Banff National Park

by: Korin            

I grew up in a family that went camping. From an early age I remember fishing, hiking and of course, playing cards. I guess this is how my passion for travelling and seeing the beauty of God’s creation began. Over the years, my parents have camped all over North America. So, naturally, when Matt and I began thinking about our summer plans, I asked my mom what our family still needed to see. She urged us to visit the Canadian Rockies. 

            We were greeted in Banff National Park by a beautiful view of towering peaks and a mysterious feel as a storm had just passed. After seeing some elk along the road, finding our campsite in the Two Jack Lakeside Campground and setting up, we headed into the nearby town, also named Banff. The town was picturesque and bursting with people as we went to the visitor’s center, ran a few errands, and had dinner. The next morning, we set off on our hike to Sunshine Meadows. To get to the meadow and three alpine lakes, we took a gondola and then a chair lift up the mountain. We then had a lovely short hike down the beautiful lakes in the valley. 

            After spending a few nights in the Banff area, we headed to Johnston Canyon and hiked approximately 7 miles to the Ink Pots. Honestly, the canyon was pretty but the trail was so crowded it was anything but peaceful. Matt later compared it to a conga line. Later that night we stayed in Yoho National Park which Eli will tell you about. The following day we arrived in the Lake Louise area of Banff National Park. When we arrived, I was pretty disappointed with how crowded it was. The parking for Lake Louise and Moraine Lake was full. We learned that people were walking several miles to Lake Louise and that the shuttles were operating with a two hour wait. Furthermore, I was under the impression that our campsite in Lake Louise Campground would be within walking distance to the lake but I soon realized that it was several miles away. We headed to our campsite, set up the pop-up and had lunch. A few hours later that we learned that we were in the wrong campsite and had to move. What a day! After dinner we decided to try our luck at getting a parking spot and exploring the area a bit. We found a spot at Lake Louise and headed towards the lake. The water was a beautiful glacial green-blue with a significant mountain backdrop. We explored a bit and moved on to Moraine Lake. Here, we climbed the Rock Trail to get a view of the lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Despite the amount of people there, the scene was magnificent and the color of the water with the peaks in the background was astounding.

            Due to the weather, we decided to postpone our Banff hikes and head to Jasper National Park the next morning. After a two-hour car ride along the stunning Icefields Parkway, we arrived at the Columbia Icefields. We boarded a massive “Ice Explorer” all-terrain vehicle (AKA a monster truck) to a place where we could walk on, feel and drink from the Athabasca Glacier. It was extremely chilly on the glacier, but it was an incredible experience. We finished the adventure with a jaw-dropping walk along the glass floored Skywalk on the edge of a cliff!

            We woke the kids up at 5:30 AM the next morning in order to get a parking spot at Lake Louise. I wanted to complete a 12-mile loop hike which included two tea houses (tiny cafés in the middle of the mountains). I mean, who wouldn’t want to be rewarded in the middle of their hike with tea and biscuits? We arrived at the parking lot at 6:01 and snagged a spot. The parking lot was full by 6:25. After Matt made coffee and breakfast on the truck tailgate, we were on the trail! The start of the hike was tough and had significant elevation gain. We opted to do the Little Beehive lookout which brought us to a view of the lake and the next valley. We pressed onward to the first tea house and we were not disappointed. Overlooking Lake Agnes sat a quaint and charming tea house. While inside we had tea, biscuits and a homemade VEGAN apple blueberry crumble! Needless to say, Eli was ecstatic and everyone got a nice rest from the first few miles. We took the Highline Trail that connected us to the second destination: Plain of Six Glaciers. In Glacier National Park, we hiked to one glacier but this hike brought us to six at one time! It was lunchtime when we got to the second tea house and the glaciers. The tea house was nice but didn’t have as many options as the first, so we had some lemonade and snacks but followed up with our own packed sandwiches and snacks down by the viewing benches. We gazed up at the incredible view for quite a while. While we were there, a sound sort of like thunder erupted and a piece of one glacier fell off. It was spectacular. The hike finished with a crowded walk along Lake Louise. Overall, the day had been delightful and the views quite memorable. 

            Our last day in the Canadian Rockies once again began early. We wanted to hike to Consolation Lake which is located in the Lake Moraine area. We reached the parking lot at 5:58 AM and it was full! Yes. Full at 5:58 AM. We went up the road about ¾ of a mile and found a turnout that hadn’t been occupied yet, so we quickly grabbed it. The trail to Consolation Lake was nice and pretty flat which was welcomed as we were still recovering from the long hike the day before. There was a rock scramble at the end which led us to another glacial lake in a gorgeous valley. Matt and Eli fished for a bit and then we headed back to Lake Moraine. After walking along the lake, we decided it was time to beat the impending storm and head back to the pop-up. We relaxed all afternoon (some of us even took naps), Matt fished on the Bow River and we ended the night with some intense card playing!

We had to deal with some weather and significant crowds but all in all, our time in the Canadian Rockies was enjoyable. The days gave me time to reflect on my camping experiences as a child and how much my family and the surroundings influenced me as we walked along trails, fished for elusive trout and sat around countless campfires. That is what I hope these summer camping trips bring to my own kids. A sense of amazement of God’s creation. An adventurous spirit willing to walk the extra mile to see what is just beyond the bend. A family closeness that is weaved through uninterrupted conversations and experiences together.