Scott Stoness Offline Upload & Sell: On
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fongrh wrote:
Unless there is a major snow storm road conditions from Canmore to the Ice Field Parkway should not be a problem provided your vehicle is well winterized; 4 X 4 is recommended. The scenery from HWY 93 once you turn off HWY 1 going north all the way to HWY 11 is pretty spectacular and won't have to venture too far off the road. A short hike for some exploring off the highway at pull outs could yield some nice pics. The Bow Summit lookout is a bit of a hike that overlooks Peyto Lake and worth checking out. Snowshoes would be recommended if the trail is not packed down.
I would recommend the short hike into Johnson Canyon that is off the Bow Valley Parkway. The frozen upper and lower waterfalls are quite picturesque. The trail can be pretty icy if well pack down. If so, ice cleats will definitely help but not absolutely necessary.
If you have extra time, consider spending a day or two in Canmore to explore the Smith Dorrien trail and HWY 40 in the Kananaskis country. You can access the Smith Dorrien from Canmore, take it all the way south to HWY 40, then turn north on HWY 40 to HWY 1 and back west to Canmore for an excellent loop. Better chances for wildlife sightings than off the Ice Field parkway.
Hope this information helps.
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My thoughts -
Johnson Canyon yup for water but not the ideal season - water flow is light - but bring yak tracks (not crampons) - it will be very slippery. There is one spot where there is a horsehoe bend that is very nice but hard to find and get down to. PM me if that's your plan. But otherwise, I would do my list first. I don't like this spot mid day because it is a freeway of tourist and I would only go early am after a snowfall to hide the previous day bootprints.
Smith Dorrain - don't expect to see much wilflife on his road in February. I have not seen a moose in a while. February is a very quiet animal month - the snow is deep and they are not moving. For landscape, Banff is better because Kananasksi is north south and Banff is east/west (sunrise /sunset).If you go - go for snowhoeing up higher for nightfall /and back down in the dark or intimate shots. Buller creek is best bet with Rubber boots.Or on a rare occasion, under the bridge on highway 40 at the ski-hill but south enough to avoid the distribution line. This only works with clear skies but when it does it is spectacular.
Bighorns can be on highway 40.
In short, I would stay in Banff and to my original list for February unless you have lots of time.
Feel free to develop/post an intinerary and PM me to offer comments if its helpful.
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