BANFF
- Hannah McDonald
- Jul 29, 2024
- 24 min read
We entered Banff with a sign of relief after driving the 10-hour evacuation route from Jasper through Kamloops. Our hearts ache for Jasper as we continue to read fire updates. The fire reached Jasper’s townsite. We are determined to stick to the things we can control, and for now, that is enjoying our time in Banff.
Johnston Canyon
Last night, Joelle consulted the guide book and found us an activity for today: Johnston Canyon. Parking here is like the Hunger Games but we managed to grab a spot in the second lot. We head to the trail and quickly realize this feels like Disneyland. The trail is paved, and as we make our way up the canyon, we realize we are literally standing over the crystal clear river flowing through the canyon. The bridge/walkway that weaves up the canyon is crawling with people. We can hear the first waterfall to our right and see a very long line of people. Apparently, there is a cave on the opposite side of the canyon, where people can cross a bridge and enter a few at a time. After some debate, we decide seeing the alleged cave would be worth the wait. After some time, we hear the crack of thunder and quickly pull on our rain gear before it starts pouring. No such thing as bad weather if you're well prepared. And we certainly stand out against the crowd in our hiking backpacks and clothes, while many others were dressed as "tourists at Disney Land without the Mickey Mouse ears who ended up in the woods," as Joelle describes. After an hour or so, it's finally our turn. We duck our heads into the cave and then pop out on the other side, right by the waterfall. Worth the wait? "Yeah, because I remember the waterfall more than the wait," says Joelle. It is pretty cool.
Continuing up the trail, we see the lower waterfall from above, where we can see people on both sides of the cave, and we pass the upper falls, where we wait in another line to get to the waterfall. Then, it's decision time: Do we continue another ~2 miles to the Ink Pots? Normally, it would be an easy yes, but the sky is still rumbling. Nonetheless, we decide to go and "Disneyland" is left behind. The trail turns to dirt and the crowd thins to a handful of well-prepared hikers. The trail is very up, then very down, then very up again, and the trees creak around us. After what feels like a long time, a small pool of water comes into view, and I jump to snap pictures of the Ink Pot, not realizing this is by far the least impressive. A little further, there are glistening pools, each a different shade of bright green or blue, with stunning backdrops. We weave our way through the pools, appreciating the natural beauty and observing the subtle differences. The pools are fed by a spring below the Earth's surface and bubbles rise from the bottom as water trickles in. We have heard these Ink Pots aren't as impressive as Yellowstone's, but we haven't been to Yellowstone, so they seem pretty cool to us.
Banff Townsite
Coming into town, we realize just how busy Banff can get. People are everywhere. We immediately decide that we will not be visiting town much. We consult the guide book to identify the highlights and hope we can find parking at each of them.
We have seen "Bow Lake" on countless RVs this trip so figure we should visit "Bow Falls." It's a short but powerful waterfall near town. From there, we head to the viewpoint of Fairmont Banff Springs, a luxury hotel overlooking Bow Valley. From there, the large hotel can be seen tucked in the huge forest. There are many more cars than the tiny parking lot can accommodate, so Joelle and I take turns hopping out to look, while the other circles with the car.
Having seen it from afar, we decide to actually go visit. Driving up the driveway, it feels very "Broadmoor," and there is even someone playing bagpipes in a kilt at the front entrance roundabout. We circle looking for a parking spot but don't have any luck finding visitor parking, so we decide to pull into the parking garage then hear a loud scrap and pop. "Umm...what was that?" I ask concerned. Joelle looks at me in disbelief, "the roof box...". We forgot that was on there...oops. I try to direct Joelle out of the garage with minimal damage while a woman driving one of the tourist busses leaps into action to help us. There are just some low beams. We're barely too tall. (A look to the future: Joelle got this all patched up once we got home.) Having given up on a real parking spot, we pull into a 15 minute spot, set a timer, and start exploring. The hotel is quite grand and beautiful overlooking the valley, but I think the view from the Waterton Lakes hotel beats it.
