Two Jack Lake is on the Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive loop and is a pleasant place to bring a picnic lunch.

There are picnic tables available along the shore.  Off in the distance is Mount Rundle.

After lunch, take a walk along the shore to stretch your legs before heading to the next destination.

Camping is available here too at the Two Jake Lakeside Campground and Two Jack Main Campground.

My advice is to do the ride to the top of the mountain during the first day of your vacation that the weather is clear.

Why?

Firstly, if you wait until the last day of your trip to do the Jasper Tramway or Banff Gondola (Sulphur Mountain Gondola) or other mountain ride, it may be too foggy or raining hard or even snowing hard.  You’ll get to the top and will either have an obstructed view or won’t be able to see anything at all.

During my last trip to Jasper, we took a chance on the Jasper Tramway on a foggy day with low-hanging clouds.  It worked out ok, but it was too cloudy for hiking at the top and the view while riding the tramway car was obstructed, as you can image from the pictures below.

Secondly, seeing the views early in your trip gives you perspective.  You’ll better appreciate the vastness of the Canadian Rockies.

Here’s one of the views from the trail on the top of Sulphur Mountain, a worthy excursion after reaching the summit on the Banff Sulphur Mountain Gondola ride.

Thirdly, in the case of the Jasper Tramway or the Banff Gondola, once you are dropped off at the upper terminal, if the weather is good, you can explore the summit area for even more great views.

That being said, a little cloudiness is to be expected.  As long as the clouds are above the mountains, the views are spectacular.  If you are in doubt, you can always call the information desk at the popular Jasper and Banff attractions to find out the current weather conditions at the top of the mountains.

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You won’t find a whole lot of mention in the travel books about the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre as it is not really a tourist attraction.  It is more of a place where the locals go to get away from tourists.

As it turns out, there are a lot of reasons to visit the Sally Borden facility.

• Are you looking for less-crowded indoor activities in Banff due to rain or inclement weather?
• Did you go to Banff Upper Hot Springs during peak hours and saw the line and said “what now?”
• Is your hotel pool is too small, too crowded, too noisy, or just plain non-existent?
• Are you looking for indoor rock climbing, yoga classes, a “real” fitness centre or other fun activities away from all the tourists?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, the Sally Borden Centre is a good option.

Located on the outskirts of the town of Banff, the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre is a fully-equipped exercise and recreation facility.

What I like most is the huge swimming pool.  I think it is Olympic sized or at least close to it.   I thought there was something different about the water too, at least when I was there.  It felt clean and refreshing.  Maybe they use less chemicals than the traditional hotel pool.  The pool is great for doing laps.  And after swimming, there’s a whirlpool and for the kids, a wading pool.

I liked the weightlifting and exercise equipment.  It was what I’d expect from a real fitness center.

Activities

If you are looking to spend a day being active, there’s plenty to do.  Beyond the swimming pool and exercise equipment, there’s a steam room, rock climbing gym, indoor running track, squash court, gymnasium, exercise classes, yoga classes, massage, training sessions and other services.

Getting There

The Centre is easy to go to from the town of Banff.  It took me about 10 minutes to get to from Banff Hot Springs on the other side of town.

The Sally Borden building is in the middle of the Banff Centre, a arts and cultural facility with lots of events.  It feels like you are in a college campus and parking is similar.  If you are lucky, you can park in a small row of parking spots next to the Sally Borden building, then climb the steps up to the Sally Borden building.  Otherwise, there are a few parking lots further away that are a short walk to the Sally Borden building.

Hours and Events

Before going, it is good to check out the hours.  There are classes and events going on so not every activity is open at all times or open to the public.

The best bargain is to get a day pass and go on a day with bad weather and stay several hours trying everything out.  The day pass drop-in rate is very reasonable and you can stay all day and have access to more.

For hours, rules, and a schedule of activities, see the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre website.

