The Canadian Rockies are one of the most beautiful places I have ever been so far! There may be places that will top them someday, but I think they will always be a memorable location. If you ever want to experience a truly spectacular mountain area, I can not recommend it highly enough. The jagged snow-capped peaks, and turquoise hue of the glacial waters are truly stunning, rain or shine.
Located approximately 5-6 hours north of the Idaho Panhandle, it requires a bit more than a weekend trip.
This was my third trip to Canada to explore this area and it gave me the chance to explore some of the less traveled hikes and attractions since I had already visited many of the major attractions on previous trips.
Day 1: Banff National Park: (Almost) Pika Peak
After waking up in our tiny, I mean, cozy, two-person tent, Wade and I got up and headed for breakfast before a big day of hiking. We started the morning with a vegan energy bar from Laggan's Mountain Bakery. Now, some have suggested that vegan energy bars may not contain energy to do much of anything, but these bars were incredible and packed with hemp seeds, sesame seeds, chia seeds, oats, and rice, and drizzled with chocolate, because, YES.
In doing research for this trip, most online information indicates that this hike to Pika Peak can be done in one day. Unless you are extremely athletic, this is NOT the case. The trailhead is located near Lake Louise in Banff National Park and approximately 4.5 km up a dirt road from the parking lot. That's right, it's almost a 3 mile walk from the car just to get to the trailhead. The only way to park at the actual trailhead is if you have secured reservations at the Skoki Lodge, located within the same trail system as Pika Peak, otherwise you're stuck walking the 3 miles to the trailhead like the rest of us mere peons.
It's okay though, because on the way up the road to the trailhead, you pass by a corral of horses, tons of beautiful wildflowers, and other kind Canadian hikers. From the trailhead, it's approximately 4.5 miles to the Halfway Hut, a small lodge used by Canadian skiers in the early 1900s to stay in on the icy winter nights and play poker. From there, hikers can either head right at the fork for Skoki Lodge, or left towards Hidden Lake and on to Pika Peak. We chose to go to Hidden Lake, pictured below. There are also several backcountry campsites located near Hidden Lake.
After reaching Hidden Lake, we decided to keep heading towards Pika Peak, only armed with a couple of screenshots of written descriptions of what Pika Peak looked like. Looking around us, and after several more hours of hiking the steep, jagged terrain of the Rockies, we stopped for lunch on the ridge overlooking Hidden Lake and the surrounding peaks.
We believe that the peak behind me in the photo below is Pika Peak. Note: objects in picture are FARTHER than they appear.
We turned around at the ridge and began the trek back to the car as the afternoon was rapidly progressing at a directly proportional rate to muscle soreness. We both agreed that we bit off more than we could chew at the end of this hike and were thankful we hadn't continued on to summit Pika Peak. We estimated that the hike was 15-16 miles round-trip.
We were camping at Two Jack Main Campground, located near Two Jack Lake. (Note: If camping in this area, Two Jack Main campsites do NOT have showers; Two Jack Lakeside campground sites do have showers) Luckily for us, one of the park rangers recommended that we soak our sore muscles at the Banff Upper Hot Springs and follow it up with a shower there.
Dinner was popping an Aleve, after enjoying some Atlantic salmon and steak at the Banff restaurant called Saltlik. Despite being wine-lovers we could not be convinced to drink anything but water after that hike!
Day 2: Banff National Park: Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka & the Icefield Parkway
Climbing out of the tent on day 2 of 'fat camp', as we jokingly referred to this trip, was most definitely NOT funny. We both decided another big hike was out of the question and decided to see some of the sights in the area requiring a bit less athletic ability on our parts. Two Jack Lake was totally socked in by rain clouds and fog during our last trip and we were unable to see the lake much at all, so we were happy to be able to view it during this trip.
During the couple of times we drove the Two Jack Lake Loop encompassing the campgrounds, Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake, we saw a herd of big horn sheep and elk. They seemed pretty used to getting their pictures taken and weren't too bothered by prolonged staring from visitors.
