Canadian Rockies Road Trip July 2018 - Day 4 - Exploring Banff. Horse riding,gondolas and waterfalls

[Gunna]

Today we where looking to spend the day in Banff. I had pre-booked a couple of things before we left, horse riding for the morning and the Banff gondola for the afternoon. We left our place just after 9am after breakfast for the drive into Banff. As we now had our parks pass we just used to keep this displayed on our mirror and bypass the toll booth each time we passed. We did get this checked a few times we where there and it was always on display whilst we where parked up anywhere so they knew we had paid our fee. This was an absolute bargain considering we could of used it for up to a year. We never paid to park at any trail-heads or parking spots and everywhere was well maintained, tidy with good facilities too.

Our drive into Banff and to get parked took about 20 minutes in total and as we had plenty of time parked in town where we could stay for up to 3 hours for free. We had a wander down the main street where the shops where just starting to open and bought some gifts for people at home as well as some bits for ourselves. We left about 10.15 for the drive to the riding stables which was situated next to the Fairmont Springs outside of the main town. We parked up and found by parking a little bit further down the road we could stay there for free all day. It was only a 5-10 minute walk to the stables and then about 15 minutes into town so a good spot to stay. We headed over to the stables and checked in, signed our waivers, before getting our gear sorted and walking over the see the horses.

One of the staff came over to speak with us and we had a good chat ahead of our ride starting. In total there where only 5 people booked on the ride and we had two staff, one leading the way and one followed up at the rear. We met our horses and where helped onto them making sure the saddles and we where comfortable as well as the horses too. Kirsty was paired with Taylor, I was paired with Mountain and Sam with Baldy. We thought this was funny and Sam said he thought he was named after me, Baldy did actually prove to be a bit of a problem later on too...

Kirsty used to ride horses when she was younger so was really looking forward to this, especially as we picked the ride where we got to cross the river on the horses. Sam was a bit nervous as has never ridden before but was happy to give it a go and we picked a ride which was good for beginners. We where given instructions on how to ride the horses and give them basic commands to keep them and us safe, once we where all happy we set off on our way. Sam was infront of me and Kirsty behind. About one minute out of the stables Baldy started to play up. He obviously wasn't wanting to be out today and showing us the sights of Banff and regardless of what encouragement or commands he was given he was having none of it, at all. In the end when all the nudging and encouragement was giving no results he was taken back to the stables and Sam was brought a new horse, Snoopy, who seemed much more happy to be out on the trails.

We where soon on our way and in no time settled into the routine of the ride. Our lead guide was pointing out various points of interest and telling us about the wildlife and bears in the area. Taylor and Mountain did play fight now and again and Mountain had a lovely habit of walking me through low branches, despite being asked to move either left or right, but it was a really good experience even though I got a face full of branches now and again. Soon we reached our first river crossing and where given clear information by the guides and how to handle the horses during the crossing and where then guided on our way over.

Kirsty has always wanted to ride a horse along a beach and this was the nearest thing I could find across there. It was great and the horses really well behaved throughout. We then passed the golf course of the Fairmont hotel with clear instructions not to let the horses anywhere near the greens as it was a 100$ fine per hoof print, we all stayed well clear and then we crossed the river again close to the Bow River Falls. After this we had a steady climb back up to the stables before the ride was over. Before we left the staff took some photos for us before we said our farewells to them and our horses.