We are ready to explore the downtown area! We start with the visitors' center, figuring this is a good place to get local recommendations. We ask for the low-cost, non-touristy recommendations and soon the map and highlighter are out. We also discover that Joelle knows several local events, like a pottery workshop, that the park ranger doesn't even know. Full of great recommendations, we realize just how much of a scam "Pursuit" is–the U.S. company that owns all the mediocre things to do in Banff and Jasper, upcharges them, and then markets the heck out of them so visitors think these are the best things to do. While Pursuit's Golden Skybridge was fun on our evacuation route, we are excited to do the less tourist-y, more authentic things in Banff that will support the local economy, and thanks to the park ranger at the visitor's center, we have quite the itinerary now.
Back outside, we make our way through some shops. We stop at an outdoor apparel shop, partly to get out of the bustling crowds, and notice a pamphlet on the counter for Sunshine Meadows, which was just recommended to us by the park ranger. We start chatting with one of the employees, and it turns out he works there in the winter. We get some more local recommendations from him and decide that has to be our plan for tomorrow.
We stop in a few more shops–a soap shop with some very yummy-smelling soaps and Jolene's Tea House, which is the tea used at our Waterton Lakes Afternoon Tea–and then head back to our campsite for the night. We have lots of hiking ahead of us!
Sunshine Meadows Ski Resort
Our initial plan is to take the Banff Gondola today, until we realized there isn’t a whole lot to do up there. Yesterday Joelle asked the woman at the information center, “how long before you get bored up there?” “Depends how much you enjoy interpretive centers,” she responded. Turns out, there is a restaurant, 1km boardwalk, and exhibit at the top of the Sulfur Mountain gondola. Hmm…not the hiking at the top we had assumed.
We ended up redirecting to Sunshine Meadows—also a gondola but this one has hiking trails and incredible wildflowers. We get a start on the day, spot a bear munching on the side of the road, and easily find a parking spot. We seem to have escaped the Banff crowds. After a quick stop at the ticket office (where I managed to snag us some cool ski lanyards for our passes), we hop on the gondola and immediately feel at ease with the sound of its buzz. Something about it is soothing after all those years of skiing growing up. The gondola pods are each different bright colors, and the view is already beautiful.
We hop off the gondola, get a brief orientation, and then take a chairlift a bit higher. Here, we find ourselves crossing into British Columbia from Alberta, marked by a rock stack. The ski resort sits on the continental divide, so you can bounce back and forth between Alberta and British Columbia.
The views are immediately stunning with vast mountains and three alpine lakes standing out amid the trees and beautiful meadows. We are doing the Laryz/Grizzly loop, which will take us by all three lakes. As we walk, we are in awe of the beautiful wildflowers splashed across the meadow, like confetti. Yellows, purples, pinks, and blues color the meadow as we make our way along the path. Some areas are open with stunning views, while others are under the trees and splattered with wildflowers—also stunning. Staying on the trail is essential to protecting these beautiful plants, and there are employees lapping the trails to ensure visitors respect the precious ecosystem. Each time we pass one of these employees, Joelle stops her to pepper her with questions, learning more and more about the area and what we are seeing. Fun fact: The Indian Paintbrushes are an assortment of colors because they take on the colors around them. I think these are my favorite, with the Purple Fleabane closely following. Apparently, these got their name because people thought they repelled mosquitos and flies, but unfortunately, that is not that case.
After thoroughly enjoying the scenery and 5-miles of hiking, we download on the gondola. On our way out of the parking lot, we see a herd of bighorn sheep, all moms and babies.
Of course, we get curious about the skiing here. The area we hiked is behind the ski area and not skiable as part of the resort. Also, they have a new lift—Super Angel Express—coming this season. The locals don’t like the name, but it looks really fancy—6-pack and fully covered by a plastic overhang with the bar down.
We are so grateful for this local recommendation and highly recommend it. It’s hard to do it justice with words and pictures. It was the best morning (and, bonus, away from the crowds).
Wagashi Tea House (Canmore)
Browsing the guidebook a few days ago, Joelle found a restaurant that caught our attention. Located in Canmore (just outside Banff) and inside a garden supply centre, is a tiny but locally loved Japanese tea house. It doesn’t stop at tea, however, and has a yummy mix of Japanese staples.
We sample numerous menu items: Miso Soup, Teriyaki Tofu Onigiri, a Cold Tofu Hiyayakko bento, and Mochi. Plus, we try Shin Cha tea, which is made with only the best tea leaves of the season, and Houji Cha tea, which is more smoky and bitter. All of it is delicious and a nice switch-up from our PB&Js and camping food. Joelle often makes delicious Tofu Onigiri at home and wants to see if she can get any ideas.
