When I was working in my full-time corporate job, I would use up all my vacation days to travel outside of Canada because for some reason travelling to another country seemed more adventurous than exploring my own backyard. It wasn’t until a friend invited me to a creator camp called Socality in Banff, Alberta that I was like why the heck not? I had just left my full-time corporate job in Finance and was ready to venture into my own backyard.

And boy am I so glad that I went as it was undoubtedly one of my most memorable trips that I’ve ever taken. It was hard to believe that so much stunning natural beauty exists in Canada and made me truly appreciate the country I live in even more. The striking blue glacial-fed lakes, majestic Canadian Rockies, and abundant wildlife make Banff the perfect place to escape for nature lovers.

Read on for my Banff Guide: what to do in Banff, the most instagrammable places to visit, best places to eat and where to stay!

WHERE TO STAY

When choosing a hotel to stay at on your trip to Banff, it is important to have an idea of which area you would like to stay in. You can either stay in the touristy town of Banff or in the more peaceful town of Canmore, which is only 15 mins from Banff. Some people even stay in Calgary but I wouldn’t recommend that as waking up in the morning and driving an hour out for sunrise can become a bit of a mission.

If you enjoy the hustle and bustle and like staying near all the fun nightlife and activities, then perhaps Banff is the right place for you to stay. But if you are seeking adventure and appreciate the peacefulness at night, then Canmore is your best bet! During my trip, I stayed in both the town of Banff and Canmore and personally, I would recommend staying in Canmore as you can find hotels with insane views at a way cheaper price and more spacious rooms.

Where we stayed: in Canmore, Alberta. I will highly recommend the Malcolm Hotel which is conveniently located 5-minutes walking distance from downtown Canmore and has breathtaking views of the Three Sister Mountains. Our stay couldn’t have been more perfect – definitely where I’d stay if we returned! For a full review follow this link.

For a full review click here

Luxury Hotels in Banff – Fairmont Banff Springs, The Rimrock Resort Hotel, Moose Hotel & Suites, Sunshine Mountain Lodge, Rundlestone Lodge, Emerald Lake Lodge, The Juniper Hotel.

Hostels in Banff – Samesun Banff, HI Banff Alpine Centre, HI Whiskey Jack, Banff International Hostel, HI Lake Louise.

View Hotels: Banff | Canmore|Calgary

WHERE TO GO

TOWN OF BANFF

Banff is a charming resort town located almost an hour and a half west of Calgary, Alberta. The highlight of this town is definitely the stunning mountain views of Mt. Cascade and Mt. Rundle. The downtown area is quite touristy and packed in the summer months. Take at least a day to explore the town itself as there is lots of fun activities to do and restaurants.

Banff Town Highlights:

• Take a stroll through the streets and enjoy the abundance of boutiques, restaurants and souvenir shops.
• Ride the Banff Gondola and enjoy scenic mountain and valley views. The 8-min enclosed cable ride takes you to the top of the Sulphur Mountain from where the views are nothing short of spectacular. There is a free shuttle from downtown Banff that takes you here as well. Entrance fees is $67 for adults and $34 for kids (cheaper for Alberta locals).
• Check out the chateau-inspired Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Bow’s Falls, which is located nearby the hotel just outside of the centre of town. One local vantage point is from a carpark next to the Fairmont Hotel where you can stroll along the banks of the Bow River and get close to the waterfall.
• Explore the following spots: Cave & Basin, Banff Hot Springs, Tunnel Mountain Road and Johnson Lake as marked on my map.

MORAINE LAKE

This is the most popular spot in the Banff National Park and with absolute reason. The breathtakingly blue water and snow-capped peaks are just out of this world. It was definitely my favourite place in Banff and felt like I was living in a real life postcard.

Things to know:

• Note that Moraine Lake Road is closed for the months of October to May (summer is the best time to visit).
• Best time to go here if you are into photography or blogging is for sunrise. The parking lot also gets packed super fast as tourist buses start rolling in so if you don’t want to go for sunrise then make sure to still go as early as you can (between 6-7am)!
• If you don’t want to worry about parking, there are also many tour buses that go here.
• Take your time to explore this area as there is lots to do and many different vantage points! There are also several hikes you can do from Moraine Lake as well including Sentinel Pass, Larch Valley, Consolation Lakes, Tower of Babel and Eiffel Peak.

LAKE LOUISE

You can either head to Lake Louise after Moraine Lake or if you want to dedicate a whole day to Moraine Lake, you can head to Lake Louise and Emerald Lake another day. We were initially going to do a hike at Lake Louise but unfortunately the hiking path was closed due to spotting of some grizzly bears (yes that can happen so always make sure to check for closures beforehand). We went here for sunrise and it was pretty epic to watch the beautiful colours of the sky change. I definitely recommend hitting this spot for sunrise if you have enough days to explore Banff.

To find out cool facts about Lake Louise, click here.

Things to do at Lake Louise:

• You can rent canoes or even go horseback riding on the trails. For horseback riding, look into either Timberline Tours or Brewster Adventures that offer horseback riding trips during the summer in the Lake Louise area.
• Go hiking on one of the many hiking trails in the area to get a bird’s eye view of Lake Louise. Two popular and moderate hikes are the ones to Lake Agnes Tea House (6.8km return) or to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House (10.6km return). I recommend checking the Parks Canada website to decide which hike in Lake Louise is the most suitable for your trip depending on what you want to do.
• Enjoy some afternoon tea at Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse (the scones here are super popular!) or Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

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EMERALD LAKE

Just a 20-minutes drive away from Lake Louise, you will enter Yoho National Park in the province of British Columbia. This is where Emerald Lake, the largest lake in Yoho, is located and is one of the highly popular tourist attractions in the area. The best time to visit is during summer when the colours are most vibrant due to abundant amount of glacial silt flowing through from surrounding mountains.

