So I left you hanging with our failed attempts at poached eggs...
And the suspense as to whether we would get better with our camper game.
Long story short, we did.
It was a rocky road (literally).
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We learnt many things over our next few days on the road.
Like how we should remove whatever we needed from storage BEFORE we put the bed up.
That rice indeed did not drain down a camper van sink.
Nor did oats ... Or anything that wasn't just water in its purest form.
About just how addicting Timmy's cheap (but delicious) pastries were ...
And how many donuts you could humanely eat in two weeks.
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But, all in all, I am happy to report we survived.
(And we still like each other...)
And on that note,
Let's start back into day 5.
And our journey from Jasper to Banff.
DAY 5
JASPER TO BANFF (via Athabasca Falls, Columbia Icefield Skywalk, Lake Louise and Lake Moraine)
JASPER TO ATHABASCA FALLS
(30 minutes drive)
Athabasca means ‘there are plants one after another’ in Wood Cree. The water of Athabasca river changes according to season and on the type of rock flour in the water. It is these rock components that reflect different wavelengths of light and give rise to such a phenomenon. We arrived at Athabasca falls quite early and it was pretty busy. I think this is partly because of its its easy accessibility off the main road … but also due to the fact that it’s pretty dang beautiful.
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As far as waterfalls go, the 75 foot tall (23m) Athabasca Falls wouldn’t win any medals for height, but what it lacks in stature it more than makes up for in raw power. A phenomenal amount of water tumbles down this cascade, made narrower (and therefore more forceful) by the surrounding hard quartzite rock. We were able to experience this waterfall by doing a very short walk along its extensive (and busy) walkways and bridges. These paths skirted and spanned the gorge immediately downstream of the falls. The brisk walk we did provided us with views of the falls’ brink from both of its sides as well as its front. There’s a walk that leads you further downstream deeper into the intriguing lower canyon but we didn’t get the chance to do this or the other walks at the falls.
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We had planned on doing the well known and much loved Glacier Skywalk at the Columbia Icefield … but… continuing on with the theme of things not going to plan, a recent avalanche rendered the Glacier Skywalk unsafe and only a few brave tourists decided to live life on the edge, both metaphorically and literally, and jump aboard the glacier bus. The glaciers at the icefield are endlessly advancing and retreating in an ancient elemental dance. This is a place where time is measured in millennia and yet the present moment is incredibly powerful (as evidenced by the avalanche). The Icefield Skywalk allows you to explore the ancient Athabasca Glacier on a giant Ice Explorer, discovering glaciology and stepping right on to the glacier itself. The experience features waterfalls, wildlife, fossils and more on an exciting 1-kilometre walkway that leads to a platform where glass is all that separates you from a 918-foot (280 m) drop. The walk is presented in an interpretive storytelling format that will connect you to the natural world in a deep and meaningful way.
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* Also, I found out that tours are even offered during the evening, which I think would be so amazing. The glaciers are transformed into the best seat in town for dark sky watching, star-gazing and astronomy!
ATHABASCA FALLS TO COLUMBIA ICEFIELD GLACIER SKYWALK
(1 hour drive)
Athabasca River is fed by the Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield is the largest icefield in the Canadian Rockies, covering some 230 sq km (89 sq mi) to a depth of 365 m (1,200 ft) and some 28 km (17 mi) long. Draped over the continental divide on a high alpine plateau along the Alberta-British Columbia border, it receives an average of 7 m (23 ft) of new snowfall annually. Not all of that snow can melt in the short summers so it accumulates, turning to ice which flows outward through the surrounding passes, creating fingers of ice known as glaciers. The Athabasca Glacier is the most well-known.
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On our little walk to the glacier
Tickets come with a 10% discount if you book in advance
Adult (16 years and over) $34.00
Adult (Alberta residents) $30.00
Youth (5-16 years) $17.00
Child under 6 years free!
Tickets on arrival
Adult (16 years and over) $37.00
Youth (5-16 years) $19.00
We didn’t let the avalanche stop us completely. You can walk right up to the glacier yourself. We started at the information/ticket office and then crossed the road over to the start of the walk. The walk is about an hour return.