And as far as scenic roadways go, the Icefield Parkway is tops.  You’ll never have a long drive that is so enjoyable. Seriously – unless you are afraid of a little bit of heights and a whole lot of snow-covered mountains and magical blue-green lakes and even glaciers and maybe even some wildlife sightings.

I don’t recommend rushing on the Icefield Parkway on the way to or from Jasper or Banff townsites.  The Icefield Parkway is a destination in itself.  It is nice to stop in the rest areas along the way to take in the scenery.  You may even want to make time for the many excellent hikes along the way.

Here’s a few pictures (click to view larger) from along the Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park in the area south of the Jasper National Park border.

Mountains along the Icefield Parkway

Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park

Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park

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It is a simple picture showing the grass, trees, mountains and sky.  I have a print of it on my wall and it looks nice.

If it suites your tastes you can use it as a desktop wallpaper.

Just click on the image to view the full size version.  Then, right-click the full size version and amongst the options should be a “set as desktop wallpaper” option.

Banff National Park desktop wallpaper - click image to view full size, then right-click to see option to set as desktop wallpaper

Enjoy.

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Mt Norquay has 28 runs and enough lifts to get you up the mountain fast.  It is also quick to get to from downtown Banff.

For something different, Mt Norquay offers the unique opportunity to do night skiing and tubing on certain Friday’s and Wednesdays January through March (see Mt Norquay’s event calendar).  It looks like a good time.

The ski folks at Mt Norquay Ski Resort just put out a couple of fun videos on YouTube.  Check the videos out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out Mt Norquay’s Facebook fan page too.  Lots of pictures in their photo album.

It is fun for kids and grown-ups alike to try to guess what animal has which footprint.

Can you guess which is an elk, a bighorn sheep, a wolf or a bear?

Sometimes similar footprints can be spotted while out hiking in Banff National Park and surrounding Canadian Rockies.    When hiking, try to look for tracks in the dirt.  But don’t forget to look up every now and then.  The tracks in the dirt may be from an animal just up ahead.

Animal footprints in the Canadian Rockies display at the Banff National Park Information Centre

Knowing the type of footprint can come in handy.  Seeing fresh bear footprints in the mud could be helpful when trying to avoid face-to-snout encounters.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

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I was very lucky to spot this character on the Bow Valley Parkway near Banff townsite.

You may think black bears are all tough and scary (and you might be right).  But this one was relaxed and almost amusing with all sorts of leaves in its hair from traipsing through the woods.

This Banff National Park black bear was focused on one thing:  eating plants.  The bear didn’t give much attention to the tourists in their cars taking pictures.

Still, I stayed a safe distance away – for my safety and for the bear’s.  A tame bear must to be retrained, relocated or worse.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

“Seen one tourist with a camera, seen them all,” he seems to be saying to himself.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

Black Bear in Banff National Park

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These 2 elk fellows were walking along the Bow Valley Parkway 1A, a less traveled road that parallels Highway 1 from Banff townsite to Lake Louise Village.

Elk and other animals often use the road to get from place to place.  They’ve learned it can be an easy way to get to their vacation destinations too.

Elk in Banff National Park along Bow Valley Parkway 1A

Just avoid getting too close to the elk. They may look harmless but can be dangerous, especially during rutting season.

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Jasper and Banff National Park each have Canada Day celebrations planned. They have 3 things in common: pancakes, parades and fireworks.

Jasper National Park Canada Day Celebrations

A nice website maintained by the Jasper Canada Day Committee here has everything you need to know about the festivities.  Some of the highlights for 2010 are a pancake breakfast, flag raising ceremony, parade through Jasper townsite, food, beer and music in the afternoon, and fireworks when it gets dark.  View the complete schedule here.

Banff National Park Canada Day Celebrations

The festivities in Banff National Park start with pancakes in the morning, fun activities at Central Park in Banff, a parade in late afternoon and then fireworks at night – and more fun mixed in throughout the day.  Learn more about Banff’s Canada Day activities here on the town of Banff website.

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