Having slept like a log at Hotel Clique, Calgary Airport, our first day in Canada involved driving to Banff. First things first however, our first Canadian breakfast to fuel the day comprising of toast, a poached egg, streaky bacon, ham, a sausage and potato!
Food done, we jumped in the car and set off.
The landscapes surrounding Calgary were very flat which was surprising as I had imagined that being so close to the Rocky Mountains the entire landscape would be mountainous.
Within about 50km however the landscape had changed rather dramatically with the Mountains looming over the horizon.
When researching how to drive from Calgary to Banff there are 2 routes – highway 1 or highway 1A. We opted for highway 1A which all reviews had said presented a far more scenic drive and at a slower pace, perfect for sightseeing.
The highway took us parallel to the Bow River and so we made the occasional stop. Our first stop was around 40km south of Banff at Gap Lake which was beautiful with crystal clear blue waters.
From here we continued our drive in the direction of Banff and made a stop at Two Jack Lake which was full of people kayaking and having picnics, a really active site.
We spent about an hour there before jumping back in the car and heading to Lake Minnewanka for a bit of hiking and to grab a bite to eat.
Finally we arrived in Banff which offered lots of scenery, chalet style buildings and plenty of tourists! we checked into the Fox hotel, upgraded to a suite and wandered into town.
Final stop of the night? An Italian meal at Pacini.
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