banff national park part II: peyto lake

our final full day in canada was spent back in banff national park. on our way out of emerald lake lodge JC spotted a BEAR on the side of the road and we whipped the fasted U-turn i've ever seen. munching on some flowers he allowed us to snap a few photos and admire his cute little self. our bodies were pretty tired from hiking the day before, so we were looking for a more casual hike. peyto lake was perfect for this. we still felt active, but the entire hike takes about 20 minutes. and the water is CRAZY blue. we started to laugh when we saw it only because things just seem to keep getting prettier and prettier in this country. 

the rest of our afternoon was spent wandering the num-ti lodge, grabbing rooftop beers, having another 2 bottles of wine lunch at our hotel, playing cards, napping and hot tubbing and later venturing into town for dinner at the truffle pig bistro. this place! their food was insanely good and the vibes were so cute. 
 

banff national park: lake louise & lake agnes

after seeing photos of lake louise it's very obvious that this is a must stop if you are in the banff national park area. when we arrived it was jam-packed with tourists snapping photos – the good news is, if you have the energy to hike you can avoid having someone taking a selfie in the back of your pics.  

we heard from locals that the real way to see the views was to hike up to the "big beehive", with a stop at the tea house for lunch. i could not have been happier with our decision to do this! the hike was challenging and rewarding, the tea house was cute as can be, and we had some of the most gorgeous views I've ever seen. 

some tips for the lake agnes & big beehive hike:

• go early to avoid the crowds during, especially on weekends.
• there is limited seating inside and on the tea house patio, be prepared to share your table with strangers.
• it's much cooler up at lake agnes, bring layers to adjust to the temperature as needed.
• the distance from lake agnes [this is where the tea lodge is] to the summit of the big beehive is 1.6km. allow approx 40 minutes each way.