We decided that rather than take the direct route from Calgary to Banff, we'd take the more scenic route, south from Calgary and then north through the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park on the Bighorn Highway...
First stop Okotoks (First Nation word for Rocks).
These 16,500 tonne rocks were deposited by glaciers and now sit in the middle of nowhere looking a bit incongruous.
At this stage the sky looked a bit changable (and we'd already seen some rain), but we had no idea what was to come just a few miles further along.
Clouds along the Bighorn Highway looking even more threatening...
As we wound our way up and up the Bighorn Highway, we started to notice some differences in terminology. What we would call a Cattle Grid...
The weather was not being kind and as we climbed to a maximum of around 2400m (8000ft) the rain gave way to snow.
Thankfully, as soon as we started to descend again, the weather brightened and we continued our journey into Banff.
Our home in Banff was the warm and friendly Banff Avenue Bed and Breakfast, run by Connie and Jamie. Connie's breakfast were amazing and they both offered a wealth of information for the new visitor.
Minnewanka Lake (pronounced mini-wonka) is a lake close to the town of Banff and is approached on a looping road, along which are several other places of interest. Before the explosion of tourism in Canada, the town of Banff and indeed the Rockies National Park was a major source of coal and Bankhead is one such mine that has been preserved.
At about 13 miles long, Minnewanka Lake is a major tourist attraction in the area for hikers, bikers and those enjoying the water.
Even in July the distant mountain tops were snow capped. At least, as far as we could see, given the low cloud.
Although not really evident in photo above, with a large car park just of the loop road, the lake was extremely busy. Just like in the UK, most people didn't seem to venture further than 1/4 mile from their car, so it was easy to escape the crowds, but even so, much too busy for our liking.
Further round the loop road was Johnson Lake. Compared to Minnewanka, this was practically deserted and at less than a mile long, an easy walk all the way around. In our entire walk around the lake, we saw one other couple - much more to our liking!
The sun even tried to show its face briefly.
Returning to Banff, we drove down the Tunnel Mountain Road, overlooking the Bow River. The road, like many in the area is only open for about 5 months of the year due to snow.
Parking at the bottom, we found a path back along the river which again was deserted.
Having never been to Banff (or even this part of Canada) before, we wanted to visit the major tourist areas around Banff, so set off to try and cram them all into one day.
First stop of the day was to drive up to the base of Mt Norquay (one of three ski areas in Banff). This was the view from the way up, looking back to Banff:
Next was a drive up the Bow Valley Parkway (glorious road) heading to Johnston Canyon, a steep sided ravine, containing some very impressive waterfalls (a theme for the next few days).
What we hadn't bargained for was how ludicrously busy it would be, with just getting parked taking some 15 minutes.
As impressive as the canyon was, it was so busy that we couldn't wait to get away again.
Next stop, bypassing Lake Louise for the moment, we drove into the Yoho National Park up a twisting road to Takakkaw Falls (another road that is only open in the summer).
A walk up the Iceline Trail (practically deserted) lead to Lace Falls:
Retracing our steps, we crossed a river to Takakkaw Falls themselves - the second tallest waterfall in Canada.
En route back to Banff (by this stage it was late afternoon), we risked the crowds at Lake Louise - and to our surprise, parked easily. While the lakeside was still busy, as ever, walk a short distance from the car-park and there was some peace and quiet to be had:
Since we were in the area, we then drove on to Moraine Lake:
And finally back to Banff for a well-earned beer:
Travelling from Banff to Jasper involves driving along the Icefields Parkway - a road with spectacular mountain views along its length.
Coffee stop at Bow Lake, with Mt Thompson in the background:
Sunwapta Falls. Every couple a years someone (generally a young man) gets too cocky and falls in. Sometimes they are found...
And a little further up the road, the Athabasca Falls.
And arrived...
In Jasper we stayed at 711 Miette Avenue, a small Bed and Breakfast run by Nancy and Chris. Nancy had had an accident the day we arrived and had to visit the closest major hospital. An 8 hour round trip to Edmonton.
There are a LOT of trails around Jasper, well marked and shared by hikers and bikers.
Although the day was quite dull, we had a lovely walk around the local lakes, all walkable from our B&B in Jasper. These photos are of Lake Annette.
More walking today around the Jasper area, but this time, driving a little further afield first. First stop, view across Maligne Canyon.
Then, further into the canyon to see the waterfalls.
Later, we drove the very pleasant Maligne Lake Road to Maligne Lake itself. While quite a busy lake now, well used by hikers and boats, it is extraordinary to realise that just over 100 years ago, it took settlers months to cut through virgin forests to find this gem.
On our return journey back to Jasper, we drove up to Pyramid Lake and spotted this Elk cow (with the distinctive white bum) by the side of the road.
