Banff National Park - Part II

Our first three days exploring Banff National Park have been incredible! With that said, my knee was still giving me trouble, so we took Wednesday off as a complete “rest day”. It ended up working out perfectly as we had plans to check into another hotel that day and did not have any hikes planned. We were both really excited about this second hotel as the property sits on the shore of Lake Louise and we couldn’t wait to wake up to that view each morning!

One fun activity the hotel offers is a traditional afternoon tea complete with tea sandwiches, pastries and little desserts. We each picked our choice of tea and had no problem digging into all the delicious offerings!

Our last big hike took place on Thursday and after a couple days of taking it easy, I was eager, a little nervous about my knee, but ready for the day! A big benefit of staying in Lake Louise was the trailhead for our hike, Plain of the Six Glaciers Trail & Beehive, started right from the hotel. We ended up being the first and only people on the trailhead for a good hour! The last part of the hike passes through the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse where you can stop and get a warm cup of tea and food. This hike was great and we had some amazing views of Lake Louise, Lake Agnes, and the Canadian Rockies.

Unfortunately, by the time we made it to the teahouse, my knee was acting up and I decided to rest and opt out of the last mile+ to the end which was mostly uphill. I sat on a bench overlooking the glaciers drinking tea as Alex trekked to the last lookout point. When he returned, we both enjoyed some warm bites from the teahouse – Alex had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I had some vegetable soup! Comfort food at its finest! It was a beautiful day and the pictures just do not do justice!

Bears are present in all national parks in this part of Canada, and it is advised to carry bear spray and to hike in pairs or more. We were able to rent bear spray in downtown Banff at Snowtips-Bactrax. It worked out perfectly to rent as I have very little need for bear spray in New York and it can be rented out to someone else if unused – which is a win for the environment! As a few of our hikes took up most of the day, it does get tiring trying to find conversation topics (especially since we’ve pretty much spent the last year and half together!), but you do want to make noise on the trail to deter any bears or other wildlife. After seeing a couple of other hikers listening to podcasts or music, we ended up playing Spotify’s 90’s Acoustic playlist to have some background noise. I played it somewhat quietly to not bother anyone on the trail we pass, but loud enough that Alex and I could both hear. Not sure if there weren’t bears nearby or they had no interest in Alanis Morissette, but it worked out perfectly and was quite nice hiking to music. I will definitely continue this moving forward, bears or no bears!

For our final full day in Banff National Park, we woke early to see the sunrise at Moraine Lake. This is an incredibly popular location and apparently if you do not arrive by 4:30 in the morning, you will not get a parking spot. Luckily, our hotel offered round-trip shuttle service and we were picked up at 6:15am and dropped off right at the lake. There is a short trail leading up to the top of a rockpile where you can view the sunrise slowly come up. The place was PACKED and we staked out our spot and could not believe the views. There is a reason this place is a magnet for tourists and photographers! The water doesn’t even look real! After watching the sunrise, we spent a little time walking around the base of the lake.

Once the shuttle dropped us off back at the hotel, we drove to Yoho National Park. Established in 1885 as Canada’s second protected area, the park is located on the western side of the Continental Divide and borders Banff National Park. The name Yoho, a Cree expression, means awe and wonder. Yoho really is a perfect name as the landscape is just so beautiful.

We drove to Emerald Lake which took about 40-minutes. Again, once you leave the Lake Louise area, both the traffic and crowds lessen. Emerald Lake is the largest lake in Yoho National Park and is a beautiful turquoise green color. There is a 3.3-mile lake loop trail we walked and couldn’t get over the amazing views and perfect sunny weather.

We also made a stop at the Natural Bridge, a rock formation along the Kicking Horse River. This formation was created when softer stone at the bottom of the waterfall was eventually carved away by the rushing water, causing it to eventually flow through the bottom instead of the top.

The day before we flew home to New York, we drove back to Calgary and spent a few hours around the city exploring the neighborhood of Inglewood and the downtown area. We ended with lunch and beers at Citizen Brewing Company. As our flight left very early the next day, we ended up staying at an airport hotel which made getting to our gate a breeze!

View of downtown Calgary from our airport hotel room

We had been looking forward to this vacation for over two years and it exceeded my every expectation. I know I keep repeating myself, but this part of Canada is stunning and I’m so grateful we had the opportunity to travel internationally again. I’m not sure what our next trip will be, but we are holding out hope we can travel again soon!

Accommodations: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise & Calgary Airport Marriott In-Terminal Hotel

Restaurants: Afternoon Tea at the Fairview Bar & Restaurant, Truffle Pigs (Field), & Citizen Brewing Company (Calgary)

Bear Spray Rental (a must when hiking): Snowtips-Bactrax

Shops in Calgary: The Livery Shop, Plant Shop, The Apothecary in Inglewood, & Recess Shop