August 12-19, 2023
Around October of last year I finally signed Jason up to attend a work conference in Banff for the summertime. We had a 2 full days & 5 half days to explore around his class schedule. It gave us nice breaks between more strenuous adventures and the weather was fantastic for 80% of our time there. This trip was a DREAM and everything I hoped it would be.
>>Getting Around
The Airporter – if you don’t want to rent a car you’re in luck, this trip is still possible! Probably the best transit to get you from the airport in Calgary to Banff town is called the airporter; we did not use this option but they offered a discount to participants of the conference
ROAM – the local shuttle system is efficient and encouraged; our hotel provided free passes to use this service up and down the mountain into downtown but it’s generally $1 per ride per person with young children being free; these buses run to many attractions/hike trailheads and can even get you into the nearby town of Canmore
Walking – staying in town/downtown Banff makes many things to see, eat, and do pretty walkable; our hotel was up a mountain so we shuttled down and walked a lot; there is a free parking lot available on the edge of town but everything else is limited/paid
Private Shuttles/Tours – there are numerous services you can hire to plan out a day of exploring without your own car and they will take you to multiple stops, Brewster and Open Top seemed to be pretty popular but there are lots of options! Visiting Lake Louise & Lake Moraine have a whole other group of shuttles available as well (we used ROAM that day)
Bikes/E-Bikes – bikes are available to rent and ride around the area; an ebike was especially nice to ride around the golf course, Lake Minnewanka, & Vermillion Lakes areas; there is a designated bike path from Canmore through Banff and it will even get you up to the Bow Valley Parkway
Rental Car – we rented a car from Alamo at the airport, drive to Banff was around an hour and a half if taken without stops, the highway views are beautiful as you head toward the mountains
>>Stay
Rimrock Resort – due to the conference nature of this trip, we stayed where they held it and had a block of rooms available; this place was beautiful and all the staff were very nice, but it is about 2.5 miles up a mountain from downtown (located very near the Banff Gondola) so taking off on foot without riding the shuttle down seemed like a bad idea, the area was very nice and quiet though! Jason would have preferred somewhere he could run out of the door in the morning, but made use of the treadmills that had a great mountain view
>>Eat
* denotes my very favorites (the more *** the better)
Canadian Brewhouse (Cochrane) – stopped in from the airport before grabbing a few things from Walmart, good cold beer options on draft, decent poutine
**Bear Street Tavern – shared Godfather pizza with no olives and it was divine, comes with honey & chili oil to dip it in, nice selection of canned local beers
Truffle Pigs (Fields) – the icecream downstairs has unique flavors and was delicious! shared the spare pork rib and it wasn’t bad but the food is a bit of asian fusion style so the flavors were pretty different
Tommy’s Pub – quiet spot for a burger, I had a “steak sandwich” which apparently in that area means a grilled steak on top of garlicy Texas toast with a side of fries
*Banff Sushi House – I took tuna poke to go but they have a little train that carries plates of sushi and appetizers around the table and you grab what you want to eat, which was really cool
*Cliffhouse Bistro – unbeatable views, shared the biggest order of nachos I’ve ever seen (so share a single order if you don’t have 4+ people), strawberry smash was a great cocktail
*Iron Goat (Canmore) – nice views from patio, pizza was good but not my favorite we had on this trip, baked brie was everything
*St James Gate Olde Irish Pub – had dark beers on draft (hooray), shared apps for meal which was plenty of wings (10) and spinach & artichoke dip with homemade foccacia
**Hello Sunshine – fantastic sushi with some rolls half priced from 4-5 on weekdays, the Ramen looked tasty at the table next to us, has karaoke in the back room
*Tooloulou’s – listed as cajun so we avoided those style dishes for obvious reasons, there was Tony’s and Louisiana Hot Sauce on the table though! Jason had a steak tip wrap that he said was very good and I had the BIGGEST raspberry french toast ever with a side of cajun potatoes, breakfast til 2 pm daily and it was so good
Saffron – shared lamb appetizer and it was 2 pieces while menu said 3 but the server did inform us upon ordering, also had butter chicken but it didn’t come with rice so we got garlic naan to eat it with, asked for spicy and food was good but not spicy at all
**Elk & Oarsman – shared a flight of beer, the BEST elk tacos, and ordered ravioli but they were out so got Oarsman flatbread pizza and no mistakes were made
***The Bison – HANDS DOWN BEST MEAL OF THE TRIP & a bit of a splurge but wow worth it, cocktails were an old fashioned for him and a sawback for me, food was bison short rib & sirloin steak we ate every bite, shared strawberries & cream butter cake for dessert
Rocky Mountain Bagel Co – stopped otw to airport for breakfast, Maple Skor Lattes were had, lots of bagel flavors to choose from as well as cream cheese OR bagel sandwiches
Breweries: did not love beer at Three Bears, especially compared to how great Banff Ave Brewery was, wish we had stopped at Grizzly Paw Brewing in Canmore
>>Play
WHAT WE DID THIS TRIP:
*Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary (Cochrane) – stopped by en route from airport/Walmart to Banff, did the Sanctuary Walk for $28CAD per person, enjoyed our experience and seeing their set up, the Interactive Tour where you sit in the enclosure with the animals was sold out!
