along and hoping not to lose traction in the wet snow. We found a likely campsite on the map, and the directions led us up a narrow, steep, and winding road, made all the more mysterious because it was pitch dark and snowing!

The next morning we woke up to a few inches of fresh snow! The good thing about snow is it keeps the night time temperatures warm. Before starting another long day we took a hike in the beautiful Gallatin National Forest.

The Montana hills were all dusted with new snow.

We made sure to pay homage to Sinclair the Dinosaur, without whom this trip would not have been possible.

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

We successfully installed our Blizzak winter tires and crossed the Canadian border after dark (incidentally, a lot of our "milestones" will continue to occur after dark). Similar to our stay in Montana, we located a provincial park on the map and drove about 15km off the highway down some twisting forest service roads to reach Premier Lake Provincial Park. 

Still gently snowing, but gorgeous green water.

To inaugurate our first stop in Canada, we hiked the loop trail to Yankee and Canuck lakes. 

Apparently there is a large ridge above the lakes that is important habitat for mountain lions, bighorn sheep, and bears. We had a brief glimpse of the peaks through the clouds and the ridge was startlingly high. I guess when it's overcast your eye tricks you into thinking there is nothing on the other side of the cloud curtain!

We could see that there were a lot of larch trees in the forest, but since it's wintertime they are not very showy.

Our hike took up much of the day, so we stopped in nearby Radium for the night. I was nervous about our camping options, because being so close to Kootenay and Banff National Parks meant that there was not likely to be any place we could stay for free. On the way in to town we saw a large herd of bighorn sheep bedded down right next to the visitor center! Inside the visitor center we inquired about camping and learned that the public can camp anywhere on "crown land". The closest piece of crown land was accessible via logging roads that led into the hills above Radium. When we arrived at the location recommended to us, it was apparent that this was the local booze-and-bonfire spot. Since it was cold, snowing, and a weekday, we felt it was probably safe for the night.

We did get in a short hike in Kootenay the day we arrived, but because of the snow we could only see part of the mountain tops. The trail we chose was anticlimactic because it went up a valley and simply ended, without climbing to any particular viewpoint. But we didn't have enough daylight to hike to the top of anything anyways, so it was more for the purpose of getting exercise. Afterwards we visited Radium Hot Springs, which is actually inside the park. It was not very hot for a wintertime soak, but given about an hour it seemed adequate.

The next morning promised better weather, very important when you are driving the scenic highway through Canada's Rocky Mountains.

One thing that impressed me, first in Radium but throughout the entire drive, was the scale of the timber and natural resources industries in Canada. Radium had a huge sawmill (I think, or some kind of timber yard), and we were constantly passing loaded logging trucks while we were driving.  I could only fit half of the logs that were stacked in this yard in the photo frame.

We encountered several more sheep while leaving Radium, including a ewe that jumped what looked to be an 8 foot high fence, and a ram trotting down the middle of mainstreet. 

We passed in and out of clouds as we crossed into new valleys.

Because it had been unseasonably warm in the parks so far, the rivers and lakes were all wide open which let us see the vivid blue water!

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

We saw big cliffs and pulled off the road to hike up to a hanging valley.

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

There are a lot of relatively recently burned areas in Kootenay, which made for better views! The regenerating ponderosa was really thick in places. 

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

The only people we saw while hiking were these ice climbers. How many can you spot?

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

View towards the end of the valley.

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

The walls above us were so tall that the valley never got direct sunlight, and it seemed really dark when we turned around to leave even though it was early afternoon.

Photo credit: Dash Feierabend

I wish we could have hiked all the daylight hours, but we were on our way to drive the Ice Fields Parkway and stay in Jasper for the night.