Days 3, September 2, 2019 -- Northwest Mountains Expedition

Day 3, September 2, 2019 … Banff

Three Sisters Mountains
Canmore, Alberta, Canada

After making breakfast in our condo, we headed to the City of Banff, Alberta.  It’s such a cute city with beautiful flowers every where, many of the buildings trimmed in the beautiful Douglas Fir lumber and with numerous touristy shops, all this, completely surrounded by the high jagged mountains of the Rockies.  After getting our bearings at the Information Center and stopping to pick up a few souvenirs, the first venture was a drive just outside of town to Bow Falls. The falls itself is very small compared to many other waterfalls, but the gushing river is nestled down a deep canyon completely surrounded by lush

A snapshot of Banff, Alberta, Canada

green evergreen trees and more very tall, craggy mountains.  And, across the river sits the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. William Van Horne, the General Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway, recognized the tourism potential of the Canadian west and believed traffic on the railway should increase. To accomplish this, he built lavish luxury resort hotels along the rail line with this hotel opening in 1888.  It operates even today as a very luxurious place to stay in Banff, but it also hosts many shops on the main level that are open to the public.  We had an opportunity to walk through this magnificent piece of history and enjoy the view of Sulfur Mountain and listen to the rushing water of Bow Falls (which can no longer be seen directly from the hotel because of the growth of trees). As we were leaving, two beautiful elk made quite an appearance by walking across the road, much to the delight of all us tourists!

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

Next we traveled Tunnel Mountain Drive, a road that skirts the outside of Banff in the woods and alongside the mountains.  It was a very pleasant ride.  A picnic lunch was enjoyed beside the Cascade Ponds.  This small, quiet and serene body of water glistened in the sun and was surrounded by the evergreens and mountains above that.  I thought it seemed appropriate to see a momma Canadian Goose keep watch at the edge of the Ponds as her youngsters pecked for their lunch! 

Johnston River

Johnston Canyon Lower Falls

Probably the highlight of the day was our one and a half mile (round trip) walk to the Johnston Lower Falls.  It is a breathtaking walk going up and down the mountain side of Johnston Canyon along a fenced route that also includes catwalks suspended on the canyon walls for a profound view of how the canyon was carved out of the rock.  There were many little waterfalls and the thundering sound of the gushing water through the narrow canyon is almost deafening, especially as one nears the Lower Falls.  Once at the Lower Falls, there is a bridge over the river to a small cave where we waited in line for probably half an hour or so to enter in for a more intimate view of the falls.  It was truly incredible.  We did not, however, hike another mile further to six more falls, which I understand are beautiful as well.  After this we indulged in a yummy ice cream treat!!

Banff, Alberta, Canada

We headed back to Banff for a panoramic view of the city from on high along Tunnel Mountain Drive, and then meandered around Minnewanka Loop in search of wildlife.  A stop at Johnson Lake provided a beautiful photo op of the pristine blue and turquoise water surrounded by deep green evergreens, topped with the rugged stone mountains above that.  Diane was the lucky one to view an elk in the woods, but she was not able to document it with pictures!  As we continued down the loop, we encountered two more stunning lakes, also surrounded with evergreens and the jagged peaks of the mountains -- Two Jack Lake and Lake Minnewanka.  Everywhere we look, there is incredibly stunning scenery. 

Lake Minnewanka, Alberta, Canada

After a quick stop at the grocery store and a drink in our condo, we all enjoyed delicious English/Irish dinners at the Georgetown Inn.  It’s been an exhilarating day exploring this gorgeous area of the Banff National Park.  I do love the mountains!!