Arkadee

A buddy and I will be riding the parkway as part of a short tour this summer and due to time restrictions we can only ride it in one direction. We will either bus from Lake Louise to Jasper and ride back or ride to Jasper and bus back.

I am hoping some of you have done both and will be able to offer your thoughts on the two alternatives.

My considerations:
- is the road surface/shoulder any better in one direction vs the other?
- better views?
- are the climbs much shorter and steeper heading south? The elevation profile says yes but is it really much of a difference?
- other considerations I have not though of?

Thanks in advance.

raybo

I've only ridden north from Lake Louise (I actually started in Missoula, MT).

The only really hard climb I had was up Sunwapta Pass, where the climbing is steep on a narrow road with lots of views (i.e. driver inattentiveness). But, the hard climbing wasn't more than an hour and there are some viewpoints that double as rest stops that made it even better.

What I liked about the direction was that for the last 20 miles or so into Jasper, it was all downhill.

As for scenery, it was truly wonderful going north. It is hard to imagine it would be much better going south. Either way you go, be sure to look in all directions (including up and down) as often as you can!

Machka 

I have only ridden it from Jasper to Banff, although I have ridden back and forth on various sections.

The road conditions won't be much different from one direction to another. The climbs are probably shorter and steeper heading south. The views are great whichever direction you go.

The things you'll need to consider are:

-- Bus options

-- Prevailing wind

-- Accommodations


[HR][/HR]
My photo gallery of the Icefield Parkway and Hwy 11, which heads east from Saskatchewan River Crossing.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka...7619203595712/

fietsbob

how much smaller are the icefields these days?

Mr IGH

I did it south to north back in 1983. I don't remember anything that makes one way better than the other. The ride into Jasper was into a ferocious headwind, you could coast uphill with the wind at your back. 60 miles of the hardest riding I've every done touring. Back then the logging truck traffic in Montana was really bad and the shoulder was non-existent, it was nice to get that out of the way first.

350htrr

I remember the ice field almost right at the highway 35 years ago, last year when I went through the ice field was way off in the distance, about 1/2 Km? away, and there was an access road to it that wasn't needed before...

axolotl

I rode it in both directions and I don't recall one direction being superior to the other. The most difficult climb was going north up Sunwapta Pass (as Raybo said), but it was a relatively short climb.

valygrl

I've done both, both are great do whatever logistics makes easier.

Arkadee

Thnks for the replies. It's good to know the climbs are pretty similar either way. The bus timing works reasonably well either way but if we have to box the bikes for the bus, we will likely park in Lake Louise and bus North, then ride south. Parking in Jasper seems to be a problem, as is getting boxes for the bikes.

The prevailing winds are definitely worth thinking about. I am not sure which direction is more typical but I will look into that issue. As for accommodation, we will be camping and probable stops are Jonas creek, rampart creek and possibly mosquito creek; however, nothing is carved in stone. Both work equally well in either direction but in reality, if we feel good, we ride on. If not, we camp.

Cheers,

RKD

Arkadee

Hi Raybo: I have driven the parkway a few times in both directions and the views are amazing either way. 20 miles of downhill sounds pretty good. Thanks for the info.

skookum

Ithink the prevailing winds are from the North, although a quick google was unable to bring up anything definitive.
I was there last week, but unfortunately had to abort the ride at the icefields visitor centre due to a worn out Phil Woods hub.
I put my bike on the bus there without boxing or even taking the panniers off, but I suspect if you start somewhere else they may make you box it.

Machka 

Wherever you park your vehicle in the park, you will need a park pass. Maybe you already know that.

Arkadee

Thanks for for the reminder Machka. I actually had the foresight to buy an annual pass when camping in the park last year. They are good for a full calendar year, plus the month of purchase, so we are set. Now I just need to figure out how to ensure I don't forget the damn thing at home.

Erick L

I rode only from south to north and drove both ways many times. I'd give a slight advantage to south to north.

- Lake Louise is higher than Jasper so it is easier even if you don't really feel it.
- Going to Jasper first will spoil the surprise.
- The northern half isn't as nice as the southern half so going southbound means you'd spend more time going uphill (slower) in the "less interesting" part.
- Going northbound, the scenery gets more impressive gradually, peaking around the Icefield Center. Then it's a nice ride downhill to Jasper.
- Some parts of the the northern half have some nasty cracks on the shoulder. I was glad to go downhill fast, thus being passed less often, meaning I could ride in the car lane most of the time.

It's an awesome ride either way. If the logistics are easier from Jasper to LL, so be it.