Soon after leaving Jasper, we crossed the Alberta / British Columbia province boundary - and gained an hour!
A quick stop on route at the base of Mount Robson; the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.
More rivers on route of course and also some trees. Did we mention that there are a LOT of trees in Canada?
On arriving at Clearwater mid-afternoon, we wound our way a short distance into Wells Gray Provincial Park to Spahats Creek Falls. It's not called Canada's Waterfall Park for nothing.
We met our hosts, Neil and Sandie at The Lake House - our base for the next three nights. The Lake House rests on the edge of Dutch Lake in Clearwater.
After a busy day, the Hop and Hog called, a great local restaurant, owned and run by the son of the Lake House hosts. They had beer. Lots of beer.
We were provided with a suggested route to see the highlights of Wells Gray park in a day. First stop was Dawson Falls. Incredible to realise that salmon find there way here after a 600 mile trip and still have enough energy left to jump up these falls to spawn.
Next stop was Bailey's Chute, close to the limit of where the salmon reach. The final fall is slightly too high for the fish to jump and they end up spawning slightly further down-river. They try every year though.
From here a short walk explores a much older part of the park which was spared a fire around 100 years ago and so retains these magnificent Cedars, not found further south in the park.
Retracing our steps south, we stopped at Helmcken falls, this one the 4th tallest in Canada.
Finally, returned to the Lake House for Neil to row Alison around the island on Dutch Lake (I think some kind of fantasy was being played out here).
All around the shore of the lake was a magnificent display of lillies.
We had booked a local guide (Gy Overton who runs Discover Wells Gray) for a discovery walk in the park.
Gy met us at Spahats Falls and the drove us to Moul Falls in his huge Ford F150 pickup - a normal everyday vehicle in this part of the world. Gy is a Brit who moved to Canada around 10 years ago. He was a fantastic guide and very knowledgeable about the local flora and fauna.
In the afternoon, we returned to the Lake House to chill. Some time was spent trying to capture the tiny humming birds that fed close to the lake. A Rufous Hummingbird:
... and a Ruby Throated Hummingbird:
Parts of Canada are famed for their dark skies at night and Neil was keen to try and photograph this, so could be found skulking around the gardens at past midnight. But he felt that the results were worth it:
We had a fantastic time in Clearwater and were sorry to be leaving.
The longest driving day, but as ever, the roads are generally easy and picturesque!
After a long drive to Whistler, on arrival at Nita Lake Lodge, this was the view from our room:
Although known predominantly as a ski resort, Whistler Mountain (and the neighbouring Blackcomb Mountain) remain very busy throughout the year, with many chairlifts carrying hikers and bikers up the mountian. There is even a station for a bit of bike fettling before making your way down the mountain.
On the Whistler Mountain side, we took a walk around Harmony Lake. Even in mid-July, there is still snow on the ground and there were people skiing just a little higher up.
Harmony Lake was beautiful and once again, away from the chairlifts, practically deserted.
The Peak to Peak Gondola connects the two Whistler Mountain peaks and holds records for being both the highest and longest gondola in the world. The span between supports is almost 2 miles. You can just about see the red cars below:
The Cloudraker Skybridge only opened around a week before our visit. Ask Alison how much she enjoyed it!
Whistler was the location for the 2010 Winter Olympics and the logo for the games was based upon this Inukshuk:
An easy 75 mile drive today and we'd be droppig the car off on arrival at Vancouver.
After nearly two weeks in relatively quite areas of Canada, the hustle and bustle of a major city was quite a shock.
We stayed in a downtown hotel (Blue Horizon), where we had a room on the 24th floor. A pretty standard city view but notice the oil tankers in the bay in the distance.
In the evening, we walked to English Bay - the trendy bit of Vancouver. The beach remained busy even as the sun set. Shame about the ever-present oil tankers in the background again.
We ate at the Cactus Club and were presented with this amazing sunset across English Bay as we had dinner.
We walked to Vancouver Place (where the large cruise ships dock) and enjoyed the sun.
This was also where the sea planes arrived and departed on local tours and trips further afield.
In the evening, we had booked to go and see the local American Football team play at their stadium - a short walk from our hotel. We're not usually interested in American Football, but when in Rome...
BC Lions (the local team) don't have a great reputation so we weren't expecting them to win. Sure enough at half time, they were 17-nil down.
However, in a startling turn-around, they managed to claw their way back into the game in the second half, eventually scoring a penalty in the final seconds to win 20-17.
Go BC Lions!
This was our last night in Canada, we'd had a fantastic time.
It was our last day (we had an evening flight), so having crammed everything back into the suitcases, we walked into Stanley Park.
... and returned to the city via the marina.
A quick bite to eat (and a beer obviously) before reluctantly travelling to the airport for our return flight.
We'd had an amazing time in Canada and will certainly return.