The cave inside which is a natural hot spring is peaceful to look at…read more The boardwalk trails are a very easy stroll but really allows you to enjoy the landscape perfect for forest bathing. You can check out the exhibits inside which are interactive and educational in a fun way. I could spend hours at the Cave and Basin just enjoying the scenery and is a must visit for me to experience the true magic of Banff magic

Located in the outskirts of Banff and it's not within walking distance. When we went, it was free…read moreso we didn't have to pay for anything. Even though it was free, the place was pretty much empty. The first building you see right off of the parking lot is the gift shop. You'll want to walk up the hill if you have questions about the place and this is where the cave and other parts of the experience is. You can probably do this all within 30 minutes. It's not very big, but there are other trails you can explore if you want. It's pretty neat that these snails are exist here and they are so tiny that you will have a hard time seeing them. Overall, it's a nice clean place, but doesn't really add much of an experience IMO. I would have been upset if I had to pay for entrance.

I visited Banff for the second time recently, and I finally made it to the gondola for their…read moreChristmas event. My entire family had a blast-this was the highlight of our trip to Canada this year. Everything was so well organized and thoughtfully arranged. My kids got to complete so many creative activities: cookie decorating, meeting Santa, crafting a gondola themed ornament, roasting marshmallows, etc. as a plus, everyone was very friendly and cheerful. The views are stunning, and while I didn't get to walk through boardwalk (not stroller friendly and I have a child in a stroller), I hope to next time!

We had a free day on my trip to Banff with my running group to pick our own activity for our last…read moreday here. I chose the Banff Gondola out of the options that they presented to us. We spent our whole week running and hiking and I wanted something relaxing to do. The Banff Gondola takes you 2,292 feet up a steep mountainside to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. The ride itself is 8-minutes long. After buying my ticket, I chilled at the Starbucks at ground level and watched the gondola take people up the mountain. There is also a gift shop here. Each gondola cabin is designed to hold up to four people and offers a 360-degree view as you ascend up the mountain. Once you arrive at the Banff Gondola Upper Terminal on Sulphur Mountain, you have four levels to explore. The forth level is the rooftop observation deck where you get amazing 360-degree views of the surrounding mountains. You can see the entire town of Banff from up here. There is also an outdoor boardwalk that leads to Sanson Peak. I probably spent a few hours up here. There is a coffee shop and a couple of restaurants at the top. I did the walk from the observation deck to Sanson Peak and back. The views are just stunning. The observation deck can get crowded and it can get a little windy at times. I spent my time taking photographs and relaxing on the benches. I then grabbed a coffee before heading back down. The Banff Gondola is a little pricey, but I am glad I picked this an option and enjoyed my time here. It was a nice way to close out my trip to Banff.

We came here for an easy rainy day activity…read more You can hike here from Surprise Corner, but there's also a view point you can drive to. There's several viewpoints where you can see the hoodoos a short walk from the parking lot. The second and third ones have the best views. I thought there would be a bunch of the hoodoos, but there's only one small group of them. If you're in the area, is worth stopping at, but I don't think it's worth going out of your way for.

Hoodoo is a column or pinnacle of weathered rock. Tens of thousands of hoodoos in Bryce Canyon…read moreversus 6 hoodoos in Banff. You can see the hoodoos from the across the river at the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, if you know where to look. Face the river and look well to your right up at the top of Tunnel Mountain. For you people who want some exercise, you can walk to the hoodoo viewpoint. Walk or drive to the Banff Surprise Corner at the tip of the peninsula facing the Bow River and Bow Falls. From here it is a 2.7 mile straight up the mountain, on the Hoodoo trail. This will take you over an hour according to google maps, although others who have tried it say it can take much of the day. So bring food and water in a daypack, along with hiking boots. For you lazy slobs like myself and the wife, we took the tour bus up Tunnel Mountain road, or a curvy mountain road called Tunnel Mountain drive to the Hoodoos Viewpoint. The Hoodoos Viewpoint is actually about 100 yards away from the 4 hoodoos closer to the river. The hoodoos are not that spectacular themselves, but the view of the Bow River and Mount Rundle in the background can be spectacular. Unfortunately for us, the smoke from the forest fires made the place look like the LA basin on a smoggy day. There is a paved pathway going in a circuitous route up the mountain, with about 3 different viewpoints. I took so long to get to the top, that they were about to send someone to fetch me -last on the bus again! Signs say no going off the pathway. Canadian park rangers can give citations to trespassers. We saw some people, probably teenagers, trying to get down to the hoodoos to take a selfie, while leaning on the fragile limestone. Too many people do this, and the hoodoo will come tumbling down. Another historical natural monument destroyed by people trying to get a selfie! We watched our step the rest of the day, as hoodoo also means something that brings bad luck! To paraphrase Candice, "Who do? You do!"

