Day 15: Bow Valley Parkway, Johnston Canyon, Banff

Rainy start

Nothing new, we got up and it rained. As we move today from Lake Louise to Banff, this was a bit of a pain as we had to pack the tent completely wet. But there was no other option, so we packed up and hoped for better weather to dry the tent a bit later in the day.

Moraine Lake

Our plan was to get to Moraine Lake early in the morning, with the hope that the parking wasn’t already full & closed. So we got up at 7:00 and were at the crossing to Moraine Lake around 8:00 but it was already too late… We had the option to go back and try to catch a shuttle, but we decided against that and to use our early start for Johnston Canyon.

Bow Valley Parkway

The Bow Valley Parkway is the old road between Lake Louise and Banff, today mostly obsolete by the Highway 1. But we decided to use the Bow Valley Parkway instead of the Highway as this is a more scenic drive and there is a good chance to see some wildlife.

We weren’t lucky with the wildlife, but the drive was nice and smooth. Another benefit of the Parkway is that it leads to the Johnston Canyon trail head.

Johnston Canyon

The parking at the trail head gets crowded during the day, but we were there at around 09:00, so the parking was nearly empty. The Johnston Canyon consist of multiple water falls, the most famous ones are the lower & upper. After the upper fall, there is the possibility to hike further and reach the Ink Pots. That was our goal for the morning.

We started hiking and once again the rain stopped and it was just cloudy. The lower fall was then quickly reached.

The way was made of concrete, so it was easy to move fast but not too much nature feeling so far.

As it was early, we didn’t met to many people. Soon after the lower fall we also reached the upper fall. The main “viewing” platform was closed, so we only saw it from the top.

Ink Pots

After the upper fall the trail to the Ink Pots started and with that the concrete trail ended. So it felt more like nature again and less like “people highway”.

The trail led for quite some time upwards and we gained some elevation. But before we reached the Pots we had do descent again, so we had to do the elevation again on the way back, good training! :)

Then we were there and understood from where the Pots got their name, they have a Ink like color and look really beautiful. And the sun came out as well!

Beside of the Ink Pots, also the way further down into the Valley was really something. There is a trail that would continue and there is even some backcountry camping grounds. But they would require booking and we didn’t have our tent with us. So no exploration of the valley this time.

So we started our way back, first we had to regain the elevation to reach the “peak” of the hike. Then it went down. Before the Johnston Canyon trail started, there was a split. The other way led to Moose Meadows, which is a trail head around 1.5 km from the Johnston Canyon trail head. We decided to go that way to have another way back, even though it included some road walking.

This way was definitely the nicer option, it led through some thick forests and had a special magic to it. We also only met one other person on the whole stretch. Then it was time for a quick road walk.

We had a quick lunch at the parking lot and then made our way to Banff.

Banff

First thing we noticed in Banff, tomorrow is the Banff Marathon/Half Marathon/10K race. What a coincidence!? Nicole was unstoppable and wanted to join the race. First we checked the official page but the event was sold out. So we decided to try to find a late register counter or something similar. In the town we found the official race check-in and decided to try our luck there. We were then told that it could be that there are some free spots but we have to come back later.

We used the wait time to check in at the camp ground and set up tent. As the sun was now really shinning, it was easy to dry it first. Only little struggle was the really hard ground, let’s see how many of the stakes are bended.

Banff Marathon Registration

It was time to go back to the check-in and we were lucky, there were some spots and we could join the 10k tomorrow. Quickly registered on site and grabbed our T-Shirts (picture will follow).

Evening

The weather continued to surprise and it so nice in the sun. We went back to the camp ground and made a fire to grill some marshmallows and drink a beer (perfect pre race food/drink combination!).

Rest of the evening was then spent by the fire and enjoying the nice weather, so no Pub today! :)

Good Night!

Pictures

Activities

Hike: Johnston Canyon, Ink Pots