Bah hum bug! I know this is the same photo as the other 5 million visitors to Lake Louise this year, however when in Rome!

To visit Lake Louise is one of those things that you must see but beware It is utter chaos and my suggestion is if you are going to visit Lake Louise be there before 7 am, that way you will get a car park up the top of the mountain and it is not so crowded.  If you cannot arrive until after lunch you are best to park in the overflow car park on the highway about 5 km’s away and then catch the shuttle bus, unless you are happy to park at the bottom of the hill and walk the 4 km’s to the Lake.

One of the best things about Lake Louise was getting there, so this blog is all about the landscape starting from Abbotsford to Lake Louise.

We stayed in Canmore which is about 20min from Banff, again Banff is chaos and parking is horrendous as there are as many motorhomes and caravans as there are cars.  Again, our suggestion would be to do Lake Louise early and then head into Banff before lunch to secure a car park or catch the shuttle buses.  Banff is popular and worth a visit but you can see the same stores and restaurants in Canmore.

I am starting to call Digby “Papa bear” as everywhere we go, we seem to find a bear. We were in the bush taking photos of the 3 sisters (see above) when again a bear comes out to see what’s going on.

The most beautiful and scenic route in Canada is the Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper, it is definitely worth the trip.  The route is 230 km long and you can do it in 2 and a half hours but to stop and view the amazing scenery you will need 4 to 5 hours.  A must do is a glacier ice walk, we found it easier and cheaper to book your tour time online. 

From Jasper we headed 2 and a half hours Northeast of Calgary to the Badlands and in particular to Dinosaur Provincial Park which has the largest assembly of dinosaur fossils with the presence of over 500 life species.

This trip took a little longer to get there, but we really wanted to enjoy it so if you can spend an extra day in this area it is worth it.

 Our next trip is to Churchill, Manitoba where hopefully we will see some polar bears and beluga whales, so may not get to post for two weeks.