The second post in my series highlighting places around the world I’d like to visit is:
B for Banff National Park
*Quick note about my featured image. Apologies for the school project looking map, since I’ve never been there, my choices for original content for the image are limited. Maybe I’ll get better at drawing throughout this series?
Banff National Park is in Canada, and despite Canada being my friendly neighbor in the north, I’ve never been there. The closest I came was in 2020 when we visited Glacier National Park. We got to a point where we were about 10 miles away, but since this was mid-Covid, the border was closed.
Unlike a visit to Australia, a trip to Banff would not require an expensive flight halfway around the world, so we wouldn’t feel compelled to visit the whole country in one visit. We could focus our trip on just Banff and surrounding areas. From my research, it sounds like the area deserves at least 5 days, but we could easily make it a 10 day trip to explore every corner.
It would be about a 13-14 hour drive if we decided to take our camper trailer, or we could take a flight and get a rental car. The amount of time we’d plan to spend would depend on if we brought the kids and how much time we’d want to leave the dogs with a house sitter. Our general rule of thumb on past trips has been to go by ourselves if we are traveling too far, which means the kids stay with grandma. We try to bring the kids on our closer trips, unless the purpose of the trip is to do a long hike, such as our recent trek to Phantom Ranch in the Grand Canyon. As for the dogs, they aren’t allowed most places we go, so we bring them on camping trips that do not include a National Park.
Due to its relatively close proximity to us, I’d like to go to Banff sooner than later. It gets pretty cold in Canada, so we’d need to plan for sometime between June and October, but ideally in August before school starts.
*Note that if you like skiing, visit in the winter!
Top Sites on my Banff National Park Wishlist:
So it turns out that there are 3 National Parks in close proximity to each other. There Banff National Park located in Alberta, and Jasper is located north of Banff in Alberta, and Yoho National Park is west of Banff in British Columbia.
Banff National Park
- Sulphur Mountain Gondola
- You know we love hiking, but a gondola ride would be a way to give our legs a break and still enjoy breathtaking views! This way our legs can be better prepared for hiking in areas that do NOT offer a gondola.
- Banff Upper Hot Springs
- These are naturally heated waters that you can enjoy with mountain views. Me and Chris typically stay dry as much as possible on our travels, but if its cold it would be a fun way to warm up while still enjoying the mountains.
- Bow Falls
- I’m not one to say no to seeing a beautiful waterfall. The falls are located just outside downtown Banff and is easily accessible via a pedestrian bridge. It’s a popular stop for a leisurely walk.
- Banff Avenue
- Main street shopping – this would be where we’d get our retail therapy and souvenirs. We love souvenirs! We typically wait until we’ve experienced enough of the area to know what we specifically want to remember.
- Lake Minnewanka (Lake of the Spirits)
- This is Banff’s largest lake and home to a buried ghost town. Minnewanka Landing was a resort town that was buried under 30 meters of water after a dam was built in 1941. You can scuba dive to explore the old hotel and bridge that are submerged.
- If you are like me and maybe chicken out of diving, you can still enjoy hiking, cruising, fishing, and even archaeological sites. There are artifacts as old as 14,000 years buried at Sandy Beach.
- Cascade of Time Gardens
- This is a botanical garden near the town of Banff. If we wanted a more quiet activity, we could enjoy a stroll through the terraced gardens and enjoy the mountain views, water features, and pergolas.
- Lake Louise
- A glacial-fed lake where we could enjoy the turquoise colors and mountain backdrops via canoe or hike. When you see stunning images of Banff National Park, it’s likely you are looking at a picture of this lake, so it’s a must see for sure!
- Moraine Lake
- Access via shuttle or transit is required as private vehicles are restricted. We could hike and enjoy views of the Victoria Glacier. It is one of the most popular sites in Banff along with it’s neighbor Lake Louise.
- Lake Agnes Tea House
- This is a historical landmark you can hike to and even eat at. Staff operates entirely off the grid – no electricity! Supplies are delivered via helicopter or from staff hiking in and out. I love that kind of secluded experience!
- Johnston Canyon
- Here we’d enjoy geological features and waterfalls accessed via catwalks built directly in the canyon walls. I’d especially want to see the Lower Falls “cave” – a natural tunnel where you can walk behind the waterfall. Access to this “secret” cave trail is sometimes restricted to protect the Black Swift birds, so I’d have to either plan around this or skip it.
Yoho National Park (west of Banff)
- Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park
- I’m guessing it’s name stems from the beautiful green glacial water. This is a less popular alternative to Lake Louise, which actually makes it sound perfect! The lake loop is an easy 3.2 mile walk with beautiful surroundings. Watch out for moose!
Jasper National Park (north of Banff)
- Icefields Parkway/Columbia Icefield Skywalk
- This is a scenic highway connecting Banff with Jasper National Park and provides access to Bow Lake and Peyto Lake. We’d stop at the Columbia Icefield Skywalk to walk along a glass-floored platform for stunning views of glaciers, mountains, and the Sunwapta Valley.
- Athabasca Glacier
- You can visit this glacier as part of the Columbia Icefield Skywalk experience. You can also walk on the surface with a guided tour by taking giant Ice Explorer vehicles directly onto it. That sounds amazing!
All in all, this area seems to be a breathtakingly beautiful area that I would love to spend weeks exploring! The perfect place to unplug and really immerse yourself in nature and come home with a deeper appreciation for the beauty of the Earth.
