Banff was our first stop on our Canada roadtrip that we did in July this year. In this post, I will be talking about what we did whilst in Banff, as well as a bit about where we stayed and ate in this ski town in the Rockies.
What we did
Banff Upper Hot Springs
People have come to the hot springs in Banff for over 100 years to “take the waters”. Every hot springs has a unique blend of minerals, gases and temperatures within its waters, even the Springs within Sulphur Mountain each differ. It is 100% natural mineral water flowing at the Banff Upper Hot Springs, and the water temperature is currently between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius – so nice and warm!
It was nice to come and relax in the Hot Springs in the morning before we started our day, as this is when they are least busy. It is amazing to soak in mineral-rich water whilst admiring the view of pine trees and mountains as far as the eye can see. I would see these are a must-do in Banff as it makes you feel like more of a local – that and it is soo relaxing!
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
This site is actually the birthplace of Canada’s 1st National Park! Here you can discover the history of the Park and specifically the Hot Springs, such as smelling the gases that escape the rock after a long time underground. There are regular guided tours that you can take, or you can walk the site at our own pace which is what we did. You are not allowed to touch the water because it is home to some very endangered species such as the Banff springs snail, which is only found here.
We visited this site as it was included in the price of a Thermal Waters pass which we got at the Banff Upper Hot Springs (above). Also another thing to remember – The Cave and Basin is a Parks Canada National Historic site so it’s free to visit if you have a valid Annual Discovery Park Pass and admission for youth 17 and under is also free.
Surprise Corner viewpoint
At this viewpoint there is a lovely view of the Fairmont hotel, which looks like a castle emerging from the pine forest. There is also a trail nearby that connects here to downtown, which we didn’t do but others have said it is good. We didn’t spend very long here but it is a good photo spot for both the hotel and the Bow River.
Rocky Mountain Raft Tours
We embarked on a Float Trip courtesy of Rocky Mountain Raft Tours. This wasn’t going through rapids or getting wet, but more of a gentle ride. We got great views of Sleeping Buffalo, Cascade and Tunnel Mountains, as well as the Hoodoos.
Our guide was very informative and also took some great photos of us! It was really relaxing being in the spacious raft, but also a little more exciting than your bog standard boat. I loved the whole experience, I would definitely recommend doing this when in Banff.
Banff Gondola
Rated Banff’s number 1 attraction, we couldn’t not go up the gondola. We decided to go up after 5pm for 2 reasons – 1 was that tickets are cheaper after this time and 2 was because there was a Sunset Festival happening from 7pm which we all wanted to go to.
Once we arrived at the summit, we took the trail to Sanson’s Peak where there is an old cosmic ray observatory. There is also a weather station here that a man called Norman Bethune Sanson trekked to every day for over 30 years! There were some great views along the way, so I’d say this is well worth doing.
The Sunset Festival that is happening between June 28 – Sept 2 was also a real selling point. There was some really good live music on the rooftop bar, and a BBQ hatch selling some really tasty Canadian food. See more about this in the ‘Where we ate’ section below.
Johnston Canyon
Technically this isn’t ‘in’ Banff but it is very close. We visited here on our way to Lake Louise, our next destination. It is along the Bow Valley Parkway which in itself is a very scenic drive through mountains and forests and runs pretty much all the way from Banff to Lake Louise.
The canyon itself is also a huge attraction, as it is a fairly easy hike and there are catwalks along the cliffs to allow people to discover parts of the canyon which they wouldn’t otherwise be able to see.
The trail to the Lower Falls has little elevation gain, it is once you get to the Upper Falls trail that it gets a little harder, but I would do the whole thing if you can because the Upper Falls are so much more impressive. My favourite bit was taking in the Falls from a platform that hung 40m in the air next to the plunging falls – that and the Maple Syrup ice cream from the vendor at the bottom of the canyon!
Another part of the canyon which we didn’t get a chance to see were the Ink Pots. These are basically mineral springs that bubble to the surface, but the hike to them is quite a bit further (and you have to get back!).
Where we ate
Subway, near Calgary Airport
Once we had got off the plane in Calgary and got our cases, we were all really hungry and didn’t think we could wait the hour and a half drive to Banff. Dad had found this Subway near the airport so we went there as it was convenient and relatively cheap. Not the most memorable of places but it filled us up and it is a good place to consider if you are ever in our situation.
McDonalds, Banff Avenue, Banff
Again, not where I was expecting to eat on holiday but this was at the end of a really really long day with flights and driving, and everywhere else was busy so we would have to wait for a table. We really didn’t want to do this, so McDonalds was really our only option. Pretty standard for a McDonalds, service was quick but I wouldn’t go here unless you have to, there’s plenty of other nicer places to eat!
Buffalo Mountain Cafe
This was the cafe joined to our accommodation, and it sold a few savoury bites such as sausage rolls and breakfast burritos, as well as granola and yogurt. We ate here for both breakfasts as it was convenient and not too expensive, and the food was really good.
Sunset Festival BBQ hatch, Banff Gondola, Banff
This location was a fantastic end to a rather full-on day. Mum and I had a cheesesteak (my first ever) and it was insanely good – I’m definitely going to try and replicate it when I’m home! There were also fire pits and the rooftop offered unparalleled views of the surrounding mountains and Banff town – we stayed here as long as we could and it was a beautiful sunset.
Where we stayed
Buffalo Mountain Lodge
Our first accommodation of the trip set our standard pretty high – this place was really rustic and lovely. We had a Lodge Room with 2 queen beds in which was perfect for what we needed. My favourite bit of the room was the huge fireplace that could be lit using the logs outside our lodge. As it was summer we really didn’t need the warmth of the fire, but I bet it would be lovely in the winter after a day out in the snow. There were also a couple of comfy chairs facing the fire that were great for relaxing in with a book.
Unfortunately whilst we were there the hot tub was being renovated so we didn’t have use of this, not that we had time for it with everything else we crammed in! There was also a gym for guest use, which again we didn’t venture into so I can’t say much about it.
You could walk to main Banff town from this accommodation (the website says it is a 15 minute walk) however we decided to drive as it was up quite a steep hill. There is also a complimentary shuttle for guests to use which will also get you into Banff quickly if you don’t have a car.
Photo taken from here
I hope you enjoyed reading about what I got up to in Banff with the family, there’s plenty more stops on our adventure for me to write about so stay tuned 🙂
Happy travelling!
Zoe and David x
Written by Zoe
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