TP Trails

7 Days and 8 Nights in Banff National Park (2 nights at Two Jack Main Campground, 2 nights backcountry on the Skoki Loop, 2 nights at Lake Louise Campground, 2 nights backcountry at Lake O’Hara)

We drove to Banff from Glacier National Park. Since we had no cell service from Glacier to Canada (nor in Canada), we selected a route from our paper map. This may not have been the fastest route, but it took about 5.5 hours to reach Banff. This did not include our hour-long stop at Walmart to pick up a few grocery items and get the free WiFi! When we arrived at Banff, we had to purchase a Canadian Parks Pass (equivalent of the National Parks Pass in the US). It was more cost efficient to purchase the annual pass (~$100.00) rather than day passes based on the length of time we were there (7 days was about the breakeven point). Banff is one of the only spots on our entire trip that we had made reservations ahead of time, as we had heard that the good spots can be very competitive. Our first two nights were reserved at Two Jack Main campground, right outside the town of Banff. When we reached the campground, we were told by the rangers that a black bear had been spotted a few times this week at the campground, so to be diligent with our food storage. Great, but of course I would be diligent. Turns out Patrick had seen these sightings online, but conveniently forgot to mention it to me. But to better news. The best thing about Banff (and perhaps other Canadian National Parks?), is UNLIMITED FREE WOOD. The US needs to get on board with this. We would save so much money on our trip! We grabbed some wood and set up our tent, then headed to the town of Banff to check with the visitor center on upcoming backcountry questions and general hiking recommendations. Another item that is different from US National Parks is that we technically did not need to visit the visitor center to pick up our backcountry permit. Our printed reservation was all that was needed. This surprised us because no education was required (bear, food storage, water, or otherwise), prior to setting out on a backcountry hike. Regardless, we wanted to get some of those questions answered, so we stopped by. Afterwards, we headed back to the campsite for dinner (pork loin, mashed potatoes, and broccoli). Two Jack Main also provides hot water with a dishwashing sink. A nice upgrade to washing dishes with paper towels and water bottles. We had site #10F, which we liked since it was on an outer ring (no one behind us). The sites are relatively close together on the sides, and all are close to the bathrooms (at least in our loop).

The next day we got up early to head to Lake Louise – we had heard that the parking lot fills around 6 am, but we didn’t believe it. Turns out, we should have. We drove needlessly to the parking lot only to loop right back around the shuttle parking lot. The shuttle costs $4 CAD round trip per person. And takes forever to pay and loaded onto a bus. For us, it made Lake Louise much less desirable. We also noticed that as difficult as it was to get to Lake Louise, it was even harder to get to Lake Moraine. We finally made it though, and I will say, the lake is beautiful. We had decided to do the Plain of Six Glaciers hike up to one of the famous tea houses. There is also another tea house on Lake Louise called the Agnes tea house, which is closer, and therefore we had heard, more crowded. The hike to the Plain of Six Glaciers was about 3.5-4 miles one way with about 1,200 ft elevation gain. We hiked up in about 1 hour and 15 minutes, and on the way up, we were even lucky (if you consider it lucky) to see an avalanche on one of the glaciers. The tea house was built around 1927; a woman raised her two daughters there and one of her daughters still runs the tea house today! We stopped in for some tea and split a hot meal (vegetarian chili, very tasty, with chocolate cake). The cost was about $36 CAD in total, but a very nice treat after the hard hike up. Once we got back down to Lake Louise, we checked out prices to rent a canoe. The line was probably at least 30 groups deep and when we saw the prices, we couldn’t figure out why! $115 CAD for ½ hour and $150 for a full hour! We instead turned back towards the shuttle bus line to get back to our car. Once we got back to the car, it took about an hour to get back to the campsite (Banff and Lake Louise are not that close to each other). When we got back to the campsite, it started to rain, so I set up our kingdom porch and Patrick got a fire started. We decided on a lazy dinner, hot dogs and chips, and prepped a bit for our upcoming 3-day backcountry hike.

