Highway 1A

Monday, August 25, 2014
Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada
Today we drove along Highway 1A that runs parallel to the newer and fasterĀ Highway 1 (part of Trans-Canada Highway) but is much more scenic and slow-paced. The speed limit is only 50-60 km/h, but you really don't want to go any faster than that to enjoy all the scenery around you. There are tons of pockets along the road to stop, get out for a hike or simply enjoy the view. Many of these pockets also had information boards about the area, trees and animals that inhabit it. This is also supposed to be the best spot to see some wildlife, but not a single bear decided to wonder out when we were there, unfortunately...

Our first stop was at Johnston Canyon, a deep and narrow cut through limestone rocks . The creek running through the canyon makes several pretty waterfalls that inspired several local artists. We hiked to Upper Falls and back to the entrance of the canyon where we had some lunch at an old tea house.

Then we drove a little further to see amazing views of Castle Mountain.

A bit further along the highway we stopped at picturesque Baker Creek Mountain Resort, a cute collection of log chalets with nice fire pits, swings and tons of bear sculptures. We had some dinner there at a fancy rustic-themed restaurant.

We stopped several more times along the highway, read some information and just looked around. At one point a train passed by and it took forever, it was probably several kilometres long!

When we finally arrived to Lake Louise Village, we check into the inn and drove to the actual lake for which the village was named. Even in the evening the view was breathtaking! The lake sits between two massive mountains and behind it you can see a glacier. What's more interesting is the turquoise colour of the water, which as caused by small rock particles that are ground up by the glaciers and are carried to the lake in streams.

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