#13 Bootless and Bear-less in Banff

Banff Park gate

Full disclosure.  We were to have spent three days in Banff hiking on some favourite trails, but we were more or less grounded by two factors:

About 45 minutes from Guelph, we discovered that we left our hiking boots behind.  Phooey! But we decided not to go back for them.  I would buy a pair of sturdy hiking shoes when I needed them, and Bruce would wear his regular sturdy shoes.  We pushed on.

Then I mysteriously acquired an injured leg as we left Saskatoon.  It may have happened as I hefted my suitcase down the stairs at our B and B.  In any case, I limped around Edmonton, and I wasn't a whole lot better but the time we got to Banff.

Hmmm.  What could we do in Banff and environs if we were required to go by car, or slowly by foot?

Admire the scenery on the other side of the window.

I bet moose hang out here after we drive away.

No wifi, and no TV at Johnston Canyon. 

Enjoy our out-of-the way Johnston Canyon retreat, even though I couldn't walk up to the top of the canyon as I had planned.  This heritage resort which I first visited with my parents in the fifties brought back a lifetime of memories.

Have a drink at Lake Louise and walk down to the end of the lake.  This was a poor substitute for what I really wanted -- to walk to the tea house at the Plain of the Six Glaciers.

Lake Louise from the far end

Hang out in town.  We went into every museum and art gallery and the public library! 

The spirit bear lives near the library and the Whyte Museum

Learn about the history of the park and its animals.  The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies had a particularly interesting display about the wildlife over-and-underpasses that are a feature of the Trans Canada highway.   These structures provide for safe passage across the road, and when cameras are in place, animals' comings and goings can be recorded and counted.  No wonder my "animals observed" notebook was bear-less, with only one sorry entry, a deer.   The crossing data acquired from each over/underpass show that deer and elk really do have the edge.   

One of several wildlife bridges along the highway through the park. 

Visit neighbouring communties.  Like Canmore, for instance.  The town of Canmore, outside the park gates, also attracts plenty of visitors, but it does not seem as touristy as Banff.  It would probably be a great place to retire. Canmore had fabulous scenery, lots of year round activities, and the community feels like a real town. Bonus: Calgary is only one hour down the road.

 The Three Sisters dominate the Canmore skyline.