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As mentioned earlier, we had booked our backcountry trip in advance – the online system was very easy to navigate and the hikes didn’t seem quite as competitive as some of those in the US National Park system. We had selected the Skoki Loop based on our research and the amount of mileage/elevation gain that we desired for our hikes. We unfortunately had to pack up our Two Jack Main campsite in the rain, so everything was wet. When this happens, we usually like to let it dry out immediately at our next campsite, but no such luck this time, so we packed it up in trash bags. Our backcountry hike started from the Fish Creek trailhead. We started our hike a bit late, around 11 am (after driving to the trail head and packing our bags). The day consisted of a total of 8 miles with about 2,100 ft of elevation gain. The first 3 miles of the hike were mostly uphill on a gravel access road. We did see one truck pass us by and were tempted to stop him to hitch a ride, but we held back. The gravel road was nothing special, but it wasn’t bad to hike on since it was well-packed. Once we made it passes this section, we followed ski trails for another 1-2 miles, which was much more scenic. Still heading mostly up at this point. Then it opened up – small trees, beautiful wildflowers, amazing views of the surrounding peaks. We came to the first, large lake, Ptarmigan Lake, which again, offered stunning views. The hike from here to our fist campsite at Baker Lake was relatively flat from this point on. The trail splits to create the loop at the end of Ptarmigan Lake before you start the walk around Baker Lake. We reached Baker Lake it about 3.5 hours. The Baker Lake campsite accommodates about 10 groups, so it is by no means secluded. The good news is that there were a couple pit toilets and hanging poles for your bags/food at the campsite (no need to carry a bear box, but do bring extra carabiners as the hooks are broken on many of the poles), plus I wasn’t worried about bears attacking the large group of people. Three of the tent pad areas have nice views of the lake, and we were lucky enough to snag the last of the three. I would recommend one of these sites if you get the chance! However, shortly after we arrived at the campsite, the temperature dropped, and it started raining off and on. We had a few moments where we could enjoy the lake but spent most of the afternoon/evening in the tent to avoid the rain. For dinner we had an Alpine Aire Rice and Beans and a Mountain House Chili Mac & Beef, the former being difficult to eat. Thankfully, the Mountain House was delicious, as we had tried this before. I filtered a few liters of water from the lake, which was slow going but no issues with filtering. We had decided to hang our entire bags on the poles (some people only hung their food and scented items) because our tent is too small to bring the bags inside and we didn’t want marmots chewing through them. We did hang the bags with our rain covers on, so items didn’t get wet!

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On day 2 of our backpacking trip, we slept in since our hiking for the day was limited to about 5 miles, which was relatively flat. The weather was much nicer, and we awoke to a beautiful view of Baker Lake. We made instant oatmeal and coffee before packing up the campsite and heading towards our second campsite, Merlin Meadows. The hike was mostly through meadow area with only a couple uphill portions. After about 1.5 hours, we made it to the Skoki Lodge. We had heard from others that the Skoki Lodge offers a “hiker’s tea” from 2-4 pm everyday (i.e., beer/wine, charcuterie, soup, and coffee/tea). This was a must on our to-do list. The campsite wasn’t much further passed the lodge, except that we headed in the wrong direction towards Merlin Lake (these are two very different hikes/places). After walking up some pretty steep climbs for about 30 minutes, we decided we must be headed in the wrong direction and turned back. Thank goodness we did. The campsite is only about 0.6 miles passed the Skoki Lodge on a much flatter route. Merlin Meadows is more of a free for all on where you can set up your tent than Baker Lake, where sites were specifically designated. We quickly set up our tent in a little tree alcove and headed back to the lodge for tea! We paid about $85 CAD for the buffet charcuterie (included chips/salsa, crackers/cheese, pickled veggies, soup, desserts, and meats of course), a few beers, and coffee/tea. Well worth the cost and a special treat after two days of hiking! At the lodge, I noticed a girl wearing a Duke hat and she looked very familiar. After talking we her, we both realized we graduated the same class at Duke from Pratt Engineering! It was great to catch up with her and her sister (who she was backpacking with). On the way out the next day, we crossed paths and joined them in the hike out as well! After tea, we headed back to the campsite; here, we hung the hammock and read (in our sleeping bags because it was very cold!). Since we had treated ourselves to the tea buffet, we didn’t even need dinner. There were two group campfires at Merlin Meadows, but Patrick and I were too tired to mingle with the other campers, so we headed to bed early.