What an amazing time I had at this park! I am a big National Park junkie back in the U.S. and was…read moreexcited to visit my first Canadian National Park. I came with my running group and they combined our runs with various activities around the park. Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park and was established in 1885. It is known for its mountain peaks and turquoise glacial lakes (Lake Louise and Moraine are the two popular ones). Banff offers year-round outdoor adventures like hiking, wildlife viewing, cycling and skiing. The Town of Banff has lots of shopping and restaurants for those that aren't into the outdoor activities. Banff National Park is located in Alberta's Rocky Mountains and has several large glaciers and icefields. Nearby are Yoho, Jasper and Kootenay National Parks. The Town of Banff is at the center of the park in the Bow River Valley. The park itself has a variety of recorded mammal species. Banff National Park has been successful at reducing the number of animals killed on the roads by building wildlife crossings. We drove under a number of these while driving through the park. They are such a clever idea. My running company booked three runs in and around Banff National Park. The views were gorgeous as we did our trail runs. When I first arrived, we took a tour bus to Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Emerald Lake (in nearby Yoho National Park). I really enjoyed the beauty of those lakes and was able to do some photography work at them. They are just as pretty in person as the pictures that you see on the internet. The huge crowds in the summer was the only downer part. For activities, we canoed down the Bow River. That was a lot of fun and we got great views of the mountain ranges while on the river. We also did the Via Ferrata at Mt Norquay. It was my first time doing one of these and it was easily one of my favorite activities. On my final day, I took the Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. You can see the whole Town of Banff from there and the breathtaking mountain ranges all around. The Town of Banff has lots of retail stores, gift shops and restaurants. I ate very well on this trip. Overall, Banff was an amazing experience for me. The flight to Calgary from Arizona wasn't too long and my running company did a great job in booking all of my activities. I look forward to a trip back someday!

I started this draft in 2019. I had to go back to Banff in 2025 as I forgot why I wanted to give…read morethem 5 stars and what to write. Banff National Park is a place where everyone needs to go! They have something for everyone. Nature is at its finest here with lakes, mountains, and wildlife. Even with all the tourists, Lake Louise is awesome. The lake itself is stunning with its turquoise blue water. If you don't feel like walking, go inside the Chateau Lake Louise and have afternoon tea or go souvenir shopping at the gift shop inside the hotel. Moraine Lake is another place that is picturesque. It isn't as popular as Lake Louise, but, it is just as awesome. They have cabins and a gift shop that was closed for the season when we visited. Access to both Lake Louise and Moraine lake is limited. They don't let you drive there anymore. You need to either join a tour, or take the shuttle bus. The city of Banff is a huge populated area inside the park with many hotels, restaurants, shops and even a supermarket. Horseback riding is available. You can take a gondola ride or even go to a hot spring. Banff is a great park. Even my city loving wife, enjoyed our visit to this wonderful national park of Canada.

I can't believe there's only one other review for this beautiful park in the heart of Banff town!…read more Just a few minutes walk from downtown Banff and perfectly situated along the Bow River, Central Park is a huge park for everyone to enjoy! My first time here was actually in summer of 2019 and they happened to have live music one afternoon at the gazebo. So many people were spread out around the park relaxing on the grass, picnic blankets or sitting at one of the many picnic tables just enjoying the sunny day, hanging out and listening to the local artist/band while soaking in the gorgeous views of the mountains and Banff town! More recently, my hubby and I were back in town for the 2023 Banff Marathon/Half Marathon/10K weekend and the race hub was set up at Central Park (race packet pick up, expo, pre-race festivities, and start/finish area). We loved getting to do "Yoga in the Park" here as part of the Banff Marathon festivities and just hang out here before and after the race itself. If I lived in Banff, I'd probably be here everyday! It's just the most picturesque place to go for a run, walk, have a picnic, take your kids to play in the playground or just run around on the grass. They even have a farmers' market and craft market here from time to time (possibly weekly), and a large public washroom/restroom building by the main parking lot. Not to be missed when in Banff!

What a great place to be on Canada Day! Live music, dancing, drums, fireworks, everyone in red -…read morefrom head to toe. Great to see the community to come together to celebrate their country. Shout out to Amelie Patterson. Awesome performer- hope she comes to SF one day.

This tour is wonderful! We saw elk, big horn sheep, coyotes, and deer. It was a light snow day…read morefor our tour so views were limited, but the driver/tour guide made the entire trip very enjoyable. Chloe was knowledgeable and friendly, she helped make the tour very fun and memorable!

