By Dylan Jorgensen

This slideshow will be about Canada’s natural beauty and my own personal experiences in the Canadian Rockies. I will take you on a tour of the beautiful scenery and tell you about nature’s wonder. The photo below is of Lake Minnewanka. There is an entire ghost mining town buried under the mud and water at the bottom. The reflecting glacier water is one of the natural wonders of this world. Now that I have your attention let us explore this wonderful landscape in our neighboring country.

Banff National Park’s cool climate and bright, brilliant sunshine makes flowers thrive. The color of these flowers is extra vibrant because of that, and the flowers grow so big and constantly flower. Also, wildflowers in wonderful hues grow all along the countryside. They are well worth the trip and emit a nectar that is amazing to your senses. They are grown in the wild and cannot be easily cultivated. Amazing, aren’t they?

This is Stanley Glacier in Lake Louise, and the lake is a crystal pure turquoise color that you don’t see because this photo is in back and white and it’s cloudy. Lake Louise is known for the beautiful lake, it’s constantly changing weather, and a famous hotel called the Chateau Lake Louise. The hiking around the lake is tremendous, and it draws many visitors every year to it and has a number of amazing climbing spots. There is a teahouse about a 2 mile hike up the mountain. I think this is one of the best places in Canada to immerse yourself in nature.

Here is the world renowned Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. This is the hotel I go to, year after year. It looks like a Scottish Castle, and there are claims it is haunted. The history of the hotel is very rich, and it is right now celebrating it’s 125th anniversary. The hotel is surrounded by trees, and wildlife wanders through the grounds and entertains the tourists by doing so. I always feel in touch with nature knowing that when I walk outside of my hotel I am in the center of nature and elk are staring at me.

This is the Bow River. The crystal clear water is glacial run-off and it is a very peaceful place. It has calm trickling water and many rock formations. In the summer people go to catch fish in the Bow River. I went fishing there once and the amount of fish was plentiful. It felt like if you put your hand in the water you would catch a fish, and that’s what I did.

This is Castle Mountain, named for its castle like appearance. This mountain attracts many hikers such as myself. I think this place lets you feel free in nature and feel free of your inhibitions. When I hiked here it made me think about how grateful I am to be able to travel this far and see a place like this. Sometimes, even in the summer, you can get small snowfall during the night that melts during the day but stays in the high mountain peaks.

This is Moraine Lake, a short distance from Lake Louise. No power boats are allowed in the national park waterways, but you can rent a canoe. Just don’t fall in the lake, as you can die from hypothermia, even in the summer. Look at the beautiful mountains and the lovely reflection of the mountains in the water. Being surrounded by all this natural magnificent scenery gives you a sense of peace.

This is Banff townsite, looking at Cascade Mountain down Banff Avenue. This is the town that the Banff Springs Hotel is in. Banff was settled as natural geothermal hot springs were discovered here. They said, “If we can’t export the scenery, we will have to import the tourists.” And that’s what they did.

I hope that you have experienced a lesson of nature

and developed a feeling of understanding about the

beauty of the Rockies.

This is Takkakaw Falls, a final destination for me

and you. These magnificent falls cascade down

cliffs for many meters and are breathtaking.

The End