Our original plan had been to continue northward from Lake Louise to Jasper, but sadly, the Jasper wildfires had other plans. We were fortunate to find available space, especially after the evacuations forced other travelers to also make adjustments.
Banff is definitely a tourist destination – with a significant number of places offering accommodations – as well as stores offering all sorts of local and typical upscale wares. The town has a good infrastructure to handle the volume, parking, etc., but there was still lots of people.
And with good reason – it’s nestled amongst the mountains, with amazing views and a plethora of trails and outdoor activities to appeal to virtually everyone, regardless of fitness level or interest.
For us, we had a number of trails in our plans, though by our second day in Banff, we were both beginning to feel unwell due to a bout of COVID.
Undaunted, we set out to find a trail which wouldn’t be too taxing, yet at the same time would enable us to enjoy the beauty around us. Sulphur Mountain (alltrails.com) did the trick.
Sulphur Mountain is close by, just outside of the town proper, with the trailhead just a short drive away and with plenty of parking. As it turns out, it had gondola services to the summit – something we decided against, but the option was there.
At the summit, the views were absolutely breathtaking! Below, we’re looking north-westward, toward Lake Loiuse and further on to the Icefields Parkway.
The summit house had nature displays and exhibits, but what really captured people’s attention – and there were many folks who had opted for the gondola – were the few mountain goats just outside the summit house.
The summit house observation deck offered some stunning scenery from the summit.
Following Sulphur Mountain, we were again looking for something not too challenging – still feeling the effects of COVID. This time, we opted for a portion of the Lake Minnewanka trail (alltrails.com).
Again, close by to where we were staying, the trailhead had plenty of parking and picnic areas for day trippers. Interestingly, access to the trail was limited to groups of four or more, and mandatory bear spray. Seems we were entering an “active” bear environment – mating and/or raising cubs – leading to more risky encounters.
Fortunately, as we approached the restricted area, we met up with fellow single hikers and were able to create a group of 5, including one from Argentina and one from the UK, enabling us to continue on.
The hike itself was stunning – quiet, calm on the lake and nearly a cloudless sky. Skirting the lake itself, there was little elevation change, perfect for our COVID-reduced capacity.
It was a grand day out!
Banff is almost like a candy store for hikers – many, many trail choices. We were feeling a bit fatigued, so our third day in Banff, we decided to explore the hoodoos! Yes, hoodoos reminiscent of Bryce, but on a smaller scale and not orange!
The hoodoo trail itself was a pleasant 4.2mi loop, with only about 700ft of elevation change, see the trax on alltrails.com. It offered exceptional views of the Bow River which winds its way through Banff from Edmonton.
In our continuing endeavor to “take it easy” as part of our COVID recovery, we started out on the Wind Creek / Ridge trail (alltrails.com). We bailed kinda early, about 4.5mi, just not feeling energetic.
Turning the corner on COVID, and recovering well from the quiet prior day, we decided to be more adventurous – this being our last day in the Canadian Rockies, we decided to go a bit bigger and take advantage of another glorious day weather-wise with plenty of sunshine.
We opted for the Stanley Glacier trail, located about halfway between Lake Louise and Banff, an out-and-back course, slightly over 7.5mi with 2,300ft of elevation gain – see it on alltrails.com.
This is a stunning trail, wooded at the outset, then giving way to rock and scree fields. The views are absolutely breathtaking!
As it turns out, a very memorable hike – absolutely stunning scenery, a bit of effort, definitely, but highly rewarding.
And as we drove back to our apartment on the Kootenay parkway, we passed the Continental Divide – seemed a fitting way to say goodbye to Banff and the Canadian Rockies.
