A Western Canada Road Trip – Day 18
Callum and I didn’t really have a plan for the day aside from meeting up with one of my friends in Banff in the afternoon, and Callum (my boyfriend) was still looking for a reflective lake to shoot astrophotography.
Little did I know this day we would almost get kicked out of Banff National Park.
First, we needed to leave Jasper National Park.
Leaving Jasper National Park Via the Icefields Parkway
After we woke up, we went to Sunhouse Cafe in town. It was on the second floor of a building, and had amazing views.
I recommend this cafe to anyone visiting Jasper. I had a bagel and a flat white, and we sat outside on the deck looking out at Jasper. I’ve really appreciated being in the Rockies, and I have more confidence in my hiking abilities now. It’s been a great trip.
When you make fewer stops, it’s amazing how quickly you can get through the Icefields Parkway.
Exploring the Town of Banff
Even though we were at Lake Louise, we didn’t really go into Banff. Banff is one of those places I have wanted to go for a very long time, and I knew we were going to meet up with my friend, so I saved our Banff exploration for the day I knew we were meeting up with her.
As a day visitor, you basically have to park at the public lot near the train station, and walk into town. It’s like a 5 to 10 minute walk to get to the main strip, so not a big deal.
We only met up with my friend for about an hour, but it was nice to catch up. We had a drink on a rooftop patio, and asked her where would be good to take astrophotography away from light pollution. She suggested Lake Minnewaka.
Before leaving town for Lake Minnewaka, we walked the main strip of Banff, and went into a few stores. We also went to the grocery store because I wanted chips and dip. I don’t normally allow myself to buy these things because I love them too much, but for special occasions where I’m not bringing it into my house, this is okay.
Lake Minnewaka & Two Jack Lake
We walked back to our campervan and headed to Lake Minnewaka. When we arrived, we saw so many bighorn sheep! I was pumped. This was my first time seeing them in the wild!
I have been very lucky with wild animals this last week.
We couldn’t really find a good place to set up for astrophotography with our campervan at Lake Minnewaka, so we continued driving towards Two Jack Lake (which is very close to Lake Minnewaka). We found a cool spot to park that looked down on Two Jack Lake.
We walked around, down to the beach, and back up to our van. This was to explore, but also for Callum to find his favourite composition. After settling for something part way down the hill from where our van was, we made dinner in the campervan.
Sort of Kicked Out Of Banff National Park
We were just relaxing in our van when we heard a knock. There was a Park Police woman who asked where we were staying that night, and she told us that without a campsite booked you cannot sleep in Banff National Park. She said it was okay for Callum to take astrophotography, but she would be back to make sure we weren’t sleeping there. I didn’t know this was a rule, but it seems pretty obvious now.
Two Jack Lake is a popular location and there were people turning their car lights on, and you could also see lights from campers on the other side of the lake. Just when Callum finds a reflective lake, it’s ruined by light pollution from others.
After Callum finished with his timelapse, we drove to Canmore, which is just outside of Banff National Park. We found a side street where there were no houses, businesses, etc., and slept there. I was nervous someone was going to wake us up and tell us we couldn’t sleep there either, but it all ended up being fine.
The next day, we were heading towards Drumheller, and I was pumped!
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A few books, documentaries, and podcasts I recommend consuming before or during your trip to Canada 🇨🇦. Evolving Pop Culture Guide to Canada.
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