I am so happy that this trip could happen.
We have been to Banff and Canmore a few times over the years but it is usually quite busy and crowded. With international travel being restricted right now we heard rumblings that Banff was a little less busy than it has been in years past. I saw this as an opportunity to finally be able to make it up to see the much-acclaimed Morraine Lake. Located in between Banff and Jasper, this lake has become one of the most visited and photographed lakes in Canada! A couple of years back we tried to visit this lake and were turned away because of a high volume of traffic. I remember feeling devastated that we'd traveled so far and gotten up so early and still couldn't beat the crowds.
As we made preparations for our two-night stay in Canmore, we felt a little more optimistic that this year would be different. I did schedule in three different times in which a visit to Morraine would be attempted, so the odds were automatically better.
We left home on a sunny Tuesday morning and drove through the Kananaskis parks on the way. We were in awe of this beautiful part of Alberta. The Kananaskis is massive, rugged, and full of both wildlife and gorgeous scenery.
We saw five bears while driving through the park, including a collared grizzly bear and her two cubs. We also made sure to stop at Upper Kananaskis Lake. The sand and the color of the water was stunning though the wind kept us from enjoying it for too long. Perhaps we just knew we were close to our hotel and felt and urgency to finish the drive for the day. Whatever the reason, we didn't stop at any Kananaskis location for long. I think we all felt as though we should have better researched this area and planned for more time here.
As we approached Canmore, Abby and I made John pull over so that we could show the family a cool cave we'd hiked to while on the student council trip last year. Heart Creek Bunker is a cave that (during the Cold War) was going to be used to store some of the countries most important documents. The hike up to this hidden spot was minimal and it was fun to walk through the cool, dark corridors of this cave.
We reached our hotel around 4 pm and Nate immediately went straight to the pool. (He is a sucker for those hotel pools)! My initial plan had been to make the one hour drive by myself and try to see Morraine lake that night. On a whim, though the rest of the family decided to come along too and I am so glad they did. As it turns out the evening is DEFINITELY the best time to make the trip to this lake. We weren't turned away, we found a great parking spot, and the crowds were small!
(7pm = Magic time.)
I almost cried as we drove up to this beautiful scene. It was more breathtaking than I could have imagined. There were a few others at the lookout point, but they all seemed to look and move on quickly. I could have sat there forever. Look at that water!!
We set the paddleboards out and had the opportunity to float in the prettiest sea of blue ever. We stayed until it was too dark to see clearly. My heart was so happy and so full of gratitude that night I thought it would burst.
What a fabulous day this had been.
Wednesday was a lot less busy (we'd checked off all of our "must do's" the day before) but we did hike Heart Creek Trail all the way up to a very cool waterfall, the kids swam again, and we went out for dinner at Boston Pizza.
It was really nice to get away with the kids. If I have to spend hours each day in a car, or exploring unfamiliar terrain - these are the people I would like to do it all with.
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