Canadian Rockies: Honeymoon Part 1

If you remember a few blog posts back, Stacey and I went to Montana and rented a truck camper, having a blast in the mountains. If not, check it out here. https://www.beardedadventures.net/post/montana-truck-camping

Well, we decided to purchase our own truck and truck camper: a 2017 Ford F250 Diesel with an 8ft bed and a 2001 NorthStar pop-up designed for that bed. In true Stacey fashion, we renovated it to our style. Look for a future blog post all about that! We spent the summer getting to know the ins and outs of our rig.

That August, Stacey and I got married! What better way to spend a honeymoon for two lovers, adventurers, and best friends than a trip to the Canadian Rockies?

This adventure, we had three sidekicks with us: our dogs Bently (the white one), Jackson (the brown one), and Nino (the tiny one). These dogs love camping and traveling. Every time you say the word "camping," they go crazy. We now have to spell it out, and I think they’re learning how to spell. They would not stay out of the way while we were packing. If you have ever packed for a big trip, you know how many trips you make to the truck or camper.

This trip took place during COVID-19 restrictions. We had to get COVID vaccinations and get COVID tested within 72 hours of our crossing date. Plus, we had to fill out pre-border crossing information on the ArriveCan app.

We left on a Friday, headed north to Sault Ste. Marie, MI, which would be our border crossing into Canada. We have both crossed into Canada several times through Detroit and Windsor. This was way different than the hustle and bustle of that area—very laid back. The border crossing went fast, even with three dogs.

We chose to drive around Lake Superior and west toward the Rockies. Having never been in this part of Canada, we were impressed. The area around Lake Superior is beautiful, with small mountains, lakes, and evergreens as far as you can see. It was really cool to see across Lake Superior to areas we have hiked and snowmobiled. We camped our first night just north of Terrace Bay, ON, off a forest service road. We made dinner and went to sleep, eager to reach the Rockies as soon as possible.

The following day, we topped off the fuel and headed west. Again, this area of Canada is beautiful, until you get west of Winnipeg. The positive is that you can see for miles and miles, but the downside is that it's flat and boring. We made it just east of Regina, SK. Fifteen hours in the truck is a lot! We camped at a small, practically closed campground, made dinner, and crashed again.

Day 3's goal was to make it to Canmore for dinner at this really cool timber frame restaurant. We stopped again for fuel and food in Gull lake, SK at the Hitching Post Restaurant. Stacey had the best Olive Burger she had ever had. It was an 8-hour drive, mostly boring until we could see the mountains (yay!). Even though you can see the mountains for what seems like an eternity. 

This was in the bathroom at the Hitching Post. Not sure what the 6 surprises could be. LOL

We made our dinner goal at the Iron Goat Pub and Grill. The name even sounds cool, with a Viking vibe! You can eat with a great view of the Three Sisters Mountains. After dinner, we drove around the Three Sisters Mountains to the Spray Lakes West Campground on Spray Lake Reservoir. This was the end of the season, and it was a first-come, first-served campsite. There were only a few to choose from, but we got a great site by the lake.

In the morning, we headed out for the town of Banff, Alberta. We wanted to get the touristy stuff out of the way first. Nestled within the breathtaking Banff National Park, Banff is a resort town renowned for its stunning mountain scenery, natural hot springs, and towering peaks. We hung out in town for most of the day, checking out shops and eating at a few restaurants. We like good beer and appetizers. After having our fill of food and shopping, we headed off to find a campsite for the night.

We like to wild camp. We are not fans of normal campgrounds. Rustic campgrounds are generally okay, but we really enjoy being in nature and letting the dogs roam free. With our truck camper, we can pack everything in and out; most times, you would never know we were there. One thing we hate is having to camp in a parking lot. It happens, but we try to avoid it as much as possible. You are not allowed to wild camp within the grounds of National Parks. This area can be challenging to find a campsite, as there are so many National Parks in the area that almost overlap each other. If you plan ahead and have multiple options, you can find some pretty awesome sites. We found one of my pre-chosen sites off a forest service road outside Banff National Park. We wanted to get to bed early because, in the morning, we were going to Lake Louise and possibly one of the hardest hikes I’ve ever done.

