Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in the off season Off season for Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley is from November to April. Their off season most likely defined as such because of the unpredictable rain and cooler days and cooler nights (20 degrees fahrenheit difference from summer to winter months). The likelihood that it will rain on your weekend trip is much higher than if you go during the summer. But rain and cooler weather should not deter you from taking the trip. Once you get past the possible weather you will not be disappointed in your decision. When I went during the off season the crowds were not existent and the weather was absolutely perfect with it being 70 degrees fahrenheit every day. Collectively in both Napa or Sonoma Valley I went to about 10 different wineries and all but 1 we didn’t have to wait to order and we had our own personal sommelier or assistant to explain the different wines notes to us. This was extremely different than what my friends have said about their experiences when going during the peak months.
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Park Distillery From the simplistic exterior, to the cozy interior and the fantastic food and drink, Park does not disappoint! The photo below is a Rundle Roast, by far my favorite part of my stay here. Block Block is located downtown, and to the uninformed appears to be a nondescript “hole-in-the-wall” restaurant… but don’t let the exterior fool you. Best arrive with plenty of time to spare, as the wait can be long at times due to the small seating accommodations. Once my turn to dine arrived, the food had a delightful Asian twist to it. To the left is the lettuce wrap dish. Cows The creamiest ice cream I have ever had. Their cow wordplay is goofily apparent when you look at their selection of flavors and combinations, so be sure to study the descriptions to be sure of what you’re ordering. Rave Coffee Simple but dandy coffee shop. There is little to no bitter taste in their coffees, and they even also their beans so the transient visitor can enjoy their flavor near and far. Grizzly Paw Brewing Company
As a huge brewery fanatic from Colorado, one of the pleasant surprises of this trip was the opportunity to try a myriad of Canadian made beers. They have a long list of beers to try which was hard to choose from but the best way to enjoy many of them was to have a beer flight. Grizzly Paw has a fine selection of house beers, in addition to a wide selection of other Canadian brands. Thoroughly enjoyed the food, beer, and atmosphere. Eddie’s Burger Bar Eddie’s Burger Bar offers a wide selection of pre-made creations in addition to custom burger creations, and either way you choose to go, the food is impeccable. I’d highly recommend you’d exchange the normal fries for some house-made poutine! 1. Explore Downtown Banff Downtown is super quaint and has a very cozy appeal regardless of whether you choose to visit in winter or summer. Parking all round town is free on the side streets, so don’t be alarmed that there is no parking on the main street (Banff Ave). There is a large variety of dining options, and it's you'll be hard pressed to make a decision from the many great options. See my food post of my favorite places to eat in Banff. 2. Plain of Six Glaciers and Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse Plain of Six Glaciers is about a 9-mile hike from Lake Louise. About .25 miles from the Plain of The Six Glaciers there is an adorable tea house to stay your hunger after the long hike (hours 9-5). Be warned, both the tea house and Lake Louise are very popular tourist attractions, and early arrivals are rewarded with solitude on the trail and views full of splendor. When we visited, we saw the dawn's first light falling on Lake Louise and the glacier behind it, a breathtaking and awakening start to the morning (before 6 o'clock!). Even arriving before 6 o'clock, there were several dozen other visitors eager to rent a kayak and start the hike up to the prime views - the early bird gets the worm! The hike is mostly flat as you make your way around Lake Louise, but once you reach the edge of the lake you'll start a more ambitious climb to the Plain of Six Glaciers. Once you reach to the switchbacks, you've almost reached the tea house, where you either grab food or continue forward to Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint another quarter mile up the trail. We arrived at the tea house at about 8:30AM and did not realize that the tea house didn’t open until 9:00 AM so we continued to the Plain of Six Glaciers viewpoint. The tea house food tasted amazing after hiking about 2 hours (but we're sure it would taste amazing any time you had it!). I would 100% recommend any of the teas (I had the cream of earl gray tea and it was outstanding). You can also find any of the teas sold at the tea house at the Banff Tea house located in downtown Banff. Tips: 1. Start early to maximize your day as well as avoid the crowds. 2. The hike can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours one way depending how in shape you are and if you are adjusted to the altitude. 3. Try some of the tea at the tea house – free hot water refills to get the most of your delicious teas. 3. Athabasca Glacier If you have the time to make the drive-up Icefields Parkway to the Athabasca Glacier is a once and a lifetime experience. The glaciers leading up to the Athabasca Glacier are so massive that is hard to understand how big they truly are. You really start to appreciate the size of the glaciers once you are at the Athabasca Glacier. Brewster just started evening on the glacier tour, where you get be on the glacier with only about 20 other people (instead of around 200 when taking the tour during the day), apple cider and appetizers while on the glacier, and dinner once you get back to the welcome center. Tips: 1. If you want more bang for your buck and intimate experience go for the evening on the glacier tour - a new program that everyone hopes they continue to operate. 2. Bring a water bottle or some type of container to bring some of the glacier water home. 3. Dress warm! It gets pretty windy on the glacier and, no surprise, it's very cold on the glacier. 4. Herbert Lake The perfect pit stop to start the drive up the Icefields Parkway! The small lake appears almost like glass to have mountains on the background reflect on the lake. Tips: Don’t miss the turn off it is every easy to drive past the turn off. 5. Peyto Lake The hike from the personal car parking lot (where the two pin points are on the map) is all up hill to the first overlook. The first overlook is denoted by the blue arrow. The path from the personal car parking lot to the first overlook is paved to make it a little easier to hike up. The best view is further up, which not many people go to and settle for the first overlook. It doesn't take more than 15 minutes more to reach the best overlook, and we would highly suggest you don't go without reaching the rocky overlook that affords the view in the photo above. The map to the left shows the starting point of the first overlook (blue arrow) to the Peyto Lake Panorama Viewpoint (black arrow) that will give you the view as shown above. Follow the path that is circled in the red circle to hike to the Peyto Lake Panorama Viewpoint. |