On some drives, you make time for pit stops. When driving from Banff or Lake Louise to Jasper, wise travelers build in a stop at the Columbia Icefield to view the Athabasca Glacier, and allow extra time along the highway to stop and gaze at the wildlife.

Our drive from Banff to Jasper included a stop at scenic Athabasca Falls. Actual travel time from Fairmont Banff Springs to Jasper Park Lodge took about 4 hours. Add another 2.5 hours to that, if clients want to stop mid-way to experience the glaciers at Columbia Icefield.

Our Sundog Tours driver knew exactly where to watch for bears and wolves. We saw grizzlies twice, a wolf, big-horn sheep, an osprey sitting on its nest on a railway bridge, and in Jasper Park, a herd of elk on the grounds of the Fairmont lodge itself.