Chapter 44 - Banff, Canada (5/26 - 6/2/26) - First Time in the Canadian Rockies

Posing with our "crabby" travel blog mascot.

On May 26, after a somewhat bumpy start to our trip at EZ Air Park in Eagan (where a parking attendant sitting in the booth right in front of us made us use the self check-in) we enjoyed a quick flight from MSP to Calgary and arrived in the Banff area. From there, we met our friends Darsey and Pat from  Fargo, ND, picked up our rental car, and made the 45 minute drive to Canmore arriving well past dark.

We were excited to wake up to this morning view for 7 days.

On May 27, we headed to breakfast and found more beautiful mountain views everywhere we looked. 

It was not an exaggeration to say everywhere you turned there were stunning mountains.

Then we headed to the Banff Upper Hot Springs for a nice long soak.  

Banff Upper Hot Springs is a historic outdoor mineral hot spring located high on Sulphur Mountain in Banff National Park. 

We enjoyed relaxing in the naturally heated, mineral-rich waters for an hour or so. 

Next, we planned to take the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain and hike back down. That plan quickly changed when we learned gondola tickets for two people would cost $193 round trip and you had to buy a round trip ticket even if you wanted to hike back down. Instead, we decided to hike the 3.89 miles up the 8,041 foot high mountain so we could ride the gondola down for half price. After purchasing the return tickets, we realized they weren't actually needed since no one checked them.

The hike up Sulphur Mountain was definitely a workout, and we were tired by the time we reached the summit, but the experience was worth it.

Video of us almost at the top.

Along the trail, we came across a small waterfall surrounded by ice and rushing mountain runoff. Seeing both frozen ice and melting water side by side was a new experience.

Another stunning view of the Rockies from the top of Sulphur Mountain.

At the top, we rewarded ourselves with a fantastic buffet dinner at the Northern Lights restaurant.

The buffet was delicious and the salmon was the best we have ever had.  

They offered these cheesy photos that we didn't want to buy so we just snapped a quick photo for memory sake.  

Corp couldn't resist a photo pointing out where we had hiked up to.

We ended the day with shopping along Banff Avenue.

On May 28, we started the day by walking around Downtown Canmore to find a place to eat lunch.

Along the way, we found this wooden walkway and enjoyed the mountain town atmosphere.

After lunch, we hit the road for one of the highlights of the trip, Lake Louise.  We were shocked to find a parking spot right away because we heard alot of complaints about parking there.  At $47 for the day, it definitely was not cheap, but once we saw Lake Louise, we agreed it was worth it.

Seeing the lake for the first time was absolutely breathtaking. Towering mountains framed both sides, a glacier sat in the distance, and the water was the most incredible shade of blue we had ever seen. The famous turquoise color comes from “rock flour,” tiny particles created as glaciers grind against the surrounding mountains. During the summer melt, glacier water carries those particles into the lake, where they reflect sunlight in brilliant blue and turquoise tones.

Enjoying drinks and appetizers at the Lakeview Lounge inside the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel.  The view outside the window is not a picture.  It is a view of Lake Louise.  Wow!

After finishing our drinks, we headed out to get a closer look at the lake.

Corp dipped his hand in Lake Louise and told us it was pretty chilly.

We were happy campers seeing Lake Louise.

After checking out the lake, we decided to hike to Fairview Lookout. Seeing Lake Louise from higher above was just as stunning as seeing it from the shoreline. The 1.5 mile roundtrip trail, however, was much icier than we expected.  

 

With our limited hiking experience, we did not realize the trail could still be icy in late May.  The trail was slippery on the way up, but even worse coming back down. And yes, I am wearing a black dress because I didn't think we were going on a hike that day.

Video of the hike up.

We were all smiles at the top of the lookout.  The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Hotel that we had drinks at is in the background of the photo.

On May 29, we spent part of the day hiking to both the Upper and Lower Falls in Johnston Canyon. The 3.6 mile round trip hike was easy and offered rushing water from start to finish.

Pat and I ready for another hike to two different waterfalls in Johnston Creek Canyon.

As we followed the trail deeper into the canyon, the sound of the rushing water grew really loud.

This video shows the roar of the waterfalls was almost deafening.

One thing that surprised us was how noticeably cooler the air became as we approached the water. Between the towering canyon walls, the mist from the falls, and the glacier fed creek below, it felt like stepping into a natural air conditioner.

