Day Four: Banff and Lake Louise
Drive to Banff
After spending the morning with Jeremy’s aunt and uncle, we started our drive to Banff National Park. As we drove through Calgary, I saw an unusual, tall, and elongated creature near someone’s yard. “What is that?” I exclaimed, wondering if Canadian dogs were shaped differently than their American counterparts. We drove closer, and I was shocked to discover it was a rabbit. As it turns out, Alberta jack rabbits look far different from the small, fuzzy Wisconsin bunnies I was used to.
As we neared the mountains, we drove through the most powerful winds either of us had ever experienced. It was a struggle to keep my heavily-loaded car on the road. The scenery around us was beautiful, and at one point Jeremy pulled over to get out and take a picture. I stayed in the safety of the car, watching as my husband nearly blew away. He had to use all his strength to reopen the car door against the wind.
We finally made it out of the wind tunnel and paused briefly in the little town of Canmore to watch a herd of elk relaxing by a hotel.
We pulled into the entrance of Banff National Park and paid the somewhat hefty fee for the day, and then made our way to the town for lunch.
Town of Banff
I see a lot of perfect photos of Banff’s quaint streets on Instagram. In the photos, there are no people, no cars – just a gently falling snow and all the shops lit up for Christmas, the mountains looming in the background. In reality, there are people everywhere, parking is a nightmare, and it’s impossible to get a good photo. Despite the crowds, though, you can’t deny that it’s still a charming town.
After eating quite possibly the best vegetarian sandwich of my life at a crowded cafe, we had a look at the Fairmont Hotel – surely the fanciest and most expensive hotel in town. According to a local working the grounds, rates here can be as high as $5,000 a night.
Johnston Canyon Hike
We then drove out to the Johnston Canyon trail head, finding a full parking lot. I geared up in lots of layers and a pair of snow pants. Lots of young women were trying to complete the hike in a single pair of leggings and the type of stylish boots you would perhaps wear to work. As it was very frigid and the entire trail was covered in thick ice, their choice of apparel was likely unwise.
I knew Banff was a very popular national park (if not the most popular national park in Canada), but still, I was still surprised at the number of people on the trail on this cold November day. There was even a coffee shop along the trail.
The hike was a perfect magical winter wonderland hike. The trail hugs a crystal-clear creek that flows over multicolored rocks. Sunlight on the mountains turned them a warm pink, and snow covered every tree.
The first waterfall you come to is the lower falls. You can get right up close to this waterfall by climbing through a tunnel on the right side of the falls.
The trail will also take you past some smaller waterfalls.
Upper falls is further down the trail, but well worth the extra bit of walk.
Lake Louise
After the hike, it was starting to get dark. We headed to Lake Louise to find our accommodations for the night – the Hostel International. The rooms themselves were tiny – hardly room for a bed. However, the rest of the hostel was very charming and had the feel of a rustic mountain chalet.
The next morning, we saw Lake Louise, which was buried in snow, before continuing on our journey.
Click here to read Yukon Road Trip Part One!
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