Days 59 and 60 - Banff NP

Day 59
Thursday, August 17, 2017
Banff NP
Since we had a long drive yesterday, we decided to focus today on hikes that were fairly close to our campsite.

We started the day with an easy one mile hike around Johnson Lake. Unlike many of the lakes in the park that are a beautiful turquoise, Johnson Lake has more of a greenish hue. There were two loons swimming near the center of lake. Every once in a while you could

hear their calls echoing across the lake. When we had started the hike the parking lot was nearly empty. By the time we ended the hike, it was full.

On the drive back to our campsite for lunch, we saw four bighorn sheep, including an adorable lamb.

After lunch, we drove to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. We had no idea what we would find, but it was close by, so we decided to check it out. The cave and basin is at the site of natural thermal mineral springs. The underground cave itself is very small, but it is significant because the cave and surrounding basin was the first reserve set aside by the Canadian government. This was the beginning of Canada’s national parks system.

We waited until 7 pm to go to Johnston Canyon, one of the most popular day hikes at Banff, in order to avoid the “hordes” of people. We were glad we waited until later as there were few other people at the Canyon. It was easy to see why the canyon is so popular. The hike was amazing. Sturdy catwalks are attached to the limestone cliffs. We followed the catwalks as they went deep into the canyon by the rushing water of the Johnston Creek. Then we stopped on the bridge that crosses the creek to get an up close view of the falls. We ducked through a small tunnel in the canyon bedrock to get an even closer view. Jay and I agreed that this was one of our favorite hikes.

Day 60
Friday, August 18, 2017
Banff NP
We went downtown in the morning so that Jay could look for a Banff tee shirt. We were lucky to find a parking spot. After much searching we found a tee shirt that Jay liked and then decided to stay in town for lunch. We selected one of the many restaurants that squeeze outdoor seating along the sidewalk. Like everything else in Banff (except tee shirts) lunch was expensive.

About mid-afternoon, we started the one hour drive to Lake Louise. It was the clearest day we’d had since arriving in the Canadian Rockies, so we stopped at the overlooks to take pictures along the way. We took four lane divided highway #1, which has speed limits up to 55 MPH. There is an 8 foot fence on both sides of the highway in order to prevent animals from running onto the highway. Special bridges and underpasses were built so that animals could cross from one side of the highway to the other.

Lake Louise is one of those “hot spots” where the park advises arriving before 9 am or after 7 pm to avoid the crowds. So, we decided to go to Moraine Lake first and visit Lake Louise later in the afternoon. Even though it is HUGE, the parking lot for Moraine Lake was jammed and cars were parked along the side of the road

forever. We were VERY lucky to find a spot close to the lake.

Morraine Lake is surrounded by the Valley of the Ten Peaks, so the setting is beautiful. But what struck us both when we first saw the lake was the color of the water. By now we had seen many lovely lakes in the Rockies, but Moraine Lake was exceptional. The water just sparkled in the sunlight. The brochure describes the color of the lake as a “glowing blue-green”. Jay, Sandy, and I walked the two mile out and back lakeshore trail, stopping often to take photos and to sit on a bench or log just to take it all in.

Next we drove to Lake Louise. The parking lot for the lake has spots for 200 cars. It is so popular that there is a free shuttle to the Lake from the overflow parking lot. Since it was after 5pm we were able to get a spot in the main parking lot. Even so, the lake area itself was still crowded.