last day in the Rocky Mountains

On Saturday, 23.11. was my last day in the Rocky Mountains. This area is known for its mountains and mountain lakes, especially Lake Louise and Lake Moraine, which is why I wanted to see both of them. Unfortunately, Lake Moraine was already closed for hikers due to the snow and ice, as it would be too dangerous. Accordingly, I made my way to Lake Louise. Locals gave me the tip to take the free ski bus, which picked me up only 2 streets away from my hostel, to the Lake Louise ski area and from there take a free shuttle to the actual lake. Even though the drive was twice as long, I saved a total of 10€ by doing so.

The lake is located behind the gigantic 5-star Fairmont Chateau Hotel. Since it is located outside the city, the hotel offers everything - from souvenir shops to a grocery market, drugstore, hairdresser, etc. When we were browsing there, we arrived at the lake. Unfortunately, it was relatively cloudy and foggy that day, so the tops of the two mountains surrounding it were not visible. We didn't see much of the picturesque turquoise water that is visible in the summer: we were standing on about 15cm of snow and a thick layer of ice. Afterwards, we took a walk along the lake.

We returned to downtown Banff via the ski area and warmed up in a small cafe.

In the evening, another highlight awaited us: the Banff Upper Hot Springs, located behind the Fairmont Hotel, which I had seen from the other side the day before. They are located at an altitude of about 1,600 meters, making them the highest in all of Canada. The 60-degree warm water is naturally pushed from a depth of 3km to the surface by the Earth's crust and then has a temperature of up to 41 degrees and is full of natural minerals. If you visit the Hot Springs in Banff during the day, you have a wonderful view of the city and are surrounded by snow-covered trees. On this evening, we had 39 degrees and it was so hot that we stretched out of the water and stood in swimwear outdoors at an outside temperature of -6. The extreme temperature difference naturally affected our circulation a bit, so we didn't stay long and then returned to the hostel to end the day.