Canada Day Serenity: My Remarkable Day in the Enchanting Banff National Park

Hey there, fellow adventurers and nature enthusiasts! Welcome to my blog, where I’m thrilled to take you along on a journey to one of the most mesmerizing places on Earth – Banff National Park. Canada Day took on a whole new level of magic for me as I explored the wonders of this enchanting park. Picture this: majestic mountains, pristine lakes, and a sense of serenity that’s simply out of this world. Join me as I relive the moments of my unforgettable Canada Day in the captivating embrace of Banff National Park. Grab your virtual hiking boots and let’s dive into this breathtaking escapade together!

1) From New York to Calgary, Canada

But first, let’s start from the beginning. When I was leaving New York City after a work day to go to Toronto, and then from there I would go to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The airline I picked to use was AirCanada, mostly because they owed me some credits when they canceled my flight to Montreal last year. I bought these tickets with this credit, and after all the adventures I had in Calgary and Toronto, and now Banff, I think I made the right decision on how to invest it.

I arrived to the new renovated LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York City on a June 30, and I was going to spend the 4th of July Celebrations in Canada.

Despite it being a long weekend, the airport was not too full, and I was able to pass security very fast.

First flight was to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on a A220-300 (223), which is kind of tiny for this short trip.

After 45 min we landed in Toronto International Airport, and had a 2 hours layover, that I also mostly to get some food and decaf coffee at Starbucks, since I wanted to sleep on the way to Calgary.

Finally about to board the plane on a 4 hours and 15 min flight to Calgary, Alberta. I was able to sleep and kind of get use to the new time that was expecting me.

2) The Eve and Start of the Tour

As I arrived to Calgary, I was able to get an Uber back to the hotel Coast Calgary Downtown Hotel & Suites by APA, located in Downtown Calgary, kinda close to many good places in this town, that I would explore in a couple of days.

The hotel needed a renovation but the room was very big and had everything I needed. For now, I had to sleep because the tour guide would pick me up very early in the morning to go to Banff National Park.

I woke up very early, but still the tour would pick us up at 8:30 AM in the lobby. I bought it on Viator and it was the Discover Banff National Park – Day Trip, for around $140. The tour guide was Patrick, and he was one of the best ones I had in a while. Very informative and helpful as you will read in this post.

The van picked up a few people around Calgary, and then we started to go West towards the Banff National Park. After a lot of info provided by Patrick, and a not so long ride, we started seeing mountains and going slowly upwards.

3) Kananaskis Country

And not too far from the entry to Banff National Park, we got to Kananaskis Country, an area with a lot of facilities, where a lot of people were enjoying the warm day and the Canada Day, July 1st!

I came all the day here for the views and I was getting them, I really had been a fan of the Canadian lakes for a while, when a couple of friends came here, and took and posted a lot of pictures on Instagram, but this time I was seeing them in real life finally.

Kananaskis had a lot of things to do, and even water sports, although the water was freezing, which makes sense because it was coming from a glacier.

Everything looked serene and astonishing, WOW.

After walking for a few minutes, the time was up and we had to go back to the van to go to the actual lakes deeper into the park, but first we had to stop at Banff for a light lunch.

And since we were going to eat in the town of Banff, I did not get to check the restaurant in Kananaskis.

We left that area and the scenery was just incredible from now on. I had been to many beautiful places like the surroundings of Cape Town in South Africa, but this was really another level.

While we were on the van on the way to Banff, we saw some sheeps just roaming around freely, such a majestic sight with the perfect background.

4) Town of Banff

We finally arrived to the Town of Banff, Alberta, and quickly moved to the Surprise Corner Viewpoint, which as it names state, it was amazing how we turned the corner and everyone was so impressed by the beautiful view, especially the Rimrock Resort Hotel and the gondolas up in the mountain.

After a few minutes and all the info Patrick gave us about this place (including scary stories), we went back to the town of Banff, where Canads Day celebrations were being held.

The town was so alive, and the demonstrations were very inspiring. The tour guide gave a bit more than an hour to get some lunch, and see what we could of this town in the heart of this gigantic park.

As recommended by Patrick, I decided to get the bison burger. I was going to get it again while in Calgary, but I wanted to try it now.

And I literally yelled OMG when they brought the burger and the poutine fries. It was humungous. The local beer I was having was not going to be enough (or kenough) for this big meal.

After surviving eating all that yummy food (IT TASTED SO GOOD), I walked around the town and saw some of the celebrations.

The town is very pictoresque, and really evokes a European fairytale town. It was just so beautiful, and the festivities made it even better.

I walked to the Bow River towards the west, and it was just so beautiful. Some people actually were in there enjoying the water.

Just everything had been so amazing, and I had not even seen the actual lakes so far.

The time was almost up again, but I got some time to explore the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site. It was cute and just a quick walk around seeing the various species that live in this park.

And before hitting the lakes I got to get some coffee of course, in the coffee place recommended again by Patrick, Evelyn’s Coffee Bar.

5) Lake Louise

After some driving, we got to Lake Louise, the most famous lake in this area, and oh wow. The color of the water was unbelievable.

Just amazing how the glacier would shape this and bring all this nature to life.

Patrick offered himself to guide us on a hike to a better point of view up the mountain, and I of course had to say I wanted to come too. I needed to see the lake from up there even if the hike was too strenuous. And wow, worthy completely. The colors, the colors, the colors.

6) Moraine Lake

After getting down the hill, we got on the van again, and not too far there was the Moraine Lake, which Patrick had said it was his favorite. And no wonder why. The color of the water was less emerald and more deep blue, but still very beautiful and the proximity of the mountains gave a spectacular scenery. I think it might be my favorite as well. Just wow.

I walked around the beautiful lake and the color was just very calling. The area was crowded but was wortht trying to get better spots for the pictures alone.

This lake had a short hike which I did but not as crazy as like the one in Lake Louise. If you are in good health I would recommend you to do it.

One last view of the lake, and then we would be on our way back to Calgary.

A few hours of driving later, we went in this city, that I had 48 hours to explore. But what could I do? You can see it now here.