5/25/18 – Canadian Rockies

We were in two national parks today, but one was a surprise.  We drove from Cranbrook to Radium Hot Springs, and as soon as we turned onto Hwy 93, there was an entry booth into Kootenay National Park. I didn’t even realize it was there. So we bought two Annual Senior NP Passes, rather than $16 for every day we were going to be in a national park in Canada. 

Dragging the trailer meant we didn’t have a chance to stop and explore, but the views of the BC Rockies as we drove through the park were impressive.  The windshield was covered with bugs so ignore the spots.

After we crossed the Continental Divide, we entered directly into the Province of Alberta and Banff National Park.  I knew (more or less) we were going through Banff.  One of those flat mountains is called Castle Mountain—don’t know about the others, but they’re certainly different than any of the others we’d seen on the way.

On Trans-Canada Highway 1A, heading north to Lake Louise, there are--to quote the Milepost--"Dozens of large animal overpasses that allow large animals to cross the busy highway without gtting hit by vehicles. The overpasses are covered in sod and made to look like natural rock.  They are used by 11 species of large mammals."  We didn't see a single critter, but it's a pretty cool view going through the overpasses.

When we drove to the campground, there were flaggers and a big sign that Lake Louise parking lot was full. We waited until after dinner hoping it would clear out.  Parking was available, but the lake was a big surprise!  Yes, it’s a mountain lake in the Canadian Rockies the end of May, but we didn’t expect that there would still be ice in it!  It's not that turquoise color you see in pictures, but it's still lovely.

Flickr Albums:  Kootenay Natl Park
Banff NP and Lake Louise