Today was spectacular. Sticking with the sitcom reference from yesterday, this from Seinfeld… It was real, and it was spectacular. Because when you look at our pictures, you may wonder if this is real. All I can say is, you should come see it for yourself!
When you speak of going to Canadian National Parks, Banff, and specifically Lake Louise, is generally what people mention first. The same for us. This, for me, is the anticipated highlight of coming to Canada. And it has absolutely lived up to it.
We were fortunate to get sites in this campground, made possible only after someone else cancelled. The Canadian Parks website had a “get notified of cancellations” feature that we are so grateful for. They really do things well, and they do a lot on the honor system. We haven’t yet had to show our Canadian National Parks pass, but we have one.
This is prime real estate! As Rick mentioned yesterday, it is close to the river; it is also only a few miles to the village, the park-n-ride and, in fact, Lake Louise itself. Now those several miles are straight uphill and so we didn’t want to hike that, even on the best of days. But the proximity is key. Even with only an electrical hookup, it is where we want to be for a couple of days. We are glad that we can live “normally” in our space with the amenities offered in Livvy. No campground showers or bathrooms for us! (but plenty of people are doing that). It is clean, safe and well-maintained.
If we weren’t so close, the logistics to get there, while keeping the dog safe, would have been even more challenging. Many people drive hours to get here, and we hear the RV spots in the lots are often filled by a little after 6am! We would have done it, but were glad we didn’t have to. As we initially explored our options for getting there, we had a shuttle booked from the park-n-ride; this would have required unhooking, driving, needing to run the generator for the AC, etc… it was a lot to do, but it was what we had planned. And Rick shared the picture of the chaotic number of RVs there (let alone cars). And it would have added hours to our day. We have the time, but I just don’t like to leave the dog for more than 5ish hours. Gratefully, we learned of a better way…
We took a local bus instead! While Rick does all of the “big” planning, I do scour many social media sites for tips and tricks. There was inconsistent information about a local bus serving the Lake Louise Village & Lake, with absolutely NO information online about it. Strange, so I thought maybe out of date info.
Well as we drove into town yesterday, we passed the exact bus I had been reading about! I was so very excited. We asked the campground attendant about it and she confirmed, suggesting we take a walk to look at the bus stop itself for more information. Seriously, nothing online!!
So we did, and found out that we had lovely local bus access to and fro, for a grand total of $8 canadian for both of us. The best part is that we didn’t have to do any work other than walk about a 1/4 mile past the campground, and Daisy stayed in the RV as is. We are busy posting about it in the sites that we leverage, because it is a hidden gem. So if you are ever here in this area, stay in the Lake Louise Village so that you can take advantage of this convenient and affordable service. That is, unless want to stay at the Fairmont which is literally lakeside for $$$$, see below. The Route 11 Roam Transit bus is the best kept secret here!!! ( it is aparently meant to support local residents, which is why it isn’t advertised)
OK, on to our amazing day and the photos that go with it!
We needed some good quiet time and a well-deserved shower after our adventures. I’m happy to say that Rick’s back is holding up well, while he continues to do all the appropriate exercises to keep it that way. We are being careful not to overdo it. And frankly, I’m pretty tired out after some wonderful hiking! Now we are resting enjoying our last evening in Banff. It is a place that will always hold special memories for us!
Tomorrow, more exploring..
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