Amazing service! It's my first time visiting Banff and I forgot my fishing gear. I went here to get…read moresome things and they went above and beyond to help me with licensing, getting the right gear, and letting me know the best places to catch fish. I went from having no idea where to go, to having confidence I was in the right spot with the right gear. I ended up catching a nice brown trout because of them. Highly recommend this shop!

Canmore is pretty much the only city you can get gear for fishing near Banff as the outdoor stores…read moretypically cater to hikers/climbers/bikers/runners. The crew at Wapiti were generous in recommendations for our light spinning set up and were able to help me get my permits for fishing for Banff and a day license although my son and I were only catch and release fishing. They sell lead free lures suitable for Banff and gave recommendations for locations along the Bow River in both Banff and Canmore although they have a variety of fly fishing and outdoor paraphernalia. Our first day we got skunked at Banff on the Bow River and snagged but we eventually were able to hook up to trout in Banff in Lake Moraine and along the Bow with new gear on a separate day and different spots along the other pedestrian bridge. Make sure to buy multiple lures if you're spinning cause there are a lot of trees and rocks to get snagged which are the structures that the trout tend to congregate. One thing they might not be able to help you with is FINDING PARKING near certain spots.

GREAT Tour & the guides were informative & answered all our questions. It was a great learning…read moreexperience as well. Thank You!

I like fun and this was definitely a fun time. From boarding to leaving the ship ride was about an…read more1 hour and a half. My wife and friends enjoyed the whole experience. For me, anything or event that encourages picture taking is perfect. The views on Lake Minnewanka were perfect. This should be on everyone's 'must see / do list' Remember you are in a National Park, so you must get a parking pass for the park...or you WILL get a ticket. Luckily... we came by bus tour. No cars to worry about. The staff at the Lake are amazing from the moment you arrive. You can hike trails, rent canoes or kayaks or take the boat ride. Dress warmly, as it gets cold in the winter months and the water is NEVER warm! Our wonderful guide made sure to explain that to us. There was a nice vibe between the crew and visitors. Another nice piece to this trip. This was simply relaxing and what else could you be looking for on a vacation than to do something that puts a smile on your face and allows you to sit back and relax. It was nice to stand outside the back of the boat and enjoy the view. Their only restriction was to keep the count no higher than eight. Even with a full boat it worked out just fine. I can't recommend this delightful boat tour enough and encourage all to take it if time permits. KUDOs to the team at theLake Minnewanka Cruise

BE AWARE - DISHONEST BUSINESS OWNER!!! Received a call at 6:30am the morning of our schedule…read morefishing trip with Anders of Banff Fishing Unlimited. He said the trip was being cancelled due to weather, which seemed very strange because we were only 20 minutes away in Banff Springs and it was a spectacular day with the sun coming up, still air and a perfect weather forecast. He actually said "there are white caps and the waves are crashing over the dock and it was too dangerous". We decided to take a ride up to Lake Minnewanka since we were all dressed and showered. We discovered that there was no such weather problems and that all the other boats were out on the lake catching fish . See photo of my 3 boys and how perfect the lake was. The weather was flawless! This was extremely disappointing as it was my birthday and I was on vacation with my family and the boys were all looking forward to fishing. As a business owner, I understand things happen out of your control, but fabricating a story because your employee never showed up for work is NOT OK! Ruing my birthday and disappointing my kids (we all went to be early the night before) is unacceptable.

We woke up at 7 AM and were at the Lake Minnewanka dock by 8 AM filled with some Tim Horton's…read morecoffee and breakfast sandwiches. I found Banff Fishing Unlimited online and booked a private 4-hour charter for $400. Our fishing guide was a boisterous Alberta native that has been fishing on Lake Minnewanka for over 30 years. The views were gorgeous and the boat itself was roomy, perfect for fishing. We moved to a few different spots all the while spotting some male rams and a bald eagle. You could tell our guide really knew what he was doing. We caught 5 whitefish each (10 total). The national park allows you to keep only trout (not sure why you can't keep whitefish, really wish I'd asked) so we had to release all our whitefish but it was still a great experience. We are beginner fishermen and had an absolute blast. To read more about our adventures, visit Type A Travel blog.

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!

We took a trip to British Colombia and Alberta this Fall to visit Canada's national parks. Out of…read morethe three we visited, Banff was by far our favorite! It's Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885. It's located in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. The highlights of our time in Banff included Lake Louise, Banff Gondola, Sulphur Mountain, Bow River & Falls, Fairmont Banff Springs, Bow Valley Parkway, and so much gorgeous scenery along the way. We didn't see much wildlife in Banff while we were there, but did bring one can of bear spray to take on hikes with us, just in case. You can purchase national park passes at the ranger stations at all entrances of the park. For the 2 of us, it was $22 CAD/day. This park lives up to all it's hype and I would highly recommend.

