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Banff National Park, Alberta
It runs like a river runs to the sea
We start this page at Moraine Lake, my personal favorite of all of the glacial lakes and cirques (sorry Lake Peyto and Lake Louise). Which is good since I had a lot of extra time here. In the rush to grab my camera, I ended up locking my keys in the trunk of the rental car, and the nearest CAA (the Canadian version of the AAA) was a good hour or so away from arriving to save me.
There are Grizzly Bears in Banff, but normally they leave everyone alone, but not this year. Late snowfall had driven the bears closer to the valleys than in previous years, and I actually saw a hiker being evacuated on a helicopter after a bear attack. This led me to buy a bear bell, which you wear to notify the bears that you’re coming and you don’t inadvertently surprise them, which apparently they don’t like. Sure, I felt like an idiot wearing a bear bell, but would probably feel more like an idiot if I was fighting off a grizzly because I wasn’t wearing one.
For all of the wildlife in Banff, I really didn’t see that much. Maybe all of them were scared of the fierce ding-ding-ding of my bear bell, something this mangy looking bighorn sheep didn’t seem to fear.
One of the shorter trails I took, Johnson Canyon Trail takes you through Johnson Canyon to Upper Falls. There was elevation gain (but not that much) and the whole trail, in and out, was just about six miles.
A few more pictures from Johnson Canyon Trail, where the falls and river are super accessible through convenient bridges with much appreciated handrails, something you don’t see in the real back country.
Speaking of the back country, here are a few bonus photos of Banff National Park, all from various trails throughout the park, where you could see all of the mountains and trees and glaciers that were waiting for you.
