Driving down the Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper was also an incredible experience. Almost every five minutes we would pull over the car and see a completely new landscape than we had moments before. The only downside was trying to avoid the large number of tourists. So many, in fact, that we drove back south in the middle of the night to avoid them. It turned out be a fortuitous idea because it was a very different experience driving down the Icefields Parkway under the stars, stopping at many of the places we had visited before, with no other people to disturb our peace.
During the month, we used Jasper as our home base, spending a couple of days exploring the surrounding area. We really loved this town with its cozy shops, amazing bakeries and friendly people. One of my favorite places was Pyramid Lake, a beautiful place only 15 minutes from the center of Jasper. On the way there, we saw all kinds of wildlife, including moose, black bears, and elk. And best of all, almost no tourists. It was a great getaway from all the touristy places in Banff.