“Two of the greatest gifts we can give our children are roots and wings.” – Hodding Carter
Hey friends!
When I first heard “Banff,” I thought maybe I was supposed to be blessing someone for a sneeze. I had no idea what “Banff” was or if I had even heard my sister-in-law say it correctly. So, I looked it up, did my research, and began to get an idea of where we were going.
The drive up was fun! Definitely a very long….long drive. But, we made stops along the way to keep arthritis from kicking in (I’m too young for that kind of thing yet!). Some of the highlights were the town of Mackinaw, and a wonderful little diner called Ma’s Diner where we had the most delicious breakfast that we could hardly finish even splitting it between my mom and I. Their Logger Skillet is no joke, guys!
On day three of our four day drive, we briefly stopped in Medicine Hat, Alberta, to see the world’s largest teepee! And, for your learning enjoyment, here are the specs of the Saamis Teepee: height of 215 feet (about 20 stories), diameter of 160 feet.
From there, it wasn’t so far of a drive. I mean, at least not compared to the three and a half days we had already been driving. And, after a little sign/GPS confusion, we found our way in to Tunnel Mountain Campground. There were tons of these cute little critters to greet us at our campsite!
The next morning, my phone was still in the wrong time zone, and my alarm went off an hour earlier than I had planned. At that point, I couldn’t seem to fall back asleep. So, I decided to roll out of bed and head over to the bathrooms to get ready. On the way back, I encountered an incredible surprise. Sitting in the grass between campers was a young buck!
I took a few pictures with my phone just to make sure I didn’t miss the moment. After enjoying the sight for a moment, I slipped back into my family’s camper, snagged my camera, and went back in complete “wildlife photographer” mode (or at least, what my own impression of being a wildlife photographer is like). At one point, I was knelt down in true photographer form when the deer noticed me, and started walking towards me. It got to be about 4 feet away from me before turning and eating grass a little down the hill.
And, here’s some other fun sights we saw in and around the campsite (also, the deer in this picture was a different day, but I’m pretty sure, same deer! I made a friend!):
Bow River Trail: The first hike we made was Bow River Trail. It was an easy, paved trail that ran right alongside the beautiful rapids pictured below. The trail leads towards the center of downtown (after walking through two blocks of houses) where you can explore the cute and tourist-filled gift shops. On the way back from downtown, we happened upon an elk just grazing in the grass next to the water. We stayed there for a very long time because I wanted to get a good picture of him with his head up. I did get some pretty good pictures, though! I will say, it was really fun to watch this guy eating. He moved his head very deliberately, clearly burdened by his enormous antlers. He looked like such a gentle creature. Overall, this was a nice trail and definitely worth a visit!
Lake Louise: This lake provided a beautiful view of the mountains! Though the water wasn’t quite as bright of blue when we were there, the valley was gorgeous and filled onlookers with wonder. This place was a perfect spot for photos. If you look up Lake Louise online, you can see the selfies, family portraits and even wedding photos all posed in front of this pristine mountain valley.
A little later, on the side of the rode, we saw a herd of mountain goats! There were even babies! It was precious!
Cascade Falls: This trail provided a nice, inclined hike, leading to a good view from a high vantage point. But, the best part was the bears! On our way up, we saw a beautiful black bear mama with her two adorable cubs bounding along the falls behind her. Granted, the black bear is not as scary as a grizzly, but when she’s got some cubs with her, well… there’s a reason the term “mama bear” exists. Despite the clear warning ringing in all our ears, my dad decided that he would like to get closer to the bears, get a better view of them. Without further discussion on the matter, my dad trudged forward, and we, the terrified, followed after, not wanting to be separated. Down the steep slope we slid. All I could think was that this is a less-than-opportune terrain for escaping from a bear attack, should the danger present itself. In this case, running down the hill would have been more of an incredibly long fall. But, fret not, my friends, for we did in fact make it down to the bottom safely, and (mostly) sure-footedly. Though, alas, we did not see the bears again, be that a good or bad thing. At the bottom of the trail, we nodded to a ranger with vest weighed down by many cans of bear spray. Turns out, there was a grizzly up there somewhere, too.