In late summer and early fall, you better get your butt up early to get to Lake Louise. Parking is insane, and driving a giant truck and camper didn't make it any easier. They do offer RV parking, which was nice. We were able to back in, pop our camper top, and make breakfast before heading out for the day's adventures.

Lake Louise, a crown jewel of Banff National Park, is a stunning glacial lake renowned for its vibrant turquoise waters and dramatic mountain backdrop, framed by towering peaks, including the majestic Victoria Glacier. This place is insanely busy with people from around the world. You can even rent canoes and paddle around this magical lake. But that wasn't why we were there.

The Devil's Thumb Hike is what we were there for. This hike starts off crowded but thins out after the turn away from Lake Louise. As you hike up the mountain, you get great views of the lake. The first part of the hike ends at Lake Agnes. There's a restaurant there called the Lake Agnes Teahouse if you want a snack. I think most people stop here and head back down the mountain.

The second part of the hike takes you around Lake Agnes, up a bunch of switchbacks to the Beehive. This is where most avid hikers stop and get cool pictures of the Beehive and Lake Louise below and then head back. Not us!

Part three of this hike is the hike to Devil's Thumb. This hike is next-level, bordering on expert hiking. The trailhead off the Beehive trail is not well marked, leading to narrow paths along sheer cliffs, loose rocks, and sand. The trail appeared to stop. Then we realized it didn’t stop; we needed to go up. The trail was so steep we had to crawl up it. We ran into several hikers who had decided to turn around. We came across a French couple who didn't speak much English, but we did understand the phrase “scaredy cat.”  If you want a good laugh, read the comments. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/devils-thumb-and-the-big-beehive Once we climbed up(scrambled), this is where the trail narrowed to a double-sided cliff. This is a good football field long. If you’re afraid of heights, just remember that it will all be worth it. Once you make it to the other side, you'll have another scramble and you've made it! 

The view from the top was, to say the least, breathtaking, well worth the punishment of the hike up. We spent a good amount of time enjoying this view. I surprised Stacey with a mimosa I had packed in my backpack. After all, this was our honeymoon. The way back down was just as challenging as the way up, but at least there was no crawling, only sliding on our butts. Finally, back at the camper, both covered in dirt, we took showers before heading off to find a campsite for the night. Camp for the night was another small trail off a forest service road.

Exhausted from the crazy day of hiking the day before, we chose to drive to the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, considered one of the most scenic drives in the world. First, we stopped in Golden, BC, and had breakfast. We took our time driving this beautiful parkway. There are several roadside viewing stations. Most of these viewing stations all have waterfalls and views of the Athabasca River and the many glaciers off in the mountains. There are over 100 glaciers in the 144-mile drive between Banff and Jasper. One thing I found I love about Canada is that they have trash bins all over the place, even off the road in little turn-offs. That being said, you don’t see trash all over. We made it to Jasper, fueled up, and started back toward Banff. This is where wild camping sometimes isn't super glorious. We found a place to camp on iOverlander. It was a water filling station for a water company, with a small parking area and two makeshift camping sites. No awesome views, just a quiet place to camp for the night.

We woke up, made breakfast, and were on the road. We went through Radium Hot Springs, BC, making a mental note to come back and check out this town. We continued south to the US border and crossed at the Roosville border crossing, a tiny town in northern Montana. I think the US and Canadians shared a customs building; it was that small. This is where I leave you, and you can catch the second part of this adventure in my next blog post. (Hint: It includes Glacier and Yellowstone!)

This part of the trip was one of our most favorite trips. We can’t wait to go back and explore all the cool towns on the way. Like Moosejaw and Medicine hat. Like most of my post we take way more pictures than can fit in the blog I think we have 1500 for this part of the trip. Click here for the full album. https://www.beardedadventures.net/canadian-rocks-honeymoon-part-1