The day began with a nice lie-in. The previous day's hike had made us work hard, so we were entitled to a little rest. But we still wanted to make the most of our time in the Rockies, so the day wasn't totally free. We wanted to do the short hike around Grassi Lakes, and we'd also booked a small wildlife tour in Canmore.
Rocky Mountain Bagel Company
Before these activities, we took advantage of what was left of our morning to stroll around Canmore. We did a bit of shopping, and Canmore really is a quiet, pleasant town.
We then decided to find something to eat and came across the "Rocky Mountain Bagel Company". It was exactly what we needed. A quick, light meal.
We were not disappointed, despite our high expectations given the quality of bagels in Montreal. The bagels were very good, especially the cheese one. We even hesitated to go back and buy some for future sandwiches.
Again, if you're looking to eat on the go in Canmore, this is a great choice.
Grassi lakes
We then took the car towards the Grassi Lakes. We struggled a bit to find the entrance to the parking lot... googlemap didn't take us to the right place. Finally, by reading the signs, we managed to find the right spot.
This is an easy hike, accessible to all. It's about 4 kilometers long. Depending on your pace, it should take between 1 and 3 hours. We stayed about 1h30. This allowed us to take our time. We walked around the lakes and saw a beautiful waterfall.
The water in these lakes is truly sublime, and their green/blue color is really not what you'd expect to find in this kind of place.
As a bonus, if you're a climber, there are climbing routes located on the wall behind the lakes. I have to admit, it made me really want to do it. It must be crazy to climb in such a setting. But that's for another time!
Canmore wildlife tour
After this short hike, we had an appointment with Rafaelle in the early evening to join our guide, Jacob, for a "Wildlife Tour" with "Canmore Trails and Tales".
A small note about this tour: we booked less than 24 hours in advance, and even though it's possible, the guide more or less made us understand that it wasn't that convenient for him. And at first, we had the impression that we were giving him a hard time for booking a tour at the last minute.
In the end, after a while, things eased off a bit and Jacob was actually super friendly, telling us lots of stories and anecdotes. For this tour, there's no need for a vehicle, it's all done on foot. In fact, I think it's a tour that can be done without a guide, even though Jacob advised against it, as he felt it was dangerous if you didn't know the trails and the rules about animals, especially bears...
Unfortunately, we weren't lucky enough to see many animals. We did see deer tracks, deer in the distance behind the soccer pitch (while people were training on the pitch, true story). But even without wildlife, we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery with the "three sisters" and many surrounding mountains. And Jacob showed us lots of plants and explained how certain berries were used to make gin.
We were a little disappointed, especially since the last wildlife tour had allowed us to see some really crazy things (See article Day2). That's the problem with setting the bar high. If you haven't done one yet, taking a tour will give you a lot, but if you're already familiar with the local flora and fauna... it's mostly luck that will make this activity unforgettable or not.
Once the "tour" was over, we ate at home and went to bed, because tomorrow we'd have to get up very, very early to hope for a parking space at Moraine Lake. More information tomorrow!
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