It was time to pack up and check out of the Chateau Lake Louise and head to Banff. Looking out the windows of our suite, it was obvious that the nice weather we had a couple of days ago was gone. Thick clouds have set in, creating the eerie scene in the photo below. Even under thick cloud, the area is still beautiful.
After packing up the car, we took another walk around the hotel and waterfront before heading out. Below is the lobby of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.
Walking around outside, even the canoe rental dock was still busy in the cloudy weather, with several people milling about and a few canoes out on the lake.
Before driving down to Banff, we returned to Moraine Lake for a quick stop. We stopped here last year and climbed the rock pile. This year, we thought we’d walk the shoreline of the famous lake.
Here, Nadine is taking the hard way across a creek. I used the bridge.
Moraine Lake maintains a blue colour through the season, unlike Lake Louise which offers a series of shades of green. The water supplying Moraine Lake doesn’t contain the same amount of rock flour as Lake Louise (which gives the green colour), which is ground away from the surrounding glaciers.
Now at the end of the lake, this is about as far as we can go.
Leaving Moraine Lake for Banff, we were treated to a very nice surprise. As we turned on to Lake Louise Drive from Moraine Lake Road, this grizzly bear was grazing at the side of the road! This is the closest we have ever been to a live grizzly bear in the wild.
I captured a quick video of the grizzly through the car window.
Arriving in Banff, we returned to the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. We left the car with the valet and checked in to our room. We have a very big and nice 1 bedroom suite. It even has a walk-in closet! While not quite as updated as our room at the Chateau Lake Louise, it is certainly larger. Below is a photo of the bedroom.
Here is the living room.
Looking out one of the living room windows, we’re treated to a great view down the Bow River and the golf course.
Looking out a different window, we have a nice view looking down the Spray River.
With rain now starting to fall, we decided to have dinner at the hotel instead of heading into one of the many restaurants in town. Looking for a nice relaxed meal, we went to the Waldhaus Pub so Nadine could have some fondue while I had a nice burger.
Day 3 – More Banff
We wanted to start the day with a simple breakfast, so we headed into town and found the local Tim Horton’s! After a quick breakfast, it was back to the hotel to check in to the Willow Stream Spa.
Nadine and I each had massage treatments and then spent several hours using the various hot and cold pools, steam rooms and mineral pools. It was a very relaxing time.
In the afternoon, we again set out to explore more of the Banff area. We began by driving up to the base of the Norquay ski hill to look around.
After looking around for a little while, we drove back down the switchbacks leading up to the ski base.
We then took a quick drive along the Vermillion Lakes, just outside of town, seeing a few deer and moose along the way.
Returning to the hotel, we had reservations at the Waldhaus restaurant for dinner. As with previous meals at the Banff Springs, we were not disappointed. This is a lovely little restaurant at the base of the hill, just above the golf course on the Spray River, where we had a nice table with a view.
We then walked around the area by the restaurant and the Bow Falls.
We then climbed back up to the hotel.
Since we still had an hour before the Willow Stream Spa closed, we quickly returned for another relaxing soak in the pools.
Day 2 – Exploring Banff
Our plan today was to head up the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. The weather was mostly overcast, but at least it wasn’t raining!
On the way out to the gondola, we passed a few elk having breakfast on someone’s front lawn. Maybe if they kept their grass trimmed, this wouldn’t happen!
While there is a walking trail that zig-zags up the mountain, we thought we’d take the gondola.
Once at the top, we had breakfast in the cafe before exploring the area up top.
From the building at the top of the gondola, we followed a boardwalk over to the next peak, which is the site of an old weather observatory station.
The photo below is looking back at the top of the gondola from the observatory.
After our trip up Sulphur Mountain, we explored the shops in Banff.
We then returned to our hotel for a guided tour of the historic castle. We then headed back out to see some more sights.
Below is a photo of our hotel from across the river.
We then headed back into Banff townsite for some dinner before returning to the hotel for the night.