Family Road Trip 2017
For our 2017 family vacation, we planned on sailing to and around the San Juan Islands but our boat engine ran into issues before the trip. We looked for a new plan for our family vacation and landed on Banff. Despite the last minute planning, we managed to reserve four nights of camping in Banff. And since we had a two year old, we made the trek out there and back a road trip. We headed east from Seattle for camping in Winthrop and staying with family in Rathdrum before Banff. On our way home from Banff, we stayed in Kelowna, BC. We managed to never spend more than six hours driving in one day.
Winthrop, WA
Ever since we stumbled upon Winthrop, WA on the way to a backpacking trip in Twisp Pass, we wanted to go back. We finally returned years later with our little girl, A. We managed to get a spot by the river at the Winthrop KOA near town but hope to reserve far enough in advance in the future to get a spot in the shade. At the campground, we enjoyed sitting by the river, playing at the playground, and swimming in the pool. They also had amazing bathrooms and showers and even a small laundry mat.
On our first day we set up camp and walked around town. We ate at Carlos1800 Mexican Grill & Cantina and explored the outdoor Schafer Museum. We read about finding and refining gold while A played with the gravel.
On the second day, we had breakfast and playtime at the KOA before heading to Falls Creek Waterfall. This was further than we expected but we also took a wrong turn that took us up and over the waterfall. It’s best to navigate to the Falls Creek Campground – the waterfall is across the street. The hike to the waterfall is less than 5 minutes so we continued up the hill for another 15 minutes before heading back to our campground for lunch, naptime, and a swim in the pool. A was not a fan of the pool and much preferred our later visit to horses near the main road and to Sheri’s Sweet Shop where the three of us enjoyed Samoa Cookie, Maplenut, and Vanilla ice cream. We ended the day with a walk through town and across the Sa Teekh Wa Bridge.
Our last morning in Winthrop we woke up to smoke and ash from the forest fires. After packing up and visiting the horses one last time, we grabbed some coffee and a muffin at Rocking Horse Bakery and checked out Trail’s End Bookstore, which has a fun kids’ area.
Rathdrum, ID
We didn’t arrive in Rathdrum until the evening so our first adventure was the next morning. We explored the Twin Lakes on a pontoon boat and saw osprey, bald eagles, and lily pads. We also got to ride around the small community in a golf cart and went through “Stinky Hollow”. In Coeur d’Alene, we visited Mudgy and Millie, walked along Sherman Avenue, strolled the boardwalk, and enjoyed a dinner with a view at Dockside. After dinner, the four of us split a Gooey, which was worth every penny and calorie.
Arriving in Banff
Our drive to Banff was our first longer drive so we needed a much earlier start. On our drive, we saw an amusement park, enjoyed a faster entry through customs than we are used to, and eating Timbits. We were surprised with how much of the drive was in the national parks. We were also immediately surprised by the wildlife. Not long after entering the parks, we stopped for a grizzly cub crossing the street in front of us. We took a photo from inside the car and kept an eye out for his mama. We were less pleasantly surprised with how busy Banff was when we stopped for supplies. The grocery store was chaos. We wished we purchased our food and alcohol before entering the park. We were excited to reach our campground in the Two Jack Main campground. Despite being a large campground, our spot felt secluded.
Day 1 in Banff: Lake Louise, Lake Agnus, and Two Jack Lake
We were not expecting how crowded the park would be. On our first full day, we didn’t arrive to Moraine Lake until 10:30am and were unable to turn down Moraine Lake Road because the lot was full. From there we headed to the Lake Louise overflow lot to take the free shuttle to Lake Louis. This was exciting for A because she got to ride in a yellow bus. Once we arrived, the lake was packed with tourists from all over the world taking pictures at the entrance of the lake. After hitting the restroom, grabbing some cash at the hotel, and taking a few pictures of the iconic lake, we headed up the Lake Agnes trail to the Lake Agnes Tea House. The trail was easy to moderate but we had one person carrying a 30 pound toddler and the other 26 weeks pregnant so the ascent took us about 1.5 hours. The trail was congested but not nearly as packed as the lake. We enjoyed stops at Mirror Lake and a waterfall on our way up. Lake Agnes was packed but we managed to get a table at the tea house, sharing with a few others. We learned the hard way that you do not wait in line for a table but instead hunt one down, similar to finding a parking spot. The food and drinks were simple and a bit more expensive than we expected but we did enjoy a white cheddar and cucumber sandwich on house made bread, tomato and lentil soup, lemonade, and lemon poppy seed bread. We didn’t indulge in tea since tea is a little tricky with pregnancy. Once we made it back down to the bottom, there were less people and smoke so we took some more pictures before shuttling back.