I, of course, stopped my dad so I could take a picture of these guys on the side of the road:
Johnston Canyon: The paths here were gorgeous, and easy to walk. The trail was paved and the incline was fairly gradual. Along the way, we saw many critters I had originally thought to be large chipmunks. Upon further research (read a sign by the path), I learned they were referred to as “golden-mantled ground squirrels.” With the ground squirrels to guide us, we traversed the trail full of waterfalls. It was a beautiful path which we thoroughly enjoyed.
Hoodoo Trail: This was a very short walk to an overlook. Though it was a rather foggy morning for us, the scenery was beautiful and had the potential for some very good pictures.
Vermillion Lake Drive: This was a very nice drive, with lookouts along the way. It is a great drive to take when you’re wanting to see sights, but feeling a little too lazy to walk around. This drive gives a good view of the mountains, and is a great place to visit at sunrise.
Peyto Lake Trail: This was a lovely walk with colorful wildflowers lining the footpath. The water is gorgeous at the bottom of the valley, and the walk is a little less populated once you get further in for a quiet, relaxing venture in nature.
Bow Lake: Kayaking is an incredible experience up in Banff! Many of the lakes are incredibly blue, to the point where the pictures look edited! But, I promise you, these pictures are not edited. This is the actual color of the water! The color is due to the rock flower that comes from the glaciers forming or running off into the lakes below. It makes an incredibly beautiful hue in the sun light! There were picnic tables along the water’s edge perfect for a quick lunch before we set out to kayak on the lake.
WOLF Sanctuary: For any of you readers who don’t know me personally, you should know that my favorite animal is the wolf. I think they are beautiful, majestic, and stunningly intelligent creatures. They are incredible, and I love them, and I have always wanted to see them in person. When I heard that there was a wolf sanctuary nearby, I may have gotten a little excited. My family, being generous and loving people, allowed us to drive an extra two hours out of the way to get to this wolf sanctuary. I lost my mind. It was a wonderful day, and I was absolutely thrilled to be there.
There was a lot of smoke in British Columbia due to the recent forrest fires. This was what caused most of the “foggy” days we had during our trip. The smoke was everywhere.
Loop Brook Trail: This trail was quite well shaded, and had some very unique sights. Though there were some fairly steep inclines, they were brief, and the paths were quite easy to hike. The variety on these trails keeps your adventurous side intrigued and full of wonder.
Moraine Lake: This lake was stunningly blue and completely serene. We were able to park close enough to this lake to pull out our kayaks and enjoy a day on the water. Would definitely recommend visiting this beautiful lake when in Banff.
Meeting of the Waters Trail: This trail runs right alongside the river for a good long portion of the walk. It provides a nice, calming atmosphere for a wonderful trek through nature.
Kicking Horse River Valley: This was a short walk to a unique natural bridge.
Takakkaw Falls: Absolutely gorgeous to see!
Emerald Lake: A short walk into a beautiful lake. Though we couldn’t cart our kayaks over very well, the scenery was still worth checking out by land. There is a quaint cafe across the bridge and beautiful mountains surrounding the water’s edge. I can’t speak to the food in the cafe as we didn’t stop in, but the atmosphere is stunning where this cafe gently rests.
Columbia Icefields: The ice fields were spectacular! In order to get to the spot, we rode a beastly contraption made specially for this steep venture. Our guide was clever and had some fun facts for us on our way up the “steepest unpaved incline driven in North America (32% grade, 18 degrees)”. Driving up in the beastly bus, we saw lots of mountain goats watching us through the dusty windows. Once atop the glacier, we stepped out on the slick terrain and drank from the clean and clear runoff streams at our feet. The sights were incredible and the water was refreshing. This was definitely a highlight of our trip and a very unique experience.
…and to conclude our tour, we enjoyed the skywalk!
And, as I am still learning some tricks to keep my photography organized and in order, I do have some pictures left over that I could not place in the specific sections. However, I did not want to leave them out. So, here are some extra pictures that I will place if I can figure out where they belong. In the mean time, hope you enjoy!
It was a wonderful adventure and instantly one of my favorite trips I have been to on this continent. The parks in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada are beautiful and full of fun adventures for all kinds of travelers.
Thanks for reading!
Sincerely,
Kirsten
Lore from Evermore 