Emerald Lake

So, although Emerald Lake is not one of the Day Trips listed in my book I went out there last week with my gal pal Thenes! If you have never been, I highly recommend the visit. I had been there one other time about five or six years ago when I first moved to Alberta. It is about a three hour drive from Calgary, but well worth it.

We did the hike around the lake which is beautiful and diverse. It is just over 5 km, but is very easy and we hardly broke a sweat! That is my kind of hike! In this second picture you can see where there had been a landslide and the trees are just growing back in.

There is a really nice lodge at the lake, but it is also very populated at this time of year. Perhaps a nice place to go in the winter for a weekend and likely more affordable then too.

Along our way back towards Calgary we took a detour to see Takakkaw falls which someone had recommended to us. It is also well worth the time to make the drive to see. It is a crazy road that sidewinds up the side of a mountain and then a very short hike which leads you right up to the base of the falls. It is incredibly loud and misty at the base. Very powerful and beautiful to see!

We stopped into Field to see the visitor center. Well, to be honest, someone told us that there were free hotdogs in honor of Canada Day, but I think we missed them! Oh yeah, and to even make our day better, the enterance fee to Banff National Park was waved because it was on Canada Day! Once again - Canada Rocks!

We had supper in Canmore before finally making our way back to the flatlands! It was a fantastic way to celebrate our great country!