Funny photo - Corp taking a photo of Darsey while Darsey is taking a photo of Corp through a rock opening in front of the waterfall.

Corp was able to capture a rainbow when taking a photo of the waterfall mist in the sun. 

Video of the rainbow.

On May 30, we headed about 1.5 hours north along the Icefields Parkway to visit Peyto Lake. The hike to the viewpoint was a short 1.5-mile round trip, but the trail again was covered in ice and very slippery so it felt like we walked way longer than 1.5 miles.

Despite the slippery trail conditions, the breathtaking view and turquoise blue water made it worthwhile. Looks like Corp liked it too.

Video of  Lake Peyto.

From the overlook, we also saw a historic photo showing the Wapta Icefield in the early 1900s. It was fascinating to compare it to today's landscape and see just how much the glacier has receded over the past century.

Video of the slippery hike up and down from Lake Peyto.

We made it back to the car with smiles on our faces and thankfully no broken bones.

Next, we made our way into Banff on a mission to find two iconic Canadian sweet treats: bear claws and Beaver Tails.

The bear claw was a caramel patty covered with milk chocolate and topped with three cashews that resemble a bear's claw. Delicious!  

Next came the Beaver Tail, a hand-stretched whole wheat pastry fried until golden brown and topped with a variety of sweet toppings. Ours was loaded with toffee pieces, caramel, and cheesecake topping. It was warm, sweet, and delicious too! We definitely had our sugar high after those two treats.  

On June 1, we went spelunking and what an adventure it turned out to be. We signed up for the Canmore Cave Tour to explore Rat's Nest Cave, not fully realizing what we had gotten ourselves into. The weather wasn't helping either. For the second straight day, rain followed us, and we even woke up to snow on June 1!

We had to hike 30 minutes in the rain to get to the opening of the cave so out came the rain pants and ponchos.

This was our base camp where we suited up in overalls, harnesses, knee pads, and helmets.

We couldn't stop laughing at Corp since he split his rain pants on the hike up to the cave.

Video of Corp's funny commentary about his split rain pants.

Pat and I were excited to start spelunking.

A short climb up a slick rock face later, and we were entering the cave.

We've toured caves before, but this experience was on an entirely different level. Instead of following paved walkways and handrails, we squeezed between narrow rock passages, slid down sections on our backsides, and clipped onto safety lines to navigate steep ascents and descents.

Here are a few of the best videos that Corp and Darsey took.

Video of Corp descending into the cave.  He was pretty risky filming on the way down.

Video of me on my first longer ascent.  I was nervous, so I couldn't stop laughing.

Video of Corp, Pat, and I getting ready to crawl through a small rock opening.

Video of Pat and I taking a rest at the bottom of Rat's Nest Cave.  By the end of the tour, we had descended the equivalent of 16 stories underground. One of the most fascinating parts was learning about the cave formations. Some of them have taken thousands of years to form, making it feel like a hidden piece of history frozen in time.

Video of Darsey crawling through a tight space.

Video of Corp climbing up a sheer rock face.

Corp, Darsey, and Pat exiting the cave after our 16 story descent and ascent.

The tour was physically demanding, but it was also one of the most memorable experiences of our trip.

Video of us crossing the stream.

During the hike up and down the mountain, we used ropes to navigate alongside a rushing stream. That's when I learned an important lesson: always keep the rope tight. One misstep sent me straight into the cold running water. Fortunately, I popped right back up, and thanks to still wearing my helmet, I escaped with nothing more than a good story and a wet backside.

On June 2, we said our goodbyes to Darsey and Pat and returned home with another quick flight.

Miscellaneous random cute/funny/interesting/weird pics/videos below…

It seemed like wherever we drove we would drive by this awesome waterfall that you could see from the road.

We named our rental car "Smurf." It brought us good luck whenever we were searching for parking, and its bright color made it easy to spot in a crowded lot. Just before I took this picture, another driver accidentally backed into Smurf's front bumper and actually pushed the car a bit. Amazingly, there wasn't a single mark left behind. Smurf was one tough little cookie!

Well, that wraps up our trip to Banff. From breathtaking mountain vistas to turquoise lakes, the beauty of the Canadian Rockies surprised us.  A special thank-you to Darsey and Pat for  inviting us to join them on the trip.  Banff is a place we'll definitely return to someday.

Corp and Tammy