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Ps. It gets really windy and renowned for spontaneous rain showers at the glacier so pack/wear a waterproof!
COLUMBIA ICEFIELD GLACIER SKYWALK TO LAKE LOUISE
(1 hour and 45 minutes drive)
Lake Louise is one of those places that makes you think you’ve been hit by a truck and you’ve landed yourself in heaven. Everywhere you turn, you’ll find views that you won’t believe are real. It’s (understandingly) very touristy but its charm remains very much in tact. It is beautiful. You can walk or cycle around the lake or you could rent a kayak for an hour and paddle on the lake. It’s $105/hour from memory and includes the whole kit so you literally just need to hop in (and try to not fall out). Though we really wanted to kayak, we couldn’t really justify $105 for an hour … I mean that $105 equates to 105 happy smiley face cookies from Tim Horton’s!
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LAKE LOUISE TO MORAINE LAKE
Located a little less than nine miles from Lake Louise is Moraine Lake. You’ll find it nestled at the base of the Valley of the 10 Peaks, boasting turquoise waters that change colour according the sunlight. The sunlight retracts off the minuscule particles of glacier-ground rock that is continuously being deposited into the lake as part of the natural glacial erosion process. The result: mesmerising scenery that makes you want to pinch yourself. People tend to consider it a b-list lake compared to Lake Louise but I can confidently say that I’m 100% team Moraine. You can rent a canoe by the hour from the Moraine Lake Lodge and paddle through the lake’s crystal clear water. It costs the same as Lake Louise ($105/hour) and paddles and life jackets are also included in the hire. I heard that people staying at the lodge do get a discounted rate but I can’t say how much that is exactly. Though I imagine the cost of paying to stay in the lodge probably very easily outweighs the principle of staying there just to get the discounted rate on kayaks.
MORAINE LAKE TO BANFF
(2 hours drive)
We (regretfully) left Lake Moraine with Banff in our sights… but, luckily for us, our sadness was quickly replaced with wonder and inquisitiveness as we pulled into the streets leading to Banff. We arrived quite late so we had to lay our curious minds to rest and wait until the next day to explore.
CAMPSITES
Like Jasper, the camping at Banff required pre-booking due to the likelihood of sites filling up fast. We stayed at Tunnel Mountain Village campsite. It was $27.40 for the campervan for each night. These prices are subject to change depending on the time of the year and whether you want a fire pit. The site (thankfully) had a heated shower block and toilet facilities. The layout of the site is such that each camping block (A-G) has toilet and shower facilities located within the middle of the site, allowing for easy and convenient access. This trip taught me to never underestimate the beauty of a warm shower to defrost you after sleeping in a van during an icey night. I could not imagine staying there in the Winter months!!
DAY 6
EXPLORE BANFF
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A little bit about Banff
Banff is beautiful year-round but the most popular time to visit is July to September after the lakes have all thawed and the weather is perfect. I really loved Banff and it was probably one of my favourite spots! Banff radiates all the relaxed, ‘work just enough to pay the bills’, happy go lucky kind of vibes. It was such a perfect mix of relaxation and adventure and it was so refreshing to be so disconnected from technology in the most beautiful setting. Even just driving from place to place was peaceful and we were provided with views that belong on advertisements selling nature's finest spring water.
Here’s what we did with our day in this beautiful place.
BANFF HOT SPRINGS
We spent the morning at Banff’s National Park’s hot springs, soaking in the steamy hot mineral water that has been popular with travellers for over a hundred years. Like gourmet blends of coffee, a hot spring’s water features a signature mix. Each Rocky Mountain Hot Spring has its own unique blend of minerals, gases and temperature. It was only $8.30 for an adult (18-64 years) and you could stay as long your heart desired or until you started to turn into a human prune. Entry for seniors (65 years and above) is $7.30, children (3-17 years) are $6.30 and children under three are free! Tokens for the lockers in the changing rooms are included in the price and you can rent a towel if you happen to forget one.
