Top choice in Banff & Jasper National Parks
It's worth detouring off the Smith Dorrien/Spray Trail for a bite at this charming backwoods lodge. Drop-ins are welcome for the daily afternoon tea, which features freshly baked goods, fancy cheeses, local meats and fresh fruit. With 24 hours' notice, day trippers can also enjoy the lodge's renowned multicourse family-style dinners (nightly) or the sumptuous Sunday brunch.
As you contemplate the stunning view, a moose may well wander past.
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
25.5 MILES
Founded by local artists Catharine and Peter Whyte, the century-old Whyte Museum is more than just a rainy-day option. It boasts a beautiful, ever…
Cave & Basin National Historic Site
25.45 MILES
The Canadian National Park system was effectively born at these hot springs, discovered accidentally by three Canadian Pacific Railway employees on their…
23.71 MILES
Banff quite literally wouldn’t be Banff if it weren’t for its hot springs, which gush out from 2.5km beneath Sulphur Mountain at a constant temperature of…
24.61 MILES
Looming up beside the Bow River, the Banff Springs is a local landmark in more ways than one. Originally built in 1888, and remodeled in 1928 to resemble…
23.49 MILES
In summer or winter, you can summit a peak near Banff thanks to the Banff Gondola, with four-person enclosed cars that glide up to the top of Sulphur…
26.31 MILES
West of town, this trio of tranquil lakes is a great place for wildlife spotting: elk, beavers, owls, bald eagles and ospreys can often be seen around the…
25.57 MILES
A little over a century ago, Banff Ave was Banff. Initially, the central street was home to little more than a handful of hotels, homesteads and trail…
24.8 MILES
About 500m south of town, just before the junction with Spray River, the Bow River plunges into a churning melee of white water at Bow Falls. Though the…
1. Mt Assiniboine Provincial Park
13.7 MILES
Between Kootenay and Banff National Parks lies this lesser-known and smaller (39-sq-km) provincial park, part of the Rockies' Unesco World Heritage site…
2. North West Mounted Police Barracks
17.5 MILES
The oldest surviving barracks in western Canada was built in 1893 and used by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) until 1929. Today, this itty-bitty…
17.53 MILES
At the end of Main St, half-buried in gravel by the Bow River, sits the impressive sculpture known as the Big Head (for reasons that will quickly become…
4. Canmore Museum & Geoscience Centre
17.56 MILES
Exhibits at this small museum cover the region's coal-mining past and the community's survival following the mine closure in 1979. Check out the 160…
23.49 MILES
In summer or winter, you can summit a peak near Banff thanks to the Banff Gondola, with four-person enclosed cars that glide up to the top of Sulphur…
23.71 MILES
Banff quite literally wouldn’t be Banff if it weren’t for its hot springs, which gush out from 2.5km beneath Sulphur Mountain at a constant temperature of…
24.61 MILES
Looming up beside the Bow River, the Banff Springs is a local landmark in more ways than one. Originally built in 1888, and remodeled in 1928 to resemble…
24.8 MILES
About 500m south of town, just before the junction with Spray River, the Bow River plunges into a churning melee of white water at Bow Falls. Though the…