Cory Pass Loop– 11 km and 900 m elevation gain to Cory Pass, 12.9 km and 1000 m elevation gain around Mt. Edith. Enable 4– 6 hours for the circuit..
Johnston Canyon and the Ink Pots– 11.8 km return with 215 m elevation gain. Permit 2– 4 hours.
Rockbound Lake– 16.8 km round journey with 760 m elevation gain; enable 4.5– 6 hours.
The Bow Valley Parkway is a 48-kilometre stretch of roadway in between Banff and Lake Louise that parallels the Trans-Canada Highway. On the drive you are dealt with to very first rate views of Castle Mountain and Morants Curve– a beautiful area of highway near Lake Louise that is perfect for train finding.
The Parkway is positioned in a wildlife passage and as such, is one of the best locations to see animals in Banff National Park, particularly early in the morning. Elk, mule and white-tailed deer, coyotes along with both grizzly and black bears are spotted regularly– at least in season.
Once the snow has actually melted, the Parkway is a popular area for roadway cyclists with e-biking becoming progressively popular since of offered bike rentals in Banff. For a while throughout COVID, the Parkway was closed to car traffic, so cyclists got a fantastic taste of car-free cycling. Shoulders are wide and lorry speeds are low, so its still an excellent alternative..
The Bow Valley Parkway near Castle Mountain.
The Parkway Cabin Collection on the Bow Valley Parkway.
There are 3 unique roofed accommodation choices, the Parkway Cabin Collection, along the Bow Valley Parkway: Johnston Canyon Lodge and Bungalows, Castle Mountain Chalets, and Baker Creek Mountain Resort. They all use the tourist a quaint and lovely cabin experience in the natural mountain environment of Banff National Park.
Cabins are outfitted with kitchens, wood-burning stone fireplaces, private porches with chairs and sometimes picnic tables, together with a host of activities that are literally right outside the front door. All are dog friendly. You can eagerly anticipate a more personal, renewing vacation thanks to their off the beaten track locations.
Johnston Canyon Lodge and Bungalows provides premiere access to Johnston Canyon together with a wonderful view of Pilot Mountain. Youre dealt with to amazing Castle Mountain views at Castle Mountain Chalets, located at the corner of the Bow Valley Parkway and the Banff Windermere Highway (Hwy 93). Baker Creek Mountain Resort is closer to Lake Louise and as such offers views of stunning Mount Temple..
Johnston Canyon Lodge and Bungalows.
Johnstone Canyon Lodge and Bungalows are the first of the Parkway Cabin Collection you reach if youre driving west. Theyre situated surrounding to the popular Johnston Canyon trail on 5 acres of mixed pine and spruce forest with mountain views. Note that they are open seasonally from mid-May up until mid-October..
Johnston Canyon Lodge and Bungalows has been family owned and run since 1926. They are the oldest of the Parkway cabins. The original purchase was a teahouse (for $3000) and from those beginnings, a cottage motor camp with developed with small cabins. Today you can pick from 42 cabins in numerous setups consisting of cottages, studio cabins, and cottages.
On the home there are 3 places where you can acquire food. The BlackSwift Bistro (named for the endangered Black Swift that nests in the creekside walls of Johnston Canyon) offers an outside patio that ignores the creek. Their Market Cafe is the location to get a scrumptious latte and baked good prior to you navigate a walking. And if youre just finishing the walking up Johnston Canyon, you can get a coffee or ice cream right beside the trail at The Shack.
You cant miss the Johnston Canyon Resort indication on the Bow Valley Parkway.
Old design pump at Johnston Canyon Resort.
The Johnston Canyon Market Cafe is instantly beside the path causing the falls in Johnston Canyon.
Loads of cabin types to choose from– and a few of terrific views.
Super charming cabins at Johnston Canyon Lodge.
Love this cabin with the deck constructed around the tree.
Castle Mountain Chalets.
Youll discover Castle Mountain Chalets at the corner of the Banff Windermere Highway and the Bow Valley Parkway. You might have passed the property many times– possibly stopping to get gas or to select up some snacks, red wine, or food, however perhaps you, like me, didnt value that there were 18 cabins, and a handful of lodge rooms behind the workplace structure in the shadow of spectacular Castle Mountain..
We delighted in an open concept living area with a kitted-out kitchen area, a wood-burning fireplace and lots of comfy seating. In addition, we had a huge restroom with both a shower and soaker tub plus my favourite Rocky Mountain Soap Company soaps. Our bed room included a queen bed along with bedside tables.