We drive around Canmore a bit and determine that while it feels like a cute ski town it’s much more local. Their downtown street is lively and we stop at a local park, pet some dogs, then bail when we realize parking is $20 here.
An Emergency Haircut
Have you ever woken up and decided, “the hair needs to go now?” Well, I have and Joelle does today. That’s how we found ourselves calling salons around town and, on the fifth try, finding somewhere in downtown Banff that will take Joelle as a walk-in. That’s why her hair is long in some of the pictures and short in all the others.
Hoodoo Lookout
Hoodoo Lookout is just across from our campsite, overlooking Bow Valley, and has been recommended to us multiple times. We stop here on our way back from town and walk up the path. There’s a tour group that we hover around to get some information on the area. There are Hoodoos, hence the lookout name, and we learn they are formed because it’s harder rock and the softer rock around it has eroded away by elements like rain. They can be found all over the world. We also learn that the two mountains in front of us used to be one and glacial activity broke them into two. Our friends saw a wolf pack in the valley below this lookout once, but we have no such luck.
Lake Louise: Lake Agnus to Highland Trail to Plain of the 6 Glaciers to The Death Trap Lookout
We’ve heard mixed things about Lake Louise thus far and are interested to draw our own conclusions. Several people have highly recommended it, particularly certain hiking trails. Others, not so much. A Jasper local deemed it “a lake with a marketing team” because there are lots of pretty lakes in the Canadian Rockies. When asking the woman at the Banff Information Center what not to do, she commented that Lake Louise might not be worth the hassle of figuring out how to get there. For context, parking fills up extremely early in the day and is $35. Parks Canada has a reasonably-priced bus from the Lake Louise Ski Resort but tickets had long sold-out by the time we were looking, and we didn’t want to risk the walk-on. So, we ended up booking a less reasonably priced ticket with a private company a couple weeks ago, selecting both a departure and return time (purely guessed 8:30-3:00 and hoped for the best).
We arrive at Lake Louise Ski Area an hour before the bus…we really don’t want to miss it. While we wait, we are told a giant, male grizzly bear just walked across the ski resort hill, so we hurry over to try to spot it (from a safe distance). We scour the hillside with our binoculars but don’t see anything. After some time hoping he’ll reappear, Joelle mentions, “I fear we are going to manifest a grizzly bear being very close to us by doing this.” I sure hope not…
Sitting on the bus, we witness the importance of promptness for the bus, as a group of three miss their bus by two minutes and are unable to take a later bus because they’re all booked full. So sad.
Rosie, our bubbly driver, fills us in on the local grizzly bear drama. There are two large males: Split Lip and Boss. Split Lip’s domain is the Lake Louise Ski Area, while Boss’ is Sunshine Meadows. These two are enemies. Split Lip got his name due to the big scar on his face from a fight with Boss. We are even told they eat each other’s cubs and other grizzlies. They are “nasty grizzlies,” and I hope we don’t cross their paths.
Rosie also fills us in on why Lake Louise is so blue. It is a glacially-fed lake, as are many around here, and the movement of the glacier feeds “rock flour” into the lake, particularly in the late Spring and early Summer. The blue color comes from the light refracting off the rock flour. Rosie says she’s never seen Lake Louise without the bright blue color, but Lake Moraine, which we are going to see in a couple days, is sometimes more dull if it’s cloudy.
We did a lot of research when picking today’s hiking trail. An AllTrails review for Devil’s Thumb stated, “This trail is not for Jerrys, and there are certainly plenty of Jerrys.” While we picked a different trail, Joelle still wonders if we are Jerrys. After looking in the mirror at the washroom before heading up to the lake (and comparing to those around us), she confirms we are not Jerrys. We are prepared with hiking boots, lots of layers, bear spray, pocket knife, first aide, water, food, an InReach (satellite communication device), and more. Also, we hike. Maybe not regularly, but we do.
