Here is a mini-trip report of our trip to the Rockies 2 years ago:-
Off and running - we left home at 7am to catch our 10:10am AC flight to Vancouver connecting to Calgary. The SYD-YVR flight was a LifeMiles business class award flight and the connecting flight was an economy flight we purchased some months later once our plans were finalised. Fortunately AC in Sydney checked our luggage all the way to YYC so we did not even have to collect them in YVR where we cleared immigration and customs - which had changed to automatic (no forms) since our visit last October.
The flight was fine - just long and as usual neither of us slept much even though the flight had the refurbished business class seats - a nice improvement - even the food had improved since our last flight but then it could not have gotten much worse.
We arrived in Calgary at around mid-day local time - we had booked a car & driver and our luggage was first off - so a good start. We could also check-in immediately to the Sheraton - our hotel for the next 2 nights. We dropped our bags, did a little unpacking and went over the road to a really nice wine-bar for a light lunch - we sat outside soaking up the sun in about 20℃. We then had an afternoon snooze before showering and went to the Club Lounge for “happy” hour which was not so happy when we found out you had to pay for adult beverages - more than the local bars particularly during their real happy hours. We went back to our room to watch some TV and chill out before taking a very early mark.
Tuesday June 20 - Calgary
First and only full day in Calgary. Weather-wise it was an amazing day - high of 27℃. After breakfast in the lounge we walked around the city center doing a bit of shopping - Dieter got a pair of shoes. We had lunch at Joey - the wine bar opposite our hotel then walked around the park which borders the Bow River. There were hundreds of Canada geese many with young families - there were ducks with ducklings as well but they were outnumbered 100 to 1 by the geese. After a siesta and showers we had dinner at The Keg - a block away - it was so-so but not particularly expensive. When we walked the short distance back to our hotel - the weather changed - a 100km wind blasted through dropping the temperate dramatically - clearly the forecast change was on the way.
Wednesday June 21 - Moraine Lake
So the real holiday started today - it was quite cool (8℃) - after a restless night (day 2 jet lag) and an early brekkie we took a taxi to Hertz to collect our hire car for the rest of the vacation. All went smoothly and we were on the road to Moraine Lake by 8:30am - first stop was Banff to collect tourist information then onto Moraine Lake (near Lake Louise) with one little hiccup from the Garmin we reached the lodge around 11:30am, earlier than planned. The road to Moraine Lake can be very problematic with traffic controls in place - when we tried to turn off the highway onto the road it was totally closed - they let us pass when we indicated we were staying at the lodge. Day visitors needed to queue - the road itself was not the problem - the parking lot at the lake is very limited and fills up early in the day.
As expected when we arrived we were not able to check-in as the lodge was fully booked all season (it’s only open 4 months of the year). We planned to have lunch at the cafe then do a walk but since we were so early we took a short 45-minute walk along the lake then picked up some take-away at the cafe (which is pre-packed sambos only) - we shared a very mediocre veggie sambo and a $5 can of diet coke in the guest lounge. In spite of promising to make the cleaning of our room a priority it was not ready until nearly 2:30pm (note the guaranteed check-in time is 3pm). Most of the big walking trails were still in ‘poor’ condition due to being snow or mud covered.
We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon then headed to dinner at 7pm - dinner was very good - Dieter had elk carpaccio and bison while I had scallops and rack of local lamb. We crashed out early due to ongoing jet lag.
Thursday June 22 - Moraine Lake
We both had a sleepless night from 1am onwards. As a result we tried to have a bit of a sleep in then had to rush to breakfast just before 8am so we could be ready for the guided walk at 9:30am with briefing from 9:15am. The day was partly cloudy with a high of 12℃; fortunately the wind had died down so it did not seem too cold. The walk to Larch Meadow was rated as medium/hard and was estimated as 3-4 hours. In fact even though you made 500m in altitude the track was very well groomed and it seemed fairly easy. If we had been on our own we could have cut 1+ hours off as the guide stopped for rests and info sessions all along the way. Dinner was excellent - a la carte - ours was included as we had booked the “gourmet package”.
Friday June 23 - Moraine Lake to Banff
We got up early and after breakfast we did the Constellation Lake walk - not very difficult - about 2 hours. We did an hour of canoeing then had a light lunch and headed off to Banff. We checked into the Moose Lodge - penthouse suite. To our surprise it did not have a full kitchen but only a bar-fridge and microwave so our idea of cooking a couple of dinners at home was thwarted We did a bit of shopping for breakfast and pre-dinner fives’es then decided to have dinner at the hotel’s pizzeria, Pacino's - it was OK.
Saturday June 24 - Banff
We had breakfast at “home” - a berry blow out, then headed out early to Lake Louise - you need to be early at this time of year due to the crowds. Fortunately we still were able to get into the carpark. We waked around a bit then did the “big” hike up to Angel Lake via Mirror Lake - about 3 hours return. We were really happy we made the effort to start early as by the time we got down the crowds were pouring up the track. We then drove to the Lake Louise gondola and took the chairlift/gondola up and had the most wonderful lunch at the restaurant on top - 10 out of 10. We sat on the terrace, in wonderful sunshine, right at the glass railing overlooking Lake Louise and the Chateau in the distance. After lunch while walking back to the lift we spotted a grizzly with 2 cubs - the grizzly is well known and is named Olivia. We drove back to Banff via the scenic Bow Valley Parkway (instead of the freeway) to check out Johnston Canyon which in spite of being late in the day still looked to be overflowing (the car park at least). We went to Evergreen for dinner and while the food was good the atmosphere was a zero out of 10.
