Banff National Park
Lake Louise
Moraine Lake
World Famous Vegan Nachos from Nourish
Vermillion Lakes
Calgary at sunset
About two months ago, I took a road trip through Ontario and Quebec with my nephews. We experienced the hustle and bustle of Toronto, the French culture and European feel of Montreal and of course, plenty of poutine (which my dad mistakenly calls “poontang”). There were plenty of trees and lakes along the way, but the scenery was missing one thing: mountains.
Growing up in Indiana, I was a little boy who was terrified of mountains. Thankfully, I’ve since gotten over my mountainphobia, and these days, I think a place automatically becomes a little cooler when it has mountains. Well guys, Banff is about as cool as it gets.
I started my day bright and early to make the most of my time in Banff, with Lake Louise as my first stop. I figured I had arrived early enough to beat the crowds, but apparently, everyone else ad the same idea. I can’t really blame them though. After taking in the views at Louise, I hopped on a shuttle to Moraine Lake. Along the way our driver mentioned that it was a particularly active time for bears and told us the story of The Boss, a 600-pound grizzly bear who has somehow survived being hit by two trains. Naturally, that made me feel a little better about wandering around the woods.
Once we arrived at Moraine Lake, I quickly realized it was one of those few places where it’s almost impossible to take a bad picture. Much like Spirit Island in Jasper, the scenery practically does all the work for you. I definitely recommend hiking up the Rockville for an even better view of the lake. It’s well worth the effort and patience.
By this point, I was getting pretty hungry, so I headed into the town of Banff to check out a restaurant called Nourish. The night before, a server at Calgary’s Vegan Street restaurant recommended their “World Famous Nachos” and I knew that I had to give them a try. These weren't your ordinary nachos, either. They came loaded with all sorts of wild ingredients, including strawberries and pickles. The portion was probably big enough to feed a couple of people, but I was feeling about as hungry as The Boss preparing for hibernation. Those nachos didn’t stand a chance.
After lunch, I spent the rest of the day checking out a couple more lakes, including Lake Minnewanka and Vermillion Lakes. Compared to the crowds at Louise and Moraine, these spots were a little more relaxed, but still beautiful. Honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with any of the scenery at Banff. To cap off the day, I made my way back to Calgary and watched the sunset over the city, which was a pretty great way to wrap up an already incredible day.
The entire park was absolutely stunning and easily worth the $12 CAD I paid for the day pass. Come on, USA. Let’s get on the same page. Despite only having one day to explore, I left feeling like you could easily spend an entire week in Banff and still have plenty of places left to discover.
Between the mountains, the lakes, the wildlife, and the nachos, Banff definitely lived up to the hype. I might have spent my childhood being scared of mountains, but now I’m starting to think I need more of them in my life.