We left Banff and headed up the Icefields Parkway and along the way saw wonderful snow and glacier-capped mountain peaks.  More than 100 glaciers, rivers, lakes and valleys are in this area.  The spectacular turquoise colors of these lakes are due to glacial silt in the water.  After walking around Lake Louise, we dined on a fabulous buffet at the Chateau Lake Louise Hotel.  Later, at the Columbia Icefield, we boarded a SnoCoach that took us out on the Athabasca Glacier.  Our group was able to actually walk on the glacier, very carefully.

We then visited Athabasca Falls and headed into Jasper for the night and an very early wakeup call to board the Rocky Mountaineer Railroad for our train trip across the Rockies.