We had a terrible experience with Discover Banff Tours and would never book through them again…read more We booked a dog sledding excursion for 6 people, including our family and our friends visiting from San Diego. We paid nearly $1,400 in full for 2 sleds, submitted all required guest information right away (weights, ages, etc.), and even received an email confirming that everything had been received and that we were fully confirmed for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. Then on Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the excursion, they called asking for the same information all over again. We told them we had already submitted it and had the confirmation email to prove it. After putting us on hold, they came back and admitted there had been a miscommunication on their end and that the person who handled our booking failed to enter our information properly. Because of their mistake, our reservation was given away to someone else. So after taking our money, confirming our booking, and making us think everything was locked in, they left us with no dog sledding tour and no real solution on the only day that worked for our group. They did offer us Friday, but that did absolutely nothing for us because we leave Thursday and our friends fly home Wednesday. That is exactly why we booked this in advance the previous Friday. The kids were already excited for this experience, and we were left scrambling at the last minute trying to find another company because of their mistake. The only thing they could really offer was a refund or to push other excursions we had no interest in. That's not customer service -- that's damage control after they failed to do their job correctly. This was extremely unprofessional, careless, and a huge inconvenience during a family trip. Avoid the middleman and book directly with the actual dog sledding companies.

Overpriced and overhyped. The staff and food are lovely but the scenery was not as expected and our…read moreseating was an emergency window view - so basically obstructed viewing. Do yourself a favor and drive.

Wonderful train trip through the Canada Rocky Mountains. Excellent staff and great service. Loved…read morethe two day trip. Food was delicious. Open bar!! Worth the upgrade to Gold leaf . More comfortable than first class on an airline. If your looking for a train trip look into the Rocky Mountaineer.

If you're looking to explore just about all of Banff's greatest sights in one day...then this is…read morethe PERFECT tour for you. Not to mention you get to do it all without having to worry about driving or parking! If you're not already sold, which you should be, then keep reading along for all the tour highlights. Our two tour guides were Dominique and James and our bus drivers were Bobbie and Jeff. All of them were absolutely delightful. Dominique and James were extremely knowledgeable about Banff, it's history, it's wildlife, and the surrounding areas. They kept the bus rides entertaining and lively. Jeff and Bobbie were great animal spotters and helped us to see a fox on the morning drive and two elk on our return trip. I also spotted a black bear on the morning drive. We opted to do the full day excursion, leaving on the first bus and returning on the last. This was perfect for us to get able to see everything we wanted to. Started the day at Johnston canyon where we hiked to the top of the falls. This was a quick turnaround time so not everyone was able to make it to the top, but still a beautiful spot even if you don't go all the way up. Once done here we continued on the Bow Valley Parkway and took a stop to take in the views of Castle Mountain...an absolutely majestic sight! Next we were onto the Lake Louise ski gondola, where we rode the gondola to the top and had lunch. There was probably enough time to hike, but not enough time to have a leisurely lunch and hike. We opted for the leisurely lunch as we didn't want to have any bear encounters. Here we did see a black bear as we rode the gondola back down. Next up was Moraine Lake, due to one of the buses getting stuck behind a train we stopped in Lake Louise to pick up some others that we're heading to Moraine Lake, but it was a quick trip. At Moraine Lake we had about an hour, enough time to walk up the rock pile, enjoy the view for some time, and walk the shoreline a little bit. Next stop was Lake Louise, we were here for just under an hour. We walked around the shoreline and enjoyed some time in the fairmont hotel. This route didn't give us enough time to hike here, but they did have another schedule you could follow if you wanted to spend more time doing the hikes here or possibly even canoe. After a stop back at the Lake Louise ski gondola to pick up the last of the group, we headed back to town. It was truly an amazing experience and I'm so happy we booked it. We visited Banff without a car and there's no way we would've been able to see some of these places had we not done this tour. So happy this exists and would definitely book it again if I ever visit Banff again.

We chose Hop On Banff for our day tour after researching other options, including the Parks Canada…read moreshuttles. They offered the best value and most flexibility in our schedule and gave us ample time at Johnston Canyon to reach the upper falls, at Lake Louise to make it to the Lake Agnes Tea House (a bit hectic but doable) and to marvel at Moraine Lake atop the Rockpile. There was an additional stop available to take the Lake Louise Gondola, but we opted for an earlier return in order to explore downtown Banff and get dinner. Free parking at the Banff train station was easy and convenient. Our drivers and guides were all first class and the retro feel of the school bus was fine (tip - avoid sitting over the rear wheels in back, as it gets quite bumpy).

We took the Banff Gondola up to the top of Sulphur Mountain. It was a fun ride and there's much to…read moresee at the top! There's an observation deck, which leads to a boardwalk that has amazing panoramic views of the town of Banff, Bow Valley and six mountain ranges. The boardwalk ends at the historic cosmic ray station, which is not longer in use. There is also a couple restaurants, gift shop and an interpretive center at the summit. This is a must while visiting this area. Would highly recommend!

You get to Sulphur Mountain by taking the gondola ride. It's worth the cost and time to go up and…read moresee the sights. Lots of interesting things to check on in the building and the accompanying boardwalk to the weather station. Like the rest of the Canadian National Park, the entire area has been well cared for. The gondola ride is high quality. The building and observation deck are easily accessible for people with different mobility levels (they have an elevator to take you to the several floors in the building). The boardwalk is wide and well constructed. There is plenty of signage discussing the area and the history. Worth you time to check it out.