The news was reporting 173 wildfires currently burning in British Columbia as of Tuesday morning. Here is a map showing the major ones. Banff is just a few miles over the provincial border from British Columbia into Alberta. Still, we were seeing and smelling smoke most of the time, and photos of the mountains are obscured by the smoke.
We decided to hike to Vermillion Lakes. This took us on part of the Fenland Trail I hiked yesterday and along a road that ends for cars after a couple of miles. There were other hikers, cyclists and some cars on the road, but not enough to worry about. The speed limit for cars is 30 KPH or 20 MPH. As we started the trail we were reminded again to look out for mother elk - they can be very dangerous when protecting their young calves.
To get to the Vermillion Lakes Trail, we had to cross a bridge from Fenland trail over part of the wetlands.
We learned that Vermillion Lakes get their name from seeing the sun set from Banff - the setting sun causes a reddish/orange reflection and coloring of the water. As we headed west on the trail, we were greeted by what appear to be some relative of prairie dogs. There was a path worn down by their constant trips up to the road and back down to their homes.
Many people were enjoying the water, as we saw canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and boats.
We saw lots of birds, including a bald eagle (just barely visible at the top of a tree in the middle of this photo), red wing blackbirds, loons and more.
The have excellent detailed information and signage explaining the wetlands and their importance.
Every so often, there would be areas where cars, bicycles and hikers could pull off the road and either sit on benches or learn more about the lakes and wetlands.
One of the sites we passed is where archeologists have discovered relics going back 13,000 years showing humans here shortly after the Ice Age glaciers receded.
Several places along each of the lakes have piers you can use.
Mount Rundle is obscured by the smoke.
Near the end of the trail, one of the pullouts from the road has restrooms plus interesting info about birds through the seasons.
We came to the end of the road as far as cars are concerned - but there was a continuation of paved trail for cyclists and hikers. The Banff Legacy Trail is 26 km of paved trail
We turned around and as we came back, saw wedding photos being taken.
And we came across a large flock of friendly birds.
This was a pleasant eight plus mile hike in a little over three hours, well worth the time and effort.
We decided to hike to Vermillion Lakes. This took us on part of the Fenland Trail I hiked yesterday and along a road that ends for cars after a couple of miles. There were other hikers, cyclists and some cars on the road, but not enough to worry about. The speed limit for cars is 30 KPH or 20 MPH. As we started the trail we were reminded again to look out for mother elk - they can be very dangerous when protecting their young calves.
To get to the Vermillion Lakes Trail, we had to cross a bridge from Fenland trail over part of the wetlands.
We learned that Vermillion Lakes get their name from seeing the sun set from Banff - the setting sun causes a reddish/orange reflection and coloring of the water. As we headed west on the trail, we were greeted by what appear to be some relative of prairie dogs. There was a path worn down by their constant trips up to the road and back down to their homes.
Many people were enjoying the water, as we saw canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and boats.
We saw lots of birds, including a bald eagle (just barely visible at the top of a tree in the middle of this photo), red wing blackbirds, loons and more.
The have excellent detailed information and signage explaining the wetlands and their importance.
Every so often, there would be areas where cars, bicycles and hikers could pull off the road and either sit on benches or learn more about the lakes and wetlands.
Several places along each of the lakes have piers you can use.
Mount Rundle is obscured by the smoke.
Near the end of the trail, one of the pullouts from the road has restrooms plus interesting info about birds through the seasons.
We came to the end of the road as far as cars are concerned - but there was a continuation of paved trail for cyclists and hikers. The Banff Legacy Trail is 26 km of paved trail
We turned around and as we came back, saw wedding photos being taken.
And we came across a large flock of friendly birds.
This was a pleasant eight plus mile hike in a little over three hours, well worth the time and effort.
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