Canada: Part 2
At last I have a chance to write part 2 of this blog. See part 1 here.
Banff National Park.
After driving through the quiet and stunning Yoho National Park, we followed Route 1 up and over the Kicking Horse Pass. At 1647m it marks the crossing from British Columbia into Alberta and into Banff National Park. A few miles down the road we came across our first Black Bear foraging along the Railroad track that runs parallel with the road around 100m away.
Pulling into Lake Louise it was bitterly cold and started snowing, and after a few wet nights camping, we decided to head to Banff to find the cheapest Motel we could and dry out the gear.
Next morning we headed back up the Bow Valley towards Lake Louise with glimpses of a light snow covering up the mountains.
The Sawback Range along the Bow Valley. Banff National Park Canada
To avoid the crowds at Lake Louise we walked to Fairview Lookout, not easy as there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground. The elevated view showed that most of the Lake was still frozen from winter, but the famous iridescent blue-green water was still visible.
Lake Louise still partially frozen in June. Banff National Park Canada
Further up the road is Moraine Lake, wow! The guidebook says “Moraine Lake always astounds even the jaded” and it didn’t disappoint. Situated in the Valley of Ten Peaks, the view takes your breath away, partly because it sits at 1885m above sea level. I climbed the moraine at the head of the lake and waited for some sunshine. Instead a snow shower blew down the valley, so I grabbed a few shots before it got too bad. On the way back to the car I came across some Pika, a small rodent related to Rabbits.
Approaching snow storm at Moraine Lake and the Valley of Ten Peaks in Banff National Park Canada
Next day, a soak Banff Hot Springs and cable-car trip up Sulphur Mountain gave great views, but the grey light didn’t produce any interesting pictures. The next post will be on the drive up to Jasper via the famous Icefields Parkway, you can read it here. You can see more pictures taken in Canada here.
