Banff National Park, Alberta

Pictured above: Lake Louise, Banff National Park. More on that below.

Getting There.

I flew to Calgary, Alberta from Vancouver, rented a car, and drove about 1 hour 40 minutes west, to the idyllic little town of Banff, just east of the renowned national park. Let me tell you, this town is super cute. But for some reason, I can't find any pictures. Perhaps I was too preoccupied to take any. I was there in the summer, which was very cute, but I bet that this place has the coziest, most romantic atmosphere in the snow capped winter.

Lodging.

While I was in Banff, I stayed at Banff International Hostel in an all female room. I met a very cool girl from Russia who lived in Toronto, and who was traveling in Banff at the time, and we went out for a meal the first night of my arrival. She left the next day, but I visited her briefly a few months later, when I laid over in Toronto, before my trip to Ukraine, and I got to also see Niagara Falls. More on that trip in a later post.

Johnston Canyon

Banff is gorgeous. On my first full day there, I did a hike at the popular Johnston Canyon, an easy hike that is 1.6 miles (2.5km) one way to the upper falls.

This sign post shows you that there's not much work for you to do to get the visual payoff.

Pictured above, taken on a bridge across the lower falls. Seriously, this is a beautiful hike and the turquoise waters are gorgeous. While you're here, and if it's open, make sure you find the secret cave at Johnston Canyon. It is before you get to the Upper Falls, about 20 meters before the green railing, and you will go down the right hand side. It is not that easy to find. It is downward sloping, but isn't extremely steep either. It also only takes about 5-10 minutes before you see the cave on your left side. If you look it up on Instagram, you will see how beautiful the place is. Last I heard, the park has now closed access to this area in order to protect unique birds, so you will want to confirm when you go.

Pictured above, the upper falls at Johnston Canyon.

Lake Morraine.

Obviously, if you're in Banff then you probably know that the most famous sights here are Lake Morraine and Lake Louise. When I went, which was in July, it was I suppose high season. This meant that there were certain hours in which the entire road in to see Lake Morraine and Louise were closed due to congestion. Even if you park in the off-site parking lots, you would have to then get in a queue to take a bus to shuttle you back and forth to the lake, and the line for the bus took somewhere between 1-2 hours of wait time, each way, and in between each of the lakes, so that's a LOT of waiting. No way I was going to do this.

Later that evening, I spoke to the girls in my hostel room, and learned that they had gotten up in the wee hours of the night to make their way out from Banff town to the Morraine Lake, just to secure a parking spot. Further, the earlier the better, since then you would want to be able to drive over and secure parking at Lake Louise. So, armed with this information, I resolved on my course of action. I set my alarm for 4 a.m., left around 4:15 a.m. the next morning, and drove 1 hour from Banff town to Morraine Lake in the wee hours of the night by myself. When I arrived at the parking lot at Morraine Lake, it was still pitch dark but thankfully, I was able to secure a parking spot. From then on, I still had another hour before dawn, so I stayed in the car to attempt to sleep, but it was so cold that I found myself starting the car every 10 minutes to turn on the heat. The things we do, but the journey is part of the experience!

Finally, at dawn, I zipped myself up and got out of the car. It was chilly despite being the end of July, but I ascribe that to my southern California blood, which is not made to endure any northern climate.

Pictured above, the view of Morraine Lake, nearly all to myself (except for 2 others), at dawn. More please.

I took a serene stroll around Morraine lake for about an hour before I turned back so I could make my way to the most famous sight, Lake Louise.

But before I go, a video of Lake Morraine, because videos are always better at capturing the feeling of a place.

Lake Louise.

Thankfully, my early bird gets the worm induced anxiety allowed me to make it to Lake Louise in time to find parking there, so I could avoid the dreaded shuttle bus. I parked in a lot somewhere uphill from Lake Louise, not too far away but not that close, but this was still considered a victory. I inwardly pump my fists at this mini-triumph. Anyway, as you make your way there, you will see this grand hotel, pictured below, situated right by the lake.

If you have the cash, I'd suggest you stay at this hotel, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, where you can look down upon this majestic scene (and the peons) from your balcony window. When I was there (summer 2019), the rates were about $700 USD/night. However, at the time of this writing, which is 2 years later thanks to my procrastination, the rates are much lower, at around $310 USD/night before tax due to the impact of Covid-19. So that means now is the time to take advantage of the reduced prices, esp. with the borders newly reopened between Canada and the U.S.!

So, you tell me, is this view worth it? That's a rhetorical question. It is undoubtedly worth it. Lake Louise rewards its visitors with sweeping views of the Canadian rockies, the powdered glaciers, and the famous turquoise waters nestled in between. I spent quite a while here, esp. since the effort of getting here was not negligible and I wanted to make the most of it. I did end up walking across the entire length of it, from where I am in that photo above, all the way to the direct opposite side. It is a beautiful walk, and that was a beautiful day.

If I had access to such a place (if we all did, in fact), I think it would do wonders to our physical and mental health. This is especially the case for those like myself, who reside in major cities, surrounded by highways and freeways, away from the fresh scent of morning on surrounding trees and the quiet enjoyment of nature.

On my way back from doing a lap around the lake, I was rewarded with the opposing view of the chateau facing the water. What a sight!