First time visiting the Rockies? What to see in Canmore and Banff

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The views were stunning, with the tips of the mountains rising to kiss the sky in Banff National Park, near Lake Louise. The vivid turquoise-coloured lakes, with their water flowing from nearby glaciers, glistened. Sounds like the kind of place that should be a bucket-lister, right?

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Enjoying every precious day becomes clearer with age and circumstances. Never take that for granted. Trust me. Maybe you’ve heard the quote: “Life is short and the world is wide.” Yeah, it’s true. Again, trust me — my wife had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumour. You quickly understand how precious time and life experiences are. 

It was with that in mind, my wife Kelly-Anne and I headed west to Alberta, visiting Canmore and Banff in the final days of summer.

It was a destination we’d regrettably neglected to visit during our 40 years of marriage.

For those who haven’t gotten that Rocky Mountain high, here are some observations and tips to guide you along.

With spectacular sunrises and sunsets, the backdrop was old-school postcard-like, the sort of breathtaking image you’d hang on a wall somewhere.

It’s a wondrous slice of Canadiana that has to be on anybody’s Eh List.   

There was wildlife. We saw a herd of elk and a baby bear nibbling on berries on the side of the road. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing we didn’t come nose to nose with the grandaddy of all bears, The Boss, a grizzly who, legend has it, has survived being hit by two trains and several skirmishes with other bears, with the battle scars to prove it. Weighing in at more than 650 pounds and in his mid 20s, The Boss has also fathered many of the area’s bears.

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As for that Alberta scenery … wow, just wow! That will be a theme repeated over and over in the words to follow. 

What can you expect weather wise as it turns toward summer? Pants or shorts? Maybe both. The weather is always unpredictable. You could be wearing shorts in the valley, but need to bundle up as you hike up a mountain.

While summer is usually June to mid- to late-September, fall, with crisper mountain air and shorter hours of daylight can turn to winter by late October. Ski season begins early in November and lasts for more than seven months. In spring, as the temperature warms up, you can get the best of both worlds.

To every vacation, there’s a beginning. Like, “How did you book?”

We arranged the trip through Booking.com, which, for us, was one-stop shopping. We booked our flights, rental car, accommodation in Canmore, Banff and Calgary and all of our excursions through the website.

After arriving in Calgary on an early-morning flight, we picked up our car and headed to Canmore.

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We stayed at Stoneridge Mountain Resort, which offered an easy drive into town. And, there is plenty of free parking available centrally in Canmore.

We had run into friends of ours at the airport and spent much of the afternoon with them walking around the delightful small downtown before settling into a patio for a cold one on a hot August day. After a swim in Stoneridge’s large outdoor pool and dip in the hot tub, we finished the day with a tasty pub dinner (it was Taco Tuesday) and beverage (a great Bloody Caesar) at the nearby CanGOLF facility, at Finchy’s Bar and Grill.   

We had a delicious breakfast early Wednesday at Chez Francois, which has been bringing a taste of Quebec to Canmore for more than 30 years.   

And what would a vacay be without excursions? 

We chose a scenic river float down Bow River (The Townie, with Canmore Raft Tours). The sun-drenched float through chilly waters lasted a bit more than an hour, but it was relaxing and we learned a lot about the area, including the “Canadian crocodiles,” pine trees submerged under the water. Towering above us were the “Three Sisters,” mountains named Faith, Hope and Charity.   

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I did not bring golf clubs, but had heard there were some great views to enjoy on the greens. We took a short drive to Silvertip Resort golf course to sit on the patio with a great vantage point of the scenic 18th hole, a 394-yard (from the white tee blocks) downhill Par 4. On this day, the pin was treacherously located behind a pond, on the third tier of the green. We saw several balls fall just short of the top level and roll back down. One guy five-putted. Observation: Maybe my putting isn’t so bad after all. The golf clubs will be with me the next time I head west.

We had dinner at the delightful Market Bistro. The next morning, it was off to Banff, where we were booked at the Juniper Hotel, which, with wooden chairs behind our room, had a wonderful backdrop. The hotel offers complimentary use of E-bikes and adventure gear, a nice bonus if you want to head into the wild or just stick to the paths.   

If you’re staying in Banff, you need to know about the Roam Transit bus — you can’t beat the price, with fares starting at $2 ($1 for seniors). It’s an excellent way to get to wherever you want to go. 

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We took a hotel shuttle into town and took the bus to the Banff Gondola (despite being terrified of heights, I summoned the courage), a must-do for first-timers to the area. We had lunch at the Sky Bistro. And, yes, the view was terrific. 

We booked the Moraine Lake Sunset and Stargazing Tour (offered by Into the Wild Tours). After being picked up about 6 p.m., we stopped at Morant’s Curve, along the Bow Valley Parkway, where a winding railway track is often the target of photographers who wait hours to get the money shot — a train chugging along with the mountains in the background.

As we drove up Moraine Lake Road, closed to private vehicles, we had our bear sighting. Our attentive guide, Tobias, filled us with info throughout the drive which ended at the visually spectacular Moraine Lake, just outside of Lake Louise and inside of Banff National Park, which is the oldest national park in Canada and third oldest in the world. A staggering 4.5 million visitors are welcomed to the park per year. About 900,000 of those visit in July.   

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We walked along the lake, which sits in the middle of the Valley of the Ten Peaks, before climbing a path up a large rock pile for “the view.” In my travels across Canada, I haven’t seen many views as stunning. The sun gradually fell behind the mountain. It was then time for stargazing and, with clear, dark skies, Tobias pointed out numerous stars and constellations. The area has minimal light pollution so you can clearly see the Milky Way, constellations, and sometimes the Northern Lights.   

The next day, we took local transit to the mineral-rich waters of Banff Hot Springs, overlooking Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain 1,585 metres above sea level. As we soaked in the steamy water, the backdrop was breathtaking.

Our final day was laid back, a chance to take in the sights one final time, but we didn’t rush around with no specific agenda in mind. 

We had a drink on the patio of the Rundle Bar at Fairmont Banff Springs. The sightlines are among the best in the area.   

We spent the night in Calgary before returning to Ontario early the following morning.

It seemed like we had seen so much in such a short time. But, even with our cellphones full of photo memories, it also seemed like it wasn’t enough, that something was missing. It felt like more time was needed. 

To borrow the old Arnold Schwarzenegger line, “I’ll be back.” 

Timothy Baines visited Banff as a guest of Booking.com, which did not preview this story before publication.

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