Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada

Day 1 ~ Off We Go!

We took and early morning flight to Calgary, Canada where we picked up our rental car. The latter sounds easier than it actually was. We made reservation with Hotwire and neglected to check where the rental car place was located. It was quite a drive from the airport and to top it all off, the place did not have our requested car available. In fact, the only cars they had were minivans. We had no choice but to drive this sluggish large car for the next few days. I considered it a lesson learned!

When the weather is beautiful, the drive from Calgary to Banff is supposedly very scenic. But because it was pouring, we saw very little of the dramatic Rocky Mountains. Upon arrival in town, it was still too early to check in at the hotel so we visited the small visitor center where we obtained a map and familiarized ourselves with the lay of the land. Due to the rain, the bustling town was crowded with people and because we didn’t feel like waiting long to eat a very late lunch, we simply decided on eating at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

After “dunner” as we call a combined lunch and dinner, we headed for The Juniper Hotel, our accommodations for the next few days. Our comfortable and modern room had a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. Too bad the weather didn’t cooperate to fully enjoy the private balcony.

Day 2 ~ Rain, Rain, and More Rain

Melissa’s Missteaks (and no this is not a typo) was one of the few places that opened early for breakfast. We enjoyed our bacon and eggs dish before making our way down to the Fenlands Trail at the edge of town. This 2km easy to walk loop took us through a wooded area and along a crystal clear creek. This early in the morning, it was very quiet and we could fully enjoy the gurgling of the water and singing of the many birds. The tiny hot pink wild roses added a splash of color to the beautiful scenery.

While Bert was trying to identify the species in a flock of birds that had landed in nearby trees, I spotted a small blue box on the back of a tree. Curious, I walked over to check it out. because I didn’t want to trample the vegetation, I leaned over and looked behind the trunk only to realize that my close-up face, had just set off a camera trap. I’m sure whoever monitors this camera will have a chuckle!

Just before the trail curved into the woods, we not only saw a white-tailed deer, but we also spotted a small bird with a dark streaked, yellowish belly. It was foraging by the river’s edge. Bert was ecstatic because he could now add the Northern Waterthrush to his life list!

A short drive took us to the Vermillion Lakes. I could see that, when the weathers is nice, this area with its breathtaking scenery, could be the perfect place to relax. Unfortunately, we were not that lucky as it wassail drizzling.

The Bow Valley Parkway was only a stone’s throw away and despite the rain, we drove to the Johnston Canyon where we were lucky to find a spot in the too small parking lot. Protected by our rain gear, we braved the over-crowded, well-maintained wide trail to the Lower Falls. Because the distance to the Lower Falls was only 1.2 km, we decided to add the extra 1.3 km to the Upper Falls. We traversed narrow bridges and walked on catwalks attached to the limestone rocks to get deeper into the canyon.

At last, we reached the 30 m high Upper Falls. Due to the popularity of this trail, we actually had to stand in line to take a picture. Who would have thought! Soaked but satisfied, we hiked back over the slightly slippery trail. Yes, soaked, drenched, wet to the skin! It turned out my rain jacket had seen better times and was not up to withstanding heavy downpours anymore. And it took a trip to Canada to find out!

While continuing our drive along the Bow Valley Parkway, we saw a gorgeous elk stag. Luckily, we had caught a break in the weather and were able to shoot a few pictures.

Visiting Lake Louise was out if the question. The village was terribly congested and there was no way we were able to reach the lake. That’s when we decided to turn around and head for a quieter and less-visited hiking trail in the Banff area. The 2.8 km Marsh Loop, accessible from the Cave and Basin Natural Historic Site, proved to be a good choice. The often muddy trail encircles the wetland which receives most of its water of the hot springs flowing out of the slopes of Sulphur Mountain. It was a peaceful walk and aside from a few people on horse-back, we encountered no-one. As always in the Canadian Rockies, the scenery did not disappoint!

Once back by the Cave and Basin visitor center, we accessed the boardwalk into the marshland. The boardwalk crossed bubbling hot springs and the woods were teeming with birds. It was a perfect stroll the end a very wet day.

