This is maybe the strangest trip we've ever planned: booked plane tickets 9 months in advance (which we never do) on a whim and cheap tickets, and yet probably the least amount of planning and prep before we left for the trip. Despite the wildfires in British Columbia sending smoke our way for the majority of the week, we still enjoyed our first trip to Banff National Park and Emmeline's first trip to Canada (and another country)!
I had planned to do most of our planning in the two weeks after our Wisconsin trip, but thanks to our lake weekend and Hurricane Harvey, we got busy with other things. It seems everyone was affected by Harvey in some way, or at least knew people personally who were. For us, it was Kristy and Konrad, so we spent much of the week leading up to Canada helping them out. That meant no activity planning/research and changing flights and hotels last minute since the airports weren't open for almost a week. We made it, and can't complain too much since things could be a whole lot worse!
When we first arrived, the weather was picture perfect. Because I hadn't done any research, we had no idea that these days of clear skies with no smoke were few and far between this summer. Had we known, we likely would have been more proactive the first few days. Instead, we relaxed, checked into our last minute hotel in Canmore, and enjoyed the pool. We got upgraded to a 2+ bedroom unit with a stunning view of the mountains. Not a bad way to start the trip!
We also enjoyed Lake Minnewanka and wandered Banff town (which is beautiful). It's the biggest town in the area, and while it's definitely touristy, it didn't feel overwhelmingly so like some tourist towns we've been to.
Our first hike was through Johnston Canyon off of the scenic Bow Valley Parkway. We wouldn't really classify this as a hike, but it was still a fun way to pass a few hours in some beautiful scenery! Emmeline loved both of the waterfalls, especially walking through a cave to see one.
And then, on the morning we drove north to stay between Banff and Lake Louise, the smoke began to set in. That day it wasn't horrible, and we were able to grab some photos at Lake Louise without too much hindrance.
The rest of our trip (full of smoke) will be posted soon!
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