Approaching the lake shore, it’s busy but not as busy as we expected, granted it’s 8:45am. We start our lengthy hike with the trail to Agnus Teahouse. This is the hike everyone does, but again, it’s not as busy as we had expected. Definitely people but not a continuous line of people. It’s a steep incline, and Joelle and I quickly begin stripping layers into our packs. We find Mirror Lake first, and it’s aptly named. The mountains above, including Beehive, reflect in the lake. Next to Beehive, the clouds weave their way through the rocky, snowy mountaintops. My favorite. It’s picturesque. We continue up the steep trail, pass a waterfall pouring down the hillside, climb some stairs, and then, the Lake Agnus Teahouse is before us. It’s a cute hut nestled into the trees and lakeside, but the long line extending out is much less cute. This lake is hopping. And, it’s still beautiful—more snowy peaks above the lake with clouds weaving through them.
We have a long hike ahead (and packed our own snacks) so continue on our way. We begin down a path, and I quickly ask Joelle, “Are you sure this is it? All the people are going the other way.” We loop back to double-check. Turns out, all those people are going down the short trail to the bathroom (there is a bathroom on the hiking trail!), and no one else is continuing along our route.
The Highland Trail is more flat, and good views peek through the trees. There is also a “vibe change” in the few hikers we pass. People are prepared and in it for more than the tea house. We catch a glimpse of Lake Louise from above and are stunned. It’s an extremely bright, milky turquoise and pops out from the landscape below. The color of the lake is certainly much stronger and much better from high above. We pass the trail for Big Beehive, making that a simple (though likely very challenging) addition to this hike. Unfortunately, we skip it with our unmiss-able a bus departure time in mind and continue on the Highland Trail.
The Highland Trail merges with the Plain of the 6 Glaciers Trail, and we turn up it, toward that tea house. Before long, we are in a glacier field. Thanks to glacial recession, we have a ways to hike. The climb gradually gets steeper and the footing more rocky. This is where I start to feel it. Below, you can see the glacier melting to a milky-gray river, then depositing in the turquoise Lake Louise. Finally, we reach the top. We read the informational signs and check out the tea house (which is decidedly cuter and less busy than the Lake Agnus Tea House). It’s pretty amazing that they haul all their supplies in here. That’s probably why a PB&J is CA$15. They also make the bread themselves. We enjoy our not $15 PB&Js (that we packed in) on a bench, looking up at the thick glaciers above.
Joelle spots a sign for a 1.3km hike out to the Plain of the 6 Glaciers Lookout, where you get a good view of “The Death Trap,” named because it’s essentially a funnel for all the avalanches coming off the glaciers around Mount Victoria. Why not? We made it all the way here and probably have time before we need to head down for the bus (can’t be late!). We start the hike out and, eventually, pass some people who tell us it gets really steep. Joelle asks if it’s worth it, and while the woman quickly responds “yes,” the man hesitates significantly and tells us to consider how badly we want the picture at the top. Yikes. We continue. A bit further, it does start to get steep. Then, it gets steep and narrow. Then, it gets steeper and still narrow. We are balancing on a narrow path with a drop to the glacier below on one side and a drop to a rock field on the other. My legs are burning now. Even Joelle says she’ll be sore tomorrow. Making it to the top, there is a great view of “The Death Trap,” which basically looks like a snow slide. That was worth it, and you can still see the turquoise Lake Louise below. It’s the lake from start to finish: Glacier to river to lake. Now, time for a speedy decent to the bus.
We want to stop at the tea house to pack out some trash for them. Bonus, you get a free fruit punch if you do this. Unfortunately, the bus departure has us on a time crunch, and it’s a bit too busy around the tea house. So, we start our decent trashless. When we get to where The Highland Trail connects, we stay on the Plain of the 6 Glaciers Trail. It gives us something new to try, seems to be easier, and it takes us right along the lake. Here, we are really following the River to the lake—right along it. The milky-gray River spreads wide, with sandbars, and we walk the boardwalk over it. Then, the milky-gray turns milky, bright turquoise, although the color isn’t as vibrant from right next to it. We are officially back amid all the people—another “vibe change.” The shoreline at the front of the lake is packed with people taking pictures. Joelle and I watch in awe for a minute, not just at the lake itself but also all the people it (and its marketing team) manages to attract. It really has turned into quite the business. Our verdict: It’s worth it if you do the hikes.
