Banff, Canada - In the Snow
A snowy Lake Louise
Banff is one of those places where describing it in words is probably doing it a disservice. It’s a place that you just have to see for yourself.
Visiting in May 2017, the weather in Banff National Park was still quite cool - mountains were covered in snow and the lakes were at the beginning stages of melting. I would love to see those lakes painted in crystal blue during the summertime, but seeing it coated in fluffy white probably made for a completely different experience.
Entering Banff with the morning sunlight shining through
Right away, even before seeing much of anything, I knew it was someplace that I wanted to come back to someday.
Lake Louise covered in white snow
Staying in Calgary, we took a day trip with a tour we booked from Viator who picked us up from the city and took us on a tour with main stops at Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon's lower waterfall and the Kicking Horse Pass. Lake Moraine was on the list as well but we unfortunately had to skip it due to unsafe conditions.
Johnston Canyon's lower waterfall
Our tour guide was one of those people who do their job because they love it. What had started out as just a short term gig, he apparently grew a passion for it and decided to stay, which ended up in him giving us not only a knowledgeable tour, but one where you could tell he wanted to give us the best experience possible.
Kicking Horse Pass
Blue waters at Kicking Horse Pass
Besides the incredible sights on our tour list, some of the highlights included random, wild animal sightings.
We saw a couple of black bears recently out of hibernation, one roaming and another digging through a log for food, as well as a moose. Our guide seemed genuinely surprised to see them at this time of year and he was just as into watching them as we were, pulling the bus to a halt on the road so we could observe and be in awe.
A wild moose hanging out in Banff
Banff Town was our final stop before heading back to Calgary. A lot of people stay at lodges here being that it’s more convenient, something I’d probably consider doing next time. It’s a small town that somewhat resembles ski villages like Whistler, and there’s quite a bit of shopping there as it’s geared to tourists.
Mountains near Banff Town
In Banff, it's all about the nature. Even the town is surrounded by tall mountain tops, humbling us and reminding us how small we really are. There are incredible natural landscapes to see in the world, and North America definitely has an abundance. Banff has to be one of the ones at the top.
I'm looking forward to being back.
Flying over the Canadian Rockies on Air Canada