Winter in Banff NP

Last Saturday was a beautiful day in the Bow Valley. I celebrated it in the company of friends and fellow photographers with a photo excursion to the Bow Valley Parkway in Banff National Park. The Parkway, also known as Highway 1A has been closed to motor vehicles all summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This road provides access to popular tourist attractions in the park, most notably Johnston Canyon. It would have been too crowded to accommodate visitors this summer.

Saturday, we took advantage of the re-opening to visit a number of favourite photography locations, including a first stop at the Vermilion Lakes to catch the sunrise over Mount Rundle.

We then moved on to the Bow Valley Parkway and our first stop there, a recreation area known as Muleshoe. It was a brief visit, long enough for me to get this picture of Mount Cory, glowing in the early morning sunlight.

The next stop was one of my favourites, the Hillsdale Meadow. It’s a bonanza of photographic opportunities. I took a few pictures here, including this first one featuring some delicate looking but nonetheless hardy stems poking through the snow.

Glancing upward from where I took the previous picture, I’m facing Pilot Mountain towering  2,935 m (9,629 ft) above sea level. It was beautifully illuminated in the early morning light.

Hillsdale Meadow is aptly named, a vast meadow surrounded by pine and aspen forest, flanked by the Sawback Range to the north and the Bow River to the South. The aspens are always interesting subjects, especially in winter, without their leaves. They look pretty gnarly but they’re attention-getting, particularly when the branches are laden with snow.

Also very prominent at Hillsdale Meadow is Mount Ishbel, 2,908 m (9,541 ft). It’s a longtime favourite of mine, part of the Sawback Range. It’s so named perhaps due to its profile, not unlike the toothed side of a saw blade.

Our final stop before re-embarking on the Trans-Canada Highway for the return trip home was Castle Junction. This view faces southeast, down the Bow River. It’s a great location, also offering great views of Castle Mountain.

My last picture features Castle Mountain, photographed from the bank of the Bow River. It’s a large mountain, with an elevation of 2,766 m (9,075 ft) , stretching almost the entire distance from Castle Junction to Lake Louise, approximately 18 km (11 mi.). As you can observe, it’s a popular destination for outdoors enthusiasts including the people fishing a little further upstream.

We ran out of gas (we, not the cars) in the early afternoon after nearly 7 hours in the pursuit of photographs. Thanks to Kevin, Stew, Harv and Jiri for the great company.