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Hello and greetings from the Canadian Rockies. In today's video, we're taking you on an epic day tour across Ba and Yoho National Parks, chasing lakes and waterfalls with Discover Bamp tours. This was a multigenerational family trip with grandpa and baby and tow. So, a private tour proved to be the perfect way to explore at our own pace. And yet, it was still an action-packed day with hikes, bear sightings, and lakes and jewel shades ranging from turquoise to emerald. We stayed at the Gem Stays where we got a two-bedroom suite right outside Canmore and just a short drive from the park entrance. It proved to be the perfect location for us. So, stay tuned for a tour later in this video. Now, let's get started with this family adventure.
Well, as long as we can see beautiful mountains, we're okay. Should be crazy rain for us. it's going to be extra 5 million people came to visit us. You can feel it. No, I know. We were thinking of a little hike, right? All righty, friends. Good morning. We have arrived at our first stop of the day. So, we drove about an hour from Harvey Heights from our accommodations and we have just reached Lake Louise. So, we're on the shoreline right now. We're going to get some nice shots, some views, and then we're going on a little hike. It's very busy. It's early in the morning, but it's very busy. It's uh this is the iconic uh place here.
But what's happening is that uh last summer and this summer uh Parks Canada decided to remove the entry fee to all the parks. So the amount of tourists that have decided to stay in Canada or to come and visit Canada and do uh tourism in this area is just astronomical. It was a good move. A lot of people are taking advantage that is free. So yeah, but what a beautiful place. If you have a chance to swing by here at any moment in your life, don't miss the opportunity. Yes. The color of the water. We're going to show you now. Are we enjoying the landscapes? I think she's going to have a nap.
Yeah, this is the first time that she's been in the baby backpack area for over a year. So, she's like wondering what the heck is going on. You're getting Luigi. She's doing so well so far. She's getting the views. Yes. And we're going to be hiking up there. So, we'll take you guys and show you the views. It's going to be a wonderful hike. The sky is cleared. So, how lucky are we? Seriously, Lake Louise is a pretty iconic spot. It is famous for its turquoise waters, which are glacierfed by the retreating Victoria Glacier. I don't know how we
got so lucky with the weather. It literally the sun just popped out the second we arrived in the parking lot. Yes, just as we arrived to the selfie capital of Canada here at Lake Louise. So, this is one of the most beautiful spots in all of the country, but you will not have it alone. This is a place where crowds descend, but it is spectacular for a good reason, right? Yeah. No, it's understood. So, now we're going to take you guys on a little hike and we're going to see the lake and the hotel Fairmont Lake Louise from a different vantage point. That's right. So, we're crossing our fingers that we don't get too much rain
so that she can enjoy as much as possible out here as well. And I'm getting quite the workout. 25 lb. It's like having a decent sized dumbbell on my back. And uh yeah, she's growing awfully quick. And she's a 25 lb little chunk these days. Like we have a mountain rescue that works 24/7. We made it. We survived. We have reached the lookout point here. There's like a little balcony, a little platform. Ooh. Okay, this was worth it. Views of the lake and the hotel. Oh, wait till you guys see this. This is pretty impressive.
Look at the mountain behind. It's just picture perfect. I mean, you don't get any better than this, eh? Okay, friends. So, we just made it up to the Fair View Lookout. It is 1.1 km each way. 2.2 round trip. Totally worth it. Steep. Take your time. Um, baby Aelia was conked out the entire time. Yes, she still is on the way down. She's loving the sedan chair ride, but it is honestly probably the best view you can get here at Lake Louise. Mhm. Yes. And the cool thing about this trail is that you basically have it all to yourself. Like when we reached the
lookout point, the balcony, there were maybe like four or five people there. Um so if you want to escape the crowds from the shore, it is worth doing this uphill hike. It is quite short. It's going to feel long along the steep stretches. Keep going. The views are worth it. And I would honestly say that less than 1% make it up here. So, you really get the best views without the crowds. Remember that. Also, fun fact, since I mentioned Lake Louise, let's talk about the hotel. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Our guide was telling us they have like 550 rooms for guests, which is impressive. This hotel is massive. And apparently during
the summer months, some of the Lake View rooms can go for $2500 Canadian. Cha-ching. a little out of our price point. Maybe one day we can stay there during low season. Yeah. And another nice ching activity if you'd like to do is the canoeing. It's $180 per hour at the moment. Wow. And if you want to do something a bit cheaper, there's another lake nearby. Oh, Emerald Lake. And I think that goes for 80. So depending. But it is amazing. I mean, it's a bucket list item. So save up for it if you want to do it.
