Favourite Places, Fenland Loop (Banff)

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Banff; it was peaceful, relaxing, and a chance to get out into nature again! Banff is bigger than some of the other mountain towns but you are never terribly far from nature when you want it. Because Loki and I mostly relaxed in the hotel room while my dad and brother were skiing, we knew we wanted to take him on a longer hike in the afternoon. It wasn’t raining at all, and was a perfect 14°C!

We walked Loki the whole way down the main strip so I could grab a quick snack! ( Don’t go to Mary’s Popcorn Shop, it was pretty stale and the regular popcorn tasted like it had been in a white cheddar bin that had sat out. I’m a popcorn fiend, so this was rather disappointing…) Loki did really well on the strip with all of the people! An adorable little girl thought he was a wolf, but a cute one, and was brave enough to pet him. For those of you that don’t know, Loki might look like a wolf but he is one hundred percent baby. Anyways, we made our way down to the Bow River Trail, a nice park to start with! It is right along the river and offers some gorgeous views.

This walkway is paved- very accessible for people of all abilities! It is a good length, there are bear-safe garbage cans, and even poop bags for anyone walking their dog. Banff certainly keeps everything in working order. I felt like a regular Nat-Geo host when we spotted these deer across the river! There were five in total, but I couldn’t get a clear shot of the others on the way there, unfortunately. The one fellow sitting down stayed that way the entire time- I suppose he hit the gym a little too hard the day before…

Once you follow the Bow River Trail to the end, you spend maybe four to five minutes walking along the highway (still paved and whatnot), and then you arrive at the Fenland Loop Trail. It is not paved, but it is a fairly even and accessible trail! It is a walk rather than a hike, I would say. There weren’t too many people out- I’m guessing because of the earlier rain- leaving the area quiet for us. Loki loved being able to smell everything! I’m pretty sure his goal was to pee on every tree but the tank emptied pretty quick….

Loki should probably just be a model at this point:

We continued on our way! It is always fascinating to me when I can see just how nature progresses when it is left on it’s own. I mean, I love being a city girl, but we all need these reminders sometimes.

At the far end of the loop, we poked out to see what was just around the riverbend. (Not a badass raccoon and hummingbird, if that’s what you are wondering…) I was rather surprised to pop and be greeted by this sight:

Coming from the Prairies, it always surprises me a little to see mountains- even if I know I’m in the heart of them! And of course, Loki was like, “I’m adorable!”

Seriously, I can’t get over how beautiful it was! Even this walk alone made the trip worth it. Oh, yeah- remember how I said I couldn’t get a good picture of the deer on the way there? GOT IT ON THE WAY BACK! I only got four out of the five, but they aren’t Pokemon- I didn’t need to catch them all. How odd it must be to them- one side of the river? Peaceful and theirs. The other side of the river? Weird, two-legged animals everywhere.

We were up and close with another deer when we got back onto the Bow River Trail- he was like, “This is my deer butt. Enjoy!”

I probably could have ended this more gracefully than a deer butt, but that’s not how it went…

Do you prefer hikes or walks? Do you like to drive and get away completely, or still have a sense of where you are?

Until tomorrow,
The Historian!