**Emerald Lake (Loop & Basin) YOHO – by doing both hikes we totaled about 8 miles, arrive early for parking in the lot and photos without a bridge full of people, this lake is GORGEOUS in the morning light; took our time going counter clockwise and decided to add on the basin trail – pretty decent elevation gain but no scrambles and it was well worth it; by the time we finished the lake loop it was insanely busy near the entrance and cars were parked pretty far down the street; considered canoeing but we felt fulfilled without it
Natural Bridge YOHO – this is on the road down from Emerald Lake so we went ahead and stopped at this view point, pretty to see and did not spend much time there, it was heavily visited at that time
**Takakkaw Falls YOHO – again this is a might as well kind of stop if you visited Emerald, this fall was HUGE and absolutely stunning, the wind was howling and she threw a lot of mist out, can make a short look and leave type hike to keep it easy or climb up the mountainside along the falls if you want more
Bow Valley Parkway (only recommend if you are hiking off it)- since we took the freeway to Emerald we thought we could take the “scenic route” back, unless you are stopping to do any hikes on this road I do not recommend it, we were done hiking for the day so we skipped Silverton & Johnston Canyon Falls and honestly the drive was NOT scenic compared to the freeway, the stop at Backswamp Viewpoint was pretty
*Cascade Gardens – I walked through here on my own while Jason was in class one morning and it was gorgeous and well done, nice spot with benches to have a coffee or snack in the shade, there is a nice photo op in front of the building
*Bow River to Falls Viewpoint – after leaving Cascade Gardens I took this trail, it is paved with art along the way and a few sets of stairs, very nice area and totally safe to do alone, the views at the end of the falls are really nice – we returned via car for Jason to see another day
**Mt Norquay Via Feratta – to us this was a highlight of the trip! There was wildlife present on the switchbacks of the drive up, we enjoyed the ski lift up the mountain, and the 2 hr Explorer package was all we could fit in around Jason’s class schedule… trust me that was enough! This was both mentally and physically challenging, yet incredibly rewarding. The views were amazing! We felt on top of the world. Our guide Joe was really patient and funny. The groups are only 8-10 people. Even just the scenic ski lift up to the viewing deck and dinner would be nice. I don’t get the hype over the Banff Gondola when this place is available and way less busy. Bonus for all the wildlife we saw up there.
*Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive – we felt this was a much better scenic drive than Bow Valley, the lakes are all beautiful with nice little stop off points, we enjoyed watching the prairie dogs popping out of their tunnels, took the drive after dinner before sunset and the views were nice, minimal wildlife but I’m sure if you hike a little there is more
*Fenland Trail + Vermillion Lakes – this made for another great solo trek in the morning, the Fenland trail is all wooded with a pretty clear creek running throughout, the squirrels and birds make themselves known; I took the bridge to the first of the Vermillion Lakes and sat on the wharf watching ducks play in the water – it was gorgeous in the morning light; we returned to the lakes one afternoon on ebikes for Jason to see but it was windy, smokey, and the light was all wrong so they did not make the same impression
Grassi Lakes (Canmore) – this required another park pass that was $11 CAD per car for the day, it was a loop trail that was mostly uphill and my mind still can’t grasp CLIMBING to reach lakes but that’s what this was, they were pretty with the little waterfalls connecting them but after seeing Emerald and all those others they weren’t as awe inspiring I guess, we watching a few rock climbers in the area from the top of the trail and that was entertaining; overall I would say we could have skipped this
*Lake Moraine – you have to take a shuttle to get there now, but it was worth it; short hike up the “rock pile” gets you to the most popular photo opportunity, was very windy for us there and view was a bit hazy from wildfire smoke but still beautiful; took short hike around other side of lake then moved on to our big plans at Louise; canoes are available; we had reservations with the ROAM superpass shuttle from 7 am at Banff high school
**Lake Louise (to Mirror Lake, Lake Agnes, Big Beehive, Devil’s Thumb, return via Plain of Six Glaciers back to Tea House trail) – this was the main event for me… hiking to Devil’s Thumb! I expected a 10 mile/5-6 hour day and that’s exactly what I got; the hike to Lake Agnes is a lot of climbing but there is a great resting point at the tea house, around to the other side of Lake Agnes is relaxing and again a great spot to sit and enjoy the wildlife (pika, chipmunks, and mountain goats were all visible for us), Big Beehive was a gradual incline to some beautiful views from above the lakes and this is a big accomplishment for many, Devil’s Thumb is an unmarked/unofficial trail around the back of a peak with a steep scramble then quite the climb over some huge rocks before you can look down at Big Beehive with Lake Agnes on the left and Lake Louise on the right… glaciers were visible and audible… it was a bit strenuous but SO WORTH IT; our legs were tired so we did not go all the way to Plain of Six Tea House but probably would have if we’d skipped Devil’s Thumb; took ROAM superpass shuttle to access but there is also paid parking
eBiking Fairmont Springs Banff Golf Course – I tried riding to Sundance Canyon one morning but it was closed to a private cultural event, so I did this instead; it was fun with twists and turns through the trees and glimpses of the golf course, mountains, and the river; had they allowed bikes on the golf cart path I think I would have enjoyed it even more, but it was nice even though it kinda kicked my butt
*Bankhead Ghost Town – took the ebikes here from lower trailhead, had the biggest bull elk cross in front of us on the ride up and he stopped to look at me (like the great king of the forest on Bambi), did the little one mile loop through the ghost town and read all the plaques, was super chill and informative which was a nice change of pace for us
Tunnel Mountain Road to Hoodoos Viewpoint – I imagine doing the hike to this area is a lot nicer than just driving up to see it like we did
*Downtown Banff – along with those hikes I took alone, the downtown area has lots of shopping, art galleries, weed dispensaries, tattoo shops, hair salons, massage places, coffee, museums, restaurants, a movie theater, and a bowling alley so you really can be entertained for hours and the area is beautiful and clean; only free parking is down by the train station
POSSIBILTIES FOR NEXT TIME (okay really they are ENDLESS but these were also on my radar for this trip):
Museums downtown – Banff Park Museum National Historic Site, Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Nearby Hikes – Silverton Falls & Johnston Canyon Falls to Ink Pots, Tunnel Mountain Trail, Sundance Canyon, C Level Cirque
Not as Close Hikes – Boom Lake, Sherbrooke Lake, Sunshine Meadows/Grizzly Loop, Consolation Lakes (from Moraine Lake)
Icefields Parkway – this drive north toward Jasper is said to be AMAZING with lots of great viewpoints/lakes/falls to stop at along the way, but with Jason’s class schedule there was no way for us to fit that in too; lots more wildlife like moose and bears are spotted up that way; listening to GuideAlong app recommended for this journey
Eats – Storm Mountain Lodge because Chad suggested it 3 times, Grizzly Paw Brewing in Canmore because I heard good things about the food and their canned beer we tried was very good, Bluebird because they are a sister restaurant to The Bison so how could it be wrong
Other Stuff Worth Mentioning – the water is ALL potable so carrying/refilling water bottles was convenient, download an offline map of the area to navigate around & use airplane mode on hikes without cell service to conserve battery
Breauxs Geaux 