It was a brilliant morning and Kirsty loved being back in the saddle. I was surprised how my legs hurt afterwards from making sure I was sat properly for the horses. Sam enjoyed it too and said he would happily ride again, we all said it wasn't a bad place to go for your first ride and the scenery certainly made it special. Our next stop was the gondola and I had seen there was a free shuttle that picked up at the Fairmont so headed over there to get this. Only problem was we couldn't see where it picked up (later found out at the front door) so after a while decided to drive up. It took about 10 minutes and although the car park was busy we found a spot and headed over. When I booked the tickets online I had already reserved an upload and descent time so knew in advance when we could join the queue. As we headed over we saw a crowd gathering and as we got closer could see why, our first bear sighting! There in the bushes below us was a black bear enjoying the berries. We where later told that as the berries ripen and are ready this brings the bears out foraging and here was our first one filling up on some of the thousands of berries he would eat. It was amazing to see and so early, he seemed unfazed by us watching him have some food. Some people on a bus trip where also watching him but the poor bus driver was doing his best, with little success, to get them back on the bus. As the bear wandered away into the forest we headed inside and as there was no queue to upload where allowed to head up the mountain 30 minutes earlier than I had booked.

Kirsty isn't massively keen on gondolas, not from a heights perspective its being enclosed she doesn't like. The gondola set off at some pace and it didn't take long to reach the peak of the mountain for some breathtaking views. The initial set off is a lot faster than expected but it soon settled down to a more comfortable pace. We had taken some lunch up with us so bagged a spot overlooking the valley for a recharge and refresh.

No a bad view to have whilst eating your lunch. After this we walked the trail towards Sansom Peak enjoying the spectacular views as we went. One thing we did notice that someone had also said to use was the quality of the air. The air is thinner but seems so much fresher, I found myself breathing in more and more deeply. At first I though it was because I wasn't as fit as I thought I was but then thought it maybe more due to the air thinness. Sam and Kirsty decide to sit out the final climb up to the top so decided to take some time to chill and I set off for the final ascent.

It started to spit slightly with rain but it was a welcome respite from the heat. It didn't take long to head up to the top and it was a boarded walkway with viewing platforms and steps on route so no problem at all. The weather station at the top was closed but you could see inside and the views out across the valley where breathtaking. After I had chilled for a while I went back down to meet up with Kirsty and Sam who where chatting with another couple who we saw at the bus stop near the Fairmont who where also waiting for the shuttle. We grabbed some final pictures and headed down as I was able to alter our decent time up the top once I had a better idea how long we would be up there.

We made our final stop at Bow Falls which we had passed by on our horse ride. It looked lovely and I had seen the signs for the car park when we parked up near the Fairmont. Once we had driven down the mountain we drove to the car park and headed across to see the falls.

The falls where lovely and we got to see some of the famous colours of the water which the Rockies and their lakes are famous for. There was an easy trail by the side of the river which went up past the falls and followed the river and you can walk this for as far as you wanted. It was very calm and peaceful and we enjoyed a short hike along with some time enjoying the scenery. Its hard to describe the scale of some of the mountain and views you see. We quite often would find ourselves just sitting and taking it all in.

In time we headed back towards Banff for a final wander around the town as I wanted to try a Beavertail and the shop wasn't open in the morning. Sam wasn't bothered about having one so I ended up with one which was a cheesecake type one with crumbled Skor bar and toffee on the top. This on top of the fried dough base maybe wasn't the most healthy of snacks, plus it was huge, but Sam had one bite and helped me eat it luckily.

After we had finished looking round Banff we headed back to our place and Kirsty got everything ready for the morning whilst I sorted the dinner out. This was the taxing role of cooking a pizza. We where setting off early to head up to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise hoping to maybe get a head start on the crowds, which sort of worked but more on that in the next days write-up.

[parisdisneyfan]

Wow what a day! Can tell your dw rode, but you 2 boys, leg position arggg Riding through water is great fun, did the horses splash at all? Loved the $100 a hoofprint by the golf courseDid you ache the next day?

Thanks for the warning about the gondola, I want to do it but don't like heights or enclosed spaces so will be a real test for me! Also all the tips about parking which I have noted!

That beavertail is huge!

Thank you for posting

[Gunna]

Originally Posted by parisdisneyfan

Wow what a day! Can tell your dw rode, but you 2 boys, leg position arggg Riding through water is great fun, did the horses splash at all? Loved the $100 a hoofprint by the golf courseDid you ache the next day?

