Banff, the most beautiful part of the Canadian Rockies is located in Alberta, Canada and home to Canada’s first and most popular national park. Banff has been gaining a lot of traction on social media and when I saw a friend’s travel photos from their trip there I immediately knew I had to put it on the top of my list. I soon learned that it is one of the most famous travel destinations in the world for sight seeing and hiking. The landscapes that we witnessed were truly amazing and it made us stop and take pictures at almost even turn we made. We spent 4 fulls days in Banff and Lake Louise and were able to check off everything that was on our list. Here is my opinion on how to best spend 4 days when visiting Banff:
Day 1 in Banff:
When you arrive in downtown Banff I recommend exploring it earlier in the day. During this time it is much quieter on the street and a better opportunity to get some pictures. There are multiple places for parking in downtown including some paid parking lots or free parking down by the train station. If you park at the train station it is about a 5 minute walk into downtown. There also is street parking off of the main road.
Explore downtown: Walk through the streets of downtown through some of the shops, checking out of the views, stopping in for a beer or two, or even making a pit stop for food. There is a public transit Roam which you can jump on that made getting from one end of town to the other must easier.
Cascades of Time Garden: This is only a few minute walk from downtown Banff and it is especially peaceful early in the morning when there are less people. Walk through the garden and take in all the freshly planted flowers and ponds.
Bow Falls: Bow Falls is a perfect hike to ease you into the Banff experience. It is an easier 1.8 mile walk and ends with a beautiful viewpoint of the Bow River & waterfall.
Explore the Fairmont Hotel: The Fairmont Springs Hotel in downtown Banff is probably the most popular hotel in the area and its history dates back to the 1800’s. We walked through the grounds and checked out the view from the patio. You could even stay for lunch that over looks Bow Falls. We golfed the Fairmont Springs Golf Course and it was one of our favorite activities of the entire trip. The views from the greens were spectacular and the wildlife on the course was unbelievable.
Day 2 in Banff:
Grab breakfast or lunch to go: We grabbed lunch and snacks for our hike. However, a popular breakfast spot in downtown is Tooloulous.
Tunnel Mountain Hike: This hike is easy to access from downtown and offers spectacular views of Banff. It is about a 3 mile trail with steep sections in some parts but known as an easier hike in the area. There is a great area to sit and and take in all the views when you get to the summit.
Enjoy Lunch overlooking Banff Ave: There are a few spots on Banff Ave where you can sit on a rooftop bar and overlook the street. We were lucky enough to find a seat out of the sun that we had to ourselves that overlooked the street at Elk & Oarsman. It was nice to have a cold beer and lunch after our long hike.
Drive the loop behind the Banff Golf Course: This loop is notorious for seeing wildlife in Banff. Around dusk take your car and drivc the loop behind the golf course..we saw 2 coyotes, and a TON of elk. If you get lucky you may even see a bear!
Day 3 in Lake Louise:
Sunrise at Moraine Lake: When you see the videos or pictures on Instagram and Tik Tok about Banff…it’s probably from this lake. This is THE lake. Be aware however, that starting the 2023 season you must have a shuttle reservation to travel to Moraine Lake, they are no longer allowing personal vehicles to park there. We did not book ours ahead of time and they were sold out for the sunrise. We were still able to visit the lake later in the day on a tour and it was well worth it. I recommend getting there as early as possible because it does get busy. Renting a canoe on the lake is a must as well.
Check out Moraine Lake Bus Company or Fairview Limousine to book your sunrise shuttle.
Visit Lake Louise: Lake Louise is another Insta famous lake in Banff. The intense blue glacial water surrounded by snowy whitecap mountains are what makes it so famous. While you’re there, head up the trail to the Agnes Tea House and enjoy a tea and some lunch at the top. The most impressive part is seeing Lake Louise from the summit.
Day 4 in Lake Louise:
Drive the Icefield Parkway: The Icefield Parkway is known as one of the most beautiful drives in the world. This drive starts in Banff and ends in Jasper. Along the way there are a number of pull offs that are most see stops. Some of our favorites are Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Athabasca Glacier, Sunwapta Falls, and Athabasca Falls. Most of them are just pull offs from the parkway but some include a small walk to the sight. If you want to walk out onto the Athabasca Glacier you must book this tour ahead of time through the park however, you can do a small hike that gets your very close to the glacier for free!
Additional Things to do/see:
Takakkaw Falls: This waterfall is located in Yoho National Park. The drive to the falls is beautiful and quiet. It is known to be a very popular spot for spotting wildlife especially at dusk however, we did not get lucky enough to see any! You can walk up to basically right under the waterfall. It is definitely worth the ride especially if you’re staying in the area.
Emerald Lake: This lake definitely lives up to its name with the clear emerald waters. There is a lodge here where visitors can stay overnight. If you want to do a small hike there is a loop that takes you entirely around the lake or you can canoe on the blue waters.
Ride the Gondola at Lake Louise Ski Resort: This was one attraction we didn’t get to do but wish we had..the one animal we did not get to see on our trip was a bear! This gondola ride is a popular location for tourists to see bears.
