Local Art along Banff’s River Bow Trail

While Mrs Bear ascended to the mountain vistas above Banff, I took the path more travelled: The trail along the Bow River. I didn’t know a lot about the Bow River before coming to Banff. I assumed its headwaters were in the Canadian icefields, north of the valley … And as shown in the pic below, I was correct. I had also assumed that, like most of the important American rivers, the Bow was lengthy. On this, I was wrong. It’s length is a little less than 400 miles. From Banff, it flows east to Calgary, before merging into the South Saskatchewan River. There its primary roles become hydroelectric power and irrigation. But in Banff, there is no hint of a prairie river … It is glacier fed, majestic, and free flowing.

All of this and the relatively flat terrain ( at least until you get to the falls) makes this trail very popular. Families with little kids, bicyclists, and dog walkers frequent the trail.

Along the trail, the town of Banff commissioned local artists to exhibit their work. It seems that everything has a nature / ecology theme. I began to walk from exhibit to exhibit, and the art really added to my enjoyment.

Sometimes quotes from famous writers were displayed. I loved the Emerson quote and made sure I photographed it on my way back to town. This also led to a thought to present these displays as a separate blog entry.

I came upon a display from a local third grade class, illustrating the things that bring them joy. I also imagined how lucky to grow up here … It just seems so far away from political tensions.

A little further on, I found trees ”embraced by nature.”

Leaves and bird houses were displayed…

There were trees whose beauty was described as their own art…

Here are some other displays to finish this post…

A great find on a walk worthy of a linger…