Opening hours
October 28 – May 14:
Sunday to Thursday: 10:00 - 2200
Friday and Saturday: 10:00 - 23:00
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May 15 – October 27
Daily: 09:00 - 21:00
The waters are said to be a whopping 42 degrees celsius and you find yourself warming up faster than a bagel in a toaster. We started feeling a little queasy after an hour in the hot waters and alternated our time in and out of the springs to ease this almost ‘heat stroke-like’ feeling. The oldies seemed much more resilient than us and they were still in there when we left … and are probably still there now!
Ps: how cool would it be during evening hours!?
BANFF GONDOLA
Right next to the hot springs is the Banff gondola. We didn’t do this as we had already done the one in Jasper and the price was steep compared to other activities we would rather do. Here’s their website where you can find lots of helpful bits and bops if you’re interested in doing this activity: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola/
food & drink
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COFFEE
We had a coffee at a place called Little Wild. The décor was simplistic and stylish, the coffee was actually decent and the pastry selection was highly recommended. The price was similar to the UK and the coffee set us back $4 for a medium and $4.50 for a large. Find the menu here and compare for yourself: http://www.littlewildcoffee.ca/#menu-section Also, do yourself a favour, and buy one of the brownies (or three!)
LUNCH
There’s a place where we stopped for an afternoon cocktail and a bite to eat. It’s called PARK and we would have eaten there the previous night had the place not been more packed than a tin of sardines and the waiting list wasn’t an hour and a half minimum wait. I had a ‘beehive’ cocktail, consisting of vanilla vodka, elderflower liqueur, blueberry mash, lemon juice and honey, and it was sweet and so delicious! Matt sampled a beer from Calgary and seemed very content with his choice. There’s a good selection of cocktails, such as, Skoki Lodge (maple rye, bourbon, butters and orange zest), cascade (dry gin, lime juice, fruit pure, mint and simple syrup), the three sisters (maple rye, espresso vodka, chilli vodka, salt and orange oil) and a generous number of other groovy combinations. Each of the cocktails and other alcoholic beverages are made using the spirits distilled at the restaurant.
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You can see all the machinery behind glass walls as you sit down and eat. They use water that originates at six glaciers high in the Rocky Mountains and gains it’s minerality as it travels across rich limestone deposits. Their grain is sourced from high-altitude family farms in the Alberta foothills. It’s been hand-milled, hand-mashed and hand-distilled to preserve the purity of its ingredients. And you can purchase all of their spirits from their little shop attached to the restaurant (and you get a 10% discount if you show them your receipt from lunch/dinner at the restaurant). They even run a free distillery tour if you have time. The food portion sizes are really generous and the service from our aussie (turns out every other person in Banff is Australian … it felt like I was home for those two days haha) waitress was well worth the annoyingly common service charge.
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DINNER
If you’re looking for somewhere for dinner then you’re spoilt for choice. There’s heaps of places along the the central hub of Banff Avenue. We had heard good things about this burger joint called Eddie’s Burger and Bar and a place called Maple Leaf. Both were packed and required bookings by the looks of it. Instead, we stopped at a place called The Keg – Steakhouse and Bar the evening before. They’re big on burgers and pizzas and that’s totally fine with me! Just be careful to remember that you’ll get stung with a service charge pretty much everywhere and you go and dine in. The places in Canada that we visited seemed to hover around 15% of the total cost and had options to tip more if you felt like the service deserved the extra cash. I’ve also heard that the service charge can creep up to be as much as 25%. It usually lets you know how much it is somewhere on the menu (usually in the finest of fine prints) so just keep an eye out for it.
LOCAL WALKING TRAIL
Lake Johnson
Consulting AllTrails revealed a whole bunch of trail walks we could do around Banff. Feeling full and slightly tipsy, we decided on a relatively easy trail around Lake Johnson. The reviews all raved about it … except for this one … but we decided to take the risk (and pack our bear spray just in case).
