2 Days in Banff
Have you ever dreamed of immersing yourself in stunning mountain scenery, surrounded by pristine lakes, towering peaks, and untamed wilderness? Look no further than Banff National Park, located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Whether you're a nature enthusiast, an avid hiker, or simply seeking a peaceful retreat, Banff National Park has it all.
Banff National Park is in Alberta, Canada. It is approximately 1 hour west of Calgary. If you don’t live within driving distance, or you don’t want to make the 14 hour journey by car like my husband and I did, then I would recommend flying into Calgary.
When should I visit? The best weather will be in July and August, but the amount of tourists will be higher as well. We went in early June (which was still busy), but we were able to have a little more peace.
What should I pack? This will depend a bit on the time of year that you go. If you go in June like we did, whatever you think should be warm enough… pack something warmer! It gets VERY cold at night (in the 30’s while we were there). Don’t forget your rain jacket, hiking shoes and a nice camera! If you will be staying in the city of Banff, pack some nice clothes to eat out in. There are many great restaurants to choose from that you may not want to roll into with your smelly hiking gear on.
What should I wear? If you will be hiking, dress in layers. I had a stocking cap and sweatshirt on in the morning, but wanted shorts and a tank top by the afternoon on clear days.
Is it easy to get your dog across the Canadian border? Yes! Just make sure you have all of his/her rabies vaccination paperwork! That is the only thing they ask for. No, your dog does not need a doggy passport. 😉
Everyone has a little bit of a different traveling style, but we love to camp. We packed our tent, sleeping bags, cooler and dog into the back of the Jeep and hit the road.
If camping isn’t your thing, and you’re into posh accommodations and breathtaking views, I would highly recommend Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. When you book your Fairmont room with us, we can get you $100 Food/Beverage Credit, Complimentary Breakfast, Room Upgrade upon availability, and Early Checkin-in / Late Check-out upon availibity. You’ll also receive basic wifi.
If camping is more for you, your first step will be to figure out which campground you would like to stay at, and if you want to do back country camping, or have flushing toilets and running water. The visitor center in Banff was very helpful. We thought with the dog, running water would be good. We chose a campsite near Lake Louise.
Since we were driving, we arrived at our campsite in Banff at about 3 PM with enough time to make camp, get a bite to eat and turn in early for a full day of hiking.
DAY 1 – LAKE LOUISE, KOOTENAY N.P,
MORAINE LAKE
…Would you just look at it??
If there is one thing that I cannot stress enough, it is GET UP EARLY! We went at the very beginning of “peak” travel season, and it was PACKED! If you want to get some great pictures by the lake without having to fight the crowds, and without having to walk a half mile from the overflow parking lot, Get. Up. Early!!
Not a camper? No problem! The Fairmont I mentioned above was literally right behind me as I was taking this picture. So if budget isn’t an issue, why not wake up to this view out your bedroom window?!
Not a hiker? Rent a canoe and take a nice ride across the lake.
After a few pictures of the gorgeous lake, our morning began with a hike to Lake Agnes. The fun thing about Lake Agnes is that there is a little tea house there. I don’t know about you, but hiking is always a little more fun to me when there is a “reward” at the top of the mountain. Whether that be a plunging waterfall, a deep, lush valley, or a cute tea house where I can enjoy some biscuits and tea! The hike is about 4.4 miles round-trip and is very steep. I saw hikers of all ages out there, so if you take your time, I believe just about anybody can do it.
About 1/2 way up the mountain, there is this beautiful little lake to take a breather at. Or if you’re a dog, maybe a drink of water. 🙂
Made it to the Tea House. Lincoln was more interested in the chipmunks than the tea.
Lake Agnes
Lake Agnes was still mostly frozen, which I think made it a little more beautiful. The tea house is adorable. For more information on it, click here.
Hiking back down was much quicker than the hike up. When we got to the bottom, we snapped a few more pictures of Lake Louise before we filled our bellies for our next adventure.
I bought my husband this cool scratch-off map a couple of years ago for Christmas. We both grew up traveling to different parts of the country or world, but we decided that this map would only be used for places that we’ve seen together.
Since it was our first time in Alberta together, we decided to scratch another province off the map while we were there and do a little hiking in British Columbia too. Our next hike took us to Kootenay National Park, B.C.
Our dog, Lincoln LOVES the mountains. He is strictly a hunting dog that lives on the ranch, but in another life, I think he would choose to be a mountain dog. Check out our camping adventure we took with him last year near Red Lodge, MT here. We drove part of the way up to Jasper National Park and were able to see our first major wildlife sighting on the side of the road… a black bear!
Some people are crazy. As we pulled up to this black bear sighting, there was an older lady that got out of her car and decided to cross the road to get a better picture. The park ranger nearby asked her to please get back into her vehicle, but she didn’t really care that he was trying to keep her safe. People. Bears are not pets. I know they’re cute, but they are not fuzzy friends. Please be smart.
After just a short car ride, we made it to Stanley Glacier in Kootenay. Remember the picture from the beginning of the day in my stocking cap and sweatshirt? Well at this time I wished I had on shorts and a tank top. This hike didn’t have any shade and man, was it hot! (Fun Fact: I was also pregnant with our firstborn in this photo). This hike was just over 5 miles round trip and gave you a great view of the Stanley Glacier.
On our way back, we were able to see a gigantic Grizzly Bear!
Our final destination for the day was Moraine Lake. Moraine Lake is similar to Lake Louise. And by similar, I mean breathtaking.
We didn’t spend a ton of time here, but we wanted to see it and get a few pictures. Moraine Lake was supposed to have some fantastic hiking, but unfortunately they were still closed due to the amount of snow they still had. Maybe one day we will get to go back and experience some of the hikes that Moraine Lake has to offer!
DAY 2 – BANFF AREA
I managed to pick up a pretty nasty cold on the way up to Banff, so 2 nights in the tent with nights so cold that I would wake up to my dog shivering was enough for me and my pregnant body. We decided to pack up camp this