One woke up. Little sleepy head. Munch. in here. You missed the views, but we'll show you in the video. After visiting Lake Louise, we hopped back in the van and drove to Morin Lake. This was a really scenic forest drive where we got super lucky and spotted a black bear. Wow. Sweet. I'm going to go up a little bit. And now we can see now we got his face. Oh, he's moving. Oh, that is so perfect.
Hold up. Oh, he's just doing his own thing. Wow, that's amazing. I got it really good. You, too, Audrey? Yes. Got it. Amazing. It's all there. As you go up the rock pile, conquer all those steps. There we go. Okay, so we have now made it to our second stop of the day. We are at Morin Lake. What a beautiful place. Yes, the color of the water. And also we had a little bit of a sunshine. Yes, the sun is peeking through. Very exciting.
Today is a plus. Yeah. And then another surprise. We saw a black bear on the drive over here. It was right on the side of the road. It looked like a cub. Our guide said probably three or four years old. And he was feeding like crazy. Yeah. And just completely oblivious to our presence. Didn't even mind. No, they don't care. They're used to people now. And uh there's so many tourists. And one thing I'll mention because we have been here before many years ago. Back in the day, you could come up to this lake with your own private vehicle and park here. That is no longer the case. The parking lot is very, very small. Like, I remember it being crowded 10 years ago already. So, now you can
only visit this lake as part of a guided tour because it's only the tour operators who have access to this point. So, that is another reason to consider joining a tour if you really want to see a place like Morraine. It's the only way you'll be able to access it. Look, if you come here to Canada, to the Rocky Mountains, if you don't live in the province of Alberta or in Canada, you're going to come here probably once in your lifetime. So, we noticed that the tours, they take you to places that you may miss if you come by yourself. That happened to us when we came. The last time we didn't take a tour, we did it on our own. And today we just found that uh the lady took us to uh this viewing point.
Oh, the Fair View lookout. Yeah. That we didn't know that it even existed. We missed it last time. And you know, like given the fact that if you come from abroad, go through all the expense of getting here and then you know what in for a penny in for a pound. go that little extra of hiring a tour and uh they will take you to see all the places that are really, you know, worth uh visiting here. What's the point of saying, "Well, I save a few bucks. I don't take the tour. I'll do it on my own." And then you come over here and you miss half of the beauty that you could have in this place. Okay, Sam just made it back down from the rock pile. How was it?
It was impressive. The views are absolutely phenomenal. You get basically panoramic views in all directions, but don't you dare think you're going to have it to yourself. That was at least 10, no, that was 100 times busier than our first hike, but definitely worth it for the views. And again, just a super easy hike to get up there. I wouldn't even call it hike, more of a wander up a hill. Yeah, it's steps. It's not a scramble. Yeah, it's not a scramble. It's easy and it's uh it's for all ages. So, definitely try it out. and she got to walk around a bit while I was going up. So, so it is now lunchtime and we are walking over to our picnic spot.
Apparently, this used to be a camping area back in the day and now it's just a really nice spot to enjoy a picnic lunch, a little meal. So, that's what we're going to do. We're starting to feel a little peckish. So, here we go. the bird. They're pretty. They're pretty cool. I think he knows the routine. Oh, he knows exactly. Nice little This is great. In their throat and their nipples period. They can remember about 80% of them. She's got hers, too. She's a eater. Oh, yeah. Lunch was provided as part of our excursion with Discover Bam Tours. I had the roast beef sandwich and the kids option was peanut butter and jelly, but as you can see, our girl wanted the beef.
