Shenandoah National Park in Virginia is one of those bucket list parks for autumn "leaf peepers," and with good reason.

The Stoney-Nakoda First Nation believes everything around them is alive and has a spirit: people, mountains, rocks, water, wildlife, insects. The mountains surrounding Maligne (Muh-LEEN) Lake in Jasper National Park are the embodiments of Stoney-Nakoda ancestors and the small Spirit Island connected to the mainland by an isthmus is the beating heart of the lake as well as the focus of Stoney-Nakoda traditions and ceremonies. You cannot set foot upon this "island" but you can photograph it. As such, Spirit Island is one of the most-photographed places in Canada.

Fed by the waters of the Athabasca Glacier, Sunwapta Falls in Jasper National Park is beautiful even on a rainy, overcast day. The view here is of the upper falls.

How many of you have ever stopped at Howse Pass Viewpoint in Banff National Park, located between the bridge over the Saskatchewan River and the developed area called "The Crossing" along the Icefields Parkway? Even on a cold, rainy day, the view from there of the North Saskatchewan River and surrounding landscape is spectacular.

Herbert Lake is not a large lake, but it's a beautiful lake, especially when the water is mirrir-smooth to reflect the clouds and mountains. You'll see the turnoff for the parking area shortly after passing the entrance booths to the Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park.

I spy with my little eye: a couple of bright red Muskoka chairs (that's Canadian for Adirondack chairs). You can find these bright red chairs all over Canada, with 100 of them spread out in Canadian national parks looking out toward magnificent scenery. They are made from 100 percent recycled plastic from Canadian landfills and make a great "red chair moment" for your camera.

Yoho National Park is the smallest of the four contiguous Canadian Rockies national park, but as you drive from west to east, the mountains begin to loom larger in your vehicle's windows. You're getting more of a taste of the immensity of the landscape.

Kootenay National Park is a park of rivers and mountains. It's a great introduction to the snaggle-toothed mountain ranges you'll see closer and closer as you continue your road trip through these Canadian Rockies national parks.

A short, easy trail with which to stretch your legs while driving through Kootenay National Park is the interpretive portion of the Simpson River Trail. The interprative portion of this trail is about a mile long one way, and the trailhead begins once you cross the bridge over Kootenay River. Once you reach the end of the interpretive portion of the trail, you can continue the trail, if you wish, into Mount Assinboine Provincial Park. 

If you listened to the Traveler's Podcast Episode 137, you1'll have heard about Cristian Garza's 17,000-mile, four-month-long road trip visiting national parks in the U.S. and Canada. Canada sure has some amazing national parks, so let's take a road trip through some of them located in the Canadian Rockies.