We have been to Banff before, and I love it here, but apparently so does the rest of Canada! It’s easy to see why, but it makes for lots of crowds on the trails, especially on this holiday weekend.

Conveniently, the shuttle to LakeLouise picks up in the very parking lot we are staying. My little kids were sooo excited to ride a school bus. I remember Aunica being the same way.

Lake Louise is incredibly beautiful. The immediate lakeshore is very crowded, but we opted for the overlook trail instead of the lakefront trail and it made all the difference. It was a bit of a grueling uphill, but the views were worth it.

Back on the bus, and back to the rv for a bit of a rest. Then onto our second hike of the day.

Johnston canyon is one of my all-time favorite hikes. It is a riverfront trail that alternates between bluff and cement boardwalk over the canyon. A funny thing, Deon insisted for the first quarter mile that the hike I was referring to (this hike) was actually in Bend, OR. It wasn’t until the first boardwalk that he was convinced we were in the right place. This is another good incline. Although not as fierce as the first, it is longer, and all in all we probably clocked 7 miles today.

At this point it was getting a little late, so we stopped in the town of Banff for pizza and ice cream floats. A great ending to a great day.