Lake Minnewanka was, in my eyes, the most intense shade of blue compared to the other glacial lakes in Banff. It is a large lake, and believe it or not, historical photos of the area depicted early residents ice skating on the frozen surface during winter months!
Lake Minnewanka offers boat cruises and tours of the lake, however, we drove onward, determined to head for the Icefield Parkway.
Because much of Banff National Park is undeveloped (thank goodness), there is oftentimes, only one route to a certain location. Many of the lakes and sites on the Icefield Parkway, a highway through a section of Banff National Park, are only accessible via this highway. After making a wrong turn and missing the exit for the (poorly labeled) Icefield Parkway, we were sent an hour out of our way before we could turn around at the next exit due to road construction. Once back on track, our first stop on the Icefield Parkway was Bow Lake and Num-Ti-Jah Lodge.
The Num-Ti-Jah Lodge (don't ask me how to pronounce it) is one of my favorite spots on the Icefield Parkway because it has a rich history and tends to be one of the less frequented lodges. The first time that Wade and I visited the lodge we were two of less than ten people on site. The lodge functions as a bed and breakfast and offers mouth-watering menu options including braised elk short-ribs, venison tenderloin medallions, and skillet-baked cookie a la mode. If you're not drooling yet, there's no hope for you.
Next stop on the Icefield Parkway is Peyto Lake, just a short hike up a paved trail to a viewpoint.
Unfortunately, our drive up the Icefield Parkway came to a halt due to an accident blocking both lanes of the highway. We puttered around in the cold glacial lakes, soaking our sore feet, before turning around to head back to the campground.
Day 3: Lake Louise & Lake Moraine
Because of our previous visits to these lakes, we knew just how busy these spots can be. To prepare, we woke up at the crack of dawn, tore down the campsite, packed up and headed the 40 minutes from Banff to Lake Louise. We were rewarded with a good parking spot (this site gets so many visitors they have an overflow parking lot and free shuttle to/from the lake located several miles from the site) and early morning light.
This lake offers canoeing in the summer months and ice skating in the winter months. There is also a gentle path around the right side of the lake to the opposite end from the Fairmont Chateau located on site.
Wade and I were still feeling depleted after our big days of hiking and so we treated ourselves to brunch at the Chateau. I filled up on English Breakfast tea sweetened with honey in addition to several helpings of bacon and breakfast potatoes and we both waddled out of there prepared to hit Lake Moraine before our departure from Banff National Park.
Yes, Lake Moraine really is this blue. Even when you are standing in front of these lakes in real life, they don't look real. Nature truly is amazing.
We were bummed to be leaving Banff but looking forward to exploring Waterton Lakes National Park. On the way to Waterton, we stopped in Canmore, which is now added to my bucket list of places I would like to spend more time in. This mountain town had an awesome vibe, some health food stores, juice bars, and tons of active community members out running, hiking, and biking. Canmore, we will be back for you!
For those planning a future trip to the Canadian Rockies, here are some of my tips, notes, and recommendations to you:
1. People in Canada drive fast. REALLY FAST. Typically 30-40 km/hr over the speed limit.
2. People in Canada are some of the friendliest people you will meet. We often had Canadians strike up conversations with us while out and "aboot".
3. If visiting Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, visit these locations first thing in the morning as they get busy right away and stay busy all day long.
4. Camping is much cheaper, and more fun than staying in hotels! We booked ours through Parks Canada. Two Jack Campgrounds and Lake Louise were our favorite campgrounds. Tunnel Mountain campground has poor privacy and is not as scenic.
5. Double check to see if your campground has showers if this is important to you ;)
6. Don't try to pick too many places to see on your trip. Pick a small area and spend most of your time there. You could spend weeks in Banff National Park and still not have enough time to adventure through the entirety of the park.
7. Pack a LARGE memory card for your camera- I took over 1000 photos on this trip! What you're seeing in this post are the true highlights for me.
Most of all, I hope this post inspires you to get outside, and to remember that your 9-5 daily grind is not all that there is in this world. The fresh mountain air and the soul-stimulation stemming from exploration and adventure is what is good for your soul and gets your blood pumping, in all manners of the term.
August 2017