Banff, Our Canadian Road Trip
Canada has some great scenery and Banff is one of the greats. I had been looking at photos of snow capped mountains and emerald blue lakes for some time and I couldn’t believe that I was finally able to see it all in person. Jami and I began our short trip over a long weekend with a night in Calgary. We picked up our rental after landing at the airport and headed straight for our Airbnb for an early morning the next day driving into Banff. Side note, sometimes its best not to go for the car rental upgrade because they’ll give it to you anyway when they run out of the car type that you reserved. That was unexpected but greatly appreciated. It was much nicer driving through Banff in a crossover with satellite radio!
After an early wake up with a free breakfast included with our Airbnb we were off to Banff and our first stop, Johnston Canyon! Once inside of Banff National Park we were surrounded by the snow capped mountains I had always seen in photos. But now they were right outside the car window! We made our way through the picturesque landscape to the parking lot of the Johnston Canyon Trailhead where we began our leisurely hike. It was one of the easier and more accessible (with some paved walk ways) but still beautiful. We strolled along blue creeks making stops along the way to take in the waterfall views. Jami also loved feeding the little chipmunks that approached her! It was the perfect way to start our Banff road trip weekend.
Next we were off to Downtown Banff to check in to our hotel. But on our way out of Johnston Canyon we saw our first mountain goat! It was on the side of the road! We were wondering why everyone had pulled over. Glad we did it too. It was the start of our wildlife weekend tour!
Just before entering Downtown Banff we decided that we should enjoy the scenery of Vermillion Lakes right at the entrance of the town. It was better than the photos. Easily accessible by car and so calm and peaceful. It was there where we saw more wildlife. A coyote and some gopher!
Once we were checked in to our hotel it was time to go up the Banff Gondola. The views at the top were some of the best of our trip! There were plenty of trails to explore and so many mountain goats! There was even a family of three! After a few hours up there we decided to head back down and end our eventful first day in Banff.
Banff Day 2. This was the day we planned to hike Lake Louise up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse. This was a bit of a struggle. It started to rain and further up the hike it even snowed! We we’re questioning if we should continue but we decided to keep going and finish. Hikers on the way down were temping us with cake that we would be able to get at the tea house. Some advice though. Bring cash! Usually they’re able to take credit card at the tea house but that day it wasn’t an option and we were left watching others eat their purchased hot soup and cake while we snacked on the salami and cheese that we brought with us. Jami was not happy! Luckily the return trip was uplifting. We saw a porcupine along the way! Jami, the animal lover that she is, had a great time. She was able to play with so many chipmunks that ate crackers off of her lap! Once we were back in the warmth of the car we sang along to the Pop2K station on the satellite radio on our way to our next stop, Moraine Lake. It was still raining so our stay was short. We took some photos and it was off to Canmore, just outside of Banff, to check in to our next hotel for the night.
Banff Day 3. We’ve got sun! This was our last day in Banff. Our flight was later that afternoon. We made it an early morning and drive around Banff for a few more hours to see Johnson Lake, Two Jack Lake, and Lake Minnewanka. Our morning was full of great scenery and a family of mountain goats.
This weekend in Banff was packed with so much beauty and so much wildlife. I’m glad that we were able to see the lakes and the mountains that I had seen in photos first hand.
