Oh, the prairie lights are burnin' bright
The Chinook wind is a-movin' in
Tomorrow night I'll be Alberta bound
- Alberta Bound by Gordon Lightfoot
In May 2025 my wife and I went to Alberta to enjoy the scenic views around Banff and beyond.
Here are some colour film photo highlights from that trip.
(Stay tuned for Part II with panoramic film images!)
Let's start with the streets of Calgary, where we began our journey...
Walking Tall
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A mural by Doug Driediger titled "Legacy" from 1997.
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Against the Flow
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Rich of Rich Dogs
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Our first stop outside Calgary was Canmore - a beautiful town and not nearly as busy as other spots that we visited.
Canmore Hotel
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The pleasant view from inside a gift shop in Canmore.
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GLACIER - by Irish artist Alva Gallagher in downtown Canmore, Alberta.
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We continued on to Banff, which has so much to offer...
St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, 298 Banff Avenue
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We didn't stay at the Banff Springs Fairmont, but we definitely enjoyed seeing the stunning views there.
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Young people from all over the world come to Banff to work in tourism industry jobs.
Backstreet Banff.
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We naturally had to visit Lake Louise...
A view from inside the Chateau Lake Louise Fairmont Hotel.
We didn't stay at the Lake Louise Fairmont, but we did enjoy an afternoon tea there.
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The day we went to Lake Louise was the first day that canoes were available to rent.
We definitely arrived on the right day as canoe rentals were closed for the rest of that week so that they could train staff.
The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed every minute out on the water!
Suzi taking in the spectacular blue waters of Lake Louise.
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There are so many trails and scenic spots beyond Banff and Lake Louise that call out to be explored. Here are a few of them...
Johnston Canyon is a worthy hike that offers many stunning views.
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A brief stop at Bow Lake, which was still semi frozen when we were there.
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North of Lake Louise on the Icefields Parkway, along our drive to Peyto Lake (another must see!), we encountered this incredible view.
Roadside View
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Just stunning!
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Moments earlier a long train came through here. We couldn't imagine a more Canadian scene.
On our last day we took the Gondola up to the top of Sulphur Mountain.
The lookout point on top of Sulphur Mountain
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While up there we had a meal at Northern Lights restaurant.
Northern Lights Restaurant
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I'll end with two more images from Banff...
Another nod to Roam Transit for their super cute bus designs!
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And one more view from the Banff Fairmont Hotel...
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I definitely recommend visiting this region of Alberta!
- Click here to see Alberta Bound Part II - featuring panoramic Sprocket Rocket photos
- Click here to see more travel photography blog posts
- Click here to see other film photography blog posts
Helpful sites if travelling to Alberta:
- Banff and Lake Louise Tourism
- The Camera Store - Calgary based camera store worth visiting :)
- Flic Film - an Alberta based film manufacturer worth knowing about (their products are available around the world)
Thanks for looking!
P.S. I can be found on Instagram here.