Part 2 of the Canadian Rockies-We traded in the RV for a rental minivan and headed to Canmore for our next lodging. We rented a condominium for the remainder of the week to explore the parks nearby. The American friendly grocery store, Safeway, was a welcome relief compared to the Canadian superstore in Calgary. Gathering food for the week went much faster!

We drove to Lake Louise in Banff National Park the next morning. Lake Louise is the ultimate Canadian picturesque scene. The turquoise calm lake surrounded by jagged snow covered peaks is just breathtaking. We didn’t linger too long for pictures, but quickly began our ascent to Lake Agnes Tea House. The 4.5 mile RT hike seemed easy enough until we realized it was 1.5 hours continuous uphill. When we arrived at the charming teahouse, we were out of breath and starving. I forgot to bring the bread to make sandwiches which meant we would splurge on the pricey but tasty tuna sandwiches and peach tea for lunch. I think we were all grateful for the mistake. When you realize there is no electricity at the teahouse and that everything has to be carried in by horse or foot, you can understand why the lunch was expensive. We enjoyed our food and views for a few hours before descending back down to Lake Louise.   We toured the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel, built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, and enjoyed spectacular views of the lake.

On our return back to the condominium in Canmore, we stopped to view Peyto and Bow Lake. You could actually see the glacial till going into Peyto Lake (shaped like a wolf head), which gives the aquamarine color. The color of the lake was mesmerizing.

The next day we headed to Lake Moraine. We climbed up a rock rubble pile to capture some awesome pictures of the lake. While walking on the lake trail we could hear the thunder of several snow avalanches nearby. We drove on to Yoho National Park to see the rushing waters at the Natural Bridge over the Kicking Horse River and the calmer Emerald Lake. Some of our family decided to canoe the blue waters of the lake, while the rest of us hiked the Lake Shore Trail for 3 miles. It was a great time of year to see lots of different wildflowers.

The next day was July 1, Canada Day. We had planned for months in advance for this day by securing reservations on a bus that would take us to Lake O’Hara. Yoho National Park only allows 42 people per day into the Lake O’Hara area by bus. Your only other option is to hike in the 11.2km from Highway 1.  Considering we had planned to do more hiking once we arrived, the bus was the only logical choice for us. When we stepped off the bus at the base of the Lodge, there was breathtaking scenery everywhere we turned. Because of the rapid snowmelt, the trail we began on near the lake was partially flooded. We rolled up our pants and pressed forward with the final goal of Lake Oesa, a 6km round trip hike. After the steepest incline, we reached Yukness Lake. I wondered if it was appropriately named that after the hard hike. We passed by Lake Victoria and than Lake Lefroy as we continued. While all three lakes were a beautiful jade color, they paled in comparison to Lake Oesa. The lake was still in the process of thawing and was surrounded by snow-covered mountains. It was impossible to capture in a picture the stunning stillness of this view. We stopped for lunch and tried to inhale the sanctuary of this place. It is to this day, one of my most favorite places to hike! Many consider Lake O’Hara to be the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies. We drove by Takakkaw Falls on the way back to Canmore.

The last Canadian National Park we decided to explore was Kootenay. Unfortunately, this park had suffered extensive damage from forest fires which left scarred vegetation widespread and impacted how we remembered this park. Our motto became “Kootenay is just okay”. We hiked to Marble Canyon, which did offer a rewarding waterfall at the end. My youngest son picked all different types of flowers on the hike among the burned areas, which was a reminder of how nature comes back even after such devastation. There was also interesting geological formations called Indian paint pots along the trail, with different colors from the minerals.

Heading back towards Banff, we hiked the Johnston Canyon to Upper Falls, which had much more rewarding views over the entire trail system. That night we wanted to experience dining at the Fairmont Banff Spring Hotel. Because we were on a budget, we opted for the “all you can eat” dessert buffet, which was fine eating and dining experience at a fraction of the cost of a full meal. We toured the hotel ourselves after dinner since the guided tours had already ended for the day.

Next week’s blog will feature the remainder of the trip as we headed south to Glacier National Park in the United States.