Exploring Kananaskis Country

I've been in Canada for 7 years already and haven't explored much of Alberta province. This Covid pandemic pushed us to stay in the province and explore it. Like what they said, "explore your backyard".

We've discovered 4 new places. They are all in Kananaskis Country.

1. Elbow Falls
It is located AB-66 Bragg Creek Alberta. It is a good place to walk, hike a little bit, play with the stream. The walk to the falls is just short. It's really a good place for family of all ages. There are some benches to sit down and relax. There are no picnic tables though. If you want to go picnic, just bring your mat. 

We went here twice. The first day was a Thursday and the second one is on a Saturday. We've noticed that on weekends, it is so crowded and so busy. So, if you want to come, you should really arrive there early. Also, there is no mobile network, so you can download your map ahead of time or use your GPS.

2. Forget-me-not pond
This pond is very near to the Elbow Falls. It's about 7 minute drive. It's also a very popular place to have picnic. They have picnic tables and a place to have a barbecue. There are a lot of children and adult kayaking here because the water is so still.

When we went there, we had to walk around the pond. It was a good exercise.

If you're planning to go here, come on a weekday when it's not very busy or come very early on a weekend. We went there on the weekend after Canada Day. It was jam packed. It was crazy, we were not able to find a parking place and cars were parked on the road already.

3. Troll Falls
We also discovered a new hiking place. It is about 3km walk. There are two directions going on the falls, the plain one and in the mountain side. We walked on the plain one going to the falls, and used the one with the little hike going back to parking lot. This is an easy hike for family of all ages.

Us before the hiking

There is a mobile network there but there's no washroom on the site. I would suggest that if you need to go to the washroom, there's an Esso about 20 minutes away before the Troll Falls. Also, we saw a lot of wildlife there like deer, skunk, and some squirrels.

Nice view at the upper part of the hike

4. Mount Lorette Ponds
This is about 5 minute drive from Troll Falls. It's a popular place to have picnic, so make sure to arrive early to get a nice picnic spot. We went there around 11am, we were still able to find a picnic table. It's not close to the pond and no shade. It was 27oC when we went there so it was really a bit hot.

You can go fishing there but there's some limit. The view is also very picturesque.

My general recommendations are to come early to find a spot for parking and a best picnic spot, to bring extra clothes and water, wear your most comfortable shoes and finally take a lot of photos.


I'm so excited to explore more places here in Alberta. ❤

10 Facts about Canada

Happy Canada Day! We're so blessed to be here and call this our home. This year, it was a bit different celebration compared to what we had in previous years. But still, Canadian spirit is still here and everyone celebrates this day in their own simple ways.

I would like to share some 10 fun facts about Canada.

1. Canada became a country on July 1, 1867. We don't have a president, instead we have a Prime Minister. Queen Elizabeth II is the Canadian Head of State.

Queen Elizabeth II 

2. There are 10 provinces and 3 territories. The capital is Ottawa, the second coldest capital in the world after Moscow.

3. Canada has two official languages: English and French. French is being taught in school. Montreal, Quebec is the world's second largest French speaking city after Paris. 

4. Some famous Candian foods are poutine, maple syrup, bacon, Timbits and double double (from Tim Hortons) and Hawaiian pizza. Quebec manufactures more than 77% of the world's maple syrup. Hawaiian pizza was invented in Ontario. 

5. Twice a year, we have to change time because of the Daylight Savings Time. It usually occur at March and November. Only Saskatchewan doesn't change its' time. 

6. Calgary receives the most sunshine in all the cities. We received the average of 2,300 hours a year. It’s Canada’s sunniest major city.

7. There's no provincial tax in Calgary. We only pay 5% or the tax on Goods and Services. That's why it's so good to shop here.

8. You can hear people say "eh" at the end of the sentences to confirm, to agree or to question. And we often say "I'm sorry". 

9. Some Canadian words: tuques for hats, loonie for one dollar, toonie for two dollars, pop for soda and Canuck for Canadian. 

10. We produced some famous musicians and actors/actresses. Some of which are Robbie Amell (Green Arrows), Michael Buble, Justin Beiber, Jim Carrey, Celine Dion, Nelly Furtado, Ryan Gosling, Carly Rae Jepsen, Avril Lavigne, Rachel McAdams, Shawn Mendes, Cory Monteith (Glee), Ryan Reynolds and etc...

From Justin Beiber's instagram post.

Resources: narcity.com, google.com

All pictures are not mine. 😊

Happy Canada Day everyone to everyone!