Day 3 ~ Stunning Glacial Lakes

The craziness at Lake Louise yesterday, prompted us to leave extra early today so we could be on the trail before the crowds arrived. We ate breakfast at the Trailhead Cafe, a tiny place with just a few chairs and a counter, in Lake Louise Village. From here, we drove to the parking lot outside of town where we had to take a paid shuttle bus to Lake Louise. Once arrived, we had to stand in a very slow moving line for shuttle tickets to Lake Moraine.

The trail to Consolation Lakes is a restricted trail, which means that at any given time when there are too many bears in the area, the park can either close the trail or require hikers to walk in groups of 4 or more. We were lucky because only the advisory warning checkbox was marked.

Once on the trail, we were transported into a different world. Flanked by mountain peaks, the boulder field we traversed made me feel like a small speck in the vastness that surrounded me. It was unlike anything I had ever seen.

Once past the rock pile, the trail meandered through the forest and followed Babel Creek. I can’t say that is was difficult to walk because the 2.9 km hike out to the lake was fairly flat. The closer we came to the lake, the more dramatic the sky became. Was it going to rain again? I certainly hoped not!

The calmness of nature was clearly felt along the river and if the weather would have been nicer, I would certainly have sat here for a while. Suddenly, I saw a chunky bird bobbing up and down on a rock. Bert informed me it was an American Dipper. A few feet further up stream, two Red-breasted Mergansers landed in the water.Their funny shaggy feathered heads looking this way and that.

At last we reached the Lower Consolation Lake. It was surrounded by glacier capped mountain peaks and absolutely stunning! To actually reach the edge of the lake, we had to clamber over the many glacial boulders.

As Bert went off to take some pictures of the marmots lounging on the rocks, I decided to eat a snack. Immediately, I was surrounded by dozens of cute little chipmunks who were determined to steal some of my granola bar. It was difficult to ignore their adorable faces but wildlife needs tp be kept wild and I wasn’t going to be the one to break that rule.

It proved to be hard to take pictures of the marmots and Bert didn’t return until it started pouring and he was forced to leave. But, as usual, he outdid himself and walked away with an amazing shot. That’s right! Some of the pictures in my blog are Bert’s, but because he’s a nice guy, he gave me permission. to post them. :-)

On the way back, we walked over to the Moraine Lake overlook. The crystal clear turquoise water was surrounded by 10 peaks and this picture perfect view used to be on the old Canadian $20 bill. The overlook was incredibly busy and I had to climb on the rocks to be able to take a picture without people messing up the view.

After walking back to the parking lot in single file because of the huge amount of people on the short trail, we made it right on time to catch the shuttle bus back to the parking lot. Once we reached the car, it started pouring again. Nevertheless, we drove to the scenic Icefield Parkway. But we didn’t make it far because the torrential rain prevented us from seeing anything. All we could do was drive back to Banff.

Upon entering the town, we encountered a traffic jam and lots of people, cameras in hand were crossing the street and running towards a single spot on the side of the road. Naturally, we wanted to find out what they were photographing. It was a black bear! Who would have thought to find a bear right next to the freeway! Despite the crowd of spectators, the bear was gingerly gong about its business. It was the best ending for a perfect day!

Day 4 ~ Dry at Last!

This morning we got up to a blue sky! It was dry at last! It was the perfect day for the 24 km loop drive around Lake Minnewanka. We were rewarded with spectacular views of emerald green waters surrounded by the majestic Rocky Mountains.

Our last short hike before driving back to Calgary, was to the bridge over Stewart Canyon. The Stewart Canyon Trail, like the Consolation Lakes Trail, is a restricted trail and sure enough, the spark was completely closed for hikers just past the river crossing. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful, easy and short hike to round off our trip.

As we were driving back to the freeway, we spotted a herd of elk. The few raindrops didn’t seem to bother them at all. By the time I was done taking a picture, it was sprinkling again. We didn't care because we were returning home from a very satisfying mini-trip.