Getting from Banff to Lake Louise and back … with Morant’s Curve

I often take living in Canada for granted. Only after seeing more and more of the country, am I amazed at how much there is to do there and what spectacular vistas and scenery we have.  Driving from Calgary to Banff is fairly uneventful, but only if you’re not impressed by snow capped mountains with the Canadian Rockies in the distance.

The driving video isn’t that exciting but at least you get a sense of the scenery that there is to be chewed

You drive past Canmore and then into Banff … but then the fun starts. There are two roads linking Banff to Lake Louise.

1. The TransCanada Highway is the quicker route, more popular with through traffic. (Highway 1)
2. The other is the more scenic 51-kilometer (32-mile) Bow Valley Parkway, which branches off the TransCanada Highway five kilometers (3.1 miles) west of Banff. (Highway 1A) 

Driving along the 1A is a lovely slow process, especially in the winter … and not because of the ice and slippery roads but really because how picturesque everything is.

It’s definitely a stop-and-smell-the-roses kind of slower driving route with incomparable views, and interpretive panels that explain the flora, fauna and history of the Canadian Rockies. In Trinidad, obviously we never see this type of stuff, nor do you hear the type of quiet associated with a cold frozen forest … it is lovely in so many ways!

 

Just more quiet with the sunlight and trees

Then you “stumble” upon Morant’s Curve.

This view is one made famous by Nicholas Morant, who photographed the Rockies extensively in the 1930’s and 40’s for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The high peaks of the Bow Range, and S-curve in the railway tracks, an eastbound train, and good light are the requirements for this classic photo stop. …

Here is the view looking east at Morant’s Curve

Here is the western view … which is the classic view

Morant’s Curve is one of the classic locations in North America to shoot trains, and we were determined to sit there until a train came, but in the end, it was just too cold for us.

Then it’s more quiet …

And maybe through all the quiet, you might stumble upon a friend