HGG Photo Journal | Banff, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Grassi Lakes (PIC HEAVY)

Here are some pics from a recent visit to Banff National Park and also Kananaskis Country. For our itinerary, we did this:

Day 1 (started at 7am): Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon
Day 2 (started at 9am): Rawson Lake
Day 3 (started at 5am): Moraine Lake, Grassi Lakes


What I would do if we did this again:

Day 1 (start at 5am): Moraine Lake, Lake Louise
Day 2 (start at 9am): Rawson Lake
Day 3 (start at 9am): Johnston Canyon, Grassi Lakes


::::::: LAKE LOUISE :::::::

We arrived early but not early enough. Parking is pretty limited at the top of the mountain where Lake Louise actually is. So, we parked at the bottom (AKA "the village") and hiked up to the top. We didn't do the tea house trail because we were too tired from hoofing it up to the top from the onset. Mistake. We had lunch at the Fairmont right on the lake. Food was awesome and the view even better.
































::::::: JOHNSTON CANYON :::::::

We took the advice from a local and showed up at 5pm...we parked right near the entrance and essentially had the trails to ourselves. I would suggest following this advice. The canyon is FULL of waterfalls and rapids, you can feel the temperature drop bigtime as you get closed to a waterfall.



























::::::: TOWN OF CANMORE :::::::

We stayed at this little hotel because it was clean, cheap, and had an outdoor hot tub which was CLUTCH after hiking all day. Overall, the town of Canmore is awesome with a bustling food scene. A river runs right through the middle and everything is walking distance. It's nestled in a valley so the views all around you are spectacular.





















::::::: RAWSON LAKE (KANANASIS COUNTRY) :::::::

This hike took most of our day. Total round trip was aounr 10 miles. We stopped for lunch along the way and took our time getting to the backside of the lake. We saw a moose and 2 grizzly bears but they were so far my iPhone camera wouldn't have been able to capture them. Most of the hike (going) is uphill so prepare yourself if you are a novice like us.

















Something was peculiar about this overturned tree, not sure what prompted the photo but I took one anyway.