Banff  was one of those places in the back of my mind for a long time.
The lure of those compelling old pictures — the Banff Springs Hotel set against the mountains, and Lake Louise, a surreal bright aqua pool surrounded by snow-capped peaks — finally became irresistible.

We arrived in Alberta, Canada in early September, 2001. Driving across the golden prairie from Calgary, westward, the Canadian Rockies shot up from the horizon. While in western Canada for nine days, the temperature would range from the high 20s to the low 80s. (A packing challenge!)

We first stayed in the township of Banff, within Banff National Park. It was a pristine place, perfect streets, shops, hotels, homes, in a valley with Cascade, Sulfur, Rundle and Tunnel Mountains, to name a few, forming a protective enclave around it. The first morning was a cold one, a new snow had fallen in the mountains, and the town had the feel of a ski resort.

Banff also has its own castle — the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel. There were some early rustic structures built next to the Canadian Pacific Railroad (the tracks run near a natural hot springs), before today's stone monument was begun in 1925. From the lush, elegant interior to the perfectly manicured grounds to the spectacular natural setting — it's magical. If that's too many adjectives to handle, just go away with this: seeing the Banff Springs alone was worth the trip.

We climbed Sulphur Mountain (take the gondola up? no way, not us), on top of which you can see all of Banff. Unfortunately, as we neared the top, a large tree was blocking the trail. With cameras flying around my neck, I tried to climb over it and land on a steep slope. I wasn't well balanced and fell forward, hard, on the toe of my foot. Ouch. The only good thing was that we were almost at the summit; from there we could take the gondola down. But the damage was done — I was pretty crippled for the rest of the trip. (Back home I found out that a toe was fractured.) But we still managed to get around and do all the good stuff.

There are so many wonderful vistas and vantage points around town. We went more than once to the Vermilion Lakes just north of town, where the view, colors, textures and smells are exhilarating. We visited the historic Cave & Basin —where the hot springs were discovered — oooh-oooh that smell (sulphur).

Other interesting things to do and see around town: the Banff Park Museum, an old railroad pagoda-style building where it seemed every animal on the planet had been preserved; the Hoodoos viewpoint, Bow Falls and river; the Mount Norquay ride; and just driving around the pretty neighborhoods. I was interested to learn that residents own their houses, but only lease the land they live on from the National Park.

We were thrilled to see elk hanging out in the mornings near the Whyte Museum and wow, even saw one swimming in the Bow River. I was jumping out of the car before Peter could stop, to take pictures.

We took a ride north on the Bow Valley Parkway to Lake Louise. This was our first close-up look at a glacial lake, the color of which was almost unbelievable. The luminous light blue-green color is due to

"... fine particles of glacial sediment called rock flour ... these particles reflect the blue & green spectra of light. The color at any given time varies due to the particle size, water depth and turbulence, stage of melt season and sunlight. Viewing from above enhances the effect."
— The Canadian Rockies, Graeme Pole

In spite of the stunning surroundings — the Mt. Victoria glacier, Chateau Lake Louise hotel & grounds — call me crazy, something was off. I can't explain exactly what I mean, just that the area lacked charm, an aura. Maybe it was too many people, too close by. Or maybe it felt a bit like a theme park, surreal. To be fair, I was hobbling in pain so we weren't able to explore the trails above the Lake. So I can't say that wouldn't have wowed me ...

What did excite me was less-celebrated Moraine Lake just to the north in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. I thought the lake color was more vivid, the area more interesting than Lake Louise.

Another side trip took us to Johnston Canyon. A good 6K hike along a limestone canyon eroded by flowing water over the eons. There were several nice waterfalls — the sunstruck crashing aqua water was beautiful. I was limping pretty badly as the hike progressed, but wanted to see the Ink Pots mineral springs — another 5.7K further. We forged onward, but I soon came to the conclusion (duh) that it was a bad idea, especially considering the return trip. So reluctantly we turned back. That meant we'd have to visit the Paint Pots, a similar phenomenon, later in the trip.

We travelled back and forth on the Bow River Parkway, (where you're more likely to see wildlife) and the Trans Canada Highway as we covered ground around Banff — just spectacular mountain scenery. After three+ days in Banff, our next destination was northward, to Jasper ...

To Jasper

Views around Banff — click on images

Canadian Rockies & Prairie Main