Our First Full Day at Banff

Trip Start May 29, 2009
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Trip End Oct 03, 2009


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Where I stayed
Tunnel Mountain Village II
(Banff hotels)

Flag of Canada  , Alberta,
Saturday, June 27, 2009

The fun began this morning just around the bend from our campground – two female elk were grazing by the road. We headed up the Bow Valley Parkway towards Lake Louise and saw several more elk (including a male in the pictures).  We stopped at Johnston Canyon to hike to the Lower and Upper Johnston Falls, about 3 ½ miles round trip.  There are actually about 7 falls along the way, but the Lower and Upper Falls are pretty special.  The  Lower Falls has a bridge followed by a tunnel to get you into the spray from the falls.  The trail itself is mostly a catwalk hung from the canyon walls.

After the hike we enjoyed a picnic lunch at a scenic spot overlooking the Bow River.  An unidentified bird hung around the picnic table, but was rather disappointed at the lack of handouts from us.  We continued on the parkway to the Lake Louise area.  We checked out the gondola (ski lift), but decided that the Banff Sulphur Mountain Gondola looked better.  Then, we drove to Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks.  See if you can count the ten peaks in the picture.  Be sure and notice the aqua blue color of Moraine Lake.  It is fed from a dormant glacier, so it does not get the green color caused by glacial silt or "flour". 

It was a long day, but we have now seen the heart of Banff, the Bow River Valley.
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