Day 3: Oh Canada! Road Trip

Lake Louise to Kootenay National Park back to Lake Louise

When I was planning this trip I was thinking there was more to do in the area than just visit Lake Louise.  I was wrong.  There is but not that is on our list.  So I regrouped and came up with a plan for the day.  We started just up the road by visiting Lake Louise . . .

It is just a pretty as I imagined.  We arrived early to avoid the crowds and tour bus groups but there were still a lot of people around.  We snapped some photos and headed out to hike the Lakeshore Trail.  My parents are real troopers.  I usually just tell them where we are going and the dates and leave all the details as a surprise.  I am not sure I would be so good about that if someone was planning a trip for me.  Let me rephrase that . . . I am not a go with the flow kind of person when it comes to travel . . . I would NOT be good about it and would ask a million questions.  I am not one that enjoys surprises!  My parents are flexible and just enjoy visiting new places.  After our hike, we deserved a treat so popped into the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise for a sweet treat . . .

The hotel is nice, but I cannot imagine paying the rates that I saw online.  The sweet treats were yummy though!  It was still early so we decided to visit Kootenay National Park.  One thing that I have noticed about the Canadian National Parks is they don’t really have visitor centers when you enter so a good map is limited to whatever you bring with you or just go with the flow.  I had looked online last night so had made a list of a couple stops but did not really have a guide which always bothers me.  I like a good old fashioned map that folds out the size of the front seats of a car!  So with my single sheet page map we were off!  The first stop was The Continental Divide . . . at this location, it separates two watersheds, two provinces, and two national parks.

There was a short hike so we headed out on the Fireweed Trail . . .

A quick stop at Marble Canyon . . .

And then The Paint Pot Trail . . . the orange ochre beds were once mined and shipped to Calgary where it was used as a pigment in paint.

It was time to head back to Lake Louise and the weather was beautiful so we stopped by the Lake Louise Gondola for a scenic ride up to the top.  It is known to be a good area to see bears but we saw zero.  While it was a beautiful sunny day it sure was cold!

I have been amazed at how fast the weather changes in the area.  It was bright and sunny and then full of clouds in no time at all but at least the views were still good . . . 

This little guy was stealing the stuffing from the chair lift.  I bet his home will be warm now . . .  

There was a long line to go back down so we braved the open seats back down too . . . you can see Lake Louise in the distance . . .

We headed back to the lodge for a quick relax before heading to dinner at Peyto Bill’s where we were introduced to poutine, fries with a brown gravy and cheese curds . . .

. . . and a nice bowl of chili!

Lake Moraine is another one of those must see places in the area but the problem is the parking lot is small and always full so they close the road.  The hostess at our lodge told us to go after 6:00pm.  She was right!  So after dinner the road was open and we made the drive.  All Colin saw was a huge pile of boulders and people climbing them so off he went . . . the lake was pretty.

The last thing I heard Colin say was, “I’m not going to the top” . . .

He lied but it wasn't a big deal.  I have learned to just let things go and let him have fun doing what he enjoys.  I am sure he loved the freedom to explore.  It was a great end to our evening!

Wildlife Today:  chipmunk and pika