Bow River Highway
The Bow River Highway is the old highway and runs next to the Trans-Canada Highway. It’s more scenic and, we’re told, a wildlife spotting hub. On our way back from Lake Louise, we take this highway and stop at each overlook, some over the valley with mountain and river views and some over meadows. There are informational signs at each, allowing us to learn a bit more about the history and animals in the area. There is a memorial for the people who died in the harsh conditions of the WWI Castle Mountain internment camp, many of Ukrainian descent from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire.
C-Level Cirque and Lake Minnewanka
We deem today a “recovery day” after our 10 miles yesterday and in anticipation of our sunrise and hike at Moraine Lake tomorrow. So, we’ll stick to a 10k (6.2 mile) hike today, after a no-alarm morning (woohoo).
We aren’t sure what the parking situation will be since we took a slow morning. 11:30am isn’t exactly a parking-competitive, early start. We are surprised to see the parking lot mostly empty. There are plenty of spaces—even a shaded one. Weird. From what we remember of the AllTrails description and reviews (granted, we have read about a lot of hikes at this point), this trail is easy until it’s not. That’s when it gets steep. With that expectation in mind, we are surprised by how quickly our quads start burning. We seem to be walking straight up a steep mountain. This is an old mining area, so we pass (fortunately) gated unstable mineshafts throughout the lower part of the trail. It’s a strange feeling knowing the ground under us is hollow.
After what feels like a lot of up through the creaking forest, the trees part to a rock field. Joelle and I figure this must be the steep up they mentioned on AllTrails, referring to someone’s comment that the end feels like climbing stairs for 20-25 minutes. I feel like I’ve been climbing “stairs” for awhile, so I’m not sure why the clock it starting now. The path along the side of the rock field fades into a steep scramble, where we are on all fours grasping for any small rock in the dirt. At the top, there’s a rock field with several groups enjoying lunch, but the view doesn’t look quite right. It’s still mostly covered by trees, unlike the picture we saw. Consulting the AllTrails map, we see where the trail continues…straight up…this will require lunch first. After finishing our sandwiches, we start up mountain. This must be the actual “stair” climb. Again, I’ve been climbing awhile. And, stairs would be awfully nice right about now. It’s basically a steep, dirt slide. We carefully make our way up, pushing ourselves up on any rocks and roots we can find and grasping to trees. It’s a slow and steady climb for me, with my legs, lungs, and brain working. Behind me, Joelle laughs at my “moving but barely” pace, and I ask “Are you saying this isn’t hard for you?” “No comment,” she responds. What in the world…
We finally summit to a beautiful view over the vast Lake Minnewanka, neighboring Two Jack Lake, and the surrounding area. It was hard work but worth it. Now we understand why the parking lot was so empty. We chat with some fellow hikers at the top before beginning our decent. The climb up was hard, and although faster, the hike down the top bit requires focus. There is the regular sound of loose rock on hiking boot, followed by a “you good?” We manage many fall saves and limited butt scoots. Reaching the rock field, we hear a high-pitched whistle. A marmot and his friend sit tall on two separate rocks. Their whistling continues, and after admiring them for a bit, we hurry on, out of their territory. Joelle also spotted a pika in the rock field—her favorite. They are very cute.
Back in the forested section of the trail, we still have a steep decent, and our joints, particularly our knees, feel it. We are so ready for this hike to be over, and it just continues. We find hope when we return to the unstable mineshafts, but it just keeps going. Finally, we spot the picnic area at the end, and we are so happy to see our car. Joelle melts to the ground, and I find wipes for our filthy hands. It may have only been a 10k, but that is by far our hardest hike of the trip. Not the prescribed “recovery day.”
On our way back to the campsite, we drive the loop around the Lake Minnewanka area, figuring we’ll stop by the lake shore. Umm…we found all the people. The parking lot on the lake area are swarming with tourists, so we opt for the viewpoint that’s too far for people to want to park at and walk to the lake’s hub. It’s pretty, but I think we got the best view of it from above.
While quite challenging, I’m glad we did the hike and would recommend it to those able. It’s always nice to dodge the busy Banff areas and to do something a bit different. That said, we are toast and have a 3 AM wake-up call. So, it’s dinner and bedtime by 8:00pm. It’s like we planned it perfectly: Wear ourselves out for an early bedtime.
Moraine Lake and Sentinal Pass via Larch Valley Trail (plus some hike add-ons)
Moraine Lake is the second most popular lake in the park, behind Lake Louise, and the only way to access it is by shuttle. Cars aren’t allowed up the road. We missed the reasonably-priced Parks Canada bus tickets for this one as well so we are back with the bus company we previously used for Lake Louise. This time, though, we are doing sunrise at the lake.
