Banff: A Winter Wonderland
- kendrickumstattd
- Jan 5, 2020
- 5 min read
Updated: Feb 29, 2020
Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, was founded as the country's first national park in response to the discovery of the Cave and Basin Hot Springs near where the downtown is now located. Today, people visit primarily for the hiking, in addition to the skiing and snowboarding in the colder months. After having dreamed of travelling there for over five years, at the end of December 2019, I finally made it to this incredible place.
Getting There
From Seattle, WA, it is about a 1.5-hour flight to Calgary Airport in the province of Alberta, Canada. To get to Banff National Park from Calgary, we needed to hop on the Banff Airporter for the two-hour drive to downtown Banff.
Staying There
We stayed at the YWCA Hotel, just across the bridge from the restaurants and shops of Banff. I would highly recommend staying there, due to the affordable price, convenient location, and the friendliness and helpfulness of the staff.
Getting Around
In winter, some roads are not navigable, such as the ones to the famous Moraine Lake, also called “Reddit Lake,” because of its prevalence on the social media platform. That being said, Roam Transit makes getting around downtown by bus, for a low cost, very easy. Tickets can be bought through the Token Transit app, and Roam Transit’s 8X bus will even take you from the center of downtown directly to Lake Louise, a ride that takes about 45 minutes.
When venturing out on the trails adjacent to downtown, I’d highly recommend hiking boots with good traction in addition to the typical cold weather attire of snowpants, a heavy jacket, thermals, gloves, and a hat. Cleats, a toned-down version of crampons, are not strictly necessary but make slipping on the ice less likely.
What to Do
Skiing and snowboarding
Skiing or snowboarding in Banff is "doing the thing you're supposed to do in the place you're supposed to do it." I had never skied before, so I bought ski goggles, and we rented the remaining equipment from Ski Big 3. They provide everything, including gear fitting, drop-off and pick-up of gear at your hotel, and transport to Lake Louise Ski Resort, Mt. Norquay, or Banff Sunshine.
The one thing Ski Big 3 can’t provide, unfortunately, is actual skiing skills. The green trails, which are the easiest, at Lake Louise Ski Resort are steeper than greens at other skiing locations, so I fell a lot and had the bruises to prove it. Even so, I can’t recommend the experience enough. The views are phenomenal, and it’s very satisfying to ski well, even if it’s only for a couple minutes before falling sideways and sliding down the mountain at top speed, screaming, before remembering to angle one’s skis perpendicular to the slope of the mountain to stop.
The Johnston Canyon Ice Walk
This is a four-hour guided tour that departs from downtown Banff. On the tour, you get to see the frozen Lower and Upper Falls. The highlight of the tour was seeing ice climbers scaling the frozen Upper Falls.
Banff Gondola
A short Roam Transit bus ride from downtown, the Banff Gondola takes eight minutes to carry you over sweeping mountain and river views to the top of Sulphur Mountain. This is worth it for the 360-degree panoramic views and the boardwalk that leads from the gondola drop-off point to the old meteorological observatory.
Lake Louise
Located separately from the Lake Louise Ski Resort, Lake Louise is an easy place to spend a full day, as there are ice skating, sleigh rides, an ice bar, and many restaurants at the chateau nearby.
Hike Around Bow River
There are a number of trails around Bow River, both to the north and south. Although the stairs along these trails are covered in sheets of ice and require some effort navigating, these hikes were some of our favorite activities on the trip. Banff Springs Hotel makes an unexpected appearance in the distance as you walk along, either along the south of the river or to the north out to Surprise Viewpoint.
Where to Eat
Breakfast
Tooloulous was our favorite breakfast spot in downtown. They do Creole-Rocky Mountain fusion cuisine, which, for breakfast, means that they have a cart of hot sauces to choose from and add to your omelette or scrambled eggs.
They get busy, so if you don’t get there right when they open, plan on either waiting an unknown amount of time, as there’s no waitlist, or go down the street to Bruno’s instead.
Outside of town is Juniper Bistro, where we watched sunrise our first day there. The impressive menu items, including shakshuka, and the views of the mountains as the sun came up made walking in the cold and dark along the highway, risking our lives, feel justified.
Dinner
If you want the best deal somewhere that treats you like family, go to The Old Spaghetti Factory. Normally I wouldn’t recommend a spot located in a mall, but having now been to two locations of this Canadian chain: Vancouver in Gastown and Banff, I can say they do a really good job providing a multi-course meal and amazing cocktails at possibly the lowest prices I have ever encountered in all of my travels.
For a more upscale option, The Bison is where you want to go. Although often booked up online, they had a table available when we swung by on the off-chance they’d be able to seat us. My recommendations: order the steelhead trout, an Old Fashioned, and split one of the desserts (or order them all for yourself).
Drinks
Tommy’s is the top recommendation of all the locals, and it is pleasant and nondescript, with Canadian ciders and beers on the menu.
For tequila enthusiasts, I’d recommend Magpie and Stump, where you can choose from long lists of plata, reposado, añejo, and extra añejo tequilas and add them to a margarita.
Finally, when it comes to cocktails, our favorite was Block, a small spot with large drink sizes and great presentation.
Outside of Banff
If you find yourself at Lake Louise, the Fairview in the Chateau Lake Louise has gorgeous views of the lake and mountains. The decor is gorgeous, as well, and the whiskey chocolate dessert was phenomenal. We didn't have a chance to partake, but I am sure their afternoon tea would be incredible.
Six nights in Banff was the perfect amount of time to check everything off our list. For more experienced skiers and snowboarders, more time might be desired, but I don’t think my body could have taken any more injuries.
I am looking forward to flying back to Banff in the summer at some point when there’s the opportunity to hike up to Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers Tea Houses and finally see Moraine Lake. Until then, I will have the lovely memories of ringing in the new year in downtown as fireworks went off and, for some reason, the song "Shut Up and Dance" by Walk the Moon blasted from the town's sound system.
