Thank you to Canada Strong Pass, not a physical pass, for…read morefree admission and enjoy while you can from June 19 till Sept 7, 2026. Five important facts to remember: 1) Birthplace of Banff National Park 2) Sacred to Piikani people 3) Endangered Banff Spring snails stay alive in thermal pools of H2S or hydrogen sulfide and low oxygen levels. 4) Only observe from the distance. No touching or dipping hands in the pools. 5) Be respectful. Guides are helpful and present to answer questions.

COME TO WHERE THE CANADA NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM STARTED…read more Every visit to Banff should start with a stop at the Cave & Basin National Historic Site. It was here that Indigenous nations came for spiritual healings and sacred rituals. In the 1880s, three railroad workers came upon the thermal springs with hopes that it would bring them wealth and fame. Soon Canada stepped in and declared the springs and the surrounding area a federal reserve that was later designated Canada's first national park. The Cave & Basin today features a stone building that houses the original hot spring. We entered the historic bathhouse and a darkened cave to see the original hot spring. The springs here are no longer open for public bathing. Outside the cave, there is a hot spring pool where we saw a critically endangered species of snails that can live only in this hot spring. The tiny popcorn kernel-sized snails live on what can be best visualized as floating muck. The Cave & Basin can be reached by taking a local Roam Transit bus that drops visitors off at the site entrance. From the Cave & Basin, you can begin a hike to Sundance Canyon. When we visited, admission was free as part of a Parks Canada summer program but admission is usually $10/adults and $8.50/seniors. We missed the free 30 minute daily tour.

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!"

Beautiful and exhilarating, the Canadian Rockies in general, and The Three Sisters in particular…read more When asked, a local tour guide said their individual names are Faith, Hope and Charity. Very nice. The second tour guide disagreed, saying their names are Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister. I found this was repeated on Wikipedia ... and is there any higher authority? Why, yes, the lady at the Canadian Tourist Information Kiosk, who said the locals, the real people who live here, refer to the Three Sisters as Beebee, Ceecee and Deedee. So, what's in a name? The Three Sisters, by any name, are Beautiful and Exhilarating. Five-Stars.

As gorgeous as they are iconic - The Three Sisters stand guard over, no that's not right... The…read moreThree Sisters are all about fun, not protection. They're an icon for a town that exists for outdoor recreation and natural beauty. While The greatest cities in the world are know for and defined by their skylines, none of them even come close to Canmore's. Whether you'd prefer to enjoy them while camping, hiking, biking, or enjoying a glass of wine with a fine meal, Faith, Charity and Hope will make your experience all that much better.

While planning my trip to Alberta, CA I was trying to find decently priced accommodation away from…read morethe overpriced, touristy confines of Banff. Now before anyone comes at me, I'm not dissing Banff. Banff is great and has lovely scenery with a robust nightlife. I enjoy that on occasion but it's just not my vibe, especially 24/7. I prefer my peace and traveling low key while still getting that excitement in spurts. Queue in the town of Canmore! Canmore is like the underrated, shy sibling of their neighbor to the north (Banff). It's still going to be somewhat pricey but not exorbitantly out of range for most. Canmore has a nice number of restaurants, shops and bars and you won't encounter the foot traffic Banff tends to get. Canmore also has a lot of walking trails and points of interest like the Engine Bridge, Big Head sculpture, Policeman's creek and Main Street. If you're biking I highly recommend the Legacy Trail that connects the town of Canmore to Banff. If you're driving, Three Sister's viewpoint is great stopover too. There are a few food spots I suggest if you're heading into town. My favorites were the following: Bridgette Bar - slightly upscale but good food and drink Tavern 1883 - Amazing patio with great views of the mountain range as a backdrop. Burgers are decent, poutine is better. Lovely Ice Cream and Treats - Really good creamy, made in house fresh batch ice cream. The Rose and Crown - Good bar atmosphere. Drinks are made well. Summer seems to go on for longer out here. The one thing I noticed is that the sun sets way later than what we are used to in the lower 48. I went in May and sunset didn't happen until 10pm. It was the weirdest thing ever and it definitely threw my sleep off for weeks afterward. Despite the prolonged sunshine the benefits are having the opportunity to take advantage of a full day out. Canmore is generally a safe town to walk through day or night. I would suggest if you plan to do the trails, bring bear spray. You never know if you're going to need it. Also, stay hydrated. I had stayed for nearly a week and picked up a case of water at the nearby Safeway which covered me through the entire trip. Enjoy your time in Canmore if you're able to and safe travels!

Located just downstream of Banff; Canmore is a more affordable option for tourists who don't want…read moreto pay the Banff premium. There's a grocery store in the form of Safeway in the area, which is great. There is also a fairly low key / sad town center area which pales in comparison to Banff; 10% of the visitors and not much to do. Canmore isn't cheap either; for a week long Air BnB, the daily costs were still $300-400 CAD for something fairly basic. There's also limited nature options in the area that you can explore for "free", most of the hikes require an additional paid pass for visitors outside of the town. The parking situation for any hikes in the immediate Canmore area requires another pass in addition to the Canada National Parks pass; this is a pain for non-locals. We pretty much drove to Banff daily for activities and just came back to Canmore to sleep.

This is a quaint little find in the town of Canmore. The engine bridge was a pathway for the…read moreCanadian Pacific Railway for coal mine transport back in the day. Today it serves as a pedestrian and bike path trail with excellent views of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. I visited this space twice, didn't have bear spray and did not encounter any bears however I would recommend carrying bear spray with you on extended walks cause you never know.

This is the busy downtown shopping area. Cars can't drive through this district, on the corners…read moreoutside are bus stops. There are lots of unique and charming galleries, gift, shops, and boutiques that stay opened late until at least 10 PM. There are benches to sit on and they're great for people watching. Many restaurants were busy with filled outdoor tables and rooftop views with spectacular mountains, looming above us. Cows, ice cream shop the fudge shop and the popcorn shop had crowds out the door. There were many outdoor adventure, shops with ski, skate, racket, climbing, canoeing, camping ... equipment and clothing.

Do your due diligence and do your doo here. The only other public restroom in Banff is overrun and…read moreabsolutely nasty. Restroom is relatively clean, fresh, and ample stalls available for your bowel and bladder evacuation needs.

The beauty of the Canadian Rockies doesn't stop at the National Park line. One notable example is…read moreKananaskis Country, a park system situated near Canmore, in the foothills and front ranges of those majestic peaks. Kananaskis Country is noted for recreation and tourism. Recreation facilities in Kananaskis include several campgrounds, a golf course, a hotel, a holiday ranch, two alpine ski areas (Nakiska and Fortress Mountain) and a competitive cross-country ski area (the Canmore Nordic Centre) that the public can use. Parts of the Park were used during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Most of the development is within Peter Lougheed Provincial Park and along the highway 40 corridor that parallels the Kananaskis River. Kananaskis has many kilometres of hiking, cross-country ski, and horse trails. Other activities popular in Kananaskis include mountain biking, scrambling, climbing, backpacking, hunting, and fishing. My adventures here have included some hiking, checking out the Security after the G-8 met here years ago, and taking a wonderful back country drive, starting at Bragg Creek. Kananaskis Country is but a short drive from Calgary and seems to me much more isolated and invigorating that Big Brother Banff next door.