Sunrise at Vermillion Lakes

Our first morning waking up in Banff National Park, we rose early to catch the sunrise at Vermillion Lakes which is near downtown Banff. It was a little cloudy for sunrise but was still beautiful. I enjoyed the peace sitting by the water, brewing coffee in the outdoor mist, waiting for the light to shine on the face of Mount Rundle before us.

Drive Bow Valley Parkway

After enjoying the sunrise views, we continued on the day’s adventures. The first hike planned for today was Johnston Canyon, located about 30 minutes north of downtown Banff. The route I recommend is not the Trans Canada Highway (this is the faster route), but the (slower but more eventful) Bow Valley Parkway. Bow Valley Parkway is reportedly famous for wildlife sightings, but time of day seems to matter. I was really hoping to see a moose in the morning hours, but was satisfied with the sighting of just 3 deer and a fox.

Hike Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon is one of Banff’s most popular hikes because the effort:reward ratio is very favorable. The hike to Lower Falls and Upper Falls only takes about 1 hour from the parking lot, and the vast majority of these routes is paved. Take your time meandering along the elevated walkways, feeling the cool moistness of the canyon air on your skin, and marveling at the thick clear water rushing against the canyon walls underneath you. The trick to enjoying Johnston Canyon (as well as much of the rest of Banff National Park) is to plan to arrive early. The Johnston Canyon parking lot filled up by late morning on the Monday morning (in July) that we visited. More importantly, the views of both falls are each spectacular and much less enjoyable later in the day when you have to wait 30 minutes in a crowded line to then jostle for that perfect unobstructed photo. I’d recommend starting the hike by 8:00 or 9:00am to maximize enjoyment of this gorgeous scenery without annoyances from crowds. The viewpoint of Lower Falls is a cozy cave that gets you up and personal with the spray of the roaring falls (make sure your camera is waterproof), whereas the viewpoint of Upper Falls is a really well-placed little deck area perfect for appreciating the height of the waterfall free-falling and pulverizing the rocks below.

 

Hike To The Ink Pots

If you have another hour to spare, continue your ascent from Upper Falls and hike to the Ink Pots. The hike itself is an unrelenting uphill battle with only a few clearings in the trees offering good views, but the destination is worth it! The Ink Pots are 5 green-blue pools of colorful murky water that are filled from springs underneath. Take your time to meander among the pools but please do not venture past the marked borders and don’t touch the water! Efforts are in place to conserve and protect the area as much as possible.

 

Lake Lunchtime And Downtown Banff

Two hikes down that day, we were ready for some food. Lunchtime was spent back at Vermillion Lakes, where we broke out our campstove and cooked some seaweed noodles and spam.

Downtown Banff was the next stop where we relaxed with brews at Banff Ave Brewery and tried our first Beaver Tails!

Home Base At Two Jack Lake Campground

Make sure you return to your campsite early enough to build a fire before it gets too dark to see! Back at our campsite at Two Jack Lake, we built our campfire, barbequed some sausages, and ate our zhongzhis from T&T market. (T&T is the Canadian version of 99 Ranch Market and we LOVE it.)

After dinner, we watched sunset at Two Jack Lake and wandered around the gorgeous Lake Minnewanka. I’m understanding why people love to experience Banff’s beauty in the wee hours of the morning and after sunset– there are less people to spoil the view.