Our end of summer trip took us up north of the border to Banff, Alberta. Yes it is a popular place, yes it is full of tourists, and yes you should still take the time to visit! This was my third trip to the area, but first with my kids and first with the travel trailer. On the way there we took a route north and stayed in Kamloops as a half way point from our home in Edmonds. The drive is incredibly scenic, especially the last portion between Kamloops and Banff. Banff is a small but beautiful town in the Canadian Rockies about an hour and a half outside of Calgary. It arose when railroad workers building the transcontinental railroad through the Bow Valley stumbled upon hot springs. The Canadian Pacific Railway decided to entice people to visit by building the incredible Banff Springs Hotel.
While we did not stay at the Banff Springs Hotel we do recommend you visit. It is a charming old resort taken very well care of. We paid a visit to see their shops and grab a meal at the Vermillion Room, a striking restaurant with an incredible breakfast buffet. I would argue it was our best meal on the visit though we also had an amazing Alberta steak at the Bluebird Steakhouse.
As for things to do and see there is plenty in Banff and the surrounding area. For local wildlife find a spot along the Bow River, Vermillion Lakes, or take scenic drive up the Bow Valley Parkway. We took a trip up the Banff Gondola and did the short hike from the top where we saw a Mountain Chickadee and Pika. At the base of the gondola is the Banff Upper Hot Springs. The hot springs were quite relaxing with amazing views though it is a bit like getting into a big crowded hot tub! On the other side of town is Mount Norquay which has a nice viewing point down to the valley as well as a ski area that in summer you can ride the lift to the top to hike in the alpine meadows.
A short drive north is Lake Minnewanka, this is another scenic drive where we spotted the Bull Elk rut. The rut is when the male elks like to show off who’s bigger and stronger, they crash their antlers together in battle. The ones in the video above did not seem to thrilled to be doing this, their effort was half-hearted at best. About an hour up the highway is the famous Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. If you choose to visit either plan ahead! You have to book shuttles early for these as they get very crowded, there is very little parking at Lake Louise and none at Moraine. Another option for parking would be to stay at the famous Fairmont Château Lake Louise.
Throughout our visit we saw a fair amount of wildlife, including Big Horned Sheep, the Clark’s Nutcracker, and the Canada Jay. Clark’s Nutcrackers are like the squirrels of the birding world, they use their long beaks to pull pine seeds out of pine cones, then fly them around and hide them in the ground. They remember where they left them and the ones they choose not to retrieve grow into new trees. The Canada Jay’s were a first for us though their range map shows they do live in higher elevations in the state of Washington, though I’ve never spotted one here. We saw quite a few of these along the Bow Valley Parkway and in our Tunnel Mountain Campground.
While we enjoyed Banff in the short summer months but if you’re a skier Banff is very popular in winter as well. So many ski resorts in the area! Whatever adventure you’re looking for you should be able to find in Banff (except maybe surfing?).
Useful Links:
- Make sure to make plans ahead for Banff, check the shuttle schedules for Lake Louise and Moraine Lake here and book early.
- Read our last post about our visit to Hyas Lake!
- Check out all our other birding and nature adventures here.
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- Don’t forget your bug spray! We recommend using something with DEET, trust us!
- Most of these shots were taken with the Sony a7 along with the Sony FE 200-600mm lens.