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The next morning there was frost on our tent and bags, proof of the low temperatures we felt during the night! The hike out was about 9.4 miles, and we had to make it over Deception Pass before the downhill portion started. Deception Pass was tough, but when we got the top, we had amazing 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains and lakes. Shortly afterwards, we rejoined the path that we had taken on the way in around Ptarmigan Lake. We hiked out in about 4 hours but were exhausted at the end. The downhill portions really hurt your knees. After the backpacking trip, we had reserved two nights at the Lake Louise campground, so that’s where we headed. The Lake Louise campground has showers, so we showered for the first time in about a week! We also drove into town (less than 5-minute drive) to pick up some ice for the cooler. Dinner tonight was pork loin with mashed potatoes. Again, wood was FREE, so we enjoyed a nice hot fire.

Our mid-week backpacking break was a bit of a splurge. We had a tee time at the Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course. We debated playing due to the cost of the course (about 4 days’ worth), but we were under budget for the trip at this point and decided to just go for it; who knows when we will ever be back! We were paired with two guys who both work at the golf course, so they knew the course well, which was very helpful. The course is absolutely beautiful; amazing mountain views on every hole. Probably my favorite golf course that I’ve ever played. We finished our round in about 4.5 hours. The club house also had nice locker rooms, with showers, so I of course took advantage of that! After golf, we continued our splurge and had afternoon tea at the Fairmont hotel. Delicious sandwiches, desserts, and tea with a view overlooking the mountains. By the time tea was over, it was already close to dinner time and we had an hour drive back to the campground. We weren’t that hungry due to our afternoon snacks but made tacos for dinner. Even though the day broke our budget (which we anticipate averaging out over the next couple weeks), we felt it was worth it!

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Following our day of luxury, we were off to Lake O’Hara for two nights of backcountry camping. We felt lucky to have this stop in our itinerary because Lake O’Hara is a highly sought-after camping spot. As mentioned in previous posts, we have not planned much of this trip, but Lake O’Hara was a destination that Patrick really wanted to see. So, we called in advance as described on the website, and struck out on the first day (only received a busy tone and never got through to the park reservations). Since our schedule was flexible, we called again the next day and got through after 45 minutes of calling! Very lucky! Needless to say, we were both excited for the upcoming two nights. The other perk with this backpacking excursion is we got to take a bus to the campsite instead of hiking in with our gear (11 km hike up). The instructions explain that you can either take 1 large bag or 2 small bags on the bus, so we packed accordingly in our typical backpacking bags. However, when we got there, other people had multiple large bags. We will pack differently, more luxuriously, if we ever go again. We had backpacking food meals while others had fresh food and cooking gear. But, too late for us to change our packing approach so we boarded the bus! It’s about a 20-minute bus ride up to the campsite, which is situated a little down the road from Lake O’Hara itself (I initially thought the campsite was on the lake). Once you get to the campground, you pick an available campsite (all are similar, but we picked one that wasn’t adjacent to the picnic table/fire pit/bathroom area, #28, and on the outer ring). We were booked on the 10:30 am bus, which gave us plenty of time for a hike. We had heard from others at the campground and the rangers that there are three spots that we should make sure we see while at Lake O’Hara – Lake McArthur, Lake Oesa, and Opabin Lake. The Alpine Circuit Trail connects all three areas, but since we had two days for hiking (unfortunately, we had planned to take the early bus down on our third day since we were driving to Washington), we split the three spots into two and headed up to Lake McArthur on the first day. The hike was 5 miles with 1,000 ft of elevation gain and well worth the effort. The Lake is so beautiful and peaceful. There were only a few others at the lake, when we stopped for our mid-hike snack. During our break, a bald eagle flew over the lake and we saw/heard a loon – very picturesque. On the way up to Lake McArthur, you pass Lake Schaeffer, which is also beautiful (but what isn’t?). A portion of the hike is a loop with the high-level and low-level circuits. We much preferred the high-level hike because it offered great views over the canyon. Overall, the hike took us about 3.5 hours, including a 40-minute stop at the lake.

