Banff Road Trip!

Ah! Friends, I have been absolutely dying to share a little slice of my recent road trip to Banff with you, and I am so excited I am finally doing it!

A couple weeks ago I packed up my little Subaru with a girlfriend and we set out for a long weekend adventure together to explore a little more of the beautiful province we live in and a little bit of Alberta next door. To tell you the absolute truth, this was a very last minute road trip thrown together on a whim of over excitement. Once we both committed to the date, we were just so excited to be going, that we really didn’t feel the need to plan or set anything in stone. To be honest, that’s my favourite way to travel – without a plan – and I could not be happier with how our travel methods worked out.

When we set out early on a Friday morning, all we knew is that we wanted to have fun, but I don’t think either of us expected the trip to be as much of a blast as it turned out to be. We really could not have asked for a better trip – and I think because it came at a point in our lives that was just fitting for both of us, it made it all the more special.

This road trip may have been short lived (we were gone for only 4 days) but it  was honestly life changing amazing, and I hope I don’t ever forget any of it, because I absolutely adored every second. And because I loved it so much, I wanted to share our favourite stops with you, and hopefully inspire you to visit this beautiful place! So scroll through for the deets!

Stop #1: Yoho National Park at The Natural Bridge

Wow was this a cool spot! Here you will find a stop where an incredible natural rock bridge crosses a raging river that is flowing with the most incredible bright turquoise water. The rock bridge is full of holes, that you can look down into and watch the water crash through. You can also easily walk down the rivers edge to snap some great photos.

 

Stop #2: Emerald Lake Yoho National Park

Emerald Lake… I mean the name says it all. This lake is the most incredible green colour, and on the calm evening that we went, the water was as still as glass. We hiked around the lake, which was a quick 45 minute hike, but super beautiful. You can also rent a canoe to take a paddle around the lake, and then maybe grab some food at the cafe which is situated right on the beautiful lake. We came here in the evening to catch the sunset and it was a beautiful time to come.

Stop #3: Moraine Lake, Banff National Park

Alright, here’s the deal…. Moraine Lake is ridiculously beautiful. When I came over the ridge and spotted that turqoise water, beneath those icy grey rocky mountain peaks, it’s not an over exaggeration to say it took my breath away. I’m pretty sure my travel buddy Sarah thought I was a little insane, because I literally couldn’t stop snapping photos, and trying to find new vantage points, and psycho babbling about how stinking beautiful it was. I think I said that to her about a bajillion times.

Seriously, put this lake on your bucket list, because it really is that incredible. We got here bright and early to catch the sunrise, and it was absolutely incredible. Also if you want to have a peaceful visit, I would highly recommend coming early in the morning because it doesn’t take long for this gem of a spot to get super busy.   

Stop #4: Lake Louise, Banff National Park

So this is the one you have probably heard of. It’s a lake that’s kind of world famous, and as such we again got here bright and early to beat the crowds and it was definitely worth it, because not only was it peaceful AF, but we also had the fortune of catching a little show, put on by a mama Grizzly Bear and her two cubs. YUP! I said a mama Grizzly Bear and her two cubs!!!

They emerged from the forest in front of the hotel on the lake and the mama ate grass, while her cubs wrestled in on the hill for about 25 blissful minutes. A small crowd of us watched from a safe distance in absolute awe. That’s something I never thought I would get to see in real life, so it was pretty surreal.

After the grizzly bear show, we hiked up the Agnes Tea House, which was an absolutely stunning trail and takes you up the mountains behind the lake and gives you a pretty incredible vantage point looking back on the lake.

 

Stop #5: Takakkawa Falls, Yoho National Park

This stop was a happy little accident. We happened to see the sign on our way back from Banff one afternoon and decided to give it a try, and oh my god am I ever glad we did.

Not only are the falls absolutely incredible, but the drive into the falls is just as stunning. It’s a slow windy road, with incredible views of the valley between some of the rocky mountains that can’t be seen from the main highway. We would have never known it was there if we hadn’t taken that exit to see the falls.

Once you get to the falls you have a bunch of options of things to do. For starters, there are a number of trail heads at the park leading in all directions. You can also do as we did and climb up the rocks to get an incredible close up view of the falls. Just be prepared because the mist with get ya!

 

Stop #6: Wapta Falls, Yoho National Park

Ohh baby this was a funny one for us. We got here in the late evening to catch the sunset, and were the only ones at the park (at least there were no cars or people to be seen from where we were). Maybe it was the lack of sleep hitting us, but as we were walking on the trail we were both feeling pretty vulnerable, and like a bear might jump out at us at anytime. Rather than turn around out of fear, we decided it would be a better idea to just sing disney songs at the top of our lungs as we speedily walked the trail to the falls.

Tip: If you are ever scared on a trail – sing disney songs out loud. Soon we were dying of laughter and before we knew it we found this incredible scene at Wapta Falls.

The falls themselves are unbelievably beautiful, and the rockies in the background just made the scene unbelievable. I remember turning to Sarah and saying “How can this even be real?” Just so incredibly beautiful, and coming at sunset was definitely worth it.
 

Stop #6: Johnston Canyon & The Ink Pots, Banff National Park

So this canyon is unreal. Again we got here early (7am) because it is a huge tourist attraction and if you want to get a good photo session in, you definitely have to beat the crowds.

You will be in awe the whole walk through this canyon, and if you are feeling up to it, I would highly recommend continuing on past the canyon and hiking the extra hour up to the Ink Pots. This was a suggestion given to me by one of you lovely people and I am SO grateful they reached out to give it to me. Not only is it a really lovely hike, but the scene at the end of the trail is just about the most incredible thing I have ever seen. You emerge into this absolutely incredible valley, surrounded by the snow capped rockies and a meadow of lush green. Yet another moment so beautiful, that I could hardly believe was real.

   

Needless to say this trip was absolutely incredible and I am already planning my next trip back. There is so much more to see and I definitely need more time the next time around. Hope you enjoyed this little snippet of our time there!

Happy travelling friends!

KP xoxo