This was the first time that scenery has overwhelmed me. The Rocky Mountains beckon as one drives along the Trans-Canada highway from Calgary towards Banff, but distance dulls the effect. I have been around higher mountains, but these slopes rose abruptly from the Bow Valley. Each morning, I renewed my awe, remarking that they were still there! Their inaccessibility accentuated their mysticism, further amplified by the changes in weather brought by October’s shoulder season. In my story below, I considered having a “just being there” section of photos of the mountains, but I fear that without the context, they all look similar. So here is a chronological summary of four amazing days in and around Banff, with one very special event which deserved its own post, “The Ask“.
Harvie Heights
Janet found the perfect AirBnB in Harvie Heights on the outskirts of Canmore. It was a little over an hour from Calgary Airport and perfect for visiting Banff, Lake Louise, and accessing the Icefields Parkway (towards Saskatchewan River Crossing on the top left of the map). Banff had very limited accommodation due to National Park building restrictions and our Harvie Heights apartment was conveniently located just outside the national park.
While Harvie Heights was outside the park, it was right next to the mountains which surrounded us with fantastic views.
The view from my breakfast chair in our AirBnB.The start of a typical day.To the mountains we must go.
Strolling Around Banff
Janet had researched an itinerary to optimize our time and our first activity was checking out the town of Banff.
Our visit had to start at the Banff sign!The most convenient parking was at the train station. Everywhere had amazing views!We followed a path along the Bow River.Beautiful! It wasn’t too cold – yet…The British monarch is Canada’s head of state as it is part of the Commonwealth, so there were references to the Queen. We did not see any reference to King Charles!Above us was the cable car station that we would visit that evening.It was a fine hike to Bow Falls.
Back in town, this war memorial reminded me of English towns. Elsewhere on this trip, we saw WW1 memorials but not WW2. Surprisingly, WW1 had a greater impact on Canada. There were great views of mountains everywhere, and we did not eat here!!
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
As Canada’s first national park, we had high hopes when we visited this site on Banff’s outskirts. However, it was all quite underwhelming.
The cave had this small pool from a sulphureous spring and was extremely smelly .One highlight of the site is the Banff Spring Snail which is unique to this area. Those black things were the snails. They had to be pointed out to us. This site used to have an internment camp on it from WW1. The display highlighted the challenges Canada faces as it aims to strike the balance between its English and French background, the indigenous people, and the large number of more recent immigrants.A snow ball fight was perhaps the site’s highlight! We were still enamored by snow
Banff Gondola
The disappointment of the cave was quickly overcome with a trip up Sulphur Mountain on Banff Gondola. Ascending 2,300ft to 7,500ft, we were greeted by much more snow and icy winds, but the views were even more amazing than in the valley.
The gondola brought us up above the snow line.
It was a lot colder up here!The views were breathtaking. This view had the town of Banff in the left foreground, with the Bow River in the middle, and Lake Minnewanka in the backgroundWe could see the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, located next to Bow Falls that we had walked to earlier.A boardwalk to the top of Sulphur Mountain provided views of the top gondola station.We could just see our kids when they walked to the top. We were very happy with the views – from inside the top gondola station!We had a fantastic buffet dinner in a restaurant at the gondola’s top station. The all-you-can-eat buffet suited the boys!We watched the peaks and the valley change as the sun set. Even the loo had a great view!One more great view. We had the perfect sunset for our trip up the gondola.This map shows what we visited on the first two days. Day 1 was Banff and its gondola. Day 2 was Lake Minnewanka, Stewart Canyon, and Johnston Canyon. All of the time, we were under Mount Rundle.
Lake Minnewanka and Stewart Canyon
Our second day took us on a hike. It was a fresh morning but the sun was warm, and our early start meant we avoided the later crowds.
It was an easy stroll around the lake.The path took us up Stewart Canyon.The trail was snowy and slippery at the turnaround point. We were deep in the forest and were carrying bear spray but we saw very little wildlife and no large animals.A happy crew enjoying the hike.As always, there were beautiful views!
Surprise Corner and Hoodoo Trail
We briefly checked out Two Jack Lake before heading to Banff again to check out a couple more sites.
Our biggest disappointment of the trip was not seeing large animals. This was the closest we got to a moose! We expected to see many elk herds similar to what we saw as we first arrived, so did not stop for a closer look. However, we saw no more elk on the trip and did not see any grizzlies either :(.Driving through Banff, a few deer were roaming around.Surprise Corner gave us this view of the Fairmont hotel.The Hoodoos Trail was closed but we found a short alternative walk with great views.
Johnston Canyon
With a couple of spare hours, we added Johnston Canyon to our itinerary. A walkway led us up a narrow canyon past lots of small waterfalls to a large one. A grizzly has been seen on this trail. It was crowded with humans when we walked, and I did not fancy meeting a grizzly here.