Since we had to keep all food and cooking supplies in the car, we were able to head straight to the day use area on Two Jack Lake and make dinner. As we drove in, we came across a herd of Bighorn Sheep, including some lambs (Boo Boo sheep according to A).
Our biggest tips from the day are to get an early start, hunt down a table immediately at Lake Agnes Tea House, try to stay somewhere close to the sites you plan to see, be prepared to keep everything in the car if camping, and consider Canmore as a less crowded option than Banff.
Day 2 in Banff: Johnston Canyon and Downtown Banff
We got a much earlier start our second day to visit Johnston Canyon. We arrived to an empty P1 lot at about 8am and made our breakfast and coffee. The trail was congested but the crowds thinned after passing the lower falls. At the lower falls, we were initially unsure about waiting in the line but happy we did for the up close view of the waterfall. We continued to the upper falls, which were amazing minus the fact that one of us dropped the camera lens cover – giving perspective to how tall the falls were. We decided against the 3.1 km hike to the Ink Pots since we were already cutting it close to naptime. Hiking back, we saw the line for the lower falls was about five times longer. When we departed at about 11:30am, both the P1 and P2 lots were full and cars were lining the road.
After Johnston Canyon, we headed to Banff and had a picnic lunch in Central Park. We relaxed while A napped in her small day tent. We then headed to the roaring Bow Falls, where A enjoyed watching rafts embark on the river. From there, we went to Banff Centre to swim and take our shower since Two Jack Main campground does not have showers. Taking advantage of being clean, we headed back into town to walk around and get dinner at Bear Street Tavern. We indulged in forest mushroom pizza and pork belly mac and cheese. One of us even got to enjoy a reasonably priced stein of double IPA.
Our tips for the day are to hike Johnston Canyon early, plan downtime in Central Park if you have kids, and plan to shower at Banff Centre if staying at a campground without showers. You can also shower at the hot springs.
Day 3 in Banff: Moraine Lake and Icefields Parkway
We finally made it to Moraine Lake on our last full day in Banff. We got up and headed out before breakfast and arrived at Moraine Lake at 8:30am. The road to Moraine Lake was still open but we were still lucky to get street parking. We recommend getting there by 8am to be safe. We made breakfast at one of the picnic tables and then made the short hike to the lake. By then, the clouds were clearing and we discovered the beauty of Moraine Lake. Since they closed the road at 9am, it was not crowded like Lake Louise. We took in the view, grabbed a latte, and relaxed near the canoe docks. We then headed down the lakeside trail, which A hiked most of on her own. Despite being only 1.4 km and flat, few people were on the trail. At the end, we had an amazing view of the lake from the other side. When we got back to the canoe docks, J climbed the short Rockpile Trail to get the $20 view of the lake.
By the time we made it back down to Lake Louise Village, A was asleep so we ventured 45 minutes north to see Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, and Peyto Lake. We only had a glimpse of each since we took turns viewing while they other stayed in the car. It was worth the drive but a longer visit of each would have been nice.
After the Icefields Parkway, we headed back to Central Park in Banff to enjoy the playground and an early dinner in the park. We debated taking the gondola and ended up strolling around town instead. The next day we needed to get up early for the drive to Kelowna.
Adventures to and in Kelowna, BC
We were excited to drive through Glacier National Park but we didn’t see any glaciers due to the smoke from the fires. We stopped for a short walk at the Giant Cedar Boardwalk and again 40 minutes later at the Enchanted Forest. Even with our stops, we arrived in Kelowna before dinner.
The next morning we consumed assembly line pancakes at the hotel before heading to a free tour of the cultural district that was informative, interesting, and included a visit to the art museum. After the tour, we walked around and grabbed lunch at the arts center before returning to the hotel for napping, laundry, and time at the pool.
In the evening, we hit up one of the local public splash parks before grabbing an eclectic dinner at Curious Cafe. After dinner, we walked down to the waterfront where A danced to piano playing and jumped to music at a concert in the park.
Our last day was the drive home but we made one more stop in Hope, BC for lunch and a midday stroll. Taking a road trip with a 2 year old felt a little crazy but we had an amazing family adventure and hope to visit Banff again in the future.