A drive of more than 7000 km, ten days, through 5 provinces: Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. A couple of weeks ago, we heard that a family member and his family needed help to bring their car to their new hometown in BC. And to us, that sounded like a great way of helping them out and going on an adventure across the country!
It is winter in Canada, and for almost two years, I have been talking about how I would love to go back to Banff. In 2019, we visited the Rockies, and I instantly fell in love with the mountain views and green-blue lakes. I have been wondering how it would be to visit in winter.
Driving across Canada is something we have always wanted to experience, and then, as a cherry on top, I couldn't wait a couple of days in Banff, Alberta, in winter!!
Day 1-3: Destination Banff: A Road Trip Across Canada!
Our truck was packed with groceries, sleeping bags, blankets, and winter clothes. Time to go! On the first day, we drove past Thunder Bay from the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). We slept in the car, and I woke up with a sunrise through the pine trees. We are both used to camping and with a warm sleeping bag and beautiful views, it is part of the adventure. On the way, the landscape was mainly forest with lakes. After Thunder Bay, we stopped next to a frozen lake, and Waleed flew the drone to capture the beauty of this place! Because winter can be unpredictable, we watched the radar closely for upcoming snowstorms. We knew we would drive into a snowstorm on day 3 of our road trip. We decided to cover as much distance as possible the following day. We quickly stopped next to the road to capture a beautiful view of a lake and mountains as far as the eye could see.
On day 2, the weather became much colder (-20), and we needed a good rest, so we stayed in a hotel on the way to Manitoba. We left on time the following day, knowing a snowstorm was coming. When we reached Saskatchewan, it was a full-on blizzard (whiteout snowstorm). Luckily, Waleed is a super-experienced driver. Because of the two snowstorms on the way, we got delayed by more than 4 hours. We saw many cars and trucks in accidents, so I was grateful we made it through. After the storm, the sun came out, and we saw a halo rainbow. This rare meteorological optical phenomenon occurs when a thin layer of clouds moves past the sun. After a long drive, we reached the border of BC. Mission accomplished to drop off the car! After a night in BC, it was time to go to Banff!
Day 4: Destination Banff
The drive from BC to Alberta was magical! Trees, lakes, and mountains were covered with fresh snow, like they belonged within a magical snow globe. We stopped to capture the incredible views a couple of times, and I couldn’t stop smiling. With every turn, there was a new magical view! For someone who grew up in a country with only 2 snow days a year, this was a dream come true. When we almost reached Banff, I saw a snow heart on a mountain, how suited! Late in the afternoon, we reached our Airbnb in Canmore. We cooked dinner and made plans for the next day.
Day 5: Let’s explore!
Camera check, Snow boots check, winter parka check, gloves check, scarf check, snow pants no uhm ok, well let’s go! With a temperature that felt like -30, we hiked into Johnston Canyon. There was some light snow coming down and a tiny bit of wind. With every turn, there was another beautiful view to see. We hiked to the lower falls to see the lower frozen waterfall. It felt incredible to experience winter this way! From Johnston Canyon, we made our way to Lake Minnewanka Loop. The Lake Minnewanka Road is a loop of 12 km, and we mainly came here to see wildlife. We got lucky to see some elk chilling in the field. After this, it was time to get a warm drink at Timmies (Tim Hortons) in the town of Banff and to do some shopping.
Day 6: Snowy Lake views
Our first stop of the day was Lake Louise. This place is quite special to us, having great memories of visiting here in the Summer of 2019! We were taking photos, and this sweet old lady walked by, and she said to Waleed that he should propose to me. Well, that happened a couple of years later, and now I returned with a ring on my finger and my hubby beside me. I have to say I love this place more in summer because you can see the beautiful colours of the glacier water. After our stop at Lake Louise, we drove just across the border to reach Emerald Lake, BC. With just a couple of steps from the parking lot, you reach the frozen lake and the view of the Lodge. We walked on the frozen lake and captured some shots of the winter view.
Our next stop is Peyto Lake. I was excited to see this place in winter! From the parking lot, it is a short hike up the mountain. In winter, it is a bit harder, especially going down the mountain. I would recommend spikes under your shoes not to slip. By the time we reached the top, we looked around on the lookout platform they recently built. This view is incredible!
After carefully hiking down, we made one final stop of the day at Morant’s Curve. We ended our adventure in Banff with a dinner date at Lupo, an Italian restaurant in Banff.
Day 7-10: Driving home after a great adventure! It was a long drive but no snowstorms on the way back. Glad that we got the chance to experience this and I can’t wait for our next adventure!
With a smile :)
Nicole
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