Lake Louise is my favourite part of the Canadian Rockies. When I saw Lake Louise, I felt like I wanted to stay there. We almost spent the whole day there.  The view is the combination of the majestic mountains, the clear and still lake water with the reflection of the mountains, the clouds  and the plants, simply enticing. Even if you are visiting the Canadian Rockies for Lake Louise alone, it would still be well-worth it. This is also where the best hotel is located, the Fairmont Chateau.

    Lake Moraine was our next stop after Lake Louise. It is a much smaller lake but it’s also very beautiful.  There is also a nice biking and hiking trail there.

    The next day we went back to Lake Louise for a horse-back riding to Mount Agnes. There is a trail for those who want to go there on foot but I just had to try horse-back riding.  The ride was scheduled for four hours. It was really fun.  We took beautiful photos along the way. There was Mirror Lake, the Beehive and best of all, Lake Agnes on top of the mountain with a teahouse in front of it.

    Then off we took the Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain. From there, we saw a good panoramic view of Banff.  We still had to climb the steps to the top but it was nice, the air was cool and there were amazing views along the way.

There are many good accommodations in Banff, depending on how much you are willing to spend. As for us, we stayed at Rundlestone  Lodge then at Juniper Hotel. We did not really have enough time to plan for the trip so our choices were limited but still, everything went smoothly.

After my first trip to Banff and Lake Louise, I still feel like I have only tasted the icing of the cake. I still have to go back so I could taste the cake itself. Until then, Banff and Lake Louise.

We stayed in Becker’s Chalets for two days. The good thing about it, is that you can cook your own food because the chalet has a well-equipped kitchen and dining room. The chalet could accommodate a family with three children so it was quite comfortable for just the two of us. We brought two Coleman coolers with us, one for the drinks and the other for the food. I mostly cooked our meals so we really felt very much at home there.

During our first day, we went to Medicine Lake. The lake was almost completely dried up during that time because it was almost winter. Next stop was Maligne River. We took a cruise by the river going to Spirit Island. Along the way, we saw two bald eagles. The view of the spirit island is one of the best you can have in Jasper. Then off we went to Malign Canyon then Athabasca falls and Athabasca river. There was a part of the river that’s so noisy then a few steps ahead, the river starts to calm down. 

On our second day, we took the Jasper Tramway and got to the top of Whistler Mountain which is 7,452 feet above sea level. There we had a stunning panoramic view of Jasper. From there, we proceeded to Columbia Ice fields. Sadly, the Ice Explorer bus was not available to take us to ice fields so we just managed to walk up to the mountain until we could see some glaciers.

When we went back to our chalet, we were exhausted yet more than contented. We could not get enough of what we just experienced during the past two days. We decided we were going to plan another trip to Jasper in the near future.

     The Canadian Rockies is nature in its purest. It is a combination of landforms and water forms, of mountains and lakes, of canyons and rivers.  Seeing animals in the wild like elks, deers, mountain goats, moose and bears are a bonus, too. There are also a lot of things to do there like hiking, mountain climbing, horseback riding, water rafting and kayaking. It’s a good place to shed off extra pounds without even noticing it.  When you go hiking there, you will hardly notice the distance you have covered because of all the beautiful sights along the way.

     Personally, I think the best time to go there is during late Semptember  when the plants are changing colors.  Remember to bring your best digital camera with extra battery and your most comfortable walking shoes. One trip to the Canadian Rockies is only the first of the many visits anyone can make.