Last month I had multiple elopements in Glacier National Park, Montana, a place I have visited quite a few times. Everytime I visit Glacier, I think about how Banff is only 250 miles north. I've never had time to visit, but this year with my van in the shop and nowhere else to live, I rented a car for a little longer and headed up to spend a week in the canadian rockies. This was everything I needed. My flame as an artist, and explorer got reignited. My love for myself grew stronger, and I pushed myself into uncomfortable areas hiking 50 miles and 13,000 ft of elevation in under a week. My goal was to cover as much ground as possible, push myself a little bit but not too much, and I accomplished everything I wanted. I am eager to visit the canadian rockies again, here are some of my landscape photos as well as my itinerary!
DAY 1.
Cross the United States / Canada Boarder, check into Banff International Hostel. This is where I stayed for my week here! Not my favorite hostel, but a good downtown location with free breakfast and a board for activities. Below is a photo of the view outside of the Hostel, and I will also attach link to other establishments I highly enjoyed in Banff!
Lemon morning bun from Wild Flour was to die for.
Carlito's Pizza was so good, I had it twice. My favorite treat after a long day of hiking!
I don't drink alcohol, but Rose & Crown has a great food menu as well as a rooftop patio with incredible views, and events going on many nights of the week! The one night I treated myself to dinner here, I also went out to the Dancing Sasquatch and had a surprisingly amazing time at the only club in Banff!
For fine dining, I met up with some old clients (you'll see their photos at the end!), and we went out to dinner at The Bison. Very good food at atmosphere, I especially loved their open kitchen to watched the stone fired pizza oven!
Capitol One Shopping for coupons and best deals on stores or specific items while traveling, I used the REI coupons for new hiking boots that saved my life!
Day 2.
I have spent years dreaming of a sunrise at Moraine Lake, and when I saw this was the only sunny day for expected before a lot of rain, I rushed and made my shuttle reservations. It did not disappoint, this was one of the best days I had in Banff.
Trail: Moraine Lake to Mount Temple, made an attempt to summit but turned around given I was hiking alone.
Mileage: 8.5
Elevation:3,000
Day 3.
This was a rainy day, so I chose to take it easier and do a hike that came highly recommended to me. I'll be honest, this was likely my least favorite day. If you're an avid hiker, this trail is not for you, unless you're considering extending and doing more around the top. The first few miles through the gorge were beautiful, but heavily crowded and you're walking with a metal railing that makes it difficult to pass anyone.
Trail: Johnston Canyon to Ink Pots
Mileage: 8.5
Elevation: 2,000
Day 4:
HANDS DOWN, this was my favorite day. I started with coffee and oatmeal at Lake Louise, and I had several trail options for how I wanted my day to go, I decided to take it free form and follow my heart in the moment. This is my favorite because of the opportunities to choose your own adventure, and spend an entire day out here. The Plain of Six Glaciers actually blew my mind, the tea houses were delicious, and this trail had the perfect flow of people that made me feel comfortable popping in my headphones and enjoying the majority without thinking about the bears eating me while I hiked alone. This is my top recommendation hands down.
Trail: Lake Louise > Lake Agnes Tea House > Little Beehive > Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House > Six Glaciers Tea Point > Back down to Lake Louise
Mileage: 13.2
Elevation: 3,600
Day 5
This day I decided it was time to start checking out Yoho instead. I needed a rest day, so I took it easy and only took some photos on my iPhone.
Trail: Emerald Lakeshore
Mileage: 4
Elevation: 500
Day 6:
My last big hiking day, and also one of my favorites. This is trail offered a huge variety of alpine lakes, glaciers, waterfalls, and more. This was also the trail where I felt most alone, I went 7 miles at a time without seeing anyone. This day pushed me the most, and offered the most reward. I would go back and do the entire thing again in a heatbeat.
Trail: Iceline Loop, Little Yoho Valley
Mileage: 14.5
Elevation: 3,500
Day 7:
For my last day I needed to do a quick small hike on the way back to push me to a final 50 miles, and 13,000 ft of elevation in a week. Insane! I am so proud of myself, and inspired to get my feet back in the mountains again. I hope you enjoyed this blog, please reach out if you have any questions on the area, or are itching to get photos of yourself done here! Finally I'll attach the photos I did with my past clients, Maddie and Jacque. Maintaining relationships with clients is important to me when possible, and I've been so lucky to see these two many times since their wedding!