Things to know:

• Arrive early in the summer. The tour buses start rolling in after 9am to 10am and you will have a hard time finding parking.
• Take the scenic trail walk around the lake to enjoy different view points of the stunning beauty of this lake.
• You can even stay at the Emerald Lake Lodge which is the only accommodation at the lake and is steps away.
• Snack time on the patio of Cilantro Restaurant overlooking the Emerald Lake.
• You can rent canoes here but they are very expensive and if you’ve already gotten the famous canoe shot by Moraine Lake, then I think you can skip it here.

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TWO JACK LAKE & LAKE MINNEWANKA

The Lake Minnewanka area is situated only 5km from the town of Banff and is a large glacial-fed lake and the largest body of water in Banff National Park. Within the Lake Minnewanka loop, make sure to visit Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake. If you have additional time, you can enjoy some rest at the Cascade Ponds Picnic Area.

Two Jack Lake is well-known amongst locals to have an amazing sunrise view. I would recommend heading here for sunrise if you are into photography and then continuing the day by heading to Lake Minnewanka.

If you are interested in hiking, check out the Stewart Canyon trail. Or if you are an experienced hiker, you can continue hiking to the Aylmer Pass Lookout which offers a stunning panoramic view of ‘The Lake of The Spirits’. Note that the hikes are subject to closures due to wildlife so always check with Park Canada beforehand.

JOHNSTON CANYON LOWER FALLS

The Johnston Canyon is located 25km from the town of Banff and is a must-see spot in Banff National Park. This place gets packed with tourists during the day so I would recommend going here either early in the morning or mid-evening.

The hiking trail begins at the Northern end of the parking lot, right behind Johnston Canyon Lodge. You can take the walk up to the canyon to to view the Upper and Lower Falls. The trail to the Lower falls is fairly smooth and more of a walking trail with beautiful views of the falls which you can do in 30 minutes. The trail to the Upper Falls is a little steeper and takes around one hour one way. You can also do the Ink Pots hike through the Johnston Canyon if you have more time.

There are a few areas along the trail where you can off-trail to get to some amazing spots including the base of the falls. However, off-trailing has been prohibited recently due to protection of some endangered birds in the areas and you can be fined if you are caught so do this at your own risk.

PEYTO LAKE

Peyto Lake was probably my second favourite spot that I saw in Banff as the views of the Canadian Rockies from up here were just FREAKING STUNNING. I mean I was literally blown away sitting on the edge of this rock at how gorgeous this world can be.

It is located on the Icefields Parkway, which is the highway that leads to Jasper National Park from Banff. The Peyto Lake lookout point is a 6km walking trail but you can also hike to a higher viewpoint, as well as hike down to the lake itself and towards the Peyto Glacier.

Higher Viewpoint Instructions: Once you are at the Peyto Lake lookout point, continue on a few meters and you will find a trail leading downwards to the lake or keep walking until you spot another trail to your right that leads to an old fire road. The fire road leads to nearby Bow Lake lookout. Make sure to follow the dirt road for a short distance until you can see the Peyto Lake again after which you can scramble up the mountain behind you for better views of the lake.

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BOW LAKE

Bow Lake is located only a 5-minutes drive away from Peyto Lake. Head here after you’re done exploring Peyto Lake. This place is usually not too crowded and is definitely an underrated spot so you can get some really nice pictures here.

You can also go on the Bow Lake Lookout Hike from Peyto Lake if you are not at the mercy of time.

GOAT POND

The Goat Pond is another hidden gem that I found out about through locals and it is located near Canmore. We went here for sunset and the beautiful colours of the sky and reflections of the mountains were just incredibly insane. Another spot to visit in the area if you have time is Spray Lakes.

EAST END OF RUNDLE (EEOR)

The EEOR hike is dubbed to be one of the hardest hikes in the area where you have to scramble to get to the top. The overall hike can take about 5-6 hours to complete. If you don’t feel comfortable hiking all the way, you can hike only the first half which still offers spectacular views of Mt. Rundle and is a lot easier than the second half hike.

You can park at the south end of Whiteman’s Pond dam as you’re heading up the Spray Lakes gravel road and you will find the trailhead directly across the road next to two power poles. For more detailed instructions, click here.

WHERE TO EAT

Here are some spots that we ate at and found to be really good. Make note that food in Banff is expensive so be ready to shell out some $$$:

BANFF:

• Eddie Burger Bar – this restaurant is well-reputed in Banff town and has the most delicious burgers – especially the Aussie burger. The drinks were amazing too!
• The Grizzly House – this restaurant is super popular in Banff town and is known for their fondue – definitely a must try!
• Three Ravens Restaurant & Wine Bar – this restaurant has the most breathtaking views ever overlooking the western Bow Valley and is a great option for fine-dining.

Follow this link for more fine-dining options.

CANMORE:

• Blake Restaurant – this rustic and chic looking restaurant overlooking the mountains is located in downtown Canmore. They offered us free popcorn to start so it became my absolute favourite. The tacos and fries here were delicious!
• Stirling Grill – this restaurant is housed inside The Malcolm Hotel and has delicious food. The breakfast and dinner spread was amazing.

View Restaurants: Banff | Canmore | Calgary

LOCATION MAP