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After we finished the hike, we checked out the Lake O’Hara lodge. You can rent rooms in the lodge or rent private cabins along the lakeshore; they looked incredible, but we overheard that the cabins cost upwards of $1,000 per night. This lodge also does an afternoon tea for $15/person and campers are welcome. The tea includes coffee, tea, and some light snacks. Based on what we saw we decided that we didn’t think it would be worth it. There is also a day shack at Lake O’Hara which offers snacks, coffee, and tea as well that you can buy a la carte, so we figured that would be a good deal if we decided we wanted something. After our quick stop at the lodge, we did the 2-mile hike around Lake O’Hara (not much elevation gain), including the Seven Falls viewpoint (short detour, but a lot of elevation gain). After the hike around the lake, we were starving so went back to the campground and “cooked” our not very tasty Alpine Aire dinners (Sweet Potato & Chicken and Mountain Chili, vegetarian). There is a group fire pit, so we chatted with some other groups around the fire and picked up some recommendations for places we are planning on visiting later in our trip. Patrick also went back to Lake O’Hara to read and watch the sunset. The sunset sets behind the lake, but watching the shadows shift on the mountains surrounding the lake is very pretty.

The following day was our only full day at Lake O’Hara, so we decided to hit the remaining two must-see spots. The trailhead is about 0.3 miles around the lake from the day shelter/snack shack (Le Relais). We started on the Wiwaxy Trail up to the Wiwaxy Gap, which is 1.2 miles with 1,500 ft of elevation gain!). It took us about an hour and 20 minutes to get up to the Gap, but every steep step came with a view. This part of the hike was very tough, but we would definitely recommend it! After we made it to the Gap, we continued on the Alpine Trail, specifically the Huber Ledges route over to Lake Oesa. It’s about 1.4 miles to the lake, with some ups and downs, but not too much elevation gain. When we got to the lake, we took a break to snack on apples and tuna. It was cloudy out, but when the sun briefly broke through the clouds, the lake was a bright blue color. After our quick snack break, we continued on the Alpine Trail – the Yukness route – passed Lefroy Lake on to Opabin Lake (about 1.6 miles). This part of the Alpine Trail was a bit trickier. We started on an upper route (verses the lower route), but somehow lost the trail markers a ways into the route, so we had to take a steep scree down to the trail below. Fortunately, it wasn’t too bad, but we were glad to connect back with the trail markers again. There was no one at Opabin Lake when we got there, but we didn’t stay long, since it was getting a little late in the afternoon. It started to rain a little as we were leaving the lake, but quickly stopped. We took the Highline Trail to Opabin Prospect (0.9 miles, mostly flat), which offered an amazing overlook of Lake O’Hara and Mary Lake. The Highline Trail was probably my favorite portion of our hike for the day – we walked across steppingstones through a meadow with a meandering stream running alongside. Finally we came back down on the West Opabin Trail to the Lake O’Hara lodge (1.3 miles). This combination of hikes for the day was one of our favorites of the trip to date – there was a variety of terrain types, beautiful lakes, and amazing overlooks. Overall, it was about 6.7 miles, with 2,000 ft of elevation gain, and took us about 6 hours, including our snack stops. Once we got back to the Lake O’Hara snack shack (Le Relais), we decided to treat ourselves to a famous slice of carrot cake (seriously, it’s delicious) with tea and coffee. Then we headed back to the campground to cook our mediocre dinner (Alpine Aire again – the Mac & Cheese was actually not horrible!). It rained most of the evening (and all night), but there are covered picnic areas, so a lot of us were huddled in there just chatting and enjoying each other’s company. The next morning, we unfortunately had to pack up in the rain before taking the 9:30 am bus back to the parking lot and heading back to the U.S. border.

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