Canada has been on my list for a while and until recently, the battle between mountain or beaches was dominated by the win of sunny warm locations, but this time we wanted a different adventure and Banff, Canada seemed to offer what we were looking for which was an outdoor adventure in a beautiful place surrounded by majestic mountains and nature…so our Banff Road Trip was planned.
XPlorer Maps are great maps and souvenirs.
Red marks are stops we made on our trip.
GETTING THERE:
Banff is a Canadian National Park that is located in mid-western Canada just above Idaho/Montana and is easily accessible via flying into Calgary. We stayed in Canmore which is a small, quaint town just outside the eastern border to the National Park and is located only about and hour or so from the Calgary airport by car. However, when I had planned our Banff Road Trip… I had planned it from Calgary to Banff… however… we ended up driving all the way from Spokane, WA via the Idaho border crossing last minute when I figured out 36 hours before our flight to Calgary that my kids passports had expired!!!! … (that’s another story and another post…click here). It was about a seven hour drive from there and we actually drove thru Banff to get to Canmore. Geesh! The benefit of this detour was that we experienced crossing the Canadian border (which was simple even with expired passports) and we saw wildlife that we might not have seen otherwise.
CANMORE/ LODGING:
Canmore is a perfect lodging location for easy access to the national park. It’s a charming little town that is popular year around and has a variety of lodging options since there is limited hotels in Banff, esp. in peak season. The town has a lot of cute shops and eateries and many outdoor adventure options from there outside of Banff. We stayed in our Worldmark by Wyndam timeshare there which was walking distance to town.
It’s also just outside the Banff entry gate.
OUR ITINERARY:
I had planned a detailed trip so we could see as much as possible in that week, however, Banff is a HUGE place and we weren’t kidding when I said we took a Banff road trip as we spent most of the week in the car, not including the 7 hour drive to and from Spokane. So note to self… don’t over book…unplanned days are needed. So here is the experience we had. At the time we went there was a pass that included multiple attractions but I would recommend checking out the options on VIATOR as I found they had a lot of great trips and pricing was good.
- DAY 1 – Canmore
Nordic Mountain Bike park has amazing mountain biking. If you didn’t bring your own bike on your Banff road trip, then they rent bikes right there, or you can do it in town… HOWEVER, the ride from town to the bike park is UPHILL and will waste time on the mountain including wearing yourself out before you even start. We found that the quality of bikes (and my boys are advanced bikers) and pricing was about the same…so we just rented them there.
While they were biking I went for a great hike by myself. It was not too difficult and plenty of people around and the views were amazing. That is the great part of being in a car and doing a Banff road trip is that there are many, many outdoor and hiking options along the way that you may or many not have scheduled. Anyone in town can direct you to somewhere worth seeing because it’s a perfect place for an outdoor enthusiasts. The outdoor shops in the towns have lots of options as well.
- Day 2 – Lake Louise / Lake Moraine
This is a MUST see spot on the Banff road trip. And sometimes this is the only place that people go outside Banff town while they are visiting, especially if they are limited on time. The famous Lake Louise is absolutely beautiful…but incredibly busy. Everyone and their gramma is there enjoying the chateau and lake views. So the quicker you can get on the trails the better, but it’s totally worth the trip either way. Due to the popularity, you’ll have to park off-site and take a bus to the drop off location by the Fairmont Chateau. And it’s a long wait for the shuttle so plan to get an early start and wait in line. Make sure to keep an eye on the return time so you don’t get stuck there. There is also a shuttle from Banff town and some people actual park on the street and hike in. Any route you take it’s an ordeal.
There are many hikes from this location for all skill levels. There is a flat one around the lake and another one that goes up the mountain to the coolest little “tea” house ever. They have no electricity and make sandwiches, pastries and your hot drink of choice to warm up at this chilly elevation. This trail is heavily used so you will not get lost and there other trails that branch off from this main trail. Pick up a trail guide to show you your options if you want to take a longer adventure.
Lake Moraine is a shuttle stop on the way back to the parking area. The color of blue is unreal.
- Day 3 – Athabasca Glacier Experience
This was a long day…it’s about a 3 hour trip from Canmore up to Jasper via the Icefield Parkway where the Glacier is and it’s definitely a tourist spot. If you’re only going to visit this area once, then this should be part of your Banff road trip itinerary. There is a busy stopping point where you can take the transport over to the off-road glacier bus …and this is a great adventure. It takes you up to the glacier to walk around and experience it for a short time.
- Day 4 – Banff town and Gondola ride
The Banff Gondola ride is great and this is a must do. The views are spectacular over Banff and the set up once you arrive at the top is very accommodating for all…complete with coffee, information, artwork, trail info, gift shop and look outs.
Overall, our family Banff road trip was great… but just TOO much driving to cram into one week. Next time we go we’ll just explore the hiking and outdoors since we’ve seen all the highlights.
Have you been to Banff? 