If you haven't been to the Canadian Rocky Mountains, you need to add this trip to your bucket list. The beauty is unparalleled, especially in the summer months.
I had never been to the Rockies before this past September. It wasn't until last year when I came across the best mountain porn I had ever seen via the instagram account of Erica Lee Craig that I knew I had to do a trip! The mountains standing tall above bright turquoise lakes drew me in, and I was set on doing a road trip.
Our first stop was Jasper, Alberta
After capping off our long drive with a craft beer and burger from the Jasper Brewing Company we slept in the CN railway parking lot in our epic minivan bed. We were hummed to sleep by the passing trains.
We got up early and grabbed some coffee in town. On our way to the lake we passed a pack of elk just outside of Jasper. There were probably 30 of them on the edge of the highway!
Pack of Elk outside of Jasper
We got to the beautiful Maligne lake and jumped in the canoe.
Maligne Lake, Jasper
Maligne Lake, Jasper
Maligne Lake, Jasper
Your Rocky Spine by the Great Lake Swimmers was on repeat pretty much the whole trip!
Sunwapta Falls, AB
Bow Lake, AB
After spending the day in the Jasper, we decided to head down the Icefields Parkway towards Lake Louise.
This was definitely the most scenic drive I have ever been on. There are so many spots along the way to explore too!
Bow Lake was a highlight for me. Situated just outside of Lake Louise, we arrived to this lake just in time. Bow lake was perfectly still and the mountains reflected off the water, making for an incredible perspective. These photos are my favourite from the trip by far!
Bow Lake, AB
Bow Lake, AB
The best camera to use is the one you have on you!
Winter is coming...
Lake Louise, AB
Lake Louise, AB
In my mind, Lake Louise was going to be this isolated little alpine lake. Boy that was naive of me.. It was SO busy there, although you could never tell from these two photos. It was definitely not our scene.
As we got into Lake Louise the weather had turned for the worst. The mountains were completely socked in and the temperature dropped. Morraine Lake was also on my bucket list, but it too was completely socked in when we got up there. I will for sure be coming back to explore these two lakes more and do some of the surrounding hikes. Luca's father spent many years of his youth working at the Chateau and has stories upon stories of hiking these mountains. Needless to say, we will return.
After leaving Lake Louise a little disappointed about the weather (it had been sunny and hot all summer until we got there!). We grabbed coffee in Banff and decided to head back to The Kootneys that evening where it was 25 degrees celcius!
We had read up on Johnson Lake prior to our trip, hoping we could make a stop on our way home. It is known as the Caribbean of the north! It is the clearest lake in BC with 40 feet of visibility!
Blurry long exposure at Johnson Lake, BC
We took a 2 hour long sketchy logging road to get there and arrived well past dark. There is a little provincial campground with about 10 spots in it at the east end of the lake. We arrived and there were only 2 other parties there. We started a fire and spent the evening oogling over the massive amount of stars blanketing the nights sky. I even tried out some long exposure shots with my DSLR. Although they turned out pretty blurry, I was still stoked I was able to capture the milky way!
Van Camp Life
Our minivan also doubles as our traveling home when we go on road-trips. We have perfected making a bed in the back out of blankets piled on blankets on air mattresses. It is so nice to not have to put up and take down a tent each night! We have a tiny little camp stove that we make fresh coffee on every morning too :)
Johnson Lake early morning
Johnson Lake, BC
Before making the long journey home, we paddled around the turquoise waters for most of the morning while Luca attempted to teach me how to fly fish!
Johnson Lake, BC
Johnson Lake, BC
We came home extremely happy campers :)
Did you have any adventures this past summer? Let me know in the comments below!!
XO Amelia