Malik Merchant pictured with Driss Belmoufid, owner of the famous Longview Steak House, where he had dined on August 1, 2025, for the best rib-eye steak in his lifetime. Malik then set out for a beautiful drive through the Kananaskis Trail (see photos below). Photograph: October 3, 2025.
Every season has its magic, but the best colours are those of early autumn, before leaves fall off, after they have put up a show of stunning colours. The timing has to be right, and I was filled with excitement as I set out for day-long trips to the Kananaskis via Longview, Banff, Lake Louise, and Sylvan Lake, hoping to catch the best of the season. It was a stroke of luck that I managed to experience the peak of autumn’s beauty. On one of these trips, my beloved friends, Firoz and Zeni, who were visiting Calgary from Toronto, joined me for an incredible outing to Moraine Lake and the nearby Lake Louise, as well as Lake Minnewanka, just minutes from Banff.
Toronto friends Firoz and Zeni Shariff at Lake Louise on a crispy fall day, October 6, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
Calgary has offered me incredible fall colours in the past, but this fall, I was a little bit late. However, many larch trees planted at Baker Park several decades ago were still very much alive. During the summer months, the larch trees look like other evergreen conifers, but come autumn, they turn to a beautiful golden colour, creating a scenic landscape in the Rockies of Alberta that people from around the world come to see. Before I visited Baker Park, I had driven through Kananaskis Trail (Hwy 40), where I encountered stunning autumn foliage, especially along the first 60 km taking Hwy 541 from Longview, which turns into the Kananaskis Trail. The Highwood Pass, the highest paved road in Canada, offers the very popular Ptarmigan Cirque trail from its parking lot, which leads to a larch forest. I was able to take some photos of the larches from the parking area. I will leave the trail for a future autumn, as I reached the Highwood Pass late in the afternoon! But from the few photos of the larch at Baker Park, the reader can figure out why larch trails are so popular!
Now I will let the pictures speak for themselves! Enjoy.
Early morning scene at Ghost Reservoir on route to Canmore and Banff via Hwy 1A, September 25, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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A view of the valley below and the Canadian Rockies from the Canmore Alpine Hostel, located on Indian Flats Road, off Hwy 1A. Note the westbound freight train, September 25, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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The famed Adirondack or Muskoka Chairs on the grounds of the Canmore Alpine hostel, September 25, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Autumn colours, Kananaskis Trail, October 3, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Autumn colours, Kananaskis Trail, October 3, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Autumn colours, Kananaskis Trail, October 3, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Autumn colours, Johnson Lake, Minnewanka Loop Drive, September 25, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Autumn colours, Elbow Falls, Bragg Creek, Alberta, September 18, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Fire on a mountain? A stunning view of autumn colours around Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, September 25, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Larches – Kananaskis and Baker Park, Calgary
A view of larches from the Highwood Pass parking area, Kananaskis Trail, Alberta, October 3, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Larch trees under a blue sky, Baker Park Calgary, October 15, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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An American Robin on a larch tree, Baker Park, Calgary, Alberta, October 15, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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A close-up of larch needles that have turned golden yellow from green, Baker Park, Calgary, Alberta, October 15, 2025. Photograph: Malik Medrchant / Simerg.
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Larch tree under a blue sky, Baker Park, Calgary, Alberta, October 15, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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A fantastic day with pumpkins at Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake
Pumpkins, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Different varieties of pumpkins, from carving to edible pumpkins, lay out in front of a large pumpkin patch, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Pumpkin patch, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Pink Pumpkins, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Pumpkin in a patch, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Beautiful pumpkins some as large as 15 kilos, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Pumpkin in a patch, Hidden Valley Garden, Sylvan Lake, Alberta, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Life is full of surprises! Mulani’s Paan House Car near the famous Big Moo Ice Cream Parlor. What an extraordinary treat it would have been had I met him! But would I have resisted one of the best ice cream in Alberta? September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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A decorative pumpkin set up at Sylvan Lake, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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My beautiful encounters with pumpkins inspired me to acquire this artistic pumpkins’ vase at the Flannel and Feast Festival in Sylvan Lake, September 20, 2025 Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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Finally, at the evening twilight hour, I spent beautiful moments at the shore of Sylvan Lake, Alberta, approximately 7:49 PM, September 20, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
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And finally, KLM, the Flying Dutchman
I have always been a fan of Dutch football teams since the late 1960s. The skills of Johan Cryuff (d. March 24, 2016, age 68) and the Dutch team’s attacking football were a joy to watch. They never went on to win the World Cup! What I continue to admire about the Dutch people when I meet them on my road trips is their impeccable English — even young kids and youth speak the language fluently! Readers of my photo posts are familiar with my affection for planes (and trains). And my joy in Calgary is watching the imposing and beautiful KLM Boeing 787-10, fly over Country Hills Blvd as it prepares to land seconds later on Canada’s longest runway. The plane features the slogan “The Flying Dutchman” near the back wings.
The imposing and beautiful KLM, the Royal Dutch Airlines, is about to land on Calgary International Airport’s largest runway — and also the longest runway in Canada at 4267 m (13999ft) — on October 18, 2025. Photograph: Malik Merchant / Simerg.
Date posted: October 21, 2025. Last updated: October 31, 2025 (typos and formatting).
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