Alberta Rockies – Photographic Opportunities for the Non-hiker

Alberta Rockies – Photographic Opportunities for the Non-hiker :

We have all seen those fantastic landscape images of a sunrise on a mountain peak in the Canadian Rockies in some incredibly beautiful mountain environment… you know, somewhere like Banff. Sure, they started climbing the mountain at three in the morning in complete darkness in order to summit before sunrise. Maybe sometime I will try that too. Honestly.
In the meantime, there are some pretty good landscape opportunities in the Alberta Rockies and Banff National Park for those of us who climb fewer mountains that maybe we should be. So for all of you parking lot photographers out there here are five great landscape locations close to Calgary and either just off a parking lot or within an easy ten minute walk of a parking lot. You may still need bear spray but that’s a story for another day.

Two-Jack Lake

Two-Jake Lake is located just north east of the Banff town site at the southern end of Lake Minnewanka. You get to Two-Jake lake by leaving Banff along Banff Avenue if you’re in Banff or by exciting the Trans-Canada Highway at the Banff Avenue junction, but in both cases you head north on the Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive. It’s important to take the first exit and turn east (right) after cascade ponds or you will have to do the entire loop. It’s basically a circle. In winter that choice is made for you since the north part of the Minnewanka Scenic Drive is closed.
Once you get to Two-Jack Lake there is a good sized the parking lot just up from the best viewing point. You can, however, proceed past this parking lot and park right up by the lake provided other photographers have not filled up this smaller parking area already. Yes, this is a popular spot.
The best vantage points are along the beach on the left and right side of the small island. There is also a series of rocks in the water that are very popular. Once you’re here however the compositions will come pretty naturally because it’s just that beautiful. I prefer sunrise from this location, but it’s beautiful at any time. This is one of the iconic places in the Canadian Rockies for sure!

The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters is a series of three peaks near Canmore. The peaks are known individually as Big Sister (Faith), Middle Sister (Charity) and Little Sister (Hope). The peaks are also known as the three sisters in the Stoney Nakoda language, but in the Stoney tradition the name comes from the story of the old trickster, who would promise the ‘three sisters’ in marriage if he was ever in a bind.
The Three Sisters can be photographed from many locations in the Rockies, but my favourite is a location along a spot known as Policemen’s Creek. This spot has nice calm water and provides perfect reflections.
You get here by parking in a small gravel lot on the right hands side of the road (if you’re leaving Canmore) along Bow Valley Trail. The lot is pretty close after Alpine Helicopters and right before a bridge that goes over a dry stream bed. It’s easy to miss the first time, but once you know where it’s at its easy to get to again. Once you park you need to follow the river bed under the train bridge and you basically walk along the paths for about 10 minutes. It’s not really marked but it’s pretty easy just to follow one of the trails. This place photographs well at both sunset and sunrise.



Hoodoos and Mount Rundle

Hoodoo View Point is another location in the Rockies right off a parking lot is one of my favorite spots. Hoodoo View Points is accessed by taking Tunnel Mountain Road from Banff Avenue close to the Trans-Canada Highway or via Otter Street if you are in town.
The parking lot is handily marked “Hoodoo View Point” so watch for that sign and just pull in an park. There is a trail sign and a series of trails but you basically just want to walk straight ahead from the bus parking lot and go through the trees and look around for a good spot with an unobstructed view of the Bow River and Mount Rundle. I found a little bump just down from the path that had a nice view with no tree branches in the frame.

Kananaskis Lakes

Kananaskis Lakes are located along the Kananaskis Trail which is accessible from the Trans-Canada Highway. If you get lucky and get some good light why not test your luck at the Stoney Nakoda Casino which is right on the corner of the Kananaskis Trail and the Trans-Canada Highway?
My favourite location is at Upper Kananaskis Lake right in front of the Upper Kananaskis Lake Day Use Area. There are great locations all along the water here and its straight forward to just walk down from the parking lot.



Vermilion Lakes

Vermillion Lakes is right outside the town of Banff. This location is great all year around because underground thermal activity keep some open water for reflections even on those minus 40 Celsius days! The Vermillion Lakes are accessed from the Mount Norquay Road, but south of the Trans-Canada Highway. There is a narrow road called the Vermilion Lakes Road that goes past all three of the Vermilion Lakes. There is no real parking lot but there are some spaces to pull out along the side of the road. You will have to have a look and decide where you want to shoot, but my personal favourite is the second lake along the road. The first two lakes are close together while the third lake is quite away further so you will know if you have passed the second lake.
There are good places to shoot all along the road, including reeds and a few docks. You may get lucky and have a kayaker in the area to add to that mountain life feel. I haven’t, but you might.



Don’t forget to enjoy the smell of beauty and freedom while you are out in the mountains.

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