Adventures with Yogi and Boone

June 17 - From Golden to Banff: A road trip to Narnia

This morning we hit the road early, with Banff set as our final destination for the day. What we didn't expect was how jaw-dropingly beautiful the drive itself would be. The stretch between Golden and Banff cuts through the heart of Banff and Yoho National Parks, and unlike parks in the U.S.where you enter through a main gate and everything is concentrated in one area, here the parklands are sprawling-spread out over hundreds of kilometers.

There's a real freedom in how it's laid out: every few kilometers there's another trailhead, waterfall, or vista begging you to stop. Some hikes are short strolls, others could take all day. You just decide on the fly; It felt like a gift, to be able to follow our curiosity and just stop whenever something looked interesting. 

Begbie Falls

One of our first stops was Begbie Falls  - a spot we hadn't heard much about but saw on the map and thought, "Why not?" The trail was about 3 kilometers, winding through a mix of lush deciduous trees and towering pines, dotted with wildflowers. At the end, we found the falls cascading into a serene lake with a sweeping view of the green runs at Mount Revelstoke in the distance. I wish I could remember the name of the lake-either way, it was a perfect surprise. 

Bear Creek Falls

Our next stop was Bear Creek Falls, which we would have completely missed had it not been for a helpful ranger at a roadside visitor center. She told us, "you've got to stop-it's just raging right now." She wasn't kidding. The falls were spectacular, roaring with power.  The trail was quiet and forested and the whole place had a magical, almost Narnia-like feel. It was one of those moments where you feel small in the best way.

The Hidden Gem: Emerald Lake

Just outside of Banff, Bobby spotted a sigh for Emerald Lake. We hadn't read anything about it, hadn't planned for it-but we followed our instincts, turned off, and wound down the road. Cars were lining the shoulder for a good distance, but we lucked out and found a spot for Yogi (our van).

And WOW! Emerald Lake. The name doesn't do it justice. The water was this unreal shade of turquoise green, glowing like something out of a dream. We stood there stunned-honestly, I wish you could have been there with us. It was one of those moments you can't really capture with photos or words. Magical.

Emerald Lake is in Yoho National Park, and they are very protective of the waters there.  No private watercraft are allowed on any of the rivers or lakes - only rental kayaks. They are trying to prevent the spread of whirling disease, which affects fish populations. I still need to look up more about that (it's spelled W-H-I-R-L-I-N-G, if you're curious). But the protection means the lake remains pristine, untouched, and totally serene. 

We checked out the lakeside cabins - just for fun - saw prices ranging from $500 to $1,400 a night! Maybe someday....

Arriving in Banff

As we neared Banff, the landscape started to shift. The forests became denser with pines, and fewer deciduous trees. We'd been warned that Banff might be a mess because of the G7 summit happening around the same time, but thankfully, it wasn't bad at all. In fact, it was quieter than expected-probably because everyone else stayed away. 

Banff itself is adorable, like a classic ski town tucked into the mountains.  That afternoon, after checking into our campsite, we took advantage of the long summer light (sunset after 10p.m.!) and headed out for a bike ride.

We did a 15 mile loop that took us past three beautiful lakes: Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake, and Johnson Lake. Along the way, we spotted two elk-a big female and a very curious young one. We slowed down to take a quick picture, but didn't linger. No need to make mama elk nervous! We have been warned that the female elk (cows) are very protective of their young and can be very dangerous.  We saw a posting that more humans are injured or killed by female elk than by any other wild animal in Canada!

Lake Louise & A Steep 7mile Ride

Day two was all about Lake Louise & Moraine Lake. We'd been warned it would be busy, and yep-it was. But again we lucked out and found a parking spot about 2 kilometers away and walked in along a pretty little river.

I didn't realize a glacier comes right down to the lake-it was breathtaking. The water shimmered in surreal shades of turquoise and teal. We kept putting our sunglasses on and off, convinced we weren't seeing it right. But no-it really was that vibrant.  I will say however, in terms of beauty and serenity Emerald Lake was tops for us. 

We did a short hike from the lake that looked simple on paper-just a mile up. What we didn't realize is that Canadian trail designers apparently don't believe in switchbacks. It was basically straight up the mountain!  But the views were worth every step. I'll include one of the phots here on the blog-you'll see what I mean.

Lake Moraine by Bike

From there, we had one more must-see: Lake Moraine. It's only accessible by shuttle or bike, so you can guess what we did. Bikes off the back, helmets on, and away we went!

The ride was a dream-beautiful smooth pavement and no cars except for the shuttles, whose drivers were incredibly respectful of cyclists.  The road climbed for about seven miles, with forests all around and amazing mountain views peeking through,

When we reached Lake Moraine...WOW. Another glacier lake, and again the water was this impossible shade of blue-green. The whole place felt like a hidden sanctuary. Riding up was a workout, but the ride down? Absolute joy. Seven miles of perfect descent, with nothing but wind and freedom.  Bobby was like a little kid.  He took off so fast that Boone and I didn't see him again until we got back to Yogi.

This stretch of the trip was packed- every turn seemed to offer up another lake, another waterfall another "wow" moment. It felt like we were traveling through a series of fantasy landscapes, each one more stunning than the last. 

More soon - next up: exploring Jasper!