Our drive took us across the border from Alberta into British Columbia and from B National Park into Yoho National Park. So, we are making a quick little pit stop here at the spiral tunnels because we saw there's a train heading this way and it's going to pass through two sets of tunnels. It makes a figure 8 shape as it travels down the mountain because it is very, very steep. So, my dad and Sam have gone down with our guide. I'm I'm feeding the baby right now who is ready for a nap. Um, but yeah, it'll be cool to see that. Perfect timing because as we were driving down the highway, we saw like, oh, the trains just chugging along, so they'll get to witness that.
The spiral tunnels are a bit of an engineering marvel, and they were designed to replace the big hill route where runaway trains would often derail. The spiral tunnels were inspired by a system that had been used in Switzerland, and they were completed in 1909. The gentler grade made the descent much safer. And today, an average of 25 to 30 trains pass through the tunnel daily. Yeah, I saw it. Oh, there it is. Oh, yeah. First time here. Oh, really? Yeah. Is it Is this as busy as you've seen it or?
Yeah. Might take this little guy out as well cuz you know he was on his own loving him. But Oh, I see what's going on. It's like a zigzag up. Exactly. Got to be a good driver to make it up. Exactly. Yeah, cuz we're up in one shot. This is no joke. The next destination on our itinerary was Taka Falls. Reaching the falls involves a steep switchback drive, so we encountered a bit of traffic going up. Oh, we did it. Awesome. Amazing job. All righty, guys. Third stop of the day. We have made it to Taka Falls. The name is Cre and it means the magnificent and the waterfall really is magnificent.
This is the second highest waterfall in all of Canada. So, it is unbelievable. Like, we've been seeing it on approach and it is just stunning. And now we're going to walk over to the falls. Apparently, we're going to be able to feel the mist. They call it a glacial face mist or something like that. So, we'll get to experience that. And yeah, it's just gorgeous and wild out here. The falls are fed by glacier melt water, so they are at their peak in the late spring when the heavy snow begins to melt. We visited at just the right time.
The air feels so fresh and so cool here in the forest. And as we're getting closer to the waterfall, we are starting to feel that cool mist. And it's just so refreshing on a hot day. This is really quite spectacular. We made it. We made it to the fall. We're getting our shower. Second shower of the day. I don't know if you can hear us. It's so windy. Yeah, it's so windy. It's so wet. We're getting uh soaked over here. The amount of spray from this fold is just astronomical. And uh I don't see anything. My glasses are all covered in water. So come and visit and don't tell
us that this is not a beautiful place. Come on, visit Canada. [screaming] back on the old goat. And then we continue to Emerald Lake, which really lives up to its name with its vivid green color. Get me all the way around. All righty. So, next stop, we have made it to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park and we're just enjoying a lakeside stroll over here enjoying that late afternoon sun and the temperature is just so nice as well. It's so much
cooler. soft light and yeah, just enjoying the scenery over here. So, we still have snow on the ground in July. Apparently, this is an avalanche zone, November through June. Sam is snapping some photos. I don't know. Maybe she's ready to hike. What do you think, girl? You want to be carried or you want to hike? Oh, I've been great for her to hike. Quite the adventure on my back today. A lotier than before. Yes. Back in the old goat.
Our final stop of the day was the natural bridge. This is a natural rock formation where the water has carved through the limestone to create a natural bridge. Between the heavy rains and the melting snow, the water flow was pretty insane. This is the force of nature for you. [snorts] And now it's time for a tour of our accommodations. We stayed at the Gem Stays, which is located in Harvey Heights, just outside Canour. This property has been recently renovated, and it offers a cozy vibe with mountain views. The two-bedroom suite was just right for our family, but they also offer the possibility of booking out all 10 suites. Something to keep in mind if you're traveling with a big family, friend group, or maybe planning
a wedding weekend. So, let's jump into the tour. Well, hello. Hello there. Well, hello friends. Long time no see. Yes. Welcome back to the channel. Yeah. Today I was uh drafted and uh we're going to give you a small uh tour of uh what our room uh or our accommodations looks like. Right. Yes. We're staying in the Jade suite and it is two floors and it has two bedrooms. And right now we're kind of like in the living room, living room area, kitchenet, dining area.