Joelle wrote the first blog of the trip, so she has yet to be bragged about. Joelle built a bed for the back of our car, starting in January. And that’s in addition to planning the trip. She reverse-engineered some design dimensions, redesigned as needed for our purposes, got the wood, cut the wood, sealed the wood, added hinges for storage access, etc. Then, she cut foam (using a bread knife) for a perfectly-fitting mattress and sewed pillow cases for each piece with cute camping fabric, including snaps. She saved us lots of money and made us a cozy and comfy bed for our adventures. She is amazing. All of that is to say, the bed has a “sleep mode” and “drive mode.” When we sleep, we push the front seats all the way forward and expand the bed, making it perfectly fit our height. When we drive, we collapse the bed and return the seats to their normal positions. It’s a great system, just requires some time in the mornings and evenings to adjust. Given our 3:00am alarm, we opted to sleep in “crunch mode” last night for the first time, saving us time this morning by not needing to collapse the bed for driving. I slept pretty well, but let’s just say, I don’t think Joelle will be sleeping in “crunch mode” again.
Okay, back to Moraine Lake. We arrive early to the bus, knowing we will get left behind if late and not waking up this early just to miss it. Our driver fills us in on the area’s history, and with the sky already lighting up, we hurry off the bus and climb the “rock pile” to get a good view. It may be early, but the rock pile is full of people fighting for the best view and photo. The sun is rising opposite the lake, but it creates a beautiful reflection and light on the mountains. This is the Valley of The Ten Peaks, named for the ten snowy peaks rising behind Moraine Lake. Fay Glacier peaks out from the peaks, feeding into the lake. Before the sun rises, the lake is completely still with a perfect reflection of the mountains. It’s beautiful and so peaceful, as a few kayakers and paddle boarders jump on for a morning paddle. As the sun hits the mountains, they turn a beautiful purple, as the lake starts to ripple from the wind. A bride and groom attempt to take their wedding photos around the crowds of people, while the rest of us just take too many pictures of the lake and enjoy the stunning moment.
With the sun up now, Joelle and I make our way to our selected hike: Sentinal Pass via Larch Valley Trail. We picked this on somewhat of a whim, trying to decide quickly when talking to the bus reservation company about our return time. Upon further research last night, we learned it’s the same elevation gain in just slightly more distance as C-Level Cirque. Based on yesterday, we are wishing we didn’t know how hard that can be.
The trail is empty when we start, and there is a new bear sign at the trailhead, recommending hiking in groups of four. We haven’t seen that one before. We’re just two so will keep our voices up and bear spray on hand. We begin our ascent, although not as steeply as yesterday, and quickly shed our layers from before sunrise. Through the trees, we catch glimpses of the turquoise Moraine Lake. It’s not as bright at Lake Louise, with a lower concentration of rock flour. We actually prefer this color—blue, with teal undertones and still translucent. It’s less milky and still looks like water.
We get higher, and the trail flattens into a valley of larch trees, with wildflowers colorfully painting the meadow. In the fall, the larch trees turn color, and I can only imagine how beautiful it is (well, I saw a picture). We continue on, and the forest disappears to the mountain top, with nothing but alpine lakes, grass patches, a view of the peaks, and a chilly wind. We quickly add a rain jacket and hat to break the wind and keep us warm. A large group, half of which passed up early on and half of which is behind us, provides quite the entertainment. Apparently, the first half of the group left the second half with no bear spray. Oops.
If you think we’re at the top, we’re not. Ahead of us is a steep climb. We can see it all: A few long switchbacks to the mountaintop above. One of the people in the group around us remarks, “It’s basically flat with the switchbacks.” Umm…I’m looking at it, and I don’t think so. Within minutes, he amends his statement, “I think it’s steeper than I initially thought.” That said, it’s not nearly as bad as yesterday. A steady pace gets us to the top without needing to be on all fours. The view from the top is stunning. Arguably the best of the trip. We can see the alpine lakes and grass extending into larch forest, with the tall, rocky, snowy peaks rising above. The thick ice of Fay Glacier is in view as well. Off the other side, there is another mountain view, and apparently, if you continue down the trail that way, you will make it to Lake Louise. We take in the magic of the view, and Joelle makes a rock stack. Chilled, we begin our descent. Reentering the forested area, I hear a waterfall in the distance and a small path. I ask Joelle, “Do you think that goes to a waterfall?” She shrugs, and we decide to find out. Sure enough, it’s a short path to the water pouring down the mountain, presumably from the lakes above.
