Thursday, June 12th
Johnston Canyon Hike
We woke up early to head to the Johnston Canyon for a hike because we read that it gets really busy. Banff is super dog friendly, so we decided to take the dogs with us and see how Emmie did on her first hike. We drove about 30 minutes to the trailhead and started off. We got to the trail around 8:30 and there were only a few other people there. The plan was to hike to a waterfall and see how we felt and how the dogs were doing and then maybe hike to a second one. The path was paved and pretty flat, so it was a super easy hike. The only challenge was there were a few bridges that went over the river and Emmie did NOT like walking on those.
She was brave and after about .5 miles we made it to the first waterfall. It was beautiful, and you could walk into a cave and get right up against it. It is amazing to feel the spray from a raging waterfall, especially after a hike.
The pups were doing great, so we decided to hike to the next one. This was still a paved trail, but went up a little bit so it was more of a challenge. After about another mile, we made it to the second waterfall. You had to stand on a bridge to see this one and Emmie was not happy.
We did not stay too long and turned around to make the hike back. There were a lot more people on the trail when we headed back. The trail, especially the bridges, is really narrow so it is a little hard to hike when it is crowded. This was an absolutely beautiful hike, along a river with tons of rapids in an enchanting forest. At about 3.4 miles round trip it was just challenging enough for us. I would highly recommend it!
We drove back to the campsite to drop of the very tired dogs, and ate a quick lunch of sandwiches. We then jumped back in the Jeep to head off on our next adventure.
Beaver Tails
But first, we had a very important pit stop to make on the way. We drove into town and each got a Beaver Tail. Beaver Tails are fried dough that they cover in all sorts of goodies. Tyler got a maple one and I got one that was covered in Nutella with brownie and chocolate chunks. Beaver Tails are incredible and a must have when you are in Canada.
With our treat in hand, we got back in the car and started our long drive to Jasper National Park. There is a road called the Icefields Parkway that connects Banff to Jasper and it is full of amazing views, hikes, waterfalls and lakes. In total the drive is about two hours, but you can spend anywhere from 2-8 hours on the drive if you stop for hikes and sights. We had somewhere to be, so we mostly enjoyed the views as we drove, but we did stop for a few waterfalls that you could see from the road.
Athabasca Glacier
We made it to our destination, the Columbia Icefield, where we were going to get to walk on a glacier! After putting on lots of layers, we hopped on a bus that drove us just a few minutes up the road. We then got off the bus and got on a massive Ice Explorer vehicle that brought us straight onto the Athabasca Glacier
. We got out and walked on the ice. Tyler brought his water bottle and filled it straight from the glacier stream. Our guide introduced us to the “glacier facial” where he dunked his face into the stream. I couldn’t resist and I gave it a try. It was COLD but really refreshing. It was better than a cup of coffee to wake you up!
We got back on the Ice Explorer and drove back to the buses. A bus then took us down the road to the Skywalk. The Skywalk is a glass floored walk that hangs over the side of the mountain. It was pretty cool, but I would not have done it if it was not included with the Glacier.
We got back on the bus and went back to the visitor center. It was time to start the drive back to Banff. We made one stop on the way at Peyto Lake, and it was incredible! The water was a gorgeous color and there was a beautiful view of the sun behind the mountains. It started to rain, so we only stayed for a minute and then ran back to the car.
We got back to the campsite late, and packed up as much as we could because we wanted to leave early to avoid a line at the dump station.