We left Calgary early in the morning and stocked up on groceries and gas before we headed for the Trans Canada Highway 1.
This “provincial highway system […] travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast.” (Wikipedia)
The next few days we would explore the famous Icefields Parkway and its surrounding national parks. Entry point to the Canadian Rocky Mountains from Calgary is the town of Banff about 120 kilometers to the West.
Even though Banff is a scenic town the hoards of tourists made us want to leave immediately. So after finally buying our can of bear spray we took off to the two of the sites we had researched prior to getting there. First one being „Surprise Corner Viewpoint“. Sporting the mystery name is a lookout over the famous 1888 Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Sulphur Mountain. This luxury resort is styled after a Scottish Baronial castle and is a National Historic Site.
Second stop was the Bow Falls above Banff where we enjoyed a lunch snack overlooking the waterfall and gorgeous mountain views.
Back on Highway 1 we passed Lake Louise and Morraine Lake which we left to the crowds. You have to either pre- book a parking spot and shuttle long before you want to go or you join a tour. Even though we would have been lucky enough to get a shuttle through the last minute booking that they open up two days before arrival we did not want to shuffle around the lake with thousands of tourists just to get the perfect Insta shot.
Instead we decided to keep going to Yoho National Park to see the Natural Bridge.
Driving up the mountain a bit further we reached Emerald Lake. It is less crowded and absolutely gorgeous. We parked along the access road and walked up to the lake entrance. But instead of joining people there we took the Emerald Lake loop trail that starts right before the canoe rental. This trail took us through the woods and along the Peaceful Pond until we got right to the lake‘s edge. Just a few hikers crossed our path and you have fantastic views of the lake. We did not have enough time to complete the two hour loop but doubled back after about a kilometer and after a quick photo stop at the lodge went back to our car.
Initially we had wanted to stay in Banff as a base for our adventures but in hindsight we are happy that we could not find any reasonsably priced hotels. So we ended up booking the “Johnston Canyon Lodge & Bungalows” instead. We had not even realized that they were located right next to the trail head to one of the most beautiful canyons in the area featuring several waterfalls.
On our way to the lodge it already started to rain and the downpour got even worse once we were settled in. So we decided to have dinner at the lodge’s bistro and call it an early night, Just as we walked down for dinner the sun came out again and the sky had cleared. On a whim we decided to tackle the hike in the evening. A good decision! We did not have enough time to do the full 5 hour trail up to the Ink Pots but made it to the Upper Falls and down in just two hours.
The whole trail was fairly empty and despite a bit of rain that started again on our way down we really enjoyed the marvelous views of the many waterfalls. And once we had almost reached the lodge again we saw this beautiful young moose come out of the woods.
