Our Trip to ALBERTA, CANADA: BANFF

May 10, 2025

Our wake-up call this morning was 7 am.  By 8:30 am, we had already checked out of our first hotel and on the way to our next destination. 

Welcome to Banff!

Parks Canada Administration Building along Mountain Avenue 

Banff Park Museum along Banff Avenue

It was a 1-1/2 hour drive from Calgary to Banff. When our bus arrived in town, we picked up our seasoned guide, Pam. At the place where we met Pam, we were already marveling at the grand snow-capped mountain peaks surrounding us. Pam brought us first to our lunch venue, a Chinese restaurant called the Silver Dragon. In the bus, Pam told us interesting local facts, like those bridges built for animals to cross the expressway.

Welcome to Lake Louise!

The Spectacular View of the Frozen Lake

Walking on the Icy Lake

(with the thawing parts seen behind us)

Our first scenic destination was Lake Louise. This glacial lake was first "discovered" by Tom Wilson, who first named it Emerald Lake, then renamed it Lake Louise in honor of Queen Victoria's daughter who became the wife of a Canadian governor-general. When we visited, the lake was still mostly frozen, but some parts were already beginning to thaw. The temptation to walk and take photos on the scenic frozen lake was too much to resist. 

Bow Falls

View of Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel from Surprise Corner

The classic view with us in it

From the lake, we went to see the white cascading waters of Bow Falls for a photo stop. After a short stay there, we were driven a little further up along Tunnel Mountain Road to the famous viewpoint called Surprise Corner. At this seemingly nondescript stop, we got a breathtaking view of the imposing Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the so-called "Castle of the Rockies," overlooking the pine trees of the Spray Valley and the Bow River below. Classic. 

A View from our Cable Car

On top of Sulphur Mountain!

Our next stop was the Banff Gondola. There we rode cable cars traveling up for about 10 minutes to the top of Sulphur Mountain. At the top, we were able to fully take in the fresh air and breathtaking views of the six mountain ranges surrounding it. While walking along the ridgetop walkway called the Boardwalk towards the Weather Station, I truly felt an exhilarating adrenaline rush.  This was THE ultimate Canadian Rockies experience. 

Still a Long Way to Go to the Weather Station

Meditating on the Grandeur of God's Nature

Upon returning to the town proper, we checked into our hunting-lodge-like hotel, the Banff Caribou Lodge, and had our dinner at a nearby Chili's restaurant before calling it a night. The temperature we felt this day was a comfortably cold at around 10 degrees Celsius. After hearing stories of Northern Lights sightings in town the night before from the waiter at lunch, we were also hopeful for a sighting, but alas, we had no such luck around the hotel.

Facade of the Banff Caribou Lodge

Lobby of the Banff Caribou Lodge

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POSTSCRIPT:  Before heading out of Calgary, we made a stop at a charming house in the suburbs called the Carma House. This place was one of the centers which housed Wellspring Alberta, a non-profit organization offering free non-medical support for individuals going through emotional difficulties brought about by cancer.  

The friendly facade of Carma House

Scott gives his Orientation Talk

Our group was welcomed by their manager Scott, who gave us a brief overview of their services here at the house. We were taken on a tour around their premises, which had interiors purposefully designed to be warm and cozy, with none of the cold, impersonal atmosphere one would associate with hospitals and doctors. At the end, we were all in agreement that a program like this is needed in our local setting.