The road presents a combination of enormous mountains along whose base you drive, glaciers and icefields (the former in motion, the latter stationary), glacier-fed braided streams a milky turquoise color, lakes reflecting the peaks, clouds, and sky, and mile after mile of conifer-covered slopes, as densely forested as can be. It is a knockout, really stunning scenery.
There are many short climbs along the way, and one really stupendous pass, the Sunwapta Pass which keeps climbing mile after mile until you think it'll never stop. The relevant portion of Highway 1 is all freeway, or 4 lane divided, and there are plenty of trucks as it is Canada's major east-west highway. Once you get on 93 the trucks disappear, they aren't allowed. That leaves the tour buses and RVs which are plentiful as Canadians may like RVs even better than Americans do.
93 is mostly 2 lane, with passing lanes here and there. It is your basic Canadian highway: two lanes plus paved shoulders wide enough to drive on, the latter handy for bicycles. Time was, slow drivers in Canada would pull over onto those wide shoulders to let you pass. I haven't seen the behavior once this trip. Drivers here are as impatient as those in the lower 48.
The most spectacular scenery on the whole 200 miles is the stretch between where 93 begins and Sunwapta Pass. It looks like a place designed by camera manufacturers to drive photographers mad with desire. North of the pass is still great, but not as much Wow.
