Day 7 Wednesday - Kootenay National Park

We're both feeling sneezy still so we didn't rush about, with checkout being 11 am. We packed our things then did a little shopping and had a maple latte at Communitea before heading onto Highway 1. At Castle Junction route 93 leaves Banff National Park and enters Kootenay.  Our first stop after an hour was at Marble Canyon which is a deep narrow gorge. There are several bridges which crisscross back and forth giving great views. 

After this we started walking along the Paint Pots trail but realising it was long, we went back to the car to eat our salad before driving further up the trail head and taking up the walk again. It's an interesting walk with a boardwalk taking a path across meadow and marshland. At the end are three iron rich pools that bubble up in an orange ochre colour. 

After the hike we drove the final hour to Radium Hot Springs - the plan was to visit the hot springs but we ran out of time. We have further hot springs on our itinerary when we reach Jasper.

Day 6 Tuesday - Sunshine Meadow

I was feeling rough this morning but we had the rental car to pick up at 10 am from the Banff Fairmont Hotel, which is built in the style of a Scottish Baronial Castle and costs around £700 a night! Lots of rich American tourists around as expected. I will get a photo when we return the car. Bethany went to hire bear spray.

We navigated out of town okay and then headed to Sunshine Village, about 10 miles out of Banff with a gondola operating in summer to take passengers up to Sunshine Meadow, a high altitude alpine hiking area. They got their first snow fall on 30 August although that melted; by 20 September they close and start to prepare for skiing which starts in November.

After the gondola there's a chairlift and at this point you reach 8,000 feet above sea level and there's 360 degree views of the Rockies, and paths run through the alpine meadows and around three beautiful lakes.

It's a magical place and the weather got sunnier and warmer as we hiked through the meadow with amazing views in every direction. 

After leaving Sunshine Meadow we drove to Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake which are about 15 mins out of Banff. We parked easily and walked along the shoreline. They are both very scenic and quite peaceful at that time of day, around 5pm.  After this we went back to Canmore and had an early night.

Day 5 Monday - Banff

This morning we had a lie in til 8.45 am - we both have colds we are fighting!  It was raining again so we had a relaxed breakfast at Communitea.  Then we then got the bus to Banff where the weather was okay, and went to the visitors centre to purchase our Park Pass which we will need from tomorrow onwards.

Banff is very scenic to walk around - there are various bridges that cross the river and the mountains dominate overhead. It's also very busy with tour buses and we're glad to be staying in Canmore.

Next we took the path towards the Cave and Basin which is an underground system of sulpherous hot springs, used by the  indigenous people for thousands of years.  When the settlers arrived with the railway, they tried to claim it for profit, but the government stepped in to protect the site and built a heated swimming pool which operated from 1914-1990s. The swimming pool is now covered over but the natural pools are home to some rare tiny snails that are endangered but live well in the warm mineral waters. They are only the size of an apple pip! 

We returned into town and visited the Cascade of Time garden which was stunning - lots of terraces, gazebos and ponds - and popular with wedding couples as two were getting photos taken.  

We had a dessert at D Spot which was very tasty, then caught the bus back to Canmore, stopping for some groceries on the way into town. There was a lovely sunset from our balcony tonight.

Day 4 Sunday - Canmore

This morning we hired mountain bikes - the plan was to bike the Goat Creek Trail but lack of signage and closed roads proved a challenge. We ended up at the trailhead for Grassi Lakes which was on our list of hikes so we did the trail and it was well worth it - there's two sparkling turquoise lakes below grey limestone cliffs and also great views of Canmore down below. 

Hungary for lunch we pivoted our plans and cycled back into town - on the outskirts is a gardening centre with The Wagashi Teahouse - the Japanese cuisine was delicious and we agree this is a local hidden gem.

As we left the rain was coming on; we stopped at the Three Sister Viewpoint but there was thick cloud cover. Back in central Canmore it was raining heavily so we looked around some of the local gift shops then later in the afternoon we returned the bikes and went to the Everwild Nordic Spa. The clouds cleared  over the mountains so there was a beautiful sunset to watch from the hot pools, a great way to unwind after the pedal power.

Day 3 Saturday - Banff

We woke around 7 am and could hear the rain and looking out the Three Sisters were under the cover of the cloud. Hiking didn't seem a good option so we had breakfast then caught the bus into Banff which takes about half an hour. The rain had stopped when we arrived and we walked along the river - at the start of the walk the water is tranquil then gradually becomes faster flowing till you reach the Bow River Falls which are 30 feet tall and around 100 feet wide.

Walking back into town we found a great cafe called Nourish and had a tasty brunch. The rain came on again so we visited The Whyte museum which holds a collection of art, photographs and artifacts relating to the history of the area including the indigenous people who were displaced by the railroad companies.

Once we'd looked around the rain had stopped so we got on a bus for Johnston Canyon which is a gorge hike with impressive waterfalls, tunnels and pools of water carved into the limestone rocks over time.

We made it to the upper falls and back down in an hour and a half, and then returned to the base to catch the bus back to Banff and then on to Canmore where we grabbed a few bits for a picnic style tea.

Day 2 Friday - Canmore

We felt good after a long night's sleep and headed out for coffee and bagels for breakfast. After this we went for a walk along the beautiful Bow River and saw the Engine Bridge, made famous by the TV series 'The Last of Us'.  The water is a turquoise blue coming from the Bow Glacier and named by the Cree people who made bows from the Douglas fir trees growing along its banks.

At noon we joined a float tour down the river on a dingy boat - unfortunately the rain came on quite steady halfway through but it was still enjoyable, and the guide called Gregg gave lots of information about the town, how it had grown from coal mining and the railroad and has now become an outdoor sports destination. There was a bit of drama at the end of the trip when he lost is wedding ring so the bus got turned around and we went back to the riverside where the ring was luckily found okay to his relief!

We did a supermarket shop then as the rain had eased we headed off for the Policeman's Creek boardwalk through a vibrant wetland which takes you in a loop back to downtown Canmore. 

Day 1 Thursday - Edinburgh to Canmore

Our fight, which was on Dreamliner 787, left at 11.50 am and we had a comfortable journey with just a bit of turbulence in the last hour before landing at Calgary at around 1 pm lunchtime, still Thursday! The queue to go through customs, passports and to collect our luggage moved quickly and we got the Flixbus out to Canmore arriving at 4.15 pm.  I recognised the iconic Three Sisters Mountains right away!

We did a short walk to our apartment which has a nice alpine lodge feel. We unpacked and went out for something to eat, finding a nice local cafe called Communitea. 

We had a short stroll about before heading home for a long nights sleep to make up for the very long day.  We are happy to have arrived and start our adventure.