BANFF NATIONAL PARK
Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park and was established in 1885. Located in the Rocky Mountains, 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary and 145 kilometres from Calgary International Airport. How much time you need to spend in there is entirely up to your budget and interest. The main point of interest in Banff National Park is Banff town and Lake Louise. Depending on what you want to do next, there are many other hiking trails or lakes worth visiting.
Banff National Park is beautiful and tourists in any season. Visit during spring and summertime to explore the green space, and turquoise lake and rent a canoe on a lake for an experience. On the other hand, visiting Banff in winter times, you may enjoy the stunning scenery of mountains and trees covered in snow, the frozen lake which is later turned into a big ice ring or even skiing in some areas. Whichever season and time of the year you will decide to go, there are plenty of things to do and even worth seeing in both summer and winter seasons!
Take a Banff Gondola ride and hike up to the top of Sulphur Mountain
Allocate yourself at least 2 hours time to take a ride up. There is a hike you can take to the top of Sulphur Mountain and it is a pretty easy hike since it is a well-built wooden pathway. Once at the top, you will enjoy breathtaking vistas in every direction! While the gondola trip is a bit on the pricey side (CA$62 for adults), it’s one of the most popular places to visit in Banff for good reason.
If you want to save some money you can also hike to the top of the Sulphur Mountain. Allow 2 hours to climb if you have a reasonable level of fitness.
At the top of the gondola station you will find some information about the mountains and surrounded area, a gift shop as well as a nice Sky Bistro restaurant if you wish to stop by for a lunch and admire the panoramic views of Banff from top as well.
Dip into Banff’s upper hot spring
Nestled in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, the Canadian Rockies Hot Springs, including Banff Upper Hot Springs, Radium Hot Springs and Miette Hot Springs. The nearest hot sprint to Banff city is a commercially developed hot spring discovered in 1883. The hot pool is outdoors for visitors to enjoy the stunning look across the valley to Mount Rundle. Make sure to arrive at the springs early to avoid long queues. Due to the very high temperature in the hot spring, people usually stay there for up to an hour. Apart from hot springs, make sure to get a hotel also with rooftop outdoor hot pools for you to enjoy.
Explore Banff town
While the town is quite small and can be explored in just a couple of days, the surrounding region is much more vibrant, and the national park is where most of the magic happens. Banff is a resort town in the Banff National Park, where the peaks of mountain Rundle and Mountain Cascade, part of the Rocky Mountains dominate its skyline. The main commercial street is Banff Avenue, where many boutiques, restaurants and chateau-style hotels are located in. It is a great place to relax as well as to start your trips to nature.
Lake Minnewanka
You will come across many beautiful lakes in Banff National Park. All of them with emerald water and urban landscape around them. Lake Minnewanka is located in the east area of Banff National Park and only about 5km northeast of Banff town. The lake is 21km long and 143 deep, making it the 2nd longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies.
Lake Louise
Lake Louise is without a doubt one of Canada’s most stunning natural wonders. Lake Louise is a hamlet in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, known for its turquoise, glacier-fed lake ringed by high peaks and overlooked by a stately chateau – Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The lake is great to visit in any season. Visit the area during summertime to enjoy riding a canoe on the lake or during the winter to ice skate on the frozen lake.
Columbia Icefields
Want to walk on a Glacier? Largest of all icefields in the Canadian Rockies, the Columbia Icefield is guarded by 11 of the Rockies’ 22 highest peaks. You can do that with a 90-minute drive from Banff to the Columbia Icefields on the Icefields Parkway. From the Icefields Parkway Visitor Centre, you take a bus to an Ice Explorer than to the Glacier. The Icefields Parkway and the Athabasca Glacier are one of the Canadian Rockies’ most beautiful and fascinating sights.
Hiking
With over 1,600 kilometres (994 miles) of trails, Banff National Park offers adventurers some of the best hiking on the planet, whether it’s an easy hike to incredible vistas or a more strenuous trek deep in the backcountry.
Peyto Lake
Another stunning lake worth stopping by is Peyto Lake. Peyto Lake is a glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. The lake itself is easily accessible from the Icefields Parkway. It was named for Bill Peyto, an early trail guide and trapper in the Banff area.
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
The Cave and Basin National Historic Site of Canada is located in the town of Banff, Alberta, within the Canadian Rocky Mountains, at the site of natural thermal mineral springs. It may look like a small cave on the side of a mountain but it’s the birthplace of Banff National Park. Enjoy it on your own or take one of the many guided tours.
Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake is a glacially fed lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres outside the Village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 1,884 metres. The lake has a surface area of 50 hectares. After Lake Louise, Moraine lake is the second most visited lake in Banff National Park.
Bow Lake
Bow Lake is a small lake in western Alberta, Canada. It is located on the Bow River, in the Canadian Rockies, at an altitude of 1920 m. The lake lies south of the Bow Summit, east of the Waputik Range and west of the Dolomite Pass, Dolomite Peak and Cirque Peak.
Rafting, canoeing or cruising
One of the great ways to explore the tranquil lakes and waters in Banff National Park is by hiring a kayak or canoe. There are several places where you can rent it and enjoy it for a few hours. Suitable for individuals, friends as well as family.
Explore the falls and Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyon is about 25km from Banff town and once you get there, you can either hike up to the falls or to ink pots. Johnston Canyon was caused by the erosion of limestone rock as Johnston Creek, a tributary of Bow River empties into the Bow River. Over thousands of years, erosion has formed gorges and waterfalls. The main activity of Johnston Canyon is the hike, which takes one along the waterfalls, lime stone rock tunnels & caves, steep canyons and blue-green pools at the end of the hike.
Go ice climbing or skiing
Banff National Park has 3 ski resorts in this area – Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay. All 3 areas have about 8000 acres of skiing, 2 gondolas and 26 chairlifts. There is transportation between ski resorts, so you can go to the different mountains each day, depending on your mood and choice!
