Our Honeymoon in Canada - Alberta
After spending a night with some friends in Calgary, we were off. Instead of taking the Trans Canada-Highway we followed the locals’ suggestions and took route 1A (the scenic route) toward Banff National Park and wow was it worth the diversion. From rolling plains to snow-capped mountains in a matter of miles, the scenery was stunning. We stopped for lunch in a lovely town called Canmore before reaching Banff National Park. After buying our entrance passes we drove to Banff itself where our next two nights would be at the beautiful Rimrock Resort. During our time in Banff I had a lovely western horse-riding trek, visited the Banff Hot Springs and took the cable car up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. We also enjoyed many of the wonderful walking trails in the area and spent some time in the town itself. Banff is such a picturesque place and has some fantastic places to shop and eat. Our favourite was The Keg Steakhouse although I did find myself veering to Buffalo Street where they had a chocolatier next door to the wine shop (my definition of heaven)!
After Banff, we hit the road towards Lake Louise and our next two nights at the iconic Fairmont Chateaux Lake Louise. With the shore of the lake right outside, the scenery was simply stunning (especially from our Lake View Room, an upgrade I would highly recommend). There are a multitude of trails for hikers and you can hire canoes to paddle around the lake. We also found a few other beautiful areas to explore nearby including Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake, Johnston Canyon and went up the Lake Louise Gondola where we saw our first grizzly bears! The food offered by the hotel was also fantastic and the staff were lovely.
When time came to leave Lake Louise we continued North via the beautiful Peyto Glacier viewpoint and then Athabasca Glacier in the Icefields Parkway. We took part in the Glacier adventure which was a fantastic experience. Journeying in an Ice Explorer (which made our tank look like a mini) across the icefields until we reached Athabasca glacier. En route our guide told us all about the history of the area and the glaciers. Getting the chance to walk out on surface and drink the water was fantastic. I also took the chance to walk across the Sky Walk which was pretty good although with it being so busy, sadly I didn't get to see much apart from the huge drop beneath my feet. We also saw some mountain sheep on our way back to the car.
Once we arrived in Jasper, we were fortunate to spot even more wildlife, but we didn't realise quite how easy this would be over the next few days. Our hotel, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge was not how I expected - it was like a wilderness retreat and I absolutely loved it! Also on the shores of a lake it had so much to offer from tennis, walking trails, cycling and a variety of wellness and lake activities. It even has its own stables! We were really spoiled for choice - although my favourite was being able to do more western riding. At the main entrance on my hack I spotted a herd of Elk and when we were back on the road trying to find Maligne Lake we saw black bears! Word to the wise - the drive to Maligne is rather long but it’s a lovely stop when you get there. Medicine Lake is about the half way mark! Jasper would be our last stop in beautiful Alberta so on our final night we had a wonderful meal at the hotel and prepared for our long drive into British Columbia the next day.
Overall, Alberta was one of the absolute highlights of our time in Canada. This stunning region has so much wildlife, history and adventure experiences that I only hope I can return, very soon!