We are making much better time than we anticipated and are on schedule to significantly beat the bus. Branching off our trail is another to Eiffel Lake. We are considering it but have no idea how far it is. We can sort of gauge it on the AllTrails map downloaded for our current hike, but we don’t have service to actually check. At the branch point, there is a large group with at least four guides. Figuring someone might know, I interrupt and ask. They aren’t immediately sure, but one of the guides pulls out a large, intricate, paper hiking map of the area. We skims it for where we are and lets us know it’s 3.2km to the lake. It’s also a topographical map, so we can see it will be flat. We decide to go for it. While the other trail started to get a steady traffic flow, this one is empty. Finally on a flat trail, we move quickly, and looking to our left, we have a great view of Moraine Lake from above, something the other trail lacked. It’s worth it just for that. We continue through forested trail, spot bear poop, talk louder while naming good rom com movies, cross a rock field, enter more forested trail area, and then come out on another rock field, with the Eiffel Tower mountain above us. Much different than Paris’ Eiffel Tower. We start across the rock fields and spot Eiffel Lake in the distance. It’s a regular lake, not the turquoise blue of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. The wind picks up and we’re exposed on the mountainside, so we had back to the main trail. It’s a fun little detour and worth it for the Moraine Lake view.
Back on the downhill, we start feeling raindrops, and our joints are aching. Between yesterday and today, our knees are sore. Joelle tells me that’s what getting old feels like: The joints hurting more than the muscles.
We check Jo’s watch at the bottom of the trail and realize we have just enough time for one more trail before hurrying to the bus. This one is along the lake’s shore, taking you from one end to the other. We weave through people, peaking up at the mountains as we go. At the lake’s edge, you can see the crystal clear water on the outer rim before feeding to turquoise blue. It really is pretty. We manage to make it all the way to the start of the lake, where the clear river meets it. The rock pile we started on this morning, which is the moraine the lake is named after, looks a little funny from this perspective. It serves as the perfect viewing point though.
Hustling back to the bus, we make it with 15 minutes to spare. With all our hike add-ons, our total mileage is 12.3 miles (and our Banff mileage to ~45 miles). Fortunately, we make the bus and don’t have to walk an additional 18k back to our car. We wouldn’t want to be doing that in Split Lip’s territory…
Vermillion Lakes
This is one of the last recommendations made by the woman at the Banff Visitor’s Center that we haven’t done. So, we have to pop by on our way back to the campsite. Driving the road to the lakes, we see a group of people talking energetically as we approach the lake, and we slow down, wondering what is going on. A woman starts toward us, and I roll down my window. She excitedly informs us, “we just saw a momma bear and her cubs!” She shows me picture proof, and Joelle and I eagerly look around. We drive slowly, scouring the edges of the road, and with no luck, we parallel park in the trees and greenery. Trying to curb my disappointment, I wonder aloud, “why do we always miss them by just a few minutes.” It’s not the first time we’ve narrowly missed a cool wildlife sighting. In the silence, I suddenly hear Joelle, “Mmm mmm MMMMM!!!” I look over at her in curiosity. “BEAR,” she finally gets out. Sure enough, a black bear is sauntering just in front of our car. My brain struggles to compute and then grabs the phone for a picture. Then, seemingly from under the car, a little cub wobbles after their mom. So cute!! Then, another appears, also seemingly from under the car. Where did they come from?? The siblings are so cute, taking in their surroundings. One paws its face, and it’s absolutely adorable. As quickly as they appeared, they vanish. We do a couple laps on the road trying to catch another glimpse, but they have disappeared. How lucky to see a momma bear and her cubs (safely) on our last day. Our hearts are full from another beautiful day in Banff and such a fun, adventure-filled trip.
P.S. We made it home driving straight through — 17 hours from Banff to Niwot, leaving at 7:30am and arriving at 12:30am. Our total driving mileage for our Canadian Rockies trip is 3,859 miles.
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