We’re on our way out of Banff National Park now, and as we head south, we decide to stop and hike at a place called Johnson Canyon. Seems to be a shortish hike with some cool views of a canyon. We pull up and see that the parking lot is full. It’s only 9am, so this is a bad sign. We find nearby road parking and head over to the trail head. It’s packed with people, but I suppose this is no surprise to us. We find a park employee dolling out information under a tent and ask her for some help. Where in the hell can we go to get away from all these people? She provides some awesome recommendations, one of them being a hike named Lady McDonald. This is a hike in Canmore, a town just south of the Banff boundary line. We say thank you profusely and head out to the canyon for our hike.
The views were ok, but oh man the people are so unaware of their surroundings. Families taking up the entire path. Old people randomly stopping in the middle of the trail to take a picture. Couples holding hands and blocking the trail, just all around inconsiderate people with no trail etiquette. Still, this is nothing new. We’ve been dealing with this the entire time we’ve been here. The problem with this trail is that it’s mainly bridges, so there’s no way to skip around the large, slow herds of internationals feeding chipmunks. It kind of sucked to be honest.
We finished the trail, then hurried back to the car. We skip all remaining hikes and head straight into the town of Banff, which is inside the national park boundary. Once in town, we find a rooftop bar and settle in for a drink while we research what to do. Feels great to have some cell service! Looks like there is a cool hike, named Tunnel Mountain, just outside of town that is challenging and provides some cool views of the city. Before hiking I need to feed Cas. We found a distillery in town (Park Distillery) that looks to be serving up some great food. We pop in, split some poutine, then head off to the mountain.
PS I forgot to bring my camera on this hike.
The mountain wasn’t difficult, but it gave us a workout. The view from the top was impressive, and allowed Cas and I to really get a feel for the town of Banff. It’s a cute, compact, touristy spot that surprisingly has a lot to offer. The hike down was much easier than the hike up…
Once down, we filled up our water jugs at a public bathroom, then headed out into town to see what there was to get into. We found a thrift store, some cute shops, and tons of tourist traps. We ultimately landed at a local’s joint known as the Pump and Tap for beer and wings. We talked with Banff residents here, shot the shit for an hour or so, then headed south to Canmore. There’s a free parking/camping spot on the edge of the railroad tracks here that we took advantage of. It wasn’t the best, but the location was idea. We planned on hiking Lady McDonald in the morning and didn’t want any more shitty cop encounters.
The only awful thing about this spot (besides the loud ass trains) is that we had to leave by 7AM. So, we woke up at 6:30, packed our things and hit the road for coffee and trail head parking. This hike was going to be a bitch. 3,000ft of elevation over 3.5 miles with a boulder scramble did not sound fun. But the views are promised to be amazing, so Cas is committed. I guess that means I’m committed too!
We start the hike with almost no one in the parking lot. Maybe 2 other groups are on the mountain. Such a change from Banff! As we ascend, we see Marmots, Pika, and grouse alongside the trail. When we get to the boulder scramble, we’re completely lost. There’s one plate with an arrow pointing up nailed to a tree, but other than that there is no trail. We climb up and down and over huge rocks, and finally come to a point where we don’t know which way to go. We sit and wait on a large rock to see what some following groups decide to do.
After seeing other hikers find their way, we follow them up to what is a cold, exposed ridge line leading to a wooden platform. Turns out this was supposed to be another tea house, but it was never completed. Now it’s a helipad with a cool looking windsock and weather station. I’m nervous to sit on this platform, but I don’t want to be the only puss not willing to take a cool seat. I hurriedly eat my snack, take some pics, then prod Cas to head down. It’s cold, and stupid high. I’m very uncomfortable up here.
The hike down was easier than the hike up. I love going downhill… When we finally reach the bottom our ankles and feet are killing us. All I want to do is nap, but I know that’s an awful idea as it totally screws up your sleep schedule. The last thing you want is to have insomnia while sleeping in a truck outside. So, we decide to check out one more local distillery then head off towards a camp spot on our way to Calgary. The distillery is named Wild Life Distillery, and is a bit disappointing. I was hoping to see a place that gave back to wildlife, maybe had a cool animal theme, but this joint was just using the name. Lame. The bar tender was weird, so we left after one drink. I have to say the drink I ordered was absolutely amazing. The place just had a shitty atmosphere.
After our physical morning, we drove East to the middle of nowhere. I found a camp site that was an hour off the beaten path. We crossed cow pastures and passed though tiny farm towns to reach a secluded hilltop site that was pretty much perfect. Cas and I read a book in the afternoon light, cooked potatoes over a campfire, then went to bed in cool, bug free weather. Not much else you could ask for.
In the morning we headed into Calgary. Cas flies out tomorrow so I got us a hotel room. I don’t want her to smell like she’s homeless on the plane, plus it has been a solid 12 days since we showered last. It was about time to sleep in a bed too.
Once in town, we got some amazing Vietnamese food and went to bed early. We’re both exhausted and ready for decent sleep. Cas is leaving in the morning, and then I’ll be picking up my good friend Felicia (FiFi) in the afternoon. So happy to have more company on these beautiful sections of my trip!
