BANFF NATIONAL PARK | #AD

If you had asked me three months ago about Banff I'd have given you a funny look and told you I'd never heard of it or seen it, but I'd be wrong, while I definitely hadn't heard of Banff before, I most certainly would have seen it across Pinterest. That's to me what Banff National Park is, a pinterest perfect location, 'insta worthy', a just completely beautiful and serene place that honestly I didn't think really existed apart from in movie scenes. I was wrong however, as just last week I was lucky enough to be taken on a pretty exciting trip that lead me right up to these picturesque views myself.

Banff National Park sits itself between the Alberta and British Columbia border, amongst the famous Rocky Mountains, and it really has absolutely everything you could look for, serene lakes, breathtaking trails and hikes, beautiful mountains and the most adorable little mountain village to go along with them. It's somewhere between an hour to an hour and a half 

drive from Calgary which is where we stayed, but the drive was pleasant and of course the nearer you get the more incredible the views are. I knew Canada was pretty famous for it's beautiful scenery but I was honestly a little dismissive of just how incredible it could be to see it first hand, I didn't really understand the appeal in seeing mountains and lakes, but now I can truly say that I get it, I understand why people spend weeks camping out here, climbing steep hills to get the best views, I fully get it.

The little town of Banff itself is stunning, it reminded me of a something you see on a stamp and yet there I was with it all in front of my own eyes, every single corner you took displayed a postcard perfect view as it stood in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains. I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up to that view every single morning, there was so much 

to explore and do, I don't think you'd ever get bored of being so close to the best of what nature has to offer. There were so many restaurants and there really wasn't that many cars about so it's incredibly pedestrian friendly, a lot of people were geared up for hikes or using bikes to get around and see as much as they could. The Bow river flows right through the town too, with a bridge that crosses you over the beautiful turquoise waters, I really couldn't believe just how stunning it was.

There are so many different trails and hikes you can take around Banff, with something really suited to everyone, we didn't opt for full scale mountaineering and simply stuck to the Fenland Trail, which give us a bit of everything. It took us through the densest pine forests, crossed us over sweeping rivers and gave us lovely views all around. It was a two kilometre loop and you're almost guaranteed to spot some wildlife but we somehow managed to miss out (can't say I was too disappointed about that as I was a little nervous after hearing some Bear stories) though people claim to see elks almost every time they take the trail.

Before our trail we visited Lake Louise, which I believe is the most popular lake at Banff National Park, simply for it's views, I don't think it takes a genius to work out why. I'm almost certain you will have seen these views across Pinterest or Instagram at some point but they truly cannot compare to how it feels seeing it in person. We made sure we did this first as it can get very busy very quickly and it's hard to snap good pictures without someone ruining the shot, so if you are there for photography purposes I really cannot recommend this enough. Even in the forty or so minutes we stood around the same spot, there easily became triple the amount of people passing by. The weather wasn't massively on our side either so I can imagine on a really good weather day it will be even busier.

Lake Louise was most definitely my favourite part of Banff National Park, although Moraine Lake came up very close, with water so blue I honestly could have snapped some pictures and fooled someone into thinking I was in the Caribbean, it doesn't even look real. The lakes neighbour each other so it's really easy to hop from one to the other and is just a short drive. Both of the lakes have canoes that are available to rent should you really want to get up close with nature, though as the weather was a little unpredictable in Alberta, we decided to opt out of that option.

Overall I really can't recommend Banff enough if you're visiting Alberta, it would be a crime almost to miss out. I never thought I'd see views so beautiful with my own eyes, and I'm a little bit jealous of people who have it on their doorsteps. There is absolutely endless amounts to do, from hot springs to gondola rides and horseback riding. Make sure to always check the trail condition reports however before you head out as I said Alberta is notorious for it's ever changing whether.