Among all of Canada’s national parks, Banff National Park is undeniably the most iconic. Established in 1885 as Canada’s first national park, it was a trailblazer in every way, a pioneer in wildlife and ecosystem conservation. Banff is THE park of all parks in Canada. But above all, it is an entirely wild expanse of more than 6,600 km²! A true playground for nature lovers… and that includes us! This year, after dreaming about it for so long, we are finally among the three million visitors who come to hike in Banff National Park and experience its stunning, untamed nature. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
Thursday, June 9, 2022
From the tumultuous Johnston Canyon and Kootenay National Park, where we have spent the past few days, we head to the neighboring park: Banff National Park. As with every park we’ve visited, the road treats us to incredible landscapes (do I even need to mention it? 😅).
🥾 C Level Cirque Trail – Announced: 7.8 km (4.3 miles), 455 m elevation gain. In reality: 9.5 km (5.6 miles), 700 m elevation gain
We set off on this short hike with enthusiasm (or at least, that’s what we think at the time!). But just 50 meters from the parking lot, we are abruptly stopped: a black bear! No, wait, I spot a second one in the bushes. Two black bears with brown fur! What luck! Encountering wild animals in their natural habitat, without fences or barriers, is always an incredible privilege, one we truly appreciate.
They are beautiful, they are big, they are not aggressive, but they are blocking the trail. This is the first time we have encountered bears on a trail (during our trip, at least, as we had a scare in La Mauricie last fall). They have heard and smelled us, but they don’t seem bothered in the slightest by our presence and show no signs of nervousness, let alone aggression. As we cautiously go around them, leaving the trail, they lift their heads and watch us pass with their small eyes while chewing. A truly magical moment.
The trail climbs, climbs, climbs through a dense and damp forest. We pass the historic foundations of an old mine, with its massive, now-fenced shafts opening gaping holes in the woods. Soon, snow appears on the trail. Then more snow. Then even more! When we reach the summit, we wade through several centimeters of soft, wet snow. The view of the immense cirque of Mount Cascade is impressive. And we encounter two Rocky Mountain marmots!
We have reached the end of the trail, but the tracks continue, disappearing into the mountain. We decide to follow them. They don’t seem to follow any official trail, climbing steeply through the woods. The ascent is exhausting. We sometimes sink up to our thighs! Finally, we reach a snowy ledge overlooking the cirque we were in earlier. We can’t go any higher unless we have some ropes for climbing! The view from the top was worth every bit of effort. We now overlook the cirque, as well as the entire valley.
After the climb, the descent! A sled would have been welcome! We endure a long, steep descent in the snow, which results in several slides, sometimes for several meters. My “waterproof to a certain point” shoes have clearly reached their limit. I pour out several liters of water from them! 😆
As we descend back into the forest, we return to spring: the snow disappears, leaves reappear on the trees, and flowers line the edge of the trail. What a strange contrast! We quickly make our way back to the parking lot, without encountering any bears. Hungry from this hike, which turned out to be much longer and tougher than expected, we enjoy our meal by Lake Minnewanka, facing yet another very pleasant view!
You’re wondering how our auxiliary battery issue is going? The answer: nowhere!! It’s been a week since we have been dealing with this problem, and neither Goal Zero, the manufacturer of our battery, nor the garage that installed it has any solution to offer, except for honoring the warranty and sending us a new replacement part! That’s nice, but we’re deep in the Rockies, out West, and sending the defective part to our preparer in Montreal, who could then forward it to a location we don’t even know yet… it’s going to be long and tedious!
In the meantime, we have no choice: we need to recharge our battery on the grid. That’s how we end up at the Mountain View campground in Banff. $42 per night, an outlet at the site, a hot shower, a campsite… by the roadside. Yes, you read that right. We’re parked next to massive RVs, on the side of the road. How classy… 🙃 Fortunately, Jeepy is small. So, we manage to get onto a patch of grass, just to avoid sleeping right on the road.
To top it all off, after several nights sleeping in the Jeep, we have the brilliantidea to set up the tent! But all night long, we are shaken by a very violent windstorm. Several times, the tent’s awnings come loose, forcing us to go outside to reattach them. Between these frequent wake-ups, the strong gusts shaking the tent, and the tarp constantly flapping, let’s just say it wasn’t a great night. As Rémi wisely puts it: in the future, we’ll need to choose our battles more wisely! 🤪 But for now, Banff National Park still has a lot to offer. More beautiful hikes await us there!
