Fall Fun Doesn’t Always Mean Leaf Peeping!
In early September, a Colorado friend and I drove to Montana to join a third friend on a road trip up to Banff, Canada. The Montana friend and I had toured Glacier National Park last year, but prior to that, this southern girl had never even heard of some place called Banff (or Glacier for that matter). In the South, The Smokies and Blue Ridge Mountains hold greater sway than the Rockies (American or otherwise).
But the soft, tree-covered slopes of the Smokies are sweet and gentle compared to the Rockies’ harsh edges scraping the sky–and the Canadian Rockies are a range unto their own. Sharp peaks, smooth flat sides, and pockets of turquoise blue glacier lakes inspired awe and dropped jaws. It was hard to know where to look at times!
Mount Rundle
If you’re thinking of traveling north of the border for your own tour of the Canadian Rockies, here are some tips I’d recommend:
Tip #1
Must do: See the glacier lakes
But … skip the well-known ones
I’m sure Lake Louise is stunning, but drive a little further north and you’ll discover the less crowded Peyto and Bow Lakes. The turquoise water really does have to be seen to be believed.
Tip #2
Overnight in Canmore
The charming community of Canmore has a lovely breakfast spot and plenty of souvenir shops to wander before or after your meanders through the mountains and lakes.
Tip #3
While you’re in Canmore, make sure you walk up to the Fairmont Banff Springs on the Bow Falls art trail. The hotel is stunningly beautiful, constructed with local granite and carved by Italian stone cutters and Scottish stone masons, but the artwork peeking out from the trees offers a bit of whimsy for your trek.
Tip #4
Bring or purchase a travel water filter and try the glacier water. Crisp, refreshing, and bragging rights that you drank directly from a glacier!
Tip #5
Stop at Johnston Canyon. It’s a bit off the main highway, but definitely worth the stop and the hike out to the waterfall.
Have you visited Banff? What are your must-dos or tips?
