• Martha SleutelCanadian RockiesMartha Sleutel
    Bridge at Fenland Trail, crossing Forty Mile Creek
    Forty Mile Creek with mountain reflectionAnother view of the creek from the trailWild asters along the creekCharlie at our picnic lunch along the creekView of mountains from Marsh Loop TrailBow River along our trailKayakers on Bow RiverBanff Springs Hotel, now the Fairmont2Bow River Falls

    Banff Day 1

    July 22, 2024 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 82 °F

    Easy, quick drive to Banff, but we arrived WAY too early to check into our condo. Banff has a ski/tourist/mountain town vibe with lots of restaurants, shops, and LOTS of traffic. (And pedestrians and cyclists!)

    Charlie had a list of easy hikes for us, so we started on his list! The first one, Fenland trail, wound through forests and along the lovely 40 Mile Creek. Afterwards, picnic tables next to the stream beckoned, so we ate lunch there.

    The next hike, Marsh Lake, was a 2 mile loop along hot springs, forests, and the very green (glacial) Bow River. Unfortunately, much of the trail was also used by horses 😮‍💨 🐎 We trudged around piles of manure and endured voracious mosquitoes. Delightful 60-70 degrees this morning morphed into 90 + degrees in the afternoon. Our very next stop was to buy bug spray!

    Still killing time before check-in, we went to the historic Banff Springs Hotel (looks like a massive castle). Originally built by a railroad magnate in the 1880s, it was rebuilt in the 1920s and renovated in 2001.

    Now, we are in our wonderful condo! Time to relax!    Read more