Day 28 - Bow River and Falls

Today we opted for a gentle walk in the outskirts of Banff. This took us down the Bow River which runs through the town, and past numerous riverside properties which we enviously eyed up.

The river continued on to Bow Falls and to a pub where we went to get a drink and enjoy the surroundings.

After this we returned to Banff for our final evening. We visited a gallery for a local nature photographer and ended up buying a great photo of a bear cub. To end the evening, we revisited our favourite restaurant to get something to eat.

Unfortunately had to cut the day short here as we needed to return early to get some more laundry done!

Day 27 - Johnson Canyon Trail

What would likely be our last hike of the holiday, we chose to go back to Johnston Canyon which was the first hike of our last holiday!

We set off up the canyon path with led up alongside Johnston Creek. The path was made up of walkways which ran alongside the walls of the canyon and led us up past a few waterfalls and through the forest. It was a busy trail, and apparently is the most popular in Canada, but thankfully once we reach the top the crowds began to thin.

We continued on from the top of the canyon up another trail towards a place called the 'Inkpots' which are a six pools of water which are fed from underground springs and have a particularly vivid blue colour to them. These are set in a wide meadow area surrounded by mountains; a view which made the climb worth it!

We had our lunch at the Inkpots and then set off back down the trail. Once we'd finished, we returned to Banff to have a quick walk around and then on to get our tea.

Day 26 - Day Off

Feeling a little burnt out, and with some more rain forecast we decided to stay put for the day. Our room had its own fireplace, so later in the day we ended up ordering a takeaway and sitting in front of the fire!

Day 25 - Sunshine Meadows

On the rainiest day of our holiday so far, we drove a short while to the ironically named Sunshine Village - a ski resort just west of Banff.   From here, we could get yet another gondola to Sunshine Meadows - a large alpine meadow that straddles the border between Alberta and British Columbia.

After departing the chair lift that took us to the top, we were exposed to the cutting wind blowing across the meadow. The sky was cloudy at first, though there were occasions when the sun broke through the clouds and cast down sunbeams.

We walked a short while down the mountain to the start of the hike and were given a great view across the lakes that are scattered throughout the valley. We set off on one of the circular hikes and it wasn't long before the rain started to come down. Thankfully we'd dressed for the occasion, so apart from upping our pace we weren't too affected.

Once we completed the hike, we returned to the base of the mountain. Since it was still early, we decided to once again try our luck wildlife spotting on the Bow Valley Parkway. No luck today unfortunately!

We returned to our hotel just in time, as this is when the weather really took a turn for the worse. We retreated inside and watched the weather worsen from our room!

Day 24 - Sulphur Mountain

Today we decided to pay another visit to Sulphur Mountain, one of the many mountains that tower over the town of Banff.

We caught the bus into town, and then another to the gondola station (there wasn't a chance we'd be hiking up!). After a short wait, we ascended to the peak of the mountain and got out to enjoy to views. The peak of the mountain has an elevated wooden walkway which leads up to an old weather station.

We were lucky with the weather. Apart from a few clouds we had good visibility of the surrounding mountain ranges and across the Bow Valley. It was a bit chilly though, so after taking in the views for a while, we decided to set off back down.

It seems everyone else there had the same idea as us though - the queue for the gondola down warned we'd be waiting about an hour! It was about at this point that a herd of Bighorn Sheep showed up and started eating underneath the elevated walkway.

We descended the mountain and returned to Banff where we decided to have an early tea, another quick walk around town, and then returned to the hotel.

Day 23 - Banff

We set off from Lake Louise towards the town of Banff. This is probably the most popular town in the Canadian Rockies. It is a small and very picturesque place which sits in the middle of Bow Valley, with the Bow River running through it.

To get there, we again took the Bow Valley Parkway, and again hoped to spot some wildlife. This time we were lucky enough to spot a Black Bear crossing the road, but unfortunately it seems he had places to be as we weren't able to spot him after he'd disappeared back into the trees!

After a brief detour to view the nearby Vermillion Lakes, we arrived in a rainy Banff and at our next hotel, the Hidden Ridge Resort. This is atop a mountain on the outskirts of Banff called Tunnel Mountain. We were far too early to check-in, so we caught a bus back down to Banff to have a look around town and do some souvenir shopping.

To end the day, we had a meal at one of our favourite restaurants in town, and then returned to the hotel.

Day 22 - Plain of Six Glaciers Trail

For our last full day at Lake Louise, we returned to the lake to do another of the hikes that started there; this would lead us to the 'Plain of the Six Glaciers'.

We started up along the lake side, on the same path we'd come down on the day before. The weather was much clearer than yesterday, so we were grateful to be back in the same area in better conditions.

