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.

Ready for a birds-eye view of Banff and the majestic mountains surrounding the area? No need to…read morehike the switchback trails 3000ft up to the top, there's a fun little gondola ride you can take! We had a group of 8 people, which was perfect to fit into two gondolas. The rides up and down are about 5min long and you get a nice 360 view of the area. Once at the top, there's a few boarded walking paths with overviews to take your pictures. The walk all the way to the opposite point is another 5-10mins. It's a casual walk but it does include about 100 stairs for those who may have difficulty getting around. If you don't want to make the walk, there's a coffee shop and restaurant where you can dine with a view. There's wildlife around to see as well- goats, chipmunks, birds and more. We didn't see any bears but they do advise bear spray. We spent about 45min up top, making the round-trip experience about 1 hour. It was the perfect way to enjoy the crisp morning air on a sunny summer day!

We made reservations in advance via Pursuit Pass for departure time and return time. Print out all…read moretickets in advance in case of SOS before arrival for faster check-in. If you're taking a free shuttle from Brewster Transportation, there are certain areas in Banff where shuttle will pick up and drop off passengers. Allow over an hour before departure time: 1) Park your vehicle in free or paid public parking. 2) Walk to designated shuttle area(s). 3) Shuttle(s) will make multiple stops prior to arriving at Sulphur Mountain. We enjoyed the magnificent scenery from various elevation levels indoors and outdoors. Highest peak at 7,846 ft. There's a plethora of information to read, washrooms, hydration station to refill water flask(s), casual and fine dining, observatory deck, fireplace, gelato cart, gift shop, Starbucks. We spent about a little less than two hours exploring everywhere on upper level before descending and catching the shuttle. Worth the exhilarating and fascinating experience!

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.

I would not listen to the other reviews that say Ha Ling Peak "is for everyone!" or that it's…read more"easy". This trail is definitely difficult for a multitude of reasons -- and yes, there are families on the trail but to actually complete the whole trail (which is what my review is about) there is a scramble at the summit which can be terrifying for those afraid of heights and/or inexperienced hikers, especially with the wind (and hail, when we hiked it) blowing at you. Regardless of the fact that we did this hike because we saw other reviews saying it was a trail for everybody, beginners included, we were able to complete most of it. We were a group of 5 (with our parents) who needed some breaks along the way and so our total hike time ended up being 4 hours. It was a great workout with some unparalleled views so I'd attempt at least a portion of it if you can. I'd just say to really watch for the weather forecast before you go. We had a 30 percent chance of rain at a time earlier in the day but we ended up being pounded with hailstorms at the top of the summit where there was literally zero cover. As long as you time your hike correctly, in terms of the weather, I think it'd be a very pleasant experience! Even so, the hail made it an experience that I will never forget. We didn't see much wildlife coming up, probably due to the fact that it's a pretty popular hike. It's also super dog friendly which is wonderful!

To get to Ha Ling Peak: - Drive to Canmore, then drive up…read morehighway #742 (the Smith-Dorrien-Spray Lakes Trail) towards Canmore Nordic Centre. - On Highway #742 pass the Nordic Centre and continue on the gravel road until you reach Goat Creek Parking Lot on the right hand side (there is a sign that says Goat Creek Parking Lot). - Park at Goat Creek Parking lot and cross the gravel road, cross the little bridge and you will find the trail head. Labelled as a moderate / Intermediate hike... I'm outta shape so I found it to be more than moderate as the hill is steep ALL the way up and down, plus there is the scramble at the top! but I made it and so can you! Endurance is your best friend here as you will be walking up a mountain on an incline the WHOLE time with not many (if any) flat areas. With that said, there were grandmas and grandpas, kids, dogs, and even parents carrying babies in backpacks on the trail!!! Wow!!! Be sure to wear layers as you will sweat and get hot while in the trees, but once past the tree line it is windy and chilly....so...tank top, t-shirt, wind breaker, grippy gloves (for scrambling), and a toque! (haha - wish I had brought mine!). Bring a backpack with water and lunch and enjoy the view! It took us just under 5 hrs (round trip) to complete (with my MANY stops and VERY leisurely pace!! Plus lunch near the top). The view was spectacular and well worth the hike up. Once at the top you have a view of the town of Canmore, plus a 360 view all around!! My toes and knees did hurt coming down as it is steep... and I even had good shoes on! So definitely wear good shoes (preferably hiking ones) and bring walking sticks if you have them. Highly recommended! p.s. once called "Chinaman's peak"

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!"

It was my first time "caving", and what an experience! I must admit it was a bit more intense than…read moreexpected, and I am glad my husband didn't join me, he would not have enjoyed the pulling on ropes, rapelling or squeezing into tight spots (you can opt out though). We were lucky that our group was just four people; I can imagine it would not be as enjoyable in full season with multiple groups of eight (the maximum size) in the cave. I was surprised they run the tours year-round, as the hike to the cave must be a little challenging with snow and ice on the ground. Although they provide all the equipment: knee pads, crampons etc. And believe me, you will need all of it! My upper body was sore the following day; you certainly want to be in good shape to tackle this advendure! You also need your own car to drive first to the office, and then to the start of the hike. Our guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, and I am glad I did this tour. An experience I won't forget!

My family did the adventure tour -- two late forties parents, two teenagers and a young adult. I…read moreadmit I am scared of heights so was terrified about the rappelling but once I was actually doing it I was okay and thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the tour once that was over with. My favorite part was squeezing through the small spaces. They provide knee pads, helmets, coveralls etc. and you will realize how needed they are as you keep bumping your head on the rocks and scrambling on your knees. Our guide, Brent, was so knowledgeable about cave history and formation and it was interesting to see the different areas of the cave. This tour was by far the highlight of our trip to Banff. All my kids loved it. Highly recommend.

Nice park in Canmore. Very close to Canmore downtown. There are lots of green at this park and also…read morethere is a nice kid playground. Cool

Beautiful park in the heart of Canmore. The field is perfect for soccer or throwing a ball around,…read morethere's also a dirt running track and outdoor exercise equipment. The playground for the kids is excellent and has the rubberized soft surface in case anyone falls. Swing sets and a gravel digging station give the kids lots to do. Canmore is lucky to have such a nice park, in such a central location!

Due to the fact that I live in Quebec and Art Country Canada is in Alberta I was lucky enough to…read morepurchase 2 Robert Bateman prints that I am absolutely in love with. I could not say enough about the personal attention and packing detail I received from Art Country Canada. The communication was incredible and extremely courteous. And WOW, they packaged up the prints so well a semi-truck could not push through it. Excellent experience all around.

Amazing manager. The art is some of the most beautiful I've seen, surpassing most of the artwork…read moreI've seen in museums. Come here to get your mind blown!

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.