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| | | Banff & Yoho National Parks, AB | | | |
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Banff & Yoho National Parks, AB
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| Hiking | 29.50 Miles |
5,748 AEG |
| | Hiking | 29.50 Miles | | | |
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| 5,748 ft AEG | | | |
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| no partners | | I recently spent six days in Banff & Yoho National Parks. I have three separate triplogs for my moderate hikes. I’m using this triplog as a catch all for everything else. I had an amazing time and can’t wait to return.
I originally bought my airfare back in February and I paid $244 for a direct flight to Calgary on Westjet. The car rental came in at just under $200. I spent one night at an AirBnB in Canmore for $60 and then four nights in the HI Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel for $115. That is a chunk of my expenses. I only ate out a few times and generally made my meals in the hostel.
Here is a day by day breakdown of my smaller hikes:
Quarry Lake near Canmore - June 4, 2019. 3 miles & 550 AEG
I flew up on Tuesday, June 4th and landed in early afternoon. I got my rental car and headed straight for Canmore where I had my AirBnB. The drive took about two hours and was easy to navigate. I got situated in my AirBnB and had time for a short hike. I found this on a top 10 hikes in Canmore and it worked. The views were nice and it was a good warmup. I grabbed Thai food afterwards and headed back to my AirBnB.
Tunnel Mountain – June 5, 2019. 2.75 miles & 850 AEG
I spent a majority of the day hiking around Lake Louise and came over here with a girl named Emilie I met near the Tea House. This is a nice hike on a well maintained trail and has some nice views of the town of Banff.
Silverton Falls – June 5, 2019. 1.5 miles & 300 AEG
I ended my evening by checking into the HI Castle Mountain Wilderness Hostel. After getting settled I walked right out of my hostel and crossed the road to the Rockbound Trailhead. Silverton Falls branches off this trail and is a relatively quick hike with a slight gain. I took my time and hiked on up to find a magnificent waterfall. I spent a few minutes admiring and then returned to the hostel and called it a night. It doesn’t get dark until 10:15pm!
Wapta Falls – June 6, 2019. 3.25 miles & 320 AEG
I started my second full day with a hike to Johnston Canyon and then headed into Yoho National Park that afternoon. I headed straight for Wapta Falls. I did a lot of research for this hike and knew there was a quality waterfall but couldn’t remember any details. You approach from the north and the turn off the highway is unsigned. I started hiking and flew down the well maintained trail. There were some sporadic people but not a lot as this was a forested hike. In a short time I could hear the waterfall and it came into view. You approach from above and it was absolutely spectacular! Wapta is just under 100ft high and 490ft wide. It’s quite a sight! The trail climbs down to the Kicking Horse River which has an impressive view. I spent some time here and soaked it in. After a few minutes I headed back to the car and did a drive by at Emerald Lake & then Natural Bridge.
Moraine Lake - June 6, 2019. .5 miles
After spending the afternoon in Yoho, I ended my day with Moraine Lake. The drive took me longer than expected as the road is chewed up a bit. There was plenty of parking in the evening and the view of the lake and mountains are just breathtaking. I did a short walk along the shore and took my pics and headed back to the hostel. This is a must stop.
Peyto Lake – June 7, 2019. 1.25 miles & 159 AEG
My third day started off with three inches of fresh snow with more snow in the forecast. I took my time and headed out around 9am with plans to head north up the 93 Hwy. A light snow fell as I drove up and I made the quick stop at Peyto Lake. I parked and walked up to the viewpoint and found the lake covered in a blanket of fog. I hung out and waited for the fog to clear and I’m glad I did. Peyto Lake is absolutely beautiful and the snow really added to the experience.
Mistaya Canyon – June 7, 2019. 1.75 miles & 300 AEG
After Peyto, I continued north up the 93 Hwy and stopped at the Saskatchewan Crossing where I had some lunch. The weather was starting to clear so I decided to stop at this trailhead I passed on my drive up. I had no idea what to expect. Mistaya Canyon is absolutely stunning! It’s a river that cuts a channel through bedrock and drains into the Howse River a couple of miles downstream. I considered hiking to the river but decided it wasn’t the best use of my time.
Waterfowls Lake – June 7, 2019. 3 miles & 445 AEG
This was a relatively short stop on my return south. I wanted to check out a couple of lakes called Chephren Lake and Cirque Lake but ultimately turned around because of snow & mud. I would end my day with Bow Glacier Falls. See separate triplog.
Boom Lake – June 8, 2019. 7.25 miles & 1,000 AEG
On my last day in Banff, I headed into Kootenay with a French guy whom was staying in the hostel with me. This was a nice hike. The trail is in good condition but was covered in snow & mud. We made a solid pace & tried our best to keep our feet dry. We arrived at Boom Lake and the mountains rise up surrounding the lake. We enjoyed the view and ate some lunch & then returned. The hike had some sporadic people but there were a lot on our hike out.
Castle Mountain Lookout – June 8, 2019. 5.25 miles & 1,800 AEG
My last hike of the day was near the Hostel and climbed up to a viewpoint overlooking the Icelands Parkway. This was a nice hike and took some effort but you were rewarded with solid views. I headed back to Hostel and then a few of us went into the town of Banff for beers at the brewery. I am flying back to Phoenix the next day.
This was a wonderful trip! I saw a lot and met so many people. I never felt alone and hope to return someday soon. |
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