Outside our cabin was a gazebo with BBQs and seating– along with a fire pit and firewood. We even had snowshoes waiting for us– since there are tracks within metres of the cabin.
One of their nice touches was a pet bed, a couple of pet bowls along with treats and poop bags. The shop at Castle Mountain Chalets is also well-stocked.
Try to find the Castle Mountain Chalets sign on the Banff Windermere Highway.
In warmer weather condition you might take pleasure in a drink outside.
The luxurious one bed room was charming and roomy.
Checking out our bedroom; discover the thoughtful touches– the dog bed with treats, bowls and poop bags.
Our cabin at Castle Mountain Chalets looks inviting from the outside.
What a sensational background for the Castle Mountain Chalet home.
Baker Creek Mountain Resort.
Baker Creek, called for an 1880s vintage prospector browsing for gold abuts the forested home, located just 15 minutes away from Lake Louise. A collection of 16 cabins spread in the woods and a structure with many lodge suites are all simply a short walk away from Baker Creek and the renowned red chairs and fire pits that the resort is known for..
Baker Creek is the youngest of the 3 resorts making up the Parkway Cabin Collection. When cabins were offered as an overnight stop on what was the original Trans-Canada Highway but is now the Bow Valley Parkway, it dates back to 1949. The resort altered hands in 2011, when then owners Mike and Jan, retired after 25 years of rebuilding the original bungalow design camp into a noteworthy mountain resort..
Today Baker Creek Mountain Resort is a prime destination for both couples and households. It exudes a romance and charm which we enjoyed in a freshly refurbished two-bedroom loft cabin with a ladder. A 20-foot vaulted ceiling provided an airiness to the cabin and the river rock wood burning range a comfort.
If we were checking out at a warmer time, we would have availed ourselves of the personal deck with outdoor chairs. In our case, we kept the fire stired and the white wine put. We could have skated on a little rink that kids will love. We did cross-country ski on the track-set routes that are located just a one-minute drive away. Snowshoes and fat bikes are available totally free of charge to visitors so they can explore the home.
For meals, you can get food and treat items in the workplace, together with white wine and alcohol, however I would suggest bringing a selection of food with you. Dining in Lake Louise is another choice– though by sometime in 2023, a brand-new restaurant on the residential or commercial property should be open.
Baker Creek Mountain Resort is less than a 15-minute drive from Lake Louise.
Youre met lovely ice sculptures at check in at Baker Creek.
Our super relaxing cabin at Baker Creek.
Our relaxing cabin had a queen bed downstairs and two twin beds in the loft.
Love the plaid and the old images on the wall in our bed room.
Keeping an eye out through the icicles to more lodging at Baker Creek.
There are 5 firepits on the property– and great deals of red Adirondack chairs.
Cool stuff in our cabin like vinyl records and a record player.
What to do on the Bow Valley Parkway year-round.
Search for trains at Morants Curve.
Morants Curve is named for CP Railway staff photographer, Nicholas Morant who took photographs for CP to use to promote the railway. You typically get the very best shots in the early morning when the red CP trains are set off to excellence, especially in winter against a snowy-white backdrop.
Morants Curve is easy to discover however there isnt much parking. Its 7 kilometres west of Baker Creek Mountain Resort. Theres a little parking area on the right. Walk across the highway to the perspective. Theres a great chance youll see individuals waiting … and waiting some more.
Many of the trains you see are freight trains– and there is no rhyme nor reason to their schedule. We waited about 40 minutes but individuals beside us were at the two-hour mark by the time we left. Youll require persistence or a bit of luck to get the very best shots with trains in them.
You require both luck and perseverance to see a train at Morants Curve.
The wait is beautiful– and on a January day it was about 1C for us.
Visit some of the displays along the Bow Valley Parkway.
Along the length of the Bow Valley Parkway are 14 displays, marked by a big “E” prior to you get to them. They cover whatever from a few of the animals you may fulfill on the Parkway to the Era of the Automobile to a monument to the Castle Mountain Internment Camp, a location where thousands of immigrants, the majority of Ukrainian origin, were sent to prison as enemy aliens between 1914-1920. All deserve a stop.
Informative exhibits along the Bow Valley Parkway– and parking to access them.
Castle Camp display.
At the Storm Mountain exhibit there is a good place to find trains.
Raise Johnston Canyon.
Johnston Canyon needs no introduction. Treking up Johnstone Canyon in any month of the year is one of the most popular activities in Banff National Park.
If youre visiting in winter season, I would advise wearing microspikes. In some cases the trail is exceptionally slippery while at other times its just loaded snow. In summer season and winter there is the option to continue and extend the walking to the Ink Pots, something I d encourage you to do if you have the time.
The Johnston Canyon trek in any season is a splendid one.
Appreciate the ice climbers above the Upper Falls.
I enjoy the airy cantilevered catwalk area.
Summertime just activities on the Bow Valley Parkway.
Cycle the Bow Valley Parkway.
Last summer season I cycled the Bow Valley Parkway on an e-bike. You can lease bikes at the train station in Banff from Banff Cycle and then cycle on a multi-use path to satisfy up with the Parkway. Do not forget that you can purchase treats at the Market Cafe at Johnston Canyon Lodge.
When there werent any cars, what a reward to be cycling the Bow Valley Parkway.
Opt for a walking.
There are numerous outstanding day walkings that are accessed from the Bow Valley Parkway. They are in order from east to west as follows:.
.
Rockbound Lake in early November.
Winter only activities on the Bow Valley Parkway.
Fat bike at Baker Creek.
You can rent fat bikes at Baker Creek Mountain Resort and cycle a loose network of tracks on their property or head out onto the Parkway. The Parkway is probably a great weekday alternative however I d avoid it on the weekend since of traffic and icy roads.
My friend Dave from Travel Tales of Life fat biking at Baker Creek.
Snowshoe or hike to the Ink Pots.
You can snowshoe to the Ink Pots from the Moose Meadows trailhead, a few kilometres west of Johnston Canyon. I d advise doing that on the weekend as it isnt as busy as Johnston Canyon..
The trail, rated moderate, gains 335 metres over 5.9 kilometres one method. To do the return outing with time at the Ink Pots permit 4– 5 hours. When you reach the Ink Pots is definitely remarkable, the scenery.
We had a remarkable day to do the snowshoe to the Ink Pots.
The Ink Pots keep a temperature of 4C year round.
More snowshoe trails along the Bow Valley Trail.
I discovered snowshoe trails though I didnt utilize them straight throughout the highway from the Castle Mountain Chalets residential or commercial property. They seem numbered so I bet you could roam around in the woods for an hour or 2, perhaps satisfying up with trails originating from the Rockbound Lake Trailhead..
Trek up to Silverton Falls.
John and I strolled up to Silverton Falls, a two-tiered waterfall from the Rockbound Lake trailhead. The path to the falls was well-trodden but there is some avalanche danger on the steep slope right prior to you reach the falls. When you reach the high slope, you need to know what youre doing and have the ideal gear to continue or turn around. It would be an excellent option in the summer season.
Snowshoe or do a winter season walk on the routes at the Rockbound Lake Trailhead.
The high slope in question that might run.
Its slippery with a steep drop-off once you reach the falls.
Silverton Falls in winter.
Cross-country ski on track-set routes parallel to the Bow Valley Parkway.
When I learned about track-set cross-country ski routes in the woods parallel to the Bow Valley Parkway, my eyes were opened this year. They run from Baker Creek Mountain Resort to the Castle Mountain Chalets so an up and back would have you snowboarding 30 kilometres. Luckily, there isnt a great deal of elevation gain.
Baker Creek Mountain Resort takes responsibility for the area from their resort to Castle Mountain Lookout. Castle Mountain Chalets looks after the section from Castle Mountain Lookout east to the junction with the Banff Windermere Highway.
Track set tracks from Baker Creek to Castle Mountain Resorts.
Supposedly you can even ski as far as Johnston Canyon.
The Bow Valley Parkway experience.
Ive driven the Bow Valley Parkway on various celebrations but I hadnt spent the time to explore it extensive. A huge thank you to the Parkway Cabin Collection for hosting me, however you should know that all thoughts and opinions are mine alone.
Area map of the Bow Valley Parkway
. Click on the photo to bookmark to your Pinterest boards
Youre treated to fantastic Castle Mountain views at Castle Mountain Chalets, located at the corner of the Bow Valley Parkway and the Banff Windermere Highway (Hwy 93). If youre driving west, Johnstone Canyon Lodge and Bungalows are the very first of the Parkway Cabin Collection you reach. Baker Creek is the youngest of the 3 resorts making up the Parkway Cabin Collection. It dates back to 1949 when cabins were provided as an over night stop on what was the initial Trans-Canada Highway however is now the Bow Valley Parkway. They cover whatever from some of the animals you might fulfill on the Parkway to the Era of the Automobile to a monument to the Castle Mountain Internment Camp, a place where thousands of immigrants, many of Ukrainian origin, were locked up as enemy aliens in between 1914-1920.
