Finding the lesser-traveled areas of British Columbia became our mission as we exited the Banff area. One of our first stops was to Yoho National Park on the western slope of the Continental Divide. A park we had read about that sounded beautiful and interesting.
Working around the crowds when visiting the parks means lots of early mornings. Best time for pictures, easy to get parking and LOTS of bears out (not that I think that is a good thing). We ended up seeing 14 bears on our visit! Obviously we survived the ordeal.
There are a million websites that tell you about the history of Banff, what places to visit, where to eat and stay. I could bore you with all the details of where we stayed and step by step of what we did. Instead, let’s just look at pictures…
As we continued our travels through Canada, we had a few days before our reservations started at Banff National Park. We had overstayed our welcome at Fernie Mountain Resort and had to move on. While we survived the big Fernie burn, I was in recovery mode and not good for much. On the recommendations of friends and fellow Canadians, we didn’t make any reservations. A large amount of first-come, first-serve parks would make it easy to find a place to stay. So with that so-called ‘sound advice’, we set off to Norbury Lake Park.
We finally crossed over into Canada for our first stop in Fernie, British Columbia.
We chose to stay up at the Fernie Mountain Resort, dry camping in their parking lot. For a small fee they have parking spaces that you can enjoy for 3 days. We found the parking lot fairly level with amazing views. The mountain offers a small store, a bar and tons of amazing downhill mountain biking.
Montana had one last chance to impress upon us as we visited Whitefish and Glacier National Park. Of course, it did not disappoint.
Flathead Lake is something you hear whispers about from people who absolutely love it. It is the largest natural lake, created by an ancient glacier covering 197 square miles. Flathead Lake is actually bigger than (but not as deep as) Lake Tahoe.
One downside of living on the road is trying to keep caught up on the retail and errands. When entering a bigger town we stock up. With tax-free purchases in Montana, it was a perfect place to get some new shoes for the Jeep.
Seeley Lake is a great place to stop between Missoula and Kalispell. Lots of space, a lake for swimming, boating or fishing. Close to a cute little town (about 1 block long with a great ice cream place). What more could you ask for?
If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food. It’s a plus for everybody.” – Anthony Bourdain
