Day 17: Banff to Lake Louise

Our travel today was only about 50 miles west, from Banff to Lake Louise.  We’re still in the same national park, but the terrain has changed somewhat.  All the trees in this area are very tall conifers, and while there are still huge snow-covered mountains, the landscape is less dramatic and rugged.

The campsite here is quite nice, very private, plenty of space.  We did soon discover that the bathrooms close by are out-of-order so we have a bit of a trek to get to the next one, and even farther to get to the showers.  In addition, we are in an area far from the main kiosk, so wherever we go, the walk is that much longer.  The ranger was kind enough to tell us that this is also the section of the campground in which there have been the most bear-sightings.  So much for choosing a site number on the Internet!

Before plugging in and getting set up, we thought we’d drive out to the lake to see it.  What a mistake!  There were three large parking lots there, and all were packed with cars and RV’s.  Vehicles were driving around and around the loop, just waiting for someone to pull out and make a space available.  Needless to say, we did not see the lake---that will need to wait until another day.

Once settled in at our campsite, we decided to hike the 7 km Bow River Trail.  We planned to connect with it near the tent section of the campground which is surrounded by electric fence to keep out the bears (both black and grizzly).That should have been a clue right there.  After about five minutes of hiking we encountered red tape across the trail with signs stating that the trail was closed due to grizzly bear activity. Since the trail was a loop, we turned around and went the other way, which took us into the main part of the village of Lake Louise.  It was also FULL of tourists, but I was able to have an excellent ice cream cone, very enjoyable on this warm afternoon.  The visitor center also had some good displays about the bears and caribou in the park. 

We’re back at our site again but may go to the camp amphitheater later this evening for the program on…what else?  Grizzly bears!