For my daughter’s 5th birthday we decided to deviate a bit from the typical birthday party. Instead of a big party with family and friends, we decided to have a small weekend away and celebrate with just our own immediate family of 4, plus my sister and her husband. My daughter loves hotels and loves swimming, so a weekend in Calgary with a stay at a family friendly hotel seemed the perfect way to celebrate her big day.
In August 2016 we hitched up our trailer and made the journey down to Southern Alberta to spend some time camping and enjoying beautiful Waterton National Park. We had attempted this trip years earlier and were disappointed when we were unable to find a camping spot due to it being a busy long weekend. We learned our lesson, and this time we arrived right after the long weekend, and camped during the weekdays when it tends to be less crowded. Continue reading “A Week in Waterton”
Last summer we spent a lot of time exploring our National Parks both here in Alberta and into British Columbia. I was worried some of it might get a bit boring for our young children, and was pleasantly surprised at how much fun they had being in the great outdoors and discovering everything the parks had to offer.
While staying in and touring Banff, one great discovery we made was the Parks Canada Xplorers program. Geared towards kids, this program is based around completing a number of tasks in a free activity booklet and earning a collectible souvenir for your effort. The booklets are available from the front gates, campgrounds or information centers and are filled with fun kid based activities such as spot the difference or word searches that relate specifically to tourist sites in the area.
Continue reading “How Your Kids Can Become Parks Canada Xplorers”
Day 6 of our Banff Adventure was a lot slower paced as we made our way down the Bow Valley Parkway and did the drive up to Lake Louise.
I feel like Silverton Falls are a bit of an undiscovered treasure in Banff National Park. Just up the Bow Valley Parkway from the busy Johnston Canyon, I would argue that the actual waterfall is just as impressive and the hike was much more pleasant without the large crowds of people to contend with.
Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 6: Bow Valley Parkway & Lake Moraine”
Day 5 of Our Banff Adventure was a long one. We made the drive the way into Jasper National Park to check out the Columbia Ice fields and then spent some time exploring a couple of the other natural landmarks as we made our way back to our campsite in Banff. Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 5: Jasper National Park Glacier Adventure and Skywalk”
This was not my favourite day of our trip to Banff National Park. The morning started off rainy and cold so we waited for a break in weather in the afternoon to walk over from the campsite to Johnston Falls. Unfortunately, I think a lot of other people had the same idea that day.
Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 4: Johnston Canyon Lower & Upper Falls”
Day 3 of our Banff Adventure was a shorter day for driving as we toured things in and around the town of Banff. As previously mentioned, we took advantage of the Brewster Epic Pass which allowed us access to:
Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 3: Banff Gondola & Lake Cruise”
For the second day of our Banff adventure, we headed back into British Columbia to discover Kootenay National Park and take a dip in the famed Radium Hot Springs. Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 2: Kootenay National Park”
On our first day exploring the Banff area, we decided to leave Alberta and head west into the British Columbia side of the Rocky Mountains. We ventured out for the day from our campsite at Johnston Canyon, and spent a great day hiking and discovering Yoho National Park. Continue reading “Banff Adventure Day 1: Yoho National Park”
This summer we have decided to take advantage of the Parks Canada Annual Pass and spend some time exploring our National Parks. With Canada’s 150th Birthday Celebration coming up next year, Annual Passes bought this year are valid for TWO YEARS. The year long pass is a great deal as it was, but we were excited when this announcement was made. And for even more savings, we were able to buy our pass $10 cheaper with our AMA membership. My husband ended up making a quick trip to AMA the morning before we left for Banff to ensure we bought a July 2016 pass. This now gives us park access until the end of July 2018 – almost 3 full summer’s worth! Continue reading “Our Banff Adventure: Johnston Canyon Campground Review”
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