Banff National Park
Today marks the 1 year anniversary of our arrival into Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. This destination has been on my bucket list for years after seeing a picture of the unbelievably clear and blue glacial lakes. I knew I had to come here and it just so happened we had a family wedding get planned here to force us to make that dream come true! Having traveled to the Swiss Alps, I wasn't so sure North America could ever give Europe a run for it's money but boy was I wrong. If you want to save some time and money head to our neighbor to the north for an adventure of a life time, eh!
We arrived in Canmore at our VRBO and of course, hit up the nearest brewery. Luckily for us that was just next door! We were greeted with pretty spectacular mountain views, good food and cold brews at the Grizzly Paw.
We took off for a quick hike nearby and had our first taste of what was in store for us on this trip. The color of the water here is hard to believe, but it is real, and spectacular! The trail led us to the Canmore Engine Bridge which is just a quick walk from town.
Up next on the agenda was a scheduled boat tour on Lake Minnewanka. This was the first time we officially crossed into the National Park area and within 10 minutes of being in the park we were greeted by a Grizzly Bear! If you know me, you know seeing wildlife is always my priority on a trip like this and I was on cloud 9. Little did we know we'd see a herd of elk in the parking lot of the boat tour. This was equally exciting but worth noting that tourists really need to keep their distance. I can't tell you how many times people got yelled at for walking up <5 away from these guys.
The peak of the trip for me was our next two stops- Lake Louise and Lake Moraine. Lake Louise is easy to drive to and there is plenty of parking nearby or at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. If you're looking for a hotel in this area, this place is hard to beat. This hotel is quite large with tons of dining, shopping, activities, and is a very popular wedding destination (if you can't tell why.) It sits right on the lake at the bottom of a mountain range and the water here is an almost opaque, light green/blue. It was pretty cloudy & rainy when we first arrived, but that didn't stop us from exploring.
We then hopped on over to Moraine Lake to take our hike to the top for the money shot! The Moraine Lake shoreline trail here is only about 1.6 mi out & back but it's mostly uphill. Expect this trail to be busy during peak seasons as this is what people come here for. When you get to the top the view is certainly worth hike. At the bottom of the trail there is also a beautiful lodge called Moraine Lake Lodge. This is right by the lake as well and offers kayak rentals, luxury dining and accommodations, and more. Moraine Lake is such a deep and bright blue that it's almost hard to describe.
Stay tuned for part 3- Banff continues....
Comments