Banff Wanderings

Elevation: 1383 m
Elevation Gain: Nil
Lake Minnewanka is a 21 km long lake located just outside the town of Banff. The lake has a long history of aboriginal inhabitation. Indeed, “Minnewanka” is the Nakoda word for “Water of the Spirits.” In 1886, Europeans established a beach house along the shores of Lake Minnewanka. By 1912, the townsite of Minnewanka Landing was also established nearby. Hydroelectric dams were built along Minnewanka in 1912 and 1941.
The Cascades of Time Gardens and Parks Canada Administration building were designed by Harold C. Beckett in 1934 and offer a respite from the hustle and bustle of nearby Banff Avenue. With tiered pathways and pavilions, the Gardens’ many ponds depict geological sequences of time and were intended to illustrate the geology of Banff National Park.
My Ascents:
July 19 2021
Trailhead: Lake Minnewanka Parking & Banff National Park Admin Building

After a trip full of biking, hiking and reminiscing in beautiful Banff, we were saddened as our camping “staycation” drew to an end. Alas, with their 11 am check-out time, Parks Canada essentially, told us: “You don’t have to go home (but you can’t stay here).” Hoping to squeeze every last drop out of our Banff stay, we packed up our camping trailer and set out in search of somewhere to park it while we continued to carpe the diem. Finding ample RV parking at nearby Lake Minnewanka, we elected to continue our Banff adventures with a family float!

Lake Minnewanka

LEFT: An impressive outlier of Mount Astley rises up beyond the colorful rental canoes at Lake Minnewanka.
RIGHT: Mera, Penny and Brianne eagerly wait (while Dad signs the waiver).

LEFT: And we’re off! 🛶
RIGHT: Mera and Penny enjoy their very first canoeing experience! The rental outfit even supplied little paddles for them to inadvertently weaponize. How cute! 🙃 🙄

LEFT and RIGHT: After searching the shoreline for bears 🐻 (and finding only squirrels 🐿️), we explored up Stewart Canyon (as far as we were allowed to).

As our 1-hour rental time neared its conclusion, we returned downstream (lest we be charged for a second hour at Banff’s inflated tourist prices).

Having survived an hour aboard a small watercraft with our children, we decided that it was still too early to return home. Eager to continue carpe’ing the diem (but not keen to relinquish our RV parking spot), we took advantage of Roam Transit’s convenient route from Minnewanka into Banff (for a whopping $4). Somehow, the 12-km ride back to Banff proved to be 22 x less expensive than our modest 3-km paddle had been (and we saw more wildlife on the bus)! 🤯

Cascades of Time Gardens

Once we were back in Banff, we decided to take some time to stop and smell the flowers (who says that the Hobbs family never slows down?). Crossing the beautiful Bow River Bridge, we made our way to the Cascades of Time Gardens outside Parks Canada’s historic admin building.

Following the Gardens’ winding path, we soaked up the colorful surroundings (while trying to ignore the bear-proof garbage bins that somewhat mar this, otherwise, magnificent oasis). Click to see larger.

LEFT and RIGHT: There were no shortage of flowers to smell!

Brianne stops to pose on a lovely bridge (while our children tear up and down the path like wildlings out of frame).

Smoky mountain reflections in the Gardens’ still ponds.

LEFT and RIGHT: Flower, flower, flower, flower, flower, flower. 🌻 🌼 🌺 🌹 🌷

By the time that we reached the “top” of the Gardens, both children expressed a (suddenly) dire need to “potty”. 😶 After snapping a quick panorama, we made our way back down towards the public restrooms at a much less leisurely pace. Click to see larger.

LEFT: Looking towards Mount Rundle from the base of the Gardens (while my wife generously escorted our little ones to the nearby “potty”).
RIGHT: Cascade Mountain towers over its namesake Gardens.

After exploring the gardens and taking advantage of their facilities (located right at their base for anyone who can’t find them… 🙃), we made our way back across the Bow River Bridge.

LEFT and RIGHT: Having worked up a thirst, we set out down Banff Avenue in search of refreshment!

LEFT and RIGHT: Yes. This will do. As though the Gardens hadn’t provided us with our fill of flowers, we found even more on Banff Avenue’s many sunny patios! After enjoying a couple of “cold ones” 🍺 in the hot sun, we reluctantly made our way back to Lake Minnewanka, retrieved our RV and started home (confident that we’d made the absolute most of our Banff “staycation”).