If I were forced to choose I'd have to admit that I liked Jasper a little more than Banff. It had more of the ski village/holiday town feel to it. Banff has grown into a small city (we counted 3 Tim Hortons to the 1 we saw in Jasper) and it did feel a little crowded at times. That said, the crown jewel of this part of the world, Lake Louise, is right next door to Banff.

Because of its stunning setting, Lake Louise is a photographers destination in the winter and summer seasons. We were in between seasons so the lake was covered in the slushy remains of winter so it was not the right time of year to capture one of those magical hang-on-the-wall images. And apparently it wasn't even the right time of day to be taking photos- we had asked a passerby to take our picture and it turned out he was a professional photographer who always left his camera in his car so he'd never be tempted to take midday photos because they were all "crap" (mornings and evenings only). This might explain why we rarely hear from Tina B anymore- she's a practised photo critic and unless I start skipping my morning coffee and take more photos as the sun comes up she's not likely to be wasting any more time on my midday "crap".

A short time later we were sitting by the edge of the lake contemplating the meaning of life when our pro photographer came back around, and insisted on grabbing my camera to take a photo of us staring out over the lake. His artistic vision required that we face away from him and it was only when DH leaned over to me and whispered "is he still there", that it dawned on me that we might be the latest in a long line of stupid tourists that hand their expensive camera to a stranger only to see it running off in the distance. It turns out that our guy was just being particular and we did get our camera back, but next time I think we'll at least face the photographer (especially if he's wearing running shoes).

Not all of the Banff area roads were open yet but there were more than enough opportunities to take in a number of spectacular view points. Even the ski runs we saw from below look amazing and DH, with vivid memories of her mastering of the Scarborough Ski Hill and Mini Putt, is planning on a winter trip back here and she's already penciled in a couple of the Black Diamond runs.

There's no doubt that you need to fill your wallet before getting to Jasper/Banff but with a strategic mix of lakes, mountains, and trees that create an endless series of breath-taking vistas, you won’t likely be asking for your money back.