Eventually the path diverged up along the valley and towards the large glacier that sits at the rear of Lake Louise. The path then led up towards another teahouse which sits alone in the valley.

We were able to sit down and get something to eat from here, before we continued on to the main viewpoint for the valley. Here we could see the many different glaciers which spilled into the valley and were the main water source for the lake. There were several occasions where we could hear the ice cracking which sent a thunderous rumble through the valley.

We returned to the tea house and got ourselves a drink for the hike back. We overheard someone say there was a Grizzly sighted just down the path from us, so we hurried off to see if we could spot it. Unfortunately, we'd missed it, but our hurry did at least get us down the trail much quicker!

With our hurried descent, we had some more time to spare than we thought. We decided to take a drive down the Bow Valley Parkway, a long side road which is known for being a good area to spot wildlife. We drove up and down the whole highway, and although we weren't lucky enough to spot a bear, we did spot another group of what looked like young male Elk grazing in the roadside meadows.

Day 21 - Lake Louise, Lake Agnes and Big Behave Trail

From yesterday the weather had improved insofar that the rain had stopped, but unfortunately it was still overcast and looked like it might start again any moment.

Nevertheless, we ventured out to repeat another of our favourite walks from our last visit. A 10 mile round walk from Lake Louise, to a neighbouring lake, and high above the Bow Valley which ran down the length of Banff National Park.

The hike began at Lake Louise, a large lake that is a big tourist hotspot. After battling our way through the crowds at the lakeside, we started our way to the first milestone of the journey - a small lake called Mirror Lake which sits at the foot of a mountain called the Beehive (also known as the 'Big Beehive' as there is a smaller mountain nearby with the same resemblance called the 'Little Beehive').

This would be the high point of the hike, but first  we had to continue on to nearby Lake Agnes which sits above Mirror Lake. Here is a teahouse which sits isolated at the lakeside, and is another very popular tourist hotspot. We didn't stay for long, and continued along the much quieter path around Lake Agnes and then headed straight up a very steep and somewhat precarious trail up the Big Beehive.

The effort was worth it, and from the top we had a great view of the Bow Valley and of Lake Louise from above. A view even the cloudy weather couldn't spoil.

After stopping for something to eat, we continue the path down towards the back of Lake Louise. This gave us a good view of the mountains and glaciers at the end of the lake which seemed to have some relatively fresh snow around their cloud-shrouded peaks. We had actually noticed some avalanche warning signs at the start of the walk, and the mountainside certainly did look very heavy!

Once we reached the bottom of the Beehive, the path joined with the stream that fed Lake Louise. This was a milky white colour due to all of the glacial silt that it carried with it.

The hike ended where it began at the foot of the lake, and from here we headed back into town.

Day 20 - Rainy Day!!

Our luck with the weather had finally run out it seems! The night before we went to bed listening to a thunderstorm rolling in, and come the next morning it'd brought the rain with it.

We decided we were due a lazy day, and since we had a comfortable apartment to laze in, decided to stay there for the day!

Day 19 - Valley of the Ten Peaks Trail

For our last hike at Moraine Lake, we had planned to go to the promisingly-named 'Paradise Valley', however after speaking with the naturalist we met yesterday, we were recommended another hike to Eiffel Lake which would take us along the Valley of the Ten Pikes in which Moraine Lake sat.

The hike began with a steep zigzagged path up one side of the valley. This was an exhausting climb, but thankfully it was basically a flat walk thereafter. Once we reached the top, we were able to see Moraine Lake from above.

We continued up the valley through the forest and this eventually lead out onto the rocky mountainside and onto towards the lake. To our left, on the opposite side of the valley, were the ten mountains for which the valley was named.

We continued to a high cliff overlooking Eiffel Lake, and much of the rest of the valley, where we stopped for lunch. This was a popular area to stop, and as with yesterday we found the local Chipmunks had learned this and stalked us while we ate.

Once we'd finished, we headed back the way we came and headed back to Moraine Lake. The route down being much easier than the route up!

Next we had to travel to our next destination - Lake Louise, where we'd be spending the next few days. Thankfully, unlike our last few big journeys, this was a mere 30 minutes away. We had a small apartment for the next few days, so we stopped off at a store to stock up on supplies and then settled into our new base.

Day 18 - Moraine Lake & Consolation Lake Trail

This morning we awoke to a glorious view of Lake Moraine, a relatively small but beautifully presented glacial lake nestled in the 'Valley of the Ten Peaks'.

We had our breakfast, and then set off out to our first activity of the day - canoeing on the lake! We set off in a two person canoe and did a slow lap of the lake, taking in the scenery.

Next, we headed out for a short hike to nearby Consolation Lake. This was a gentle climb through a forest path, which led out into a small valley meadow that the lake sat within. From here, we made our way across a rock slide of large boulders and found somewhere to sit and eat our lunch.