The walkway on the edge of the canyon.We hiked as far as the lower falls.Some ice remained on the river from the last freeze.
Vermilion Lakes
These lakes are the best places to see the sunset near Banff, but the clouds did not cooperate. It was still fun to drive around them and catch a couple of photos.
Mount Rundle!
It was freezing cold outside with a stiff breeze. The guys didn’t need coats?
Lake Louise and The Ask
The next morning, we had an early start so that we would be at Lake Louise for the sunrise at 8am. For much of the one-hour drive, it was snowing hard. While we did not get the beautiful sunrise, the snow turned it into a true winter wonderland. I was just glad the car did not get stuck or spin out!
The gang with the pre-dawn Lake Louise.Five of us conspired with Samuel to set up the perfect ask.It wasn’t quite the sunrise that we were expecting, but the snow turned it into a magical moment and we are all very happy that Kylie is joining the family!As the sun rose, the lake’s beauty blossomed. A few magpies flew close by.Warming coffee and hot chocolate at the hotel.
A winter wonderland!
Canmore
After Janet and I took Bailey and Jett to the airport, we met up with Samuel and Kylie and walked around Canmore. While Banff is touristy and attracts many crowds, Canmore is less crowded and feels more like an authentic mountain town while sharing much of the beauty.
The Canmore Engine Bridge with the Rundle range in the background.At this time of year, the Bow River is low, but logs like this showed how much higher the river is when the snow melts in the spring.Peaceful with the best views.Canmore felt more like a mountain town than Banff.
Back to Lake Louise
The following morning’s weather was clear, so we headed back to Lake Louise for some more photos.
We’d often see a raven, and this one had an icy beak.
In the small town of Lake Louise, we grabbed a quick breakfast before heading off.
The Icefields Parkway
A majestic National Park road runs from Lake Louise to Jasper, with many sites to stop at on the way. We drove it as far as the Columbia Icefields just inside Jasper National Park.
Bow Lake is the headwaters of the Bow RiverBow River exits the lake and flows through Banff, Canmore, and Calgary, before entering Hudson Bay.This viewpoint of Peyto Lake was the highest on the parkway.A few trees remain standing in the ice flow.We got a preview of where the Icefields Parkway was taking us next.We were not wearing the best shoes for walking on icy snow. Janet and Kylie turned around early while Samuel and I continued to the viewpoint, though coming back down the trail was interesting!A stop took us to this beautiful bridge over the Mistaya River.The Waterfowl Lakes did not have much waterfowl, but the views were still great.
Our next stop was Mistaya Canyon which had surprisingly magical rock formations carved by the river.
The river was a long way below the top of the rocks.We spotted a cave on the hillside – perhaps the closest we got to seeing a grizzly!Our turning around point was the Columbia Icefields. The Athabasca Glacier is the source of rivers that flow into the Pacific, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. We sat in our car to enjoy our picnic lunch, and resisted feeding the begging raven, though we think he was also enjoying the engine’s warmth.I asked Samuel and Kylie to pose for this photo.Walking down from the photo spot was a little more tricky!The wind was so strong that it gave the raven an interesting hairstyle!On our way back to Lake Louise, we pulled off on The Big Bend.On our way back to Lake Louise, we stopped at the Crowfoot Glacier, though we could not work out how it looked like a crowfoot.Near the Saskatchewan River Crossing, a group of stopped cars showed us that this black bear was closeby.
Food
I am not the foodie in our family so cannot do justice to our fine meals, but I got a few photos that provide some insight!
We enjoyed some Beaver Tails. Our buffet dinner at the top of the gondola had the best views and some of the trip’s tastiest food, and was no more expensive than food in Banff, which was expensive…While most of the Fairmont Lake Louise hotel is offlimits to non-guests, “The Guide’s Pantry” is a coffee shop that is open to all and served lovely warming drinks.The Trailhead Cafe in Lake Louise had the perfect backdrop, as well as serving great breakfast sandwiches.While it was great to visit restaurants and coffee houses, picnics in the car provided the best views!
The Mountains Are Still There
Each morning, I’d say that the mountains were still there. Even after four days, I remained overwhelmed by them.
Our final view of the mountains before heading back to Calgary. The smoke was from a controlled burn.Our final task was discharging our bear spray. In Canada, bear spray is a registered weapon, and we could not take it on the plane, so Samuel and I practised using it, enabling us to throw away the empty container.
"Cajunlimeys" combines Lousiana (Janet) and England (Peter). For "limeys," check out scurvy in the English navy.
We love adventures and use blogging to write a photo diary to preserve our memories. Some crazy friends enjoy following us and my notes might help others plan.
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