The Exceptional Beauty of Lake Louise and Banff
Thursday 6 June
Last night we arrived at the beautiful Chateau Lake Louise after a short drive from the very quaint Lake Louise train station where we had disembarked from the Rocky Mountaineer. When the railway construction came through the Rockies in the late 1880’s the area became a wilderness outpost known as Laggan Station. It was later dubbed Lake Louise after Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, the fourth daughter of Queen Victoria, both the lake and the village on its shore share the same name. The hotel was first conceived by the railway at the end of the 19th century as a vacation destination to lure moneyed travellers taking trains and heading west. Located on the eastern shore of Lake Louise the original hotel was gradually developed at the turn of the 20th century by the Canadian Pacific Railway. We were absolutely stunned when we walked into our room and saw this incredible vista from the window – now that’s what you call a Room With a View!
A cocktail in the bar and we turned in for the night as we were keen to get up early this morning and walk to the end of the lake.
A lovely sunny morning and we were up and out, starting the day with a wonderful walk around the Lake, capturing some amazing views of the hotel from the far end – it is so beautiful, like a mirror. Geoff had booked us on a tour around Lake Louise and surrounding area today, and we were picked up by Kaitlyn with a first stop at Moraine Lake. Set against a backdrop of the Ten Peaks, this pristine lake once graced Canada’s twenty-dollar bill and it’s easy to see why. An awe-inspiring turquoise blue, fed by glacial waters full of rock flour that refract the sunlight, it has an elevation of 1,885 metres, We had a bit of a hike up a lot of rocky steps, but so worth it to capture some beautiful photographs. The time to witness this brilliant colour is relatively short-lived as it remains frozen most of the year and only thaws from June to October, so we were very fortunate. On the other side of it is the Bow Valley, the name Bow refers to the reeds that grew along its bank which the local First Nations people used to make bows. In the Blackfoot language, the name for the river is Makhabn, which means “river where bow weeds grow”. Whilst we were standing there admiring it, we heard two lots of rumblings and were able to spot two small avalanches in the mountains above us!
Next stop was the Kicking Horse River and Valley in a small town called Field – we went through this on the train yesterday – so it was great to be able to visit. The river was named in 1858 when James Hector, a member of the Palliser Expedition, reported being kicked by his packhorse while exploring the river – this is the area of the famous Big Hill and the Spiral Tunnels that I wrote about in my Rocky Mountaineer blog. Located in Yoho National park, we were able to see the Natural Bridge which is a very impressive natural rock formation that spans the flow of the Kicking Horse River west of Field, where the slower-moving waters from the Field Valley flats begin their descent through a canyon to be joined by the Amiskwi River. It was an amazing sight; it is sculpted by the erosive forces of rushing water over what had once been a waterfall. Softer rock found below the Natural Bridge’s hard limestone band eroded more quickly and fissures in the rock widened until the flow of water was diverted below the outcrop.
Last stop was a visit to the Emerald Lake, the largest lake in Yoho National Park, surrounded by the President Mountain Range and like the Moraine Lake, the colour is caused by rock flour from the melting glacial waters causing the lake to refract light resulting in this brilliant colour. The mountains surrounding the lake form a natural amphitheatre with towering peaks and forested banks. Unbelievably beautiful scenery, the photographs only just about do it justice!
Last stop Banff. A resort town and one of Canada’s most popular tourist destinations. Known for its mountains and hot springs, hiking, biking, and skiing. Named in 1884 by George Stephen who was the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway after his birthplace near Banff in Scotland. It was first settled after the transcontinental railway and in 1883, three railway workers stumbled upon a series of natural hot springs on the side of Sulphur Mountain and the area was promoted as an international resort and spa as a way to support the new railway. The reserve area was increased in 1887 and named Rocky Mountain Park – the beginning of Canada’s National Park System. The town is surrounded by mountains, notably Mt Rundle, Sulphur Mountain, Mt Norquay and Cascade Mountain with a lot of buildings and bars named after them too!
Kaitlyn dropped us off at our hotel, the Moose Springs Lodge and it’s lovely, right in the centre of the little town and a rock and cabin-style building. On the 4th floor is a wonderful area with outdoor hot pools and a fire pit – along with stunning views of the backdrop of the mountains. Keen to get out for a walk and a look around, we dumped our bags and headed off. A lovely tidy little town, cute shops, restaurants and bars. We were keen to have a good walk having spent a lot of time sitting on trains and coaches this week and we walked to the iconic Banff Springs hotel, or I should say castle, nestled at the base of Mt Rundle, spotting a couple of wild deer on the side of the road along the way. A lovely couple of cocktails at the aptly named Rundle Bar and then we headed back into town for dinner.
Friday 7 June
Our last day in Canada. Geoff and I are parting ways today, he is heading home to Auckland, and I am beginning the European part of my trip which involves seeing lots of my family. We had a good suitcase repack and I offloaded 6kg of merino winter wear on Geoff, won’t be needing heavy clothes now until I arrive back in Auckland, so my suitcase is a lot lighter and Geoff has an extra (Walmart-purchased) bag to take home! Geoff enjoyed the delights of the 4th floor hot tub whilst I popped out to a few souvenir shops to grab a few things, then it was a brisk walk back to the Banff Springs Hotel to see if we could find my fancy sunglasses which I had left in their bar last night. Sadly, to no avail! And that was it, our bus picked us up at 12.15pm and we are now both in separate terminals in Calgary airport waiting to depart. Geoff to Vancouver, and me to London Heathrow Airport, a coach transfer to London Gatwick Airport and an overnight in the Hilton tomorrow night, where I will be reunited with my elder sister Denise who will stay with me, and we will meet my younger sister, Julie at 5.30am on Sunday morning for our flight and week’s holiday together.
Croatia here we come…. me with a new pair of duty-free sunglasses in my bag!!!