Thanks for the warning about the gondola, I want to do it but don't like heights or enclosed spaces so will be a real test for me! Also all the tips about parking which I have noted!

That beavertail is huge!

Thank you for posting

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Next day especially after hiking up and down to Lake Agnes tea house I had some serious calf burn, the instructor told us about best leg and feet position but don’t think I did too well. The horses loved the water, they splashed a bit and had a brief drink, great experience and a brilliant place to ride.

The gondola isn’t too long an ascent, it’s worth it for the views, we found it was okay later on in the afternoon, there wasn’t too many tour buses in and most seemed to be leaving at that time.

Beavertails are huge, I’m now on salads to make up for all I’ve eaten over the last 3 weeks!

Have a great time it’s going to be amazing

[eleele]

Wow what beautiful scenery! Lovely photos and horseback seems the perfect way to see it all at a slower pace.

I think I might just be pulled away from the lure of Orlando by this trip report - I'm off to binge read the rest of it now!

[Gunna]

Originally Posted by eleele

Wow what beautiful scenery! Lovely photos and horseback seems the perfect way to see it all at a slower pace.

I think I might just be pulled away from the lure of Orlando by this trip report - I'm off to binge read the rest of it now!

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Thanks for reading and glad you’re enjoying it.

It really was an amazing place, we’ve had some fantastic holidays in Orlando, this was totally different but such a brilliant holiday I’d recommend it definitely.

[disney owl]

More fantastic views

[jocat]

A fantastic day, and what a way to see the scenery.

You got far better views than we did, as the haziness really hampered our views in Banff. I’m not sure I got any decent shots of the mountains there. Still lovely to see them in the flesh though.

I think you had the right idea staying somewhere you could sort your own dinner out if you wanted to, as we found it a real struggle to go out for dinner some nights, after being out for most of the day sightseeing.

[Gunna]

Originally Posted by jocat

A fantastic day, and what a way to see the scenery.

You got far better views than we did, as the haziness really hampered our views in Banff. I’m not sure I got any decent shots of the mountains there. Still lovely to see them in the flesh though.

I think you had the right idea staying somewhere you could sort your own dinner out if you wanted to, as we found it a real struggle to go out for dinner some nights, after being out for most of the day sightseeing.

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Hi Jo.

Hope you’ve had a good journey back and the jet lag isn’t too bad.

The horse riding was a great way to see the scenery, don’t think I could of done much longer but the time we did spend on horseback was brilliant.

We where lucky with the haze, there was a little bit near Sea to Sky but not too bad overall. Didn’t realise the impact it caused into Canada too as well as the awful implications to those living closer by.

The condo worked well and we had one in a few places, felt more like a home than a hotel room and being able to cook for ourselves gave a bit more flexibility with us and if we stayed out longer it was fine as we had nowhere booked.

Looking forward to reading your report and hope all is well with you.

[jocat]

Originally Posted by Gunna

Hi Jo.

Hope you’ve had a good journey back and the jet lag isn’t too bad.

The horse riding was a great way to see the scenery, don’t think I could of done much longer but the time we did spend on horseback was brilliant.

We where lucky with the haze, there was a little bit near Sea to Sky but not too bad overall. Didn’t realise the impact it caused into Canada too as well as the awful implications to those loving closer by.

The condo worked well and we had one in a few places, felt more like a home than a hotel room and being able to cook for ourselves gave a bit more flexibility with us and if we stayed out longer it was fine as we had nowhere booked.

Looking forward to reading your report and hope all is well with you.

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The jet lag is actually ok thanks. We managed to stay awake until about 11:30 pm last night and I slept right through until 9 am this morning.

Just about to dig the laptop out to try and sort the photos out, so hopefully the trippie should start in the next couple of days.

[Gunna]

Originally Posted by disney owl

More fantastic views

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The scenery just seemed to get better every day, every where you looked it was amazing views all round.