The Lake With The Rude Name

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The largest lake in the Banff National Park is Lake Minnewanka (and there are apparently 2,000), which is quite near Banff. We went on a boat tour. The name of this lake is actually pronounced “mini-walker’ and means “Lake of Spirits". The guide did remark on the fact that most Brit’s tend to snigger at the name, however Americans and Canadians apparently don’t know what the word we think of means.

He also told us about the legend of the Mermonster. One was actually found and put on show, but it eventually turned out to be a fake made from half a monkey and half fish. We did manage to see a bald eagle, although it was so far away it could have been anything for all we knew.

Apparently fires are also a fact of life here and, as with Kakadu, they have been part of the natural order until we came along and interfered with it (see A Long, Long Drive to Kakadu). The policy had been to put a stop to the fires, but when it was eventually decided that they were a good thing, the undergrowth had got so think that the fire burned too hot and did damage the environment. Part of the surrounds of the lake have still not recovered.

The peak of Mount Sulphur can be reached by the gondola (cable car). The views from the top would have been stunning except for the weather which meant everything was obscured by cloud. We regretted not taking our coats as it was surprisingly cold up there.

We warmed-up by going to the thermal pool, which was naturally 40°C. They were warm, but seriously heaving with people.

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Photos

Lake Minnewanka
Elk and Lake Minnewanka

Banff
Banff and its backdrop scenery

Banff Scenery
View near Lake Minnewanka

Lake Minnewanka
View over the lake

Mount Sulphur Cable Car
The cable car to the top of Mount Sulphur

Mount Sulphur View
The view over Banff from the top of Mount Sulphur

Mount Sulphur View
Another view over Banff from the top of Mount Sulphur

Banff Hotel
The first major hotel in the National Park