Banff Favorites
Exploring Banff & Canmore
Traveling to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada has been on my bucket list for a long time and in June 2023 we finally made it happen! Banff was just as beautiful as those Instagram picture perfect postcards show, but what I didn’t know was how easy and accessible everything was. Disclosure: We love nature, we love day-trip hiking but nothing too intense. We like comfortable beds, warm meals, and showers to match so if you are more of a rugged backpacker, super adventurous, sleep under the stars and embrace a grizzly bear encounters kind of person, these recommendations are not for you. If you are more like me - read on!
You can drive, take a train or fly to Calgary, Alberta Canada. We only had a week - so flying was our best option. The Calgary Airport (YYC) is only an hour and fifteen minutes from Banff National Park and our family synchronized family flights from 3 states on Delta, West Jet and Air Canada - thank you airline miles that can be cross-utilized on sister airlines. We rented a car and headed to our home base for the trip - the lovely town of Canmore which is only a short drive from Banff, just as beautiful, and less congested. Canmore has a plethora of airbnbs, hotels, and camping options. Since we aren’t campers, we opted for a 3 bedroom condo with spectacular 360 views of the Three Sister mountains at the White Spruce Lodge which is part of the extensive Spring Creek Vacations group. Hot tub after hiking sounded great to us! Spring Creek is like a town within the town of Canmore. Grocery, coffeeshops, and restaurants are all part of the development. We rented it a year in advance but there seemed to be plenty of lodging options in the whole area even for booking a month or two ahead. Always better to book as far in advance as you can.
Canmore is a delighful town. Everything is easy walking distance. Highly recommend Crazyweed restaurant in Canmore (see full itinerary below) but there are several good choices and walking and biking trails all around town.
Now onto Banff itself. The park is vast - boasting over 1,000 glaciers, hundreds of lakes, and spans over 2,500 square miles. While that sounds rather intimidating, you enter the park fairly effortlessly and many of the main attractions are fairly easy to get to. Be sure to get a Park Pass and buy your pass in advance online. Once through the entry gate from the east you’ll travel along Hwy 1 to downtown Banff and it’s only 20 minutes from Canmore. Banff is often called the Aspen of Canada. I’ve actually never been to Aspen but could imagine that. It’s all the things you expect - touristy but historic and charming. Food and shops ranging from kitschy to high end. The visitors center is extremely helpful with transit arrangements, hiking suggestions and more. I highly recommend that as a first stop even if you prearranged everything.
The Canadians generally just seem quite civilized about everything - it was all so calm and well organized, and clean - even the busses. From downtown Banff, exploring nearby Lake Louise, the Icefields Parkway and all the other highlights was very easy and accessible. Parking wasn’t an issue in most places but as of 2023, you can no longer drive to Moraine Lake - the greenest/bluest of all the lakes, so I highly recommend reserving the Roam Transit bus in advance with a super pass and the 8X Roam bus in Banff takes you directly to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. I recommend going to Moraine Lake first (we took the 7am shuttle from Banff) for fewer crowds and then come back to Lake Louise afterward for great hiking options, or canoeing ($$$ so we skipped that) and a bite to eat. We did the Lake Agnes Tea House trail from Lake Louise and it was challenging, but still very doable and there was tea and biscuits at the top and a surprise waterfall. Again - civility at its finest! There are waterfalls and wonder around every turn and I appreciated that we didn't have to get up at 4am to fight for parking, be in the car for hours, and lots of amazing hiking options between 1-4 hours. A great place to take children and grandparents for sure.
Four days is enough time to see several of the main attractions, but if you want to see Jasper and Yoho, you need more time. We were there a week and that felt just about right with a few down days or slow mornings to enjoy the area and our condo time and family together - an empty nesting moms dream. Card games were played and my heart was full! Below is our itinerary - book the trip, you won’t regret it!
Banff Sample Itinerary
Day 1 - Arrival, Tour Canmore, Dinner at Crazyweed (with reservation)
Day 2 - Stop at Banff Visitors Center. Drive the stunning Icefields Parkway to Saskatchewan Crossing then circle back stopping for roadside views, then park at Peyto Lake. Enjoy the short beautiful hike to the “wolf or dog” shaped lake . Continue down to all the roadside views of Waterfowl Lake and Bow Lake - if time enjoy a picnic or canoeing. We drove up the Parkway via Hwy. 1 and back to Canmore via Hwy 1A.
Day 3 - Visit Moraine Lake (early!) and Lake Louise via Roam Transit from Banff - enjoy leisure hikes along the lakes or the more rigorous Lake Agnes Trail Tea House hike. Allow 5-6 hours between shuttles if you want to enjoy the day hikes and time at the Fairmont or Lake Louise.
Day 4 - Enjoy Banff - Tunnel View hike, Banff Gondola, Skybar Restaurant/Bar and shopping/dining (options are plentiful - I’d skip eating at Skybar $$$ and just enjoy the view and a beverage of choice).
Day 5 - Johnston Canyon Upper and Lower Falls - a beautiful hike! Picnic and kayaking at Lake Minnewanka on the return
Day 6 - Day of leisure in Canmore - Visit Grassi Lake and/or rent bikes but note: bikes and canoe/kayak rentals in the whole region are expensive and by the hour.
Disclosure: I am truly a first timer and not a Banff expert by any means. We loved our trip and this itinerary but there is so much more to see and do - we never made it to Emerald Lake and Kananaskis Nordic Spa so I’ll have to go back. To learn more, follow The Banff Blog - I learned a lot from them and of course use the Parks Canada information page. If this is on your bucket list though - take my inspiration and get planning! The glaciers won’t be around forever. Now is the time to take that trip!
