Banff National Park is Canada’s first national park. It’s home to the Rocky Mountains and numerous turquoise glacial lakes. You’ll also have a very good chance of spotting grizzly bears and other wildlife such as elk. There are so many different activities you can do in Banff, including hiking, biking, canoeing and even wandering leisurely around the town. Even if you don’t like active holidays, you’ll enjoy taking in and all the beautiful scenery that surrounds you.
Banff town itself is bigger than Jasper and is considered a hub in the Rockies, there are lots of restaurants and shops here so it’s great place to wander around. There’s also this amazing dessert shop called Beaver Tails, which sell surprise surprise Beaver Tails. These are like flat crispy donuts with various different toppings – they are so delicious and a perfect treat! Banff does get very busy in Summer so if you’re driving a car may need to try multiple car parks until you find a space.
What to do in Banff National Park
Lake Louise
You can’t go to Banff National Park and not visit one of the most iconic lakes in the Canadian Rockies! Lake Louise is stunning and has a beautiful backdrop of Mount Victoria. As well as it being so relaxing to sit on the lakeshore admiring the water there are many trails that start from here. There are a wide variety of trails to choose from depending on how strenuous you would like your hike to be. Read about hikes, tips and more about Lake Louise here.
Lake Moraine
Lake Moraine is another must-do in Banff! It’s magnificent turquoise blue lake in the Rockies, this time with a backdrop of 7 mountains which honestly could be mistaken for a green screen. This lake in my opinion is the best for a sunrise shot and canoeing even though it is quite expensive. If you are looking to get here for sunrise make sure you climb the Rockpile as this is where you’ll get the best view! Moraine Lake is about an hours drive from the hamlet of Lake Louise, the car park is quite small and gets filled up very quickly. In fact it can be full from 6am! Find out information here.
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Banff has it’s own hot springs, a naturally hot pool (between 37- 40 degrees Celsius) the perfect way to unwind and relax your muscles from all the walking. These springs are part of the same group that run the Miette hot springs in Jasper too!
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
The Cave and Basin Historic Site is the birthplace of Canada’s National Parks. Here you can follow interpretative boardwalks that guide you through the cultural and natural history of the mountains. You could also take a guided tour to learn more! There is a 1.5km trail from Bow River Bridge to the Cave and Basin, a lovely relatively flat walk. You can also buy a Thermals Water Pass which includes the Hot Springs and the Cave and Basin. If you’re planning on doing both this is cheaper than buying individual tickets! We didn’t end up doing this when we were in Banff but i’d like to do it next time!
Banff Gondola
Banff Gondola takes you up just under 700m to the top of Sulphur Mountain. At the top there are a huge variety of interactive exhibits at the interpretative centre where you can learn about the Rocky Mountains, keeping all ages entertained! There is also rooftop observation deck and a boardwalk you can follow to Sanson’s Peak, admiring the views of Banff down below as you walk along it. If you get hungry, you can grab a casual bite to eat at the Peak Patio or Northern Lights Kitchen or if you’d like a more formal dining experience at the summit you can book a table at the Sky Bistro.
Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyon is one of the most popular day trips in Banff National Park. It’s a relatively easy hike and along the way you visit two falls. There is a trail to the Lower Falls which ends with you walking through a tunnel to get to within metres from the falls. There is also a trail to the Upper Falls which allows you to look across the top of the falls. I loved Johnston canyon it was so cool and just a really nice hike! Be warned, get here early or you won’t find any parking! We had to come back another day as the car park was full and the road either side of the car park had cars parked all along it, this put us off as if there were this many cars there would be even more people so we decided it was best to come back early another day!
Morants Curve
A beautiful area where the Canadian Pacific Railway passes through beside the Bow River, there is a parking lot just off the road opposite to the viewpoint. THe only thing that would’ve made this better if we managed to catch a glimpse of one of the very long freight trains making it’s way along the track here. Despite waiting 45mins unfortunately no train passed, but it was still worth it!
Lake Minnewanka
A glacial lake close to Banff town, where you able to take a boat cruise out onto the lake. Of course this would be another beautiful place to eat a picnic lunch, mountain bike and hike. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to go here while we were in Banff so it’s something for next time!
Takakkaw Falls
Takakkaw Falls is one of the best sites in Yoho National Park. Standing high at 384m you can see the force of the water plunging down! Takakkaw Falls is best visited whilst you are staying in Lake Louise. It’s about a 45 minute drive from Lake Louise and it’s perfect to combine with a visit to Emerald Lake! We stumbled across this by accident, during a rainy a day we saw the brown sign for the falls and decided to follow it, and boy am I glad we did! This was one of the most amazing waterfalls of the whole trip! It’s a short walk from the car park to the falls and it’s not very busy at all!
Emerald Lake
A jaw dropping lake in Yoho National Park, even when it’s rainy and cloudy the lake is still beautiful! This is a fantastic place to hire a kayak and paddle on the lake and it’s cheaper than Lake Moraine so this could be a good alternative or addition. The lake is much less crowded and surrounded by more trees than Lake Louise. As with Takakkaw Falls, it’s best to visit whilst you’re staying in Lake Louise due to it’s close proximity. I loved this lake and this just proves that the lakes are stunning in any weather conditions, in fact everything was so much greener because of the rain!
Drive the Icefields Parkway
This is a 232 km road that connects Banff and Jasper National Parks. Winding round mountains, glaciers and overlooking valleys. This is one of the most scenic drives. There are so many points of interest along the way find out more, in fact there are so many I’ve written a separate post about them here. In order to see as many as possible, make sure you leave at least one whole day for this drive – you won’t regret it!
There are so many things to do in Banff! For a 3 week Canadian Rockies itinerary check my blog post here.
