The Canadian Rockies are calling me. It is T-Minus three weeks to my arrival there.
When many (including myself) think of them, the first thought is Banff and why not? Banff continues to attract visitors at a record pace. Approximately 3.6 million people visited there in the 2014-2015 season. The challenge in visiting are the crowds, especially in the summer months. So where do you go instead to avoid the crowds and still have all the beauty the Canadian Rockies have to offer? The answer is quite easy. Simply drive about three hours north on one of the most beautiful roads in the world and stay in Jasper.
Jasper National Park "only" gets 2.2 million visitors and covers 4,200 square miles (Banff covers 2,600 square miles). That translates to much more open space per visitor. In fact, there have been some mornings that I have been there when I didn't see another person for several hours. This photo, for example, was taken just after sunrise of Pyramid Mountain reflected in Pyramid Lake. There was only one other person there. This is significant, as the lake is basically located in the outskirts of town. As you can also see, the full beauty of the Canadian Rockies is on display in Jasper.