By June this year, I had spent almost a year living in Canada, having worked the summer months at a kids' activity camp in Algonquin Provincial Park, and the winter in Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in British Colombia. But there was still one place I had yet to explore, that had been a staple bucket list item for years - Banff National Park, Alberta.
One thing I quickly discovered about Canada, is that being wider than the Atlantic Ocean, it is a country best travelled by car. And so, we hired an SUV, threw an airbed in the back (our first mistake), stocked up on snacks, and took to the vast highways of Alberta.
Our first stop was Lake Louise, the iconic turquoise-blue glacial lake. Just 40 minutes west of Banff, it lived up to the Pinterest hype in all its glory. Framed by snow-capped mountains and cliff faces, the lake was littered with canoes, a contrast to the ice skaters that it would have hosted just a few months prior.
We hiked up to a panoramic viewpoint, The Big Beehive, ascending around 560m to a spot nestled in the trees, overlooking the lake. The steep 10 km loop on a broken night of sleep (thanks to the continually deflating air mattress) was challenging. But the incomparable views that rewarded us made it entirely worth it.
After two long nights of our DIY car camping efforts, we drove an hour south to Kananaskis Village, in search of a decent night's sleep. We arrived at a rustic campsite, where we had booked a Yurt for the night. It was far from luxury, but there were hammocks along the river, incredible scenery and most importantly, a mattress that didn't deflate. Surrounded only by wildlife and the gentle-flowing river, it was a peacefully surreal wilderness getaway.
We ended our week in the Rockies back in our makeshift camp-car, humbled by the inevitable 2am wake-up to a flat mattress. A fun-filled few days included a trail ride along Bow River on a trusty steed named Hollywood, souvenir shopping along Banff Avenue, delicious sushi and a matcha colada at Hello Sunshine, and hikes up to Johnston Canyon Waterfall and Tunnel Mountain.
I could list enough reasons to visit Banff to fill this entire paper, and cannot recommend it enough as an outdoorsy, scenic paradise for anyone looking to escape to the mountains for a while.