Visit to Banff

19 - 20 September 2009

It was part of this business trip that we visited Banff and the Rockies together. Lucky for us, it was just the right season for us to go there during this month, well before the area would be closed for winter. Though we couldn't be back in Toronto during the weekend, we definitely looked forward to that weekend road trip. We booked hotels in Banff, got road maps, rented car, and prepared the itinerary, and there we set off early in the morning at 4ish am! Sleepy but excited!

The ride is about 3.5 hours from Edmonton to Calgary, plus 1 hour to Banff and another hour to Lake Louise. As we drew closer to Banff, the ride got more scenic and more pleasant...


The dawn lights in the wee morning while we were still on the road, heading earnestly towards our destination.


From great plains...and slowly moving into...

...all those great mountains below...the view is just breathtaking!!!


We wow all along the way, with our mouths gapping with awe!


Castle Mountain ~ looks like castle too...

Lake Louise is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies and one of the most beautiful in the western hemisphere. The lake, named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, is 1,730m above sea level.


I remembered we got off the car and slowly walking in the direction of the lake. As we advanced closer, we caught glimpse of bluish tint of the lake in the midst of drizzle, greyish skies and trees, and suddenly the view just opened up to a big, wide, milky blue lake right infront of us!!! Definitely caught us by surprise! I remembered that view and it just brought a smile to all of us as we dashed forward to feel the cool water in the lake...


The world-famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise sits at the opposite ens of the lake from Mt. Victoria and Victoria Glacier, named for the Queen. Th nearest surrounding mountains, Mt. Lefroy and Mt. Fairview, add to the remarkable picture. Melting glacier silt creates the striking turquoise colour of the lake and keeps it at a frigid temperature year-round.


Moraine Lake is also famous in that an image of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, surrounding the lake, appears on the back of older versions of the Canadian $20 bill. The highest peak is Deltaform, at 3,424m, and all of the peaks - Fay, Little, Bowlen Perren, Septa, Allen, Tuzo, Feltaform, Neptuak and Wenkchemna - are white-capped with what remains of the Wenkchemna Glacier. The huge mountain to the north, with the glacier on its summit, is Mt. Temple at 3,547m, the third highest mountain in Banff National Park.


When the Bow Valley glacier melted, loose gravels and rock along the mountain side slumped into the valley. This debris - the Hillsdale Slide - diverted the course of Johnston Creek. The creek followed fractures in the bedrock and began to dissolve and erode the rock. Thousands of years later, we have Johnston Canyon.


Banff is the small resort town in and around the Rockies, well-known for it mountainous surroundings and hot springs.


A small town overwhelmed by breathtaking views...

Different mountains around the town


Funny thing about the town is that most of the street names are labelled after some kind of animals...very pro-animal rights, I say! :)

Picture of a marten that I found online...


Other animals that I found in the town itself ;)


Candy stores, ice-cream shops, gift shops, and restaurants in town


Bow Falls has resulted from the Bow River flowing over the limestone bedrock between Mt. Rundle and Tunnel Mountain. The Spray River flows into the Bow at this point, with the pounding water creating powerful rapids. Take the Bow Fall trial as it leads you into the fast waters and rapids of the river. If you are curious enough, follow the defending sound and you will come across the gushing water of the fall.


The gondola brings me up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. It was scary at first, but soon you would be mesmerized by the amazing view at the top that you forget about the fear itself.


Views from atop the gondola are sensational, with mountain ranges and the entire Banff townsite and valley stretch before you.


Outdoor hot springs, with a great view!


What the heck is a Hoodoo? It's a strange word for strangely shaped rock pillars. Over thousands of years, rain, snowmelt and wind have scoured the glacial material that makes up the ridge, creating deep and narrow gullies. These hoodoos were once partially protected from erosion by caps of sod or harder rock material, which acted like umbrellas for the pillars.


We saw elk along the way... huge animals!

The Vermillion Lakes are the most important wetlands for migratory birds in the Banff National Park. The three lakes are connected by marshes and beaver dams, with prominent peaks such as Mt. Rundle and Sulphur Mountain in the backdrop to a picturesque view.

Dawn breaking through...