Lake Louise is Incredible

Friday, July 8th – Golden to Lake Louise to Field, British Columbia - Day 147 

We awoke and had our morning routine. By the time we were ready to pack up, all our camper neighbours were already gone. It seems nice that these vans can just drive off on a whim where we are stuck pushing in and cranking down. I sent Gen, Jo-Ce and the kids to go into town to shop while I packed up the trailer. Just as I finished, Gen pulled up with everyone ready to go. 

 Today we wanted to see Yoho National Park; our final National Park in British Columbia before we enter the well-known parks of Alberta, Jasper and Banff. We entered the park and drove to the Wapta Falls trailhead. We had lunch in the parking lot before hitting the trail. We were hesitant since the trail was 2.5 km one-way but we decided to go for it. The walk started off flat and muddy but then went through a forest to the falls. The falls were wide and had a huge amount of water flowing over them. There was the option to hike to the base of the falls, we went to a few viewpoints before turning around. If we went to the base of the falls, we would have gotten soaked. John needed some assistance on the way back to the car. 

 We reached the car and headed back to the Trans-Canada. We headed for the visitor centre in Field. Field is a tiny little town in the heart of Yoho National Park, 10 minutes from the BC-Alberta border. We came up with a plan to see Emerald Lake, the spiral train tunnels and Takakkaw Falls. The Rangers also said that Lake Louise was under 24-hour security, you need reservations, the parking lots fill up early and then the road gets shut down. We had very little time left in the day but decided that it might be worth showing up to Lake Louise late today before the weekend comes and everything is packed. We ate a meal near the river, dropped the trailer, and the kids played on a play structure. 

 We drove the fifteen minutes to Emerald Lake. This was a quick visit. We wandered across a bridge towards the lodge looking out on the serene, aqua-green lake surrounded by mountains. A few pictures and we were moving onwards. We stopped by Monarch campground to reserve a $20 a night site. We drove towards Takakkaw Falls, went around some stopped traffic and found ourselves looking at a black bear. It was around 7pm and we decided to turn around and head towards Lake Louise. 

 Thirty minutes later we arrived at Lake Louise to find no security, a nearly empty parking lot and free parking after 7pm. We walked towards one of the most scenic lakes I have ever seen in my life. The scenic ‘V’ created by opposing mountain slopes frames a glacier packed mountain and an emerald green lake. As I walked towards the lake, I ran into a former student who recognized me, we chatted for a while before having to go be in our respective pictures. Shout out to all Bramalea Secondary School alums. With a final backwards glance, we headed for the parking lot. 

We stopped to take a picture with a Tipi and a passer-by asked if we wanted a group shot, which we always say yes to. Gen asked if he wants a picture of himself, he replied “No, we make these things”. He was from a reserve near Winnipeg. 

 Moraine Lake is a 15-minute drive uphill from Lake Louise. It is stunning, almost as stunning as Lake Louise. Another emerald, green lake with mountains dropping directly into each side. We climbed a trail to the top of a rock formation to get a spectacular view. 

With dusk turning to dark, we hiked back to the car and headed back to the Field visitor centre to pick up the trailer before heading to Monarch campground to set-up.