The Rocky Mountains: 4,800 Kilometres of Range, and “Going to the Rockies” Tells You Almost Nothing

The Rocky Mountains run from northern British Columbia through Wyoming, Colorado, and into New Mexico. Saying you are “visiting the Rockies” without specifying which section is like saying you are going to “the coast.” Banff in Alberta looks nothing like Yellowstone in Wyoming, which looks nothing like Telluride in Colorado. They share altitude, Precambrian geology, and a landscape drama that recurs across the range, and that is approximately where the resemblance ends.

Canadian Rockies

Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta are the most visited section and justify the traffic. The Icefields Parkway, a 230-kilometre mountain highway connecting the two parks past glaciers, waterfalls, and turquoise lakes, is one of the most dramatic drives on the continent. Allow a full day with stops.

Lake Louise is the centrepiece: turquoise glacially-fed lake backed by the Victoria Glacier. Moraine Lake, 14 kilometres away, has a lakefront with ten surrounding peaks reflected in the water that was used on the Canadian $20 bill until 1993. Moraine Lake Road is now closed to private vehicles in summer – access requires a Parks Canada reservation and shuttle. Book well ahead; this is one of the most popular sites in Canada and reservations fill within minutes of the booking window opening.

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (opened 1888) is the landmark property: a castle-style building in the valley with the Bow River below. A drink in the bar is the accessible version; the rooms require significant investment.

Yellowstone

The world’s first national park (established 1872) covers 9,000 square kilometres of the Yellowstone Caldera, an active supervolcano with over 10,000 geothermal features. Old Faithful is the most famous geyser and erupts every 60 to 110 minutes predictably enough to structure a schedule around. The Grand Prismatic Spring at 90 metres across, in concentric rings of deep blue through green to orange and yellow, is the more visually striking feature.

Wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995 after a 70-year absence. The subsequent recovery of the ecosystem – wolves controlling elk numbers, allowing river vegetation to recover, which changed waterway patterns – is documented in ecological research as one of the most significant wildlife reintroductions on record. Seeing wolves in the Lamar Valley in winter is a specific and achievable experience; several guide operations specialise in it.

Arrive before 8am or after 4pm in summer. The car queues at peak hours in the main geyser basins are severe and genuine.

Grand Teton

Immediately south of Yellowstone, with more dramatic immediate mountain scenery: the Teton Range rises abruptly from Jackson Hole without any transition hills. The reflections in the String Lake area in morning light are among the Rocky Mountains’ best photographs.

Colorado

Rocky Mountain National Park above the university town of Boulder has Trail Ridge Road crossing the Continental Divide above 3,700 metres. September and early October after Labour Day: elk rut is at its peak, summer crowds thin sharply, and the aspen forests turn gold. These weeks are the best time to visit the Colorado Rockies.

General Notes

September and October are the correct months across most of the range: shoulder pricing, reduced crowds, wildlife activity, and weather that is usually clear and crisp. Altitude sickness is a real issue at Yellowstone (2,300 metres), Banff (1,400 metres), and especially the Colorado parks (Trail Ridge Road peaks at 3,713 metres). Plan easier first days if arriving from sea level.

Bear spray is non-optional in Yellowstone and Canadian backcountry. Know how to use it before you need it.