As expected, this attracted the attention of the local Chipmunks who took a great deal of interest in our food. A few were brave enough to try and nibble on some of our still wrapped food, but eventually an apple was (accidentally) dropped and they made themselves busy eating that.

We set off down the trail and spent the rest of the afternoon reading. Later that evening, we also attended a talk with a local naturalist who'd come to the lodge to talk about the park's work to preserve the Grizzly Bear population in the area, as well as talk about other conservation efforts. After this, we called it a day.

Day 17 - Jasper to Moraine Lake

Our final morning in Jasper began with breakfast in the town before we got back onto the Icefield Parkway and headed south. This lead us back past the Athabasca Glacier and shortly after out of Jasper National Park.

During the drive we were lucky enough to spot some more wildlife. First of all, we saw a large Black Bear eating berries at the roadside as we drove by and ended up doing a U-turn to get a better luck.

Next, as we made our way through the more mountainous path of the journey where we spotted three Bighorn Sheep calmly meandering down the middle of the highway, holding up the traffic. They were clearly perturbed by a roadside crash barrier, but eventually they managed to jump over and continue on there way, allowing us to do the same.

We stopped off at Saskatchewan Crossing, a major junction in the area where the highway goes North to Jasper, South to Lake Louise, and East to Red Deer and Edmonton. Beyond this, there are no other roads for hundreds of miles. This was about to become relevant!

As we continued South, we were met with a long line of vehicles. After some time, it became clear there had been an accident further ahead. People began to leave their vehicles, and other began to turn around and head back the way they came. One person said they heard it'd likely be a 5 hour delay!

Our options now was to either wait it out, or find an alternative route. However the only options we had was to go through Red Deer, Calgary, Banff (a 7 hour drive!) or back to Jasper, Clearwater, and Kamloops (an 11 hour drive!). Feeling we didn't have an option, we chose to sit tight. We whiled away the time reading and occasionally getting out to talk to the hundreds of others who'd left their vehicles and were wandering the highway. Eventually, after two and a half hours, we got moving again. It was a collision between a car and a motorcycle.

The evening was drawing in now, but after another hour or so, we entered Banff National Park, and arrived at Lake Louise - a town confusingly named the same as its nearby lake. We stopped off here to get ourselves some more supplies, and then continued up the winding mountain road to Lake Moraine, high in the mountains, where we'd be spending the next two nights.

Day 16 - Athabasca Glacier Walk & Jasper Heritage Rodeo

Another early start today as we had a long journey south to do an ice walking hike up the Athabasca Glacier. We had done this on our last visit to Canada and it was something we were keen to do again.

We set off from the lodge and hadn't even left the grounds before we spotted our first wildlife of the day. Another elk, this time a bull, grazing at the road side. As we joined the road south - the Icefield Parkway - we also saw a coyote walking along the side of the road, giving us an over-the-shoulder glance as we drove by!

A little over an hour later we arrived at the Columbia Icefield Centre and quickly bought ourselves some food for our hike. We then drove a little further to the foot of the glacier itself to meet up with the guides who'd be taking us up.

After wrapping up warm and getting the equipment we needed, our group set off up the glacier.

We took a different route to last time, and made slow but steady progress up the ice towards the 'tongue' of the glacier that spilled over the top of the valley.

Along the way there were a few occasions where you could hear the ice falling from the Mount Andromeda that run alongside on side of the valley. This sounded like a very close crack of thunder which resonated throughout the valley.

After a couple of hours or so, we found our way to the tongue of the glacier and it was here that we stopped for lunch, sat on the ice. The weather, which was cloudy, also began to change for the better so before we set off back down we were glad to be able to de-layer a little!

The glacier is covered in channels of melt water that over time had cut its way through the ice and flowed down the surface and eventually delving into deep wells under the glacier. These are called Moulin or Glacial Mills. Our guide let us view down these, which he did by carving out a food hole with his icepick, holding onto our hand and letting us lean over the edge. On our last visit we were told that were anyone to fall into these, there would be no hope of rescue as you'd quickly be dragged under the glacial ice.

Finally we arrived back at the foot of the glacier and after a quick drink and a snack, set off back north to Jasper.

A couple of days before during our visit to the town of Jasper, we'd been told about a rodeo that happened to be running during our stay, and since we had enough time to spare we hurried back to give this a go. We reached the place just in time.

The rodeo itself consisted of bareback bronc riding, roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, and finally bull riding. It was an experience! A little rough in places, but we figured that was part and parcel of something like this.

The rodeo ended mid evening, giving us a chance to relax for our last evening in Jasper before continuing our journey south tomorrow.