Lake Louise - Banff National Park (In case you are wondering, those canoes go for $180 an hour!)
Banff National Park was Canada’s first National Park, and it is also the most popular with up to 3 million visitors every year. The crown jewel of the park, and its most popular attraction, is the stunning Lake Louise. Unfortunately, it is also a victim of its own popularity. During the peak season, you need to make a reservation to take a bus from a remote parking lot up to the lake. It is a beautiful lake and one of the most photographed spots in Canada. Glacial silt makes the water glow with a blue-green color you really have to see in person to appreciate. What the online photos never show are the thousands of people shoulder-to-shoulder along the shore struggling to get the perfect selfie. Fortunately, for those with the time and ambition the further you walk around the lake the more the crowds thin out.
Photo Credit: TripAvisor.com
Pro Tip: If you plan your visit to Lake Louise after 7:00 PM the crowds will have thinned out so you can avoid the shuttle bus and park at the lake. During the summer months, you will still have plenty of daylight, and the “golden hour” actually lasts for several hours.
Ironically, the best cell phone service we had the entire time we were in Canada was at the far end of the lake, tucked up in the glacial valley. Turns out the Fairmont Chateau on the shore of the lake caters to very high-end customers. The type that can’t be out of communication, even when visiting one of the most scenic places in the world. So thanks to the wealthy travelers of the world, and a cell tower hidden away on the roof of the resort, we were able to FaceTime Carrigan and Travis!
We camped at the Lake Louise Campground, where we were required to stay within an electrified perimeter to help prevent encounters with “large mammals” which mostly translates to bears. It was interesting to hear the Park Service spin on this. They state the purpose of the fence is to “provide a more consistent experience” for the animals that call the valley home.
I found it a little ironic that all of the bits that are actually safe to touch are yellow - the international color of "Look out! Don't Touch!"
This is fun to consider from the perspective of the bear.
Before the electric fence…
“Man, every time I cross through there it is something different. One time I got sprayed in the face with stuff that made my eyes burn. Another time I found something called “pizza.” That was good stuff. Another time this lady chased me down to take something called a selfie.”
After the electric fence…
“Yeah, I steer clear of that place. If you get too close your whole-body shakes and you pee yourself. $#%& that place.”
We didn’t have any bear encounters at Lake Louise Campground, but it was probably our least favorite camping experience in the Canadian National Parks. The write-ups and brochures fail to mention that there is a very busy rail line that runs right by the Park and makes for very noisy nights. Then there was the challenge of trying to have a campfire. For that story, be sure to continue reading Below the Line.
Below the Line
Come on Baby Light My Fire
One of the cool things about the Canadian National and Provincial Parks is that most offer fire rings and free firewood. I consider myself an above-average fire starter, but my first attempt at fire starting in Canada left me humbled. The free wood was pine and should have started easily. I don’t like to make excuses, but I blame my unfamiliarity with Canadian fire pits. By American standards they are tiny – about 18 inches in diameter – which makes it challenging when this is about the same length as the cut wood. They also have a “cooking grate” welded on the top that covers about 1/2 of the pit opening. And they are very deep, with about half the pit under the ground surface, and almost always with a puddle on the bottom. So, you are essentially left with trying to start a fire in the bottom of a narrow, wet hole with wood you can barely move around.
I would finally figure out how to adjust to these “metric” fire pits at our next stop, but after 3 very smokey but never successfully burny attempts I surrendered. By then it was 11:30 and still light out, so who really wants a campfire anyway?
This version has a cut-out of the side that makes tending the fire much easier.
The secret: Build a wood "scaffold" to get the fire out of the muck in the bottom and up where air can actually get to it. By the time the wood burns down, it will have dried out the bottom and the coals will be hot enough to keep things rolling. Fun note: the pits were apparently made from the abandoned pipe that had been used to supply water to gold mining operations.
Pro Tip: If you really want to take advantage of the free wood, bring a proper ax so you can split it for a better campfire experience. A little 12" camp ax just doesn't cut it.
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