Has a small kitchenet. nothing to go out and buy the steaks and, you know, come over here to cook. It's mostly like, you know, a [snorts] light breakfast, a light uh snack at nighttime, things like that, right? You have a microwave, you have the refrigerator, you have some coffee mugs and things like that. So, this is that part. Yeah. And down here, we have the main uh the main [snorts] bath. Yes, we have two bathrooms. This one has a shower. So, it's a shower. Walking shower. Really nice shower, actually. And we've got our body wash, conditioner, and shampoo. And I think this is a cute little touch, the makeup remover
towel. So, I do not make a mess on the other two white ones. Although, today is a makeup free day. Yeah, this area here we have uh I know that a lot of travelers they like to, you know, so look at it the setup. This is your cocktail making station. Yeah. If you like to prepare yourself a fancy [snorts] drink, me I'm more of a wine drinker. Then you have the mini fridge. These are our snacks. Some pepperoni sticks, cheese. That will bring us to the upper level. We show you go up the stairs.
We're here. We got again another bathroom. Just a powder room. Yeah. Okay. With the sink, toilet. At night, it becomes useful [snorts] especially if you're my age. Okay, so this is the second bedroom here in the Jade suite. Again, those deep green jewel tones are just beautiful. We have two twin beds foot to foot. So, this can work for children or additional family members. Again, some lovely art. Look at those forest scenes. A moody forest that really matches the weather outside today. And we have some forest views to the back. That's kind of what it looks like. We can't see the mountains today, but I assure you they are there hidden behind the clouds.
A nice uh room with two beds. Yes. And the main bedroom [snorts] should be here. Can we come in? Yes. Knock. We're hiding the little one in here while we film. Oh, family time. Hello. There you have her. So, you can say we've we've definitely made ourselves at home. We have. She's explored every nook and cranny of the And she's been climbing up and down the stairs. Yeah, it's great practice for her. She's loving that part. Okay, so I'm going to give you a room tour. We are in the jade suite. So, as you can see, beautiful shades of green here. It feels like you are in the forest. Love the headboard. Looks nice
and soft. Some nice artwork of a forest scene. And this is where Sam and I and the baby are staying. Looks really spacious. We've got an area where we can unpack. Nice little bench here. We can hang our clothes. So, this is going to feel super homey. That is it. That is the room tour. All righty, friends. It is the next day. Yesterday was such an action-packed day with Discover Bam Tours. We got picked up at 9:00 a.m. and we were out exploring until 7:00 p.m. We got to see so many beautiful places and it was just a lot of fun. So, I wanted to share some final concluding thoughts about the experience. And honestly, it was a great idea for us to do a private tour like traveling as a family. This was a
multigenerational trip. You know, myself and Sam, we had my dad, grandpa, we had Rei, who's a little toddler and just full of energy. So, it worked really well going the private route because we were just able to do things at our own pace. And our guide, Ros was just amazing at keeping the itinerary flowing and just including activities that were going to work for us. So, it was really good to be able to go at our own pace and not feel rushed. And also throughout the day, we were just able to stop and have snacks when we were hungry, stop and change the baby, and just take little breaks along the way. So, it was a lot of fun. And what's really cool is that we've been to BA many times before,
and we still managed to see some new to us places. We had never been to the waterfalls before. We had not seen the natural bridge. We had not made it to Emerald Lake. So, there were lots of firsts for us as well, which was really fun. And speaking of our accommodations, we stayed at the Gem. They are an event space that hosts weddings, family gettogethers, and that sort of thing. So, we stayed in their Jade Suite, which has two bedrooms, and again, it was the perfect setup for us traveling as a multigenerational family. We were really comfortable just outside of Canmore here in Harvey Heights. It's like a 4-minute drive into town. So, it was super convenient and yeah, just a really nice,
spacious, and comfortable space where we could come and unwind at the end of a busy day and just rest and relax. So, overall, a wonderful experience. We hope that you guys enjoyed watching this video and following along in the adventure. And we want to thank you for watching, and we'll be seeing you soon with more adventures. Bye-bye. You turn