Sunday June 25 - Banff
It was a wonderful sunny and warm day - high of 27℃. We got up really early so we could hit Johnston Canyon first up - well we exited the freeway and found that the Bow Valley Parkway was closed from 8pm-8am - as it was only 7:15am we turned around and went back to the hotel - what a waste of time. We drove back a bit later and waited in a short queue of cars for the road to open. We were still one of the first up the canyon walk - as the day goes on it becomes impassable with throngs of tourists. The walk and the canyon are really a must see - soaring cliffs and roaring water falls. We went back to the hotel to do some laundry (as the only 2 machines are extremely busy at peak times). After that was done we decided to drive to the Banff Gondola and have lunch on top - alas this was a waste of time as the wait time for the gondola was 1h30m - fortunately they told you this before you forked out $62pp for the ride. After having wasted a lot of time we went back to the hotel (as you can’t find a carpark in Banff to save your life) and shared a pizza at Pacino’s. We then headed off to Marble Canyon - a bit of a drive some 50k’s away - but it was well worth the drive - amazing …. We had dinner at La Terazza and were very happy with our meal.
Monday June 26 - Lake O'Hara
We got up early (again) to head off to Lake O’Hara - a very “exclusive” lodge just over the BC border (while the lodge still uses Alberta time, it uses BC taxes which are much higher - liquor is taxed at 23% unlike 5% in Alberta - all that oil money). The lodge is “exclusive" due the fact that only a very limited number of people can go there. Both the lodge and the camping ground are fully booked year-on-year, with priority given to returning guests. We snagged a booking only when someone cancelled the very minute Dieter was on the phone inquiring about bookings. The only way in is by bus (a private bus for Lake O’Hara Lodge guests) from a car park along a 11k gravel road, uphill all the way. The lodge only runs 2 busses per day day - one at 9:45am and one at 4:45pm. We had booked the 9:45pm bus and left Banff early at 8:05am for the 1 hour drive - lots of time - however due to road closures at the entries to the freeway from Banff we were at delayed at least 30 minutes - anyway we made the bus.
We arrived and checked-in and collected our packed lunch then did the lake circumnavigation track (1 hour) - we had our lunch then headed off on the iconic headline walk to Lake Osea - which turned out to be much more difficult than I had imagined, anyway we made it. After a beer and a cider we went back to our cabin to shower and relax before dinner - it was shared tables - we sat with 2 couples from BC - the dinner was fine - soup, salad, chicken and dessert - we washed ours down with a bottle of Pinot. It was off to bed early.
Tuesday June 27 - Lake O'Hara
We had a pre-brekkie coffee on our lake front deck then had breakfast at 8am - meal times are fixed. To our surprise after eating a berry feast from the breakfast buffet they came around and offered a choice of cooked brekkie - I was too full but Dieter had poached eggs. It was a totally clear / sunny but cool day - perfect for hiking. For our morning walk, we did the Schaffer Lake hike - 1 hour each way - of course we needed photos of the lake and signage for Dieter’s namesake (unfortunately they added an extra “f” - but Dieter will contact Parks Canada to get this corrected and to have a larger sign erected (no doubt at his cost). We came back to lodge for lunch rather than opt for the packed lunch which most people seem to do. After lunch and a bit of a rest we did the Linda Lake via MorningGloria Lake circuit - this took about 3 hours even with a shortcut on the latter part of the hike (i.e. we did not make it all the way to Linda Lake as it's on a side track). We were both bushed after nearly 6 hours of hiking. There are no easy trails here - even ones with not much vertical are very rugged - some with snow cover in some areas. We had dinner with 2 different couples (one from Calgary and one from Alabama) - dinner was excellent - beautifully cooked rack of lamb for the main. It was off to bed very early again.
Wednesday June 28 - Lake O'Hara
We had a pre-brekkie coffee on our lake front deck then had breakfast at 8am - same as yesterday. It was a cloudy morning - hopefully this would not mean rain. By the time we set-out on a short pre-lunch walk it had started to drizzle on and off - we took the lake shore walk in the opposite direction as last time - took about an hour. After another excellent lunch we set off on the Lake Odaray walk in spite of increasing drizzle. But to our surprise it did not rain or even drizzle at all in our 3 hour walk. It was a tough climb up to a plateau (causing me some vertigo and worry about the downward trek). Even though this walk can be done as a circuit the west side still had too much snow so we had to return the same way. We made to a wonderful lookout over Lake O’Hara and the surrounding vista - we shared it was the cutest marmot. We met up with 2 of our dinner companions (Peter and Laurie). Back home for showers and dinner and packing as this was out last night and luggage needed to be ready for collection by 8am. Dinner was good again - salmon - we were assigned a table for 2 - Dieter jokingly commented that we may have offended people but table assignments seem to be totally random.
