Banff, Alberta, Canada
After some much needed sleep, we made our way downstairs for breakfast. There wasn't much room left to sit as everybody else had the same idea. Breakfast was pretty basic but it was free. I was impressed by the waffle machine which I later found to be a staple in all the US and Canadian hotels that we stayed in.
The drive to Banff was very easy. At one stage, we pulled off the road to adjust the sound system. Suddenly, we became aware that we were surrounded by little ground dwelling creatures, scurrying around and making high pitched squeaks. I never really found out what they were... some sort of ground squirrel I suspect... But they were very cute and were an exciting introduction to the novel forms of wildlife that we were destined to encounter over the coming weeks.
It was only a couple of hours to Banff. We found our accommodation at the Hotel Juniper first but it was too early to check in, so we decided to visit the Banff Gondola straight up. We stopped for coffee and a snack before we bought our tickets for the Gondola. (actually a package deal which included a lake cruise and a tour of the Columbia Icefield)
On the Gondola, we were whisked up to Sulphur Mountain where there was a visitor centre and long boardwalk across a ridge. We were instantly amazed by the magnificent views of the sharp snow capped peaks, with Banff and a series of lakes in the valley far below.
After eventually checking in to our hotel, we drove down to Lake Minnewanka and enjoyed an afternoon cruise. We finished with a drive along the shores of the lake and it's neighbour Two Jack Lake where I took some more very scenic photos. Our first day in the Banff had been a great introduction to the Rockies.
2025-05-22