And some iPhone photos…..
Day 1: We drove straight to rive Yoho National Park. A vibrant and quiet little lake off to the side of all the national parks (Yoho is actually part of British Columbia while most of Banff is all Alberta)
Then we headed to Fairmont lake Louise to have a formal dinner at the Fairview restaurant which is new to the Fairmont hotel. We opted to have dinner in the bar area instead of the formal dining room. I was obsessed with the bar decor. Our drink recommendation is the milk punch which is not officially on the menu as of now but is such a tasty treat. It taste like a pina colada shot.
Day 2: Breakfast at Trailhead Cafe which had great bagel sandwiches and vegan granola bars!!! Then headed to Moraine Lake…this is the most tricky lake at Banff. To get a parking spot you need to get there before 5am. We enjoyed canoeing on the lake for an hour.
Our next lake was Peyto lake. Its a bit of a hike but once you hit first viewpoint, don’t stop. Keep taking the path to the left and then take your first dirt parth on your right going down. This takes you to an unmarked but amazing viewport that’s way less crowded.
Day 3
- Takakkaw falls. This is a nice and easy flat 15 min walk to the falls from the car park.
- Lake Minnewanka and two jack lakes are also great day trip place for all things water sports. People bring canoes and stand up paddle boards to two jack lake and Lake Minnewanka is perfect for boats.
For dinner we went into Banff town for the most amazing food of the entire trip. We ate at The Bison restaurant which is a wonderful locally sourced seasonal menu place that specialized in bison. Make sure to make reservations ahead a time for this gem. Our order was Elk Poutine for a starter and then our Mains were Bison short ribs, Ribeyes and stiploins and truly some of the best meat I have ever had!!!
While this was my 4th time in Banff, it was just as magical as the first time..I highly recommend this place as one of my top destinations in the world!!