Beyond the Banff Hustle: Finding Tranquility on the Bow River Path

More Breathtaking Beauty in the Canadian Rockies

Tuesday, August 8th, 2023 ~ After the Cascades walk and Bow River float in the morning, we had the whole afternoon to ourselves.

With so many things to do in Banff from shopping to museums, it was hard to choose. We ended up renting e-bikes for two hours so we could cover more ground and check out some of the trails. We had never ridden e-bikes before but were excited to try.

Once we checked out our bikes and received a safety briefing, we were on our way. First, we rode along the Bow River path headed to Bow Falls. The Bow River path runs along both sides of the river.

Then we caught the Spring Trail to the Bow Falls.

Our bikes in front of Bow Falls.

Bow River Falls

Smiles tell everything.

Kate, doing her fun thing…

Beautiful views everywhere

Backtracking along the Bow and beauty abounds.

On the way to Vermillion Lake, I got my e-bike to 34 mph on an empty, open road. Of course, Kate beat me and got hers up to 37 mph.

There is always a huge, long line of people waiting to take their photo at the Banff sign. I was lucky enough to sneak in a shot during the switch.

Our two hours e-bike rental ended all too soon, but we had a blast.

After our ride, we toasted our adventure and had a great dinner at 3 Bears Brewing. We had a bird’s eye view of Bear Street to people watch from the second floor.

A silly bear bum in the stairs of the brewery.

During our ride, we saw several pieces of art we wanted to check out by foot (future post), so after eating dinner, we walked along the Banff Bow River path. It also gave me a chance to do something I absolutely love…taking photos of water with reflections in the changing light.

On the way to the path, this beautiful piece of art is in front of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.

Artists Peter and Catharine Whyte were inspired by the region’s natural beauty and cultural heritage, and opened the museum in 1968 to preserve, protect the rich cultural history of the Canadian Rockies. In the “Land Recognition” section on the About page from the museum’s website, it acknowledges:

We honour this relationship and are deeply committed to maintaining it, as we too are newcomers in this very special place.

All the guides during our tours gave acknowledgement and thanks to the indigenous tribes that inhabited the land.

A beautiful magpie

The sun was going down along the Bow River path,

which created a dramatic sky.

Between the water, the clouds, and the lighting

the scenery was like a painting…

absolutely no editing needed.

Just. Breathtaking. Beauty.

It was a wonderful full day of adventure, beauty, and art. The next morning, we were headed for Jasper.