Lovely weather for exploring more rocks and water vistas. First stop Lake Minnewanka, meaning “Water of the Spirits”, is a glacial lake fed by the Cascade River, in the eastern part of Banff. Its 21 km long and 142m deep making it the 2nd longest lake in the Canadian Rockies. The area is rich in animal life – bear, elk, mule deer. Back to downtown Banff for brunch…the mountains that surround the town make a real impact as you drive around.

Next the Bow Valley Parkway, a 50 km scenic route with lovely picnic stops; a canyon and falls to explore;  Morant’s Curve, where the Bow River and rail line snake in front of the rising peaks of Mt Temple and Fairview mountain; and the dramatic Castle Mountain, sitting astride the mountain fault, which has thrust older sedimentary rocks forming the upper part of the mount over younger rocks forming its base. Its castellated appearance is a result of erosive processes at different rates on the peak’s alternating layers of softer shale and harder limestone and quartzite.

I love the grassy wildlife overpasses on the Trans Canada Highway – these innovative structures have opened migration corridors and saved countless animals from vehicle collisions, including grizzlies. Pine trees and wildflowers have given root, giving the overpasses a fringe of greenery. There are also camouflaged underpasses, which black bears and mountain lions prefer to use. 

Also in the Bow River Valley, but closer to Banff, are the (3) Vermillion Lakes from which you can see Mt Rundle and Sulphur Mountain. I visited during the day and came back for sunset, and was sooo rewarded. A beautiful pink/blue hue over one set of mountains and over to my right, simultaneous yellow/orange hues over another mountain group – about 15 photographers arrived for the sunset and left quite quickly, leaving myself and Charlie, backpacker from England, to revel in the sunset’s  ‘afterglow’. Magic!!