Lake Louise

After staying the night of July 9 in Canmore we had an early start and headed up the Icefields Parkway through Banff and Jasper, ending the day in Mount Robson Provincial Park (British Columbia).  We stopped at Lake Louise and were there before 7:00 am, but the crowds soon descended and we moved on.  The parks were both very busy and though we stopped at a number of scenic turnouts we did not linger much, neither of us caring much for the crowds.  We had all our meals along the way using our own gear and provisions, but did stop briefly in the town of Jasper for an iced coffee.  We spent that night at a rest area near the Mount Robson headquarters (our van is fitted out for sleeping when we are traveling) with plans to hike at least a part of the Berg Lake trail the next day.

Driving from Canmore to Lake Louise we made a few stops for photos.

The river is the Bow but the mountain peaks I've not identified.

At Lake Louise we hiked along the north shore of the lake,

photographing the surrounding peaks and the lake itself and enjoying the walk.

 As is evident from the pictures, the weather was a bit changeable.

The lake is very beautiful but far too busy during the tourist season for our tastes.

The Lake Louise Fairmont is a huge hotel on the lake and one of the reasons it is so busy.

 My wife found and photographed some Yellow Columbine along the lake,

but that was about all we found in flower.

 Leaving Lake Louise we decided to go to Moraine Lake in the same area,

but found it even busier and did not stop.

We did stop, however, for some photos of the surrounding mountains.

We also found a field of Bog Orchids along the road, including:

the Tall White Northern Bog Orchis,

the Green Bog Orchis,

and a hybrid of the two, the Estes Rein Orchis.