Thursday June 29 - Banff
It was up early for our final O’Hara breakfast then onto the 9:15am bus for the 11k drive to the parking lot. We took the early bus so we could make a few stops on the drive back to Banff. It was an amazing sunny day - cold in the morning but warmed up to 26℃. Our first stop was Emerald Lake - a beautiful green lake - we did the lake circumnavigation - 5.3k in an hour and 15 m. We then had lunch at the Terrace Restaurant, part of the Emerald Lake Lodge - we shared a very small pizza - it was a disgrace to Italian and Canadian cuisine. From here we drove to Takakkaw Falls - the third highest falls in Canada then it was back to Banff, about 70k’s. Back at the Moose Lodge we shopped, showered and had dinner at home - sambos.
Friday June 30 - Banff
It was our last day in Banff - we toured many of the local attractions with a few short walks. For lunch we hand-cut had sambos; i.e. I made them. It was another superb day - high of 27℃. We did a village walk and boutique crawl - I was trying to replace my t-shirt which had gone missing (the cough one with the sequinned hornbill on it). I did end up getting a light blue and white linen shirt from Gap - 40% off - a steal. We went to La Terazza again for dinner - salmon for both of us.
Saturday July 1 - Canada
Day - onto Jasper
We left really early, before 8am, for the long drive to Jasper - it’s about 275k’s but we were planning quite a few stops along the Icefields Parkway (the road to Jasper). Stops included: Herbert Lake (the most photographed lake in Canada due to the wonderful reflections), Bow Summit and Peyto Lake (the most turquoise lake you can ever see), Parker Ridge (where our planned 2 hour hike got canned due to rain which had set in), Sunwapta Falls (where we had a quick sambo as the rain had stopped), and finally Athabasca Falls (where we did a short walk as the sun had come out). Then it as onto the Alpine Village, our hotel, some 2k’s outside of Jasper village. By the time we checking in it was 2:30pm so we set out for the village to do some grocery shopping and visit the tourist bureau. Our “room” at the Alpine Village was in fact a beautiful log cabin full of atmosphere but with all the mod-cons It is set beside the river among trees - unfortunately the mozzies were out in force - swarming everywhere. We stayed home for a dinner of pesto and mushroom pasta.
Sunday July 2 - Jasper
We got up early (as is our norm on this holiday) - it was another “bottler” - high of 25C+. After a berry feast for brekkie we headed off to Maligne Canyon - an amazing canyon with rushing waterfalls - we did the bridges 1 to 5 walk - took about 2 hours. From here we drove to Maligne Lake where we had a picnic lunch and did the Mary Schaffer loop walk - about 1+ hours. Note that not all famous landmark are named after Dieter, Jasper has a Patricia Lake, street and place. On the way home we stopped at bridge 6 of Maligne Canyon then onto Lake Beauvert but we ran out of time to do another walk. Later we went to dinner at a resort 1k down the road, Tekarra Restaurant where we were pleasantly surprised by the food and service. It was fully booked with many walk-in’s being sent packing.
Monday July 3 - Jasper
We had a bit of a lazier start to the day - first walk at 10am was the Valley of 5 Lakes - about 6k’s down the Ice-field Parkway. It was a great walk in wonderful weather (high of 21C and fortunately the forecast rain never eventuated) - took 2h45m. We did not have a packed lunch so decided to drive over to the gondola and go up the mountain for lunch on top; alas, as we arrived at the gondola station it closed due to high winds and an approaching storm. So it was off to the village when we had a pretty good light lunch at Earl’s - avocado on toasted baguette and a green salad. After lunch we did some more grocery shopping then headed home. By now it was around 4pm so we went over to the river front (across the street from the Alpine Village) and sat in a couple deck chairs for Happy Hour watching the rafting tours float by in wonderful sunshine (well there were a few clouds about). We stayed home for another pesto/mushroom pasta dinner.
Tuesday July 4 - Jasper to Kamloops
We set off early for our drive to Vancouver via an overnight stop in Kamloops. When we crossed the BC border we were reminded to set our watches back by 1 hour so we in fact had left really early. After about 1h30m we stopped at a visitor center for Mt Robson where I overheard one of the attendants mention a major road closure (due to an accident) - well she advised us that it impacted our route so we opted to stop for a 3 hour hike which was spectacular. We ate a packed lunch then set off (again) for Kamloops after learning that a detour was in place. We reached our hotel in Kamloops around 5:30pm just in time for showers and dinner at the “best” local restaurant, Brownstone, which turned out to be very good.
Wednesday July 5 - Kamloops to Vancouver
It was off again early for the remaining 4 hour drive to Vancouver - we made good time and were all checked-in to our hotel, Sutton Place, by 1pm. So we ate our packed lunch then walked around the city on a nice sunny and warm day stopping at an old favourite, Joe Fortes, for a drink. I had booked to get my hair done at 3:30pm - which I did with rather disappointing results - hopefully Steph will be able to fix the colour when I get home. We had dinner as planned at CinCin which was excellent.
© Patricia Schafer 2017
. Tim Hortons 