The lake is just gorgeous!!! I know there are many beautiful lakes around here, but this one is…read moresimply iconic We decided to take the hike up to the Agnes teahouse and had some amazing views of this lake along the way. I do want to specifically mention a couple things regarding this hike as many people start off doing this from the Fairmont. It is 3.6 km or approximately 2.2 miles to the teahouse. The way out is completely uphill and you will gain an elevation of 1300 feet. It is a serious hike, I would highly recommend you have some hiking shoes on as you navigate potentially loose gravel, and slick rocks. You will also come up on mirror Lake. There are several areas along the way to stop and rest to sit on a rock or a log. There is a two story staircase as the final elevation to get to the teahouse. We arrived around 1 PM and they said the usual way to get tea and order treats is about an hour. There are pit toilets here as well, but there is no running water to the facilities so nothing else other than what you purchase. It is definitely a beautiful hike. It took us about 2 1/2 hours round-trip.

Very badly managed. Parking fill up by 6 AM. You are then sent to Ski resort parking only to learn…read morebus tickets are sold out. Private shuttle companies prey on tourists charging exuberant fees that go up every year. If you get lucky, you will find a spot in a dirt parking lot over a mile away. You'd have to pay $42 to park in the dirt and dust and walk on a road where there are no sidewalks and your option is to take a chance at getting hit by passing RVs and trucks or fall into the valley! Getting to the lake, we were greeted by high dusty wind followed by thunder and rain! Did I mention getting harassed by police on the way who ticketed us $400 for speeding when everyone else was passing us and going faster than us. The gov here will charge you for everything. The people look at you as an ATM machine and will overcharge you for everything from hotel stays to food. On top of that, you are not welcome and they treat you badly. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else!

We recently hired Jim, "Banff Chauffeur," to transport us between Calgary and Banff, Banff and Lake…read moreLouise, and, finally, Lake Louise and Calgary. He was jovial, punctual, and patient. We really appreciated him taking us off the beaten path a little bit to see places like JK Bakery Café in Canmore and Peyto Lake. He always had drinks and snacks available.

Had a great tour with Jim. We didn't do any fishing, just had him take us from Banff to Lake Louise…read moreand then to Calgary. He was flexible with our plans that day, especially since the weather was not that great (fog & snow). He's very friendly, knows the area and went the extra distance to make sure my family and me were taken care off. He even jumped out of the truck in the snow to take some pictures of some elk with one of our cameras!

The hike to the waterfalls and the hike to the Inkpots are two different tales..but both…read morespectacular. The hike to the falls are on a paved or finely-crushed gravel path, or on a causeway that walks you above the water. Either way, it is a relatively easy walk for most able-bodied persons. The falls are spectacular, but be prepared...in August, it will be busy with people, and you will spend a lot of time brushing elbows as people head the other way. And, at lower falls, there will be a 45 minute wait to look at the falls through a natural window opening in the rock. Personally, I'm not in the "selfie" crowd, so I will make better use of my time. Upper falls is another few minutes up the trail, and is equally powerful. Obviously, since water flows downhill, you are hiking uphill from the parking lot to see the falls. Continue past the upper falls, and now you are on the way to the Inkpots. This is where you will really start working. It is wide, well marked, but with much less humanity...we were never completely alone, but usually we didn't have anyone within 50 yards of us. It is about 3.5 mi from parking to the Inkpots, and it is uphill 2/3 of the way from the falls to the Inkpots, before descending back downhill to the river and Inkpots. The Inkpots were not as colorful as I had hoped, but they were an interesting natural phenomenon that we wanted to see. There are some benches, no toilets, and the river runs nearby. the walk back was 1/3 uphill and 2/3 downhill to the falls before the final (and crowded) stretch to the parking lot. Speaking of parking, we arrived at 8:20AM and were lucky to grab the last parking spot. It fills up quickly. More parking is nearby, but it adds to your walk. A cafe/store at the start of the trail sells food, coffee, and souvenirs. Bathrooms are also near the cafe. This is a must-see destination at Banff, but in peak season, arrive early- with good hiking shoes, if going to the Inkpots- and bring your food, water, bear spray, and camera. Our round trip was 7.8 miles in 3.5 hours.

Really beautiful, easy hike to the Upper Falls! Loved every minute in our perfect September…read moreweather!!

Could've been the lake, or it could have been the wonderful sunset watchin', star gazin' company -…read moreeither way, it's a solid 5-Stars. :) Not only is Ghost lake gorgeous, it's an excellent day use park, home to picnics a plenty and boats of all shapes and sizes. It's only a short an enjoyable drive from Calgary, making it an excellent spot to go for a Sunday cruise. Serene when looking one direction, as you can see the mountains beginning, and then excitingly badass when you look towards the giant dam that sometimes spews out hefty plumes of white water. Intense. If you've got wee ones running rampant (or just irresponsible/drunk adults), keep an eye on them. Since the floods, the Ghost Lake banks have turned into some rather stark cliffs! It's day use only, but there is a camp ground directly across the highway. It's also "Liquor Prohibited", so we definitely didn't enjoy a bottle of wine while sunset watching and star gazing... That would be bad.

Great man made lake. The lake is busy with people enjoying thier watercrafts and the shore is busy…read morewith onlookers. This is a beautiful lake with plenty of parking.