We had a 6am flight leaving Texas, which put us in Calgary around lunch. By the time we got our luggage and rental car we were checked into our room in Banff by 4 pm. We stayed at the Delta Hotels Banff Royal Canadian Lodge in Banff and we loved it. We were able to walk to all of the restaurants and shops and the hotel provided parking in an underground garage. We were exhausted from a day of travel and decided to do something relaxing. We opted for the Banff Gondola and were not disappointed, especially when we realized that they have two restaurants at the top of the mountain. If you book both your ride and dinner online at the same time you get a large discount. We ate at the Northern Lights restaurant, which is buffet style, and the food was delicious. After dinner we walked around and just took in the stunning views before returning to the hotel to slip into a mild coma for the night.
For first day we took a trip out to Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise with the plans of having lunch at one of the several restaurants in the hotel. The parking lot was full since we got of to a late start, so we had to back track to the main highway and hop on the shuttle. If you arrive after about 7:30am expect to find the parking lots full at most of the popular spots (Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon, and the Gondola parking all fill up fast). When we arrived we opted to save our money for a nice dinner and grabbed a drink and a snack from the gift shop. We then just sat and took in the amazing views. Lake Louise is nothing short of stunning.
Half way to the Tea House
We then decided to take a walk. Our walk turned into a 5 mile hike to the Tea House at Lake Agnes, which as a southerner our lungs were not ready for. We almost gave up a few times along the way because we were constantly gasping for air! When we crested the top, Lake Agnes was there just staring us in the face. We stood in awe. The struggle to the top was definitely worth it. If you choose to do this hike and want to stop at the Tea House, you must know they accept only cash and they close at 5 pm. They are seasonal, so make sure they are open before you begin the trek if you are going outside of the summer months.
The next day was fairly rainy, so we decided to explore downtown Banff and prepare ourselves for the busy days to come. We found an amazing local coffee shop, Good Earth Coffeehouse, which became our daily coffee and breakfast stop for the duration of our trip.
The number one thing on my list was to capture a photo at sunrise at Moraine Lake. The sun begins to rise at 4:30 am during the summer here, and the drive from downtown to the lake is nearly an hour. We woke up that particular morning at 3am, yes 3am people! We were running a little behind schedule which paid off in the end. While driving to the lake I told my husband that if I could just see a grizzly in the wild that would make this whole trip for me. As we approached the parking lot to the lake the few cars in front of us came to a stop. We assumed that there were just that many people there at 4:45 am. That was not the case. There was a mother grizzly and her two yearlings strolling down the middle of the oncoming lane headed towards the parking lot! It was too dark and we were too excited for photos, so we just slowed and down and took in this once in a lifetime moment.
We arrived at the lake and made our way to the top of the hill near the parking lot to watch the sun rise. Except there was this thick blanket of fog over the whole lake. I set up my camera and tripod and waited. This was an amazing experience because over the nearly two hours that we sat there the fog slowly came in and out occasionally giving a glimpse at the eight mountain peeks that rise up above the lake. Satisfied, I packed up and we headed back to the car to unload camera gear before hiking around the lake. My husband took all of the gear to the car as I headed towards the lodge at the lake to find us some coffee, it was literally freezing and we needed coffee!
I hadn’t made it 10 yards in the opposite direction of my husband when I heard someone calling my name under their breath. I turned to see him mouthing the word B E A R!!!!!! I knew it was mamma and her cubs and my heart started pounding! He had my camera and bag so I rushed to him to grab my camera and change lenses to I could capture this amazing moment. I tried to contain my excitement as the adrenaline pumped through my veins. I had to prop myself up against a car to prevent my lens from shaking. I was so fortunate to capture a few shots of the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in the wild, before the park rangers pushed her and her cubs into the forest.
Once we caught our breath we took the easy hike around the lake, since the alternative hike went in the same direction as the bears we decided that probably wasn’t the best idea even though we had our bear spray. We didn’t want to disturb her.
Later that day we made our way out to the Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary for an interactive tour and meet and greet with a pack of wolfdogs. This was another amazing experience and I highly recommend it of you have any interest in wolves.
After a more that full day were were exhausted and starving. We had asked a few locals about their favorite eateries and the same one came up several times, the Bear Street Tavern. Again, we were not disappointed in our choice. We grabbed a pizza, salad and my husband enjoyed a few beers. We then retreated to our hotel to soak in a hot bath and grab a few hours of sleep before getting up the next morning to go whitewater rafting in the nearly freezing glacier river!
Our next few day consisted of whitewater rafting, eating, visiting another stunning lake, and then the longest and last hike of our trip. There is so much to be said about all of these that we’ll visit that in a separate post!