Banff River

Banff River                                     Banff, AB, Canada.  2009

Banff River.  The water in this river was amazing.  Kayakers and rafters seemed to have an amazing time on this river; we just didn't get time.

Sulfur Mountain Vistas

Banff from Sulfur Mountain                                                            Banff, AB, Canada. 2009

Feeling overly enthusiastic & energetic one day while travelling with one of my best mates, we hiked Sulfur Mountain at Banff.  It's a trail of switchbacks that regularly pass under the gondola that most (normal) people take up the mountain.  The sign at the bottom warns hikers that this hike takes between 2 and 5 hours depending on conditions.  We hiked for about 3 hours and finally reached the sumit (2451m), of which we'd climbed over 600m, and some amazing vistas.  The gondola ride down was a well deserved rest.

I took this shot from the top, overlooking the Fairmont hotel (Banff), Banff golf club and Banff river.  On a clear day you can see over 145km from the sumit.  The temperature drops by 3degrees with every 1000 foot rise in elevation.

Sulfur Mountain Gondola.  2009

Clarity

Clarity                                                                 Johnson Canyon, Banff, AB, Canada, 2009

Johnson Canyon was one spectacular place.  It was rainforesty, there was a stream running the entire length of the wooden boardwalk.  The boardwalk was at times 20m above the ground level, bolted precariously to the edge of a cliff, sometimes under a shelf so you had to duck as you passed.  It is somewhere that could not be properly explored in the time we spent there, I would say it would be an all day job, at the least.

Peyto Lake

Peyto Lake                                Banff, Alberta, Canada, 2009

Peyto Lake is a glacial fed lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada.  Access to the lake is from the Icefield Parkway which is a nature reserve dotted with glaciers, glacial lakes, massive mountains and wildlife.  One of my favourite places, and I'm glad I got to share this sight with my sister.