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The walk is a 3.1 km loop that took us just over an hour and that included a few photo stops along the way. The trail is very clear and easy to walk on, albeit a little muddy in sections after the rain. I 100% recommend walking around the lake because the views from the other side are very much worth it. The lake is a mirror image of its land counterparts and it’s both unreal and beautiful in equal measures.
our afternoon drinks
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Tunnel Mountain Village
We finished up our walk at Johnson Lake and then did a little section of a larger trail near our campsite. The walk is called ‘Tunnel Mountain Trail’ on the AllTrails app and includes this little lookout called Hoodoo Lookout. The walk was only twenty minutes but we could see Mount Rundle and Bow River against the backdrop of Canada’s evening dusk delights. We could hear the bull elk’s calls resonating and echoing around the walls of the valley and it was pretty cool.
what the heck is a hoodoo you ask?
A hoodoo is a strange word for even stranger shaped rock pillars. Over thousands of years, rain, snowmelt and wind have scoured the glacial material that makes up the ridges frequently seen in areas around the Rocky Mountains.
DINNER
We stayed at the same campsite (Tunnel Mountain Village) and attempted to make stuffed sweet potatoes with the help of a camp fire. Stuffed sweet potatoes is essentially tacos but you do a sneaky swaparoo with the taco shells and use sweet potatoes instead. You just need an onion, one capsicum, a few cherry tomatoes and chilli if you like a little heat. Fry them up and add a cup of cooked rice. Add in salsa and taco seasoning. And then cook it until everything is combined and ready for some stuffing. Ideally, the fire would have survived long enough to crisp up our sweet potatoes (that we had parboiled for twenty minutes in some hot water) but the fire had other ideas and went to bed early. We popped them in the hot ashes for a little while so they soaked up some smokey flavour and, luckily for us, they were cooked through from their time in the boiling water. We cut the sweet potatoes in the middle, added in our stuffing mixture, then topped with cheese and a whole heap of guacamole.
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We accidentally left one in the fire and the only thing remaining in the morning was the aluminium foil some 10 metres away from the fire pit. We still like to think it was a bear, even though the likely culprit was probably an elk … or a really strong chipmunk.
DAY 7
BANFF TO TAKKAKAW FALLS
(1 hour and 15 minutes drive)
These falls had popped up during my search of ‘Canada’s most beautiful waterfalls’. Not only were they beautiful, but they were massive! When you say ‘takakkaw’, you are saying ‘it is magnificent’. And it’s a very fitting name for this 265-metre waterfall. Located in Yoho National Park, Daly Glacier, 350m from the brink, feeds the falls. The glacier, in turn, is fed by the Waputik Icefield. Snow falling on the icefield becomes moving ice in the glacier, which melts to become Takakkaw Falls. In summer, the rock face roars with the plunging mountain torrent. But, in autumn, the melt is slowed, and by winter, the raging falls narrow to a ribbon of ice awaiting summer to set it free.
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You can see the falls along the road as you drive towards the car park at the falls. The walk from the car park to the base of the falls is relatively short and takes around 10 minutes. You can also get a little closer if you want or if heights/rock faces/plummeting to a sure death if you slip off the side aren’t high on your fear list.
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TAKKAKAW FALLS TO KICKING HORSE MOUNTAIN RESORT
(1 hour drive)
A big bucket list item in coming to Canada was to see a bear. Our time in Whistler, Jasper and Banff hadn’t delivered any bear encounters so we decided to take matters into our own hands and see a bear named Boo. Don't be fooled by his endearing name though. Boo is a near 600 pound grizzly bear who hunts, plays, forages, and explores just like his wild cousins in a 20-acre play pen.
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ABOUT BOO & kicking horse resort
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As a blue-listed species, grizzly bears are sensitive to human activity and threatened by habitat loss and other factors. By observing Boo in his natural habitat, the conservation area provides the opportunity to see firsthand how beautiful and majestic grizzly bears really are. Raising awareness of these secretive and noble creatures helps to improve the plight of this embattled species.
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The story of Boo begins with a tragedy. His mother was shot when he was just a cub, leaving him and his two brothers as bear orphans. Normally, cubs who become orphans are sadly euthanised because cubs, who learn all their survival skills from their mum, are left with no learned adaptations to hunt and to survive. These skills, which range from from climbing trees to building dens, are vital to the survival into grown bearhood. Without mum, bears have a five percent chance of survival and a high chance of becoming rogue.
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Whilst people may think that being a grizzly bear in captivity stripes you of your instinctive hunting abilities, Boo most certainly retains his instinctual behaviour. And all you have to do is ask a 600 pound bull elk... The guide leading our tour told us of a story of a morning where she came to work in the morning to find a massive gaping whole in the fencing surrounding Boo’s grounds. Instead of this being a product of Boo trying to escape, however, it was created by an elk trying to get into the enclosure, in an attempts to escape a hungry pack of wolves. The good news is that it did escape the pack of ravenous wolves but, the bad news, it ran straight onto the breakfast plate of Boo. The staff found Boo in a corner of his enclosure … sitting on top of this bull elk like it was a shiny trophy, confirming that his toolkit most certainly contains hunting skills and he was more than capable of using them.
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In the early season, tours are held every hour on the hour, Monday through Sunday from 10am to 2pm. There is no tour at 1pm because Boo is often out of sight, napping through the mid-day heat. Grizzly bears are more active during the cooler morning hours. For that reason, the 10am tour is highly recommended, providing a greater likelihood of seeing Boo active and up close. When he’s awake, Boo is rarely out of sight for more than a few minutes at a time and your patience will be rewarded once he reappears.
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The bear refuge for an adult (18 years and above) will cost you $30.95, youths (13-17 years) are $25.95, children are $14.95 and seniors (65 years and above) are $25.95. The ticket includes the chair lift up to the sanctuary. There’s also other options on their website for the adventure pass and optional lunch too if you wanted to check it out!
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https://kickinghorseresort.com/purchase/boo-grizzly-bear/
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KICKING HORSE MOUNTAIN RESORT TO WAPTA FALLS
(30 minutes drive)
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CAMPSITES
It was the eve of this day that we decided to try our first ‘free camping site’ for the trip. With nothing more than some recommendations we had found online a few days before our trip, a blue dot on my iPhone maps that I had downloaded using WiFi we found at a 7/11 gas station, a little apprehension and some pretty wishful thinking on both our parts, we headed down this bumpy and dusty road towards a place called Wapta Falls. I’d be lying if I said that my faith didn’t falter at some points along the road and that my mind didn’t flicker to flashbacks of scary movies set in an isolated forest and no one to hear your screams. But, despite not really knowing what we were looking for, we found it. And it was magical.
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Wapta Falls is a waterfall of the Kicking Horse River located in Yoho National Park in British Columbia, Canada. It is the largest waterfall of the Kicking Horse River, at about 30 metres (98 ft) high and 150 metres (490 ft) wide. It is a free camping spot, meaning we could just park up, set up camp, spark together a fire and enjoy these views that were better than any hotel I’ve ever stayed at in all my life. There are only a few places to pitch up at Wapta Falls so it’s a bit of ‘early bird catches the worm’ and ‘I’m feeling lucky’ gamble as to whether you snag a spot. On this occasion it seemed that we were lucky … which was a godsend because we had no plan b and it was getting pretty dark pretty fast.
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You can admire the falls from a distance like we did or, if you’re feeling adventurous, you can find a map AllTrails app that leads you straight to the falls. It’s an easy, 4.7 km, there and back track that will take you 1.5-2 hours.
our afternoon views
& our views we were delivered when we woke up
DINNER
So it took us nearly a week to click onto one of the (many) benefits of travelling Canada… and that was the fact that salmon was as cheap as chips. Taking this finding and using it the only way we could, we went on the hunt for some salmon from the fresh food section of the supermarket and invited said salmon to our dinner plans. On the menu was a cheesy salmon pasta dish. Like the risotto, it was super easy and didn’t end with us doing an extortionate amount of dishes. We cooked the pasta, added in some Philadelphia cream cheese, the salmon which we had cooked in some oil and then flaked into chunks, stirred in some cheese and topped it with avocado when we served it up. The avocado probably wasn’t necessary but we had it in the fridge and thought why not? A little (or a lot) of avocado never hurt anyone (just their bank account).
So, if I stuck true to my word, then you'd be reading about how we traveled back to British Columbia and Vancouver instead of me telling you about how that is all about to come in the next installment of our Canadian adventures. I promise it won't take too long!
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Stay tuned (yet again),
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Nat xx