Banff Could Wait

Banff Could Wait

I could be wrong, but I’m willing to bet that most people have never heard of Abraham Lake in Alberta. I certainly hadn’t. But after randomly stumbling into the area in search of a place to camp, it ended up being one of my favorite stops in the Canadian Rockies. 

While I was, admittedly, eager to explore Banff for the first time, Abraham Lake thoroughly captured my attention with the plentiful hikes, gorgeous lake, picturesque peaks, relative lack of crowds and the numerous camping options both around the lake and along the river feeding into it. What began as simply a spot to park for a night ended up becoming my home for the following five days. Banff could wait.

The only negative to my time there was that a wildfire in British Columbia had been blowing smoke into the Canadian Rockies, and both Banff and Abraham Lake were particularly impacted for a couple of the days I was there. One night, however, an intense windstorm passed through and blew out all the smoke. So, although I was sad to leave the lake, I knew this was my golden opportunity to photograph the beauty of Banff through smokeless skies. So I got back on the road.

You may be surprised to hear that I only spent one day in Banff. It’s outrageously beautiful, with so much to do and see, but the crowds were intense and I simply wasn’t in the mood—especially after spending the preceding weeks in lesser-known, still insanely beautiful areas. Banff really was lovely, and I’ll absolutely be back someday, but at that time I wasn’t in the headspace to handle the hordes. And so, after a day of visiting some of the obligatory sites, hiking a few trails and photographing nearly all of the overlooks along the highway, I said goodbye to Banff and continued drifting south. 

But I didn’t make it far.

Similar to my experience in Abraham Lake, I found myself in the sort of place that catches you off-guard with its understated beauty, energy and warmth. That place is called Kananaskis. And now, looking back, I think it may have been my favorite stop during my visit to Canada. 



“Life is like a camera: you focus on what is important, capture the good times, develop from the negative and if things do not work out, take another shot.” – Unknown