Beautiful Banff & Minnewanka

Beautiful Banff and Minnewanka

After several days of driving across the prairies of Montana and Alberta, it was quite stunning to see the looming mountains of the Canadian Rockies, west of Calgary on our drive toward Banff. Despite a few sprinkles of rain, we enjoyed several nice sunny days.

The Trans-Canada (Hwy 1) weaves through the northern Rockies toward the town of Banff, located within Banff National Park. Walking around the town is like walking through a picture postcard. The surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful.

 Colorful wooden "jigsaw" sign welcomes visitors on the main street. And visitors respond! Throngs of tourists from around the world flock to see the spectacular setting of Banff. Like similar places, it's become a victim of its own success. Parking is difficult and long lines await those wishing to ride the gondola or see some of the more popular sights.

 Clouds lifting to reveal Lake Minnewanka with marina. One of Alberta's longest lakes, Minnewanka has plenty of space for hikers, kayakers, boaters and campers.

 Panorama of the placid aquamarine waters of Minnewanka. With a relatively high content of rock "flour" from glacier melt, the waters of Minnewanka, along with most of the lakes in the Canadian Rockies enchant visitors with a most stunning shade of turquoise

Glassy reflections of Mount Rundle (2948m) in shallow, placid Vermillion Lake. 

 Banff Falls on the Bow River on the edge of town. Once a stop on the Canadian Pacific Rail way, Banff attracted rail-traveling tourists, many of whom lodged in the railways' elegant and expensive set of Fairmont Hotels. One such lodging is perched just above these falls and next to the Banff Upper Hot Springs.

View of the Banff valley from the top of the Sulphur Mountain/Banff Gondola. The Bow River meanders through the town which is surrounded by soaring mountain peaks, just 2.5 hours' drive west of Calgary.