Canada 2025

Wednesday10September

We are still in Banff and for this new day, we continue the discovery of the lakes, but before that, we pass by the ghost site of Bankhead which reveals its industrial past through the remains of old coal wagons.

Ah, it's everywhere. And now, we learn that we only have two seconds to take out our bear spray!    

Active at the beginning of the 20th century, this mine provided the fuel needed for the locomotives of the Canadian Pacific Railway Company. Today, the spruce forest is reclaiming the metal structures...

This 1901 compressed air Porter locomotive, once used in the Canmore mine, now rests here in Bankhead.

The remains of the power plant, whose foundations supported powerful steam engines, testify to the technological sophistication deployed to power the mines and surrounding residences. Alas, this intensive exploitation has left lasting traces in the soil with health risks linked to residual substances.

Residents of the former mining town of Bankhead pose with their safety lamps, essential tools for exploring the galleries. The safety lamps worked thanks to a metal screen isolating the flame from the surrounding explosive gases. This device was essential to prevent firedamp explosions.

At the height of Bankhead's operation, nearly 400 coal-laden wagons left the mines of Banff National Park daily.

Last look at Mount Inglismaldie before taking the car back and moving on to the main stage of the day, Lake Minnewanka.

We didn't leave Mount Inglismaldie alone for long, as Lake Minnewanka lies at its feet.  

The lake surroundings are well-developed at all levels to attract visitors.

Minnewanka is the largest lake in Banff National Park.

The Fairholme range and the summit of Inglismaldie.

A wooden bridge crosses Stewart Canyon, carved by the Cascade River north of Lake Minnewanka.

Some paths are closed to avoid areas frequented by bears.

A white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) comes to keep us company!

A little further on, we cross paths with the doe again, who will walk alongside us on the path for a few minutes.

Back to the lake shore to turn around and return to our starting point.

A golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) is busy in the sun on its rock, between snacking and watching over its territory...  

Back to the car. We are going to join the neighboring lake, the "Two Jack" lake.

Before starting a new walk, we need to fill our stomachs. The shores of Two Jack Lake will be perfect! Two Jack Lake owes its name to two inseparable friends, Jack Stanley and Jack Watters, former employees of the Bankhead coal mine in the early 20th century. These "two Jacks" had made these shores their favorite place, enjoying the tranquility of the site at the foot of the majestic Mount Rundle.

An hour later, we're off for a short tour, although we aren't going around the whole lake, just part of its west bank.

A camera trap firmly fixed to a trunk ensures scientific monitoring of the wildlife (and tourists  ) around Two Jack Lake.

The cabins of the "Two Jack Lakeside Campground" which occupies the entire southern part of the lake.

The lake ends in a long, narrow two-kilometer arm.

A cook shelter, a picnic shelter with its wood stove for preparing meals or heating.

There is no more path! So we continue on the asphalt... to finally retrace our steps, take the path along the lake, and return to the car.

We take the car again to reach the third lake of the day, Johnson Lake!

Johnson Lake gets its name from Billy Johnson, a pioneer and prospector who lived in this wild area in the late 1800s.

To change from bears and ground squirrels, here is a Common Raven (Corvus corax)...  

In the distance, the steep walls of Mount Inglismaldie.

Back to Banff to do some shopping, notably at the IGA supermarket. In the background, the silhouette of Mount Rundle which is never far from the streets of Banff.

Before returning to the campsite, a quick detour to Hoodoos Viewpoint. Here, for once, it's not the bear that appears on the signs, but the elk which, despite its nonchalant air, can be dangerous. But until now, we haven't had the chance to cross paths with one.  

Here, at Hoodoos Viewpoint, you overlook the Bow River valley. To the south, Mount Rundle displays its massive silhouette and characteristic limestone strata.

To the west, we see Sanson Peak in the distance and to the right the small Tunnel Mountain.

Tunnel Mountain owes its name to an aborted 19th-century railway project. Although no tunnel was ever bored through its flanks, the name remained to testify to the history of the Canadian Pacific Railway. But in this photo, it is indeed the imposing Mount Rundle that we see.

We can discern the "hoodoos" that rise like mineral sentinels above the Bow River.

These geological formations, also called fairy chimneys, result from the erosion of glacial till deposited millennia ago. The term hoodoos is said to have its roots in a deformation of the word "voodoo", evoking occult forces or petrified spirits. For some Indigenous nations, these mineral silhouettes were perceived as evil beings turned to stone for eternity.  

Ha! There at the bottom is the one the sign told us to be wary of. But no risk, we are 200 meters from this Elk (Cervus canadensis).

On the sunset side, the mountains lend their silhouettes in backlight to perfect the landscape...  

Facing us, Mounts Black Brett (2835 meters) and Brett (2984 meters).

And in the middle, Tunnel Mountain.

An acrobat lands on the light branches of a pine: it's a Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana).

Back to Tunnel Mountain campground. Skewers and mushrooms for tonight!   Tomorrow morning, we will pack up the tent and luggage to leave Banff and reach the next major stop: Lake Louise.