This past October, we packed our kids into the van, along with my sister Kendra and her husband Nolan, and drove out to Banff National Park. We had seen that prices on AirBnb were really low and Kendra and Nolan had been talking about doing a 5 year anniversary shoot in the mountains for a couple years already so we figured why not!? We made the drive out over two days, stopping in Regina for the night, and the kids did really well! I’ve always insisted that our lives can’t stop just because we have kids and I love to travel so it was time to try something a little bigger than a hike or a weekend away. Plus our kids are super chill and easy-going so that made it less scary.
We spent our first full day doing some exploring around the town of Banff and then we got all dressed up and did our family photos at Two Jack Lake and Kendra & Nolan’s 5 year anniversary photos. You can see that blog post here. In the evening, Kendra and Nolan stayed in the with kids so Joel & I could go on a little date to our favourite restaurant in Canmore, Georgetown Pub. They have such great Irish pub food and the atmosphere to match. On Wednesday we hiked up the rock pile at Moraine Lake and took a stroll around Lake Louise. Thursday was our last full day in Banff and we went up the Gondola for some epic views of the mountains, enjoyed some delicious soup at Evelyn’s Coffee Bar and strolled along the Bow River just taking in the views. Friday morning we walked along the river in Canmore and the boys did some fishing before heading back east to Manitoba.
It was a wonderful, beautiful week and we are so thankful that we snuck in a little trip before the lockdown. It all felt very safe and the park wasn’t crowded at all. We wore our masks in the town of Banff and all around it was an awesome trip!
