Dreaming of Banff 🇨🇦

My #1 bucket list location for years, just over the Canada border, finally became a reality in Sept 2024. I had planned a massive 10 day roadtrip loop through Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Revelstoke, Kootenay and (dipping back into the US) at Glacier National Parks.

I was very overdue for a backwoods adventure & disconnecting (on purpose) for a bit…..

My list of researched hikes exceeded 50, so I had plenty of options to happily get lost in. Day 1 was a crazy caving adventure above Canmore & enjoying a few of the local favorite trails in the Policeman’s Creek boardwalk & Upper Grassi Lakes (amazing).

Day 2 was another jolt of craziness in tackling the Mt. Norquay via ferrata, which was half a day of climbing the cliffside rock faces (highly recommend). Then I enjoyed all the downtown Banff sights, including Surprise Corner, Tunnel Mountain hoodoos, Bow Falls, Art in Nature trail, Cave & Basin and the massive Fairmont hotel.

Then it was off to stay for 3 nights in a quaint cabin in the centrally located Johnston Canyon area. Silverton Falls was a quiet 2mi trek without the crowds, while the main attraction was a nice reprieve meandering 3.5mi through the peaceful boardwalks built between the towering cliffs.

I even dipped into adjoining Kootenay NP to visit the majestic Marble Canyon prior to hitting the crown jewel – Lake Louise (I had to unfortunately pass on seeing adjacent Lake Moraine this time around). To skip all the madness & reservation confusion around the shuttle system needed to access the lake, I opted to arrive at 7pm sharp when cars were actually allowed to park at the base so I could enjoy sunset. The aqua blue water looked fake but mesmerizing. I settled into a quiet rock perch to enjoy a pint of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and peacefully waste the evening away.

I could have used a couple more days to attack more nearby trails that had been recommended, but I wanted to forge deeper into the Canadian wilderness. So I continued north & west through Golden with the impressive Takakkaw Falls & the pounding Wapta Falls (two must sees), while also pushing further to hike numerous short trails in both Revelstoke & Glacier (Canada) NPs.

And I found the perfect, quiet Airbnb mountain retreat just south of Golden for a full recovery day prior to my long drive back into the US to the elusive Glacier NP in Montana.

And the adventure continues…..