Banff National Park, Alberta
March 29th 2008 01:48
Peyto Lake, Banff National Park, by Tobias Alt. Picture of the day on Wikimedia Commons, March 28, 2008. GNU License. Thanks for sharing this lovely image.
Banff National Park is Beautiful and Accessible
As a sort-of local living 100 miles from the town of Banff, Alberta, I have the choice of visiting Banff National Park more or less on a whim. But for people who travel hundreds or thousands of miles to get here, it's nice to know that there is always something good to see and do, regardless of the time of year or the weather.
Peyto Lake, shown in the picture, can be seen from a lookout point about 36 km (25 miles) north of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway. There is a parking lot at Bow Summit, and a walk of about 400 metres (400 yards) to a viewing spot.
Lots of tourists stop here, so if you travel in the peak season - late June to the end of Labour Day weekend (first Monday in September) - be prepared to mingle with the crowds. Strategies to have a little breathing space:
- go early in the morning or later in the day - remember, sunset is quite late in summer time so the evenings can be long, although the mountains cast a shadow
- avoid the weekends
- if the weather is a bit "iffy", go anyway. As long as you are dressed for it, you'll be fine - and a few clouds do tend to keep people away.
Finally, consider taking a longer hike. Very few Banff visitors go more than a mile away from the highway. A half-day stroll can get to you some gorgeous viewing spots without the crowd. Check with the Park Information office for suggestions on good trips.
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