The Canadian Rockies are a thrilling destination for an RV trip.
The mountain views on the Icefields Parkway are out of this world.
world was a memorable experience. The flip side for visiting at the time of year, however, is that the skies are often cloudy and rain is frequent. However, late September and early October are when the aspens glow gold, and the fall foliage is sublime. Driving anywhere in this area is an eye-popping experience because the lofty mountains are everywhere. Even a visit to the charming resort town of Banff about 35 miles east of Lake Louise features breathtaking views of Cascade Mountain all around town. The mountain is so immense, it seems close enough to touch. The town of Banff has gift shops, tourist boutiques and eating opportunities galore. Horse drawn carriages take visitors around town in style. The town has a slight European flair, and the historic Banff National Park Headquarters stone building harkens back to an earlier era. Our favorite walk back in time was a visit to the Banff Springs Hotel. With a history similar to that of Sun Valley Resort, which was built as a "must visit" skiing destination at the end of a Union Pacific Railway line in Idaho, Banff Springs Hotel was built to lure customers to ride the Canadian Pacific Railway to Banff. The brainchild of the company's second president, Sir William Cornelius Van Horn, in the 1910s, he noted that, "Since we can't export the scenery, we shall have to import the tourists!" A statue of this illustrious visionary stands in front of the beautiful
stone and leaded glass windowed hotel. Inside the main entrance a wide staircase leads upstairs from the elegant lobby. Poking our heads into various rooms, we were delighted to come across two young men painting at easels. They were artists-in-residence at the hotel. They had their iPads set up showing stunning images they had taken during their hikes in Banff National Park, and they were using those images as templates for their canvas paintings. In another part of the hotel, we came across Mountain Galleries where artwork by many different artists was on display. As part of their residency, the paintings created by these two artists would be displayed in the gallery once completed. Fifteen miles east of Banff is the town of Canmore, another resort-oriented town but with a much quieter flavor than Banff. It is an outdoor lover's paradise, and we saw people riding bikes everywhere. We joined them on the extensive bike trail system that wanders in and around town for miles. The air was crisp and clear, the sun was warm, and jagged mountains cloaked in whispy veils of snow framed every view. The bike path criss- crossed the Bow River over little wooden bridges, and we cycled along the river's winding route past families of ducks and geese paddling on swimming outings.
CANADIAN ROCKIES
COAST TO COAST FALL MAGAZINE 2021
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