roadtrip to Banff.
Roadtrips are so underrated. You don’t have to pay baggage fees, you get excited by the playlists you make, and you can hit multiple spots in one trip. And that’s exactly how I recommend you go to Banff National Park, the home of the famous Lake Louise and its vibrant blue waters.
All I knew about Kelowna was that it was in the Okanagan region and was famous for their vineyards which follow the hills alongside Okanagan Lake, and with the vineyards come the countless wine tours. With the plethora of wineries in this region there is no shortage of tours and experiences you can sign up for, all of varying prices and experiences. We signed up for one at Mission Hill Winery, and it was such an exciting experience that I’m going to give it it’s own blog post -so look out for that later. The landscape is hilly and there are plenty of hikes to fill your day with, like climbing up Knox Mountain which is just a short walk from the town centre. Maybe you’ll even be able to spot Ogopogo, the Scottish Loch Ness’ Canadian cousin, in Okanagan Lake. To feed our peckish desires and celebratory beverage needs we chose Naked Cafe for some hearty vegan food, and ended the day at the BNA Brewing Co. for a local pint.
stop 1: Kelowna
stop 2: Revelstoke.
Bless LB’s soul because she had a big drive on day 3 from Kelowna to Canmore, but luckily for me I got to stare out the window oohing and ahhing as the mountains became larger and mightier. What I didn’t realise was that these were only a taster of what I was to expect later in Banff. We stopped in Revelstoke along the way for a stretch and complimentary lunch at La Baguette all paid for by a roadside police officer (a story for another time). I have to hand it to the staff at La Baguette who were so accommodating and patient with me and my dietary-health issues and needs -thank you. I found Revelstoke to be quite interesting with the juxtaposition of the small town surrounded 360° by the mountains. I couldn’t help imagining as I looked at the ski slopes in the distance what my winter season would have been like if I had been here and not Whistler.
stop 3: Canmore.
We chose to stay in Canmore, a small town about at 20-minutes drive from Banff, in the hopes that it would be less touristy and cheaper for accommodation, and right we were. Canmore has a much more of a “locals” vibe to it, and there’s evidence of people living their daily lives by going to get their morning coffee at the Bicycle Cafe or heading to the climbing gym after work. From what we saw of Banff it was mostly filled with gift shops and restaurants offering heftier meals, those kinds you go to yourself whilst on holiday. We booked ourselves in at Basecamp Lodge based solely in the fact that it had breakfast included and looked “rustic” -would definitely recommend!
Despite it being nearly May, the transition to spring certainly hadn’t made its way to Banff yet. We woke up on our first morning to an even dusting of snow all over town, and as we headed to our first hike to Johnston’s Canyon it started to snow. And not the light sprinkly kind but big fat snowflakes that would land on my eyelashes (which aren’t very long or big to start off with) and wouldn’t melt so I would be temporarily blinded due to the weight of the snowflake. Have a look at some of the pictures below to see proof. The Johnston’s Canyon hike itself is in Banff National Park and is just under 3km with two waterfalls, one upper and one lower. You can also continue walking for another 3km and head to the Ink Pots, a series of mineral spring pools all of differing colours with a glassy surface. We didn’t get to the Ink Pots because the snow was getting too heavy but I read about it on Google later.
final stop: Lake Louise + Banff
A quintessential Canadian snow town, Banff is dotted with family-friendly eateries, contemporary and indigenous art galleries, and gift shops from end to end. As people who live and spend much of the year in Whistler [BC], we weren’t attracted to the ski tourism aesthetic and we clearly weren’t the types of guests that the town was catered towards entertaining. Nevertheless, there are plenty of things to do. Local hikes and viewpoints, a couple museums, even a cave. For the hungry folk, the Magpie & Stump was a great spot to get your fill of Mexican food without the tourist tax or service.
Most of our time was spent over at Lake Louise, a 40-minute drive north of Banff. I had been hoping to see the famous opaque turquoise glacial water flanked by the mountains dusted with leftover snow from the winter. Upon arrival I was reminded that the Canadian winter effects last well into Spring, even Summer. So I shouldn’t have been surprised to see a completely frozen over landscape, watching people walk from edge to edge. In its own magical way, it was surreal to think that there is such a large body of water beneath our feet but here we are stepping so casually onto the ‘water’ and taking a stroll to the other end. I guarantee that you’ll have a beautiful and breath-taking experience no matter what season you visit.
This was definitely a road trip I would do again, next time with more days and hikes. I hope you get a chance to do a majestic roadtrip like this :)
