#13 Awe Inspiring Beauty

The drive to Banff was like nothing I had ever experienced. How do I explain the incredible beauty on every side? Imagine a road without a billboard, a condo, a subdivision, a plaza. Let me show you. Keep in mind my photos only provide a snippet of the true awe inspiring beauty of nature in its purist, most undisturbed form.

Those two tunnels were designed for wildlife to migrate to the other side of the highway. They work too. Vehicle collisions with wildlife have decreased on this highway by 80%.

I know the glaciers look small from where we are viewing them but they appear diminished because the mountains are so massive.

Banff, Plenty of Ways To Avoid Tourists

Our camper was so happy to reach Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court. I know the name trailer court sounds like we are in a mobile home park. I didn’t know what to expect. But I didn’t expect this.

We had a wonderful pull through site with a very lucky site # 711. We didn’t spend much time there; we were busy right away. We barely settled in and fed the dog when it was time to meet our tour guide.

Lake Louise, Lake Moraine & Wildlife Adventure

There were about 16 of us on the tour. It made for a nice group. The windows on the tour bus were designed perfectly for picture taking. My phone was in constant motion as I tried to capture every exciting natural wonder. At some point in this blog, some of you might say, “Charlotte, you’ve seen one mountain you have seen them all.” I guarantee that it is my poor photographic skills that would cause you to say that because there are no two mountains alike. Each one is as unique as the palm of your hand.

Lake Louise

We arrived at Lake Louise. The viewing areas were a little busy but we were on an evening tour so I’m sure there were fewer visitors than midday.

The glacial lake was striking with the towering rocky mountains surrounding it. The deep blue of the lake and the green forest looked more like a photo than a place that I could experience at that moment in time. I don’t know if it was the breeze, the cool air or my heightened senses but my eyes were watering as I scanned the incredible sights surrounding me.

The historic luxury resort, the Fairmount Chateau, sat at the edge of one side of the lake. It was built in the 1800’s and you can reserve a lake view room for $1500 a night. Well maybe not lake view for that, probably parking lot view. The Fairmont compound was surrounded by a high metal fence. There were several signs that gave the impression that the public was not all that welcome.

However, Pam and I were not deterred. We walked right in and purchased a couple hot chocolates and a croissant. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Lake Louise. It was totally worth visiting. According to my friend Andrea, the restaurant in the Fairmount offers a delicious lunch with stunning views of the lake. Maybe next time we’ll do lunch.

Moraine Lake

Our time was up and we needed to board our van to explore Moraine Lake. It was no surprise that the views to Moraine Lake were amazing too. Once we arrived, most of the tour guests got off the van and went directly to the viewpoints to the left. Pam and I decided to skip that and take a hike around the lake. We had 45 minutes to explore and felt we would enjoy a peaceful trail hike. I am so glad we did.

You may wonder why the water is so green. As the glacier melts, dust and pieces of rock break off and flow down the mountainside with the glacial stream. When water enters the lake, the particles that hitched a ride are many different colors; orange, green, blue etc. When the sun shines on the lake, the greens and blues reflect the light and show up brilliantly. The other colors are refracted and can’t be seen. It’s actually the same reason the sky is blue. Okay, enough science.

Through the trail of trees that followed the lake, we passed several small water falls. We hiked to the trail’s end where we were treated to a long lake view and the largest of the lakeside waterfalls. We stayed as long as we could before the van was sure to leave us.

A Surprise Visitor

Back in the van and on the road just outside of Moraine Lake our guide abruptly stopped the van. “Look!!! a bear!!”

And as sure as I am writing this, right there was a bear. He lingered by the side of the road eating berries to meet his 20,000 calorie equivalent per day. He’s getting ready for winter hibernation. Which reminds me, I’m getting a little hungry myself.

Tomorrow we are taking a gondola ride and a tour of Banff. I don’t know how we can be more impressed than we were today but come along with us and find out.