Backpacking into Taylor Lake campsite in Banff National Park
Throughout our relationship, my husband and I have always made a point of going backpacking a handful of times each summer. There is nothing quite like bagging kilometers of up-and-down backcountry trails, while carrying what feels like the “weight of the world” on your shoulders. I kid you not: I love it!
When our son was about 14 months old, summer finally hit the Rockies. We decided to head into Taylor Lake in Banff National Park for our first backcountry camping experience as a family of three! We chose Taylor Lake because an almost 7-kilometer hike seemed short, but a 900-ish meter elevation gain sounded like it would require some legwork. The short distance would appease Indy (who was not a fan of the carrier!), while the stairmaster-like topography would satisfy our need for a little suffer-fest.
At a Glance:
Trailhead: Taylor Lake trailhead
Distance: 6.6 kilometres one-way
Accessibility: Hiking
Amenities: Outhouse and secure food storage
Reservations at: Parks Canada
A couple days before hiking in, we drove up to the Spray Lakes campground for a trial run in the front-country. After a long winter, I feel like this was necessary in order to double-check the items on our packing list, test the condition of our gear and figure out our sleeping arrangements with our now-toddler.
On the day of our departure, we loaded up the vehicle and hit the road as soon as Indy was ready for his first nap of the day: A car nap! At the trailhead, we decided that I would sport our 60-litre Osprey Aether AG backpack, with a smaller backpack strapped across my chest, while Chris would carry our son in our Osprey Poco Plus child carrier (it fits his build better!). We filled the carrier’s hip-belt with snacks and the mesh side-pocket with Indy’s water bottle to conveniently hand back to him along the trail, hoping to please him as much as possible.
We made it to our destination in about two-and-a-bit hours, and occupied the site at the edge of the campground in order to spare our neighbours from Indy’s cheerful, early morning wake-ups.
While we were setting up camp, our son was busy playing with the surrounding sticks and logs, when he took a tumble and hit his face against a sharp rock - very close to his left eye. Boy, was I glad to have packed the first aid kit! I realized that it was probably best for one of us to supervise our new walker, while the other continued.
Once we had set up our tent, inflated our sleeping pads and laid out our sleeping bags, we headed towards Taylor Lake for an afternoon snack, an icy cold swim and a toddler-led walk along the shoreline.
Knowing that Indy would refuse an afternoon nap, we opted for an “early” bedtime instead. I use quotations, since bedtime in a tent tends to be much later than its counterpart at home. That’s just the way she goes! From my experience though, the kids are amused by the novelty of it all and aren’t particularly cranky or overtired.
We occupied one of the many picnic tables at the campground to prepare and enjoy our freeze-dried meal (Mushroom Fettucine Alfredo… yum!). Although perhaps considered a luxury item in the backcountry, we were glad to have our lobster chair on hand for Indy (plus it fit so perfectly in the outer mesh pocket of our backpacking pack). This way, we could all safely sit around the table, cook and enjoy our meals at our own pace.
Following dinner, we filtered some water into our water bottles, hung up our food using the pulley system provided near the outhouse and headed back to our campsite.
With the help of a bedtime bottle, a portable white noise machine, a soother and some gentle rocking, we got Indy to sleep. It was a hot July evening, but we knew that the temperatures would drop through the night. So we had him dressed in his base layers and fleece mid-layer initially, but slipped him into his down suit once we joined him later on. Till then, Chris and I enjoyed a couple of cold ones outside the tent before the mosquitos forced us in.
Just as we predicted, he woke up just after 5:00 a.m. the next morning… Ready to party! We put his shoes on, and walked down to the shore to watch the sunrise. Experiencing the alpenglow on Mount Bell over the perfectly still lake, in the company of no one but our little family was 100% worth the early wake-up… So thank you, Indy!
We made oatmeal for breakfast, enjoyed a hot cup of coffee, and let Indy roam around, before packing up and hitting the trail for his first nap: A carrier nap, this time!
The way down felt like a breeze! Despite our chit-chat and bear calls, Indy doze off in the backpack… Success! We arrived in the parking lot, and knew that our toddler would appreciate wandering around before being strapped into his carseat. So, we prepared Mac & Cheese by the car, lunched and sauntered around with him before driving back home.
Our first backcountry camping trip was both exhausting and invigorating, which I tend to consider an accomplishment with adventures like these!
