Banff National Park

Friday, 24.06.2022

It has proven useful to first visit the tourist information after arrival. Despite all our research, we were unable to find out exactly where Banff National Park is located. The friendly young lady informs us that the entire area, including the town of Banff, is part of the national park. In Radium Hot Springs, we bought two Senior Discovery Passes, which allow us to visit 80 national parks and historic sites in Canada for a year at a price of approximately €45 per pass.

From the extensive options, we choose the Sundance Canyon Loop for today. The path there leads along an asphalt road for a while, following the Bow River, and then into the forest. The loop begins with an ascent along a stream with overhanging rock formations. Then, the path continues through the forest back to the starting point.

We parked the car at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the old spring with a bathhouse from 1914, now a museum. The spring was discovered in 1883 by three young workers of the Western Pacific Railway Company during the construction of the railway line. It is located about 10 meters underground and has a roughly 1 square meter opening at the top, through which the young men entered with the help of a ladder made of trees. The bathhouse operated until 1994. We visit the building and the spring.

After visiting the Banff Park Museum, we have coffee and cake at the Whitebark Cafe, where a little sparrow keeps us company.

While walking along the Bow River, we find a sign pointing to the Waldhaus Restaurant. We follow the trail through the forest and notice colorful cables laid out in the woods. When we arrive at the Waldhaus, we see a film team setting up a set and preparing to film. We spontaneously decide to have a meal at the Waldhaus. They serve bratwurst, schnitzel, spaetzle, apple strudel, and German beer, such as Hacker Pschorr, Radeberger, and Schofferhofer Radler. We order the sausage plate with sauerkraut, which lives up to its name (it's really sour), but they don't have German beer.

Saturday, 25.06.2022

The weather is amazing today, with a clear blue sky. So, we head to the gondola station in the morning. Tickets are quickly obtained. We don't have to wait in line for long and get a gondola to ourselves, which we appreciate. The ride takes about 8 minutes. Once we reach the top, we are greeted with breathtaking views in all directions. We immediately set out on the path to the weather station. Then, we return to the gondola station, where there are many options. We decide to take a walk around and watch a short informational film about the region. After a little over 2 hours, we begin the journey back. Luckily, there aren't many people going down, so we have a gondola to ourselves again.

Now we need some exercise and decide to go on a hike in Johnston Canyon to see the Lower and Upper Falls. When we arrive, it is very crowded. We quickly find a paid parking spot. The trail through the canyon is well-developed. Since it's Saturday, there are many people around, which bothers us a bit. Therefore, we decide to take the extended moderate trail to the Inkpots at the end of the canyon. There aren't as many people here. It's a 3.1 km uphill hike from here. At the end of the hike, it's a steep downhill section, and we know that we will have to climb it back up later. However, when we reach the valley, we are surprised by an impressive panorama. There are various springs with small pools that appear green and blue due to the minerals in the spring water. The water maintains a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius throughout the year. After a short picnic, we start the return journey. We are much faster now, except for the first part, which is uphill. Overall, we have covered a distance of 18 km today. Thirsty and hungry, we return to Banff in the early evening.