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Took some time off this January to go on a weekend getaway to Banff. I haven’t been to Banff since I was 13, and so, after a decade, I thought it was about time I revisited the place I loved so much when I was a kid.

The first time I travelled to Banff, I went with family. This time, Joel and I packed up a pick up truck and decided to drive ourselves. We were lucky we’re having a warmer year than usual, so the Coquihala Highway was not so much of a “Highway Thru Hell” as it’s depicted in the Canadian reality show.

Trip to Banff

We broke the drive up to two parts, stopping in Kamloops on Thursday night. Our goal was to visit landmarks and view points on the way so that we can just drive the whole way back on Sunday.

Road to Banff - Salmon Arm

We personally stopped at Rogers Pass and Lake Louise on our way to Banff from Kamloops, but there are tons more really cool places you could visit. Our issue was that many of the nature features along the way were blocked off or too hard to access due to the snow. But if you were making this drive in the summer, I recommend checking out more of the national parks and lakes on the way.

Despite everything pretty much just being frozen over and snowy, I was still a very happy little traveller (as depicted below).

Trip to Banff - Rogers PassTrip to Banff - Rogers PassTrip to Banff - Rogers Pass

Lake Louise was completely frozen over and it was insane to see. The last time I was here, it was when it was still warm enough that the lake was a lake, so it was nice to see something different this time around. You can bring skates and skate on parts of the lake—they shovelled off some snow and create a little rink. I think you can also rent skates at the Fairmont Lake Louise as well if you don’t own any.

So happy I took this little weekend getaway and just go to escape the city for a couple of days. Definitely thinking about visiting Alberta again in the summer. There are some glacier features and hikes that I want to do in Jasper and I think summer would be the perfect opportunity to go.

Trip to Banff - Lake LouiseTrip to Banff - Lake Louise

Have you driven from Vancouver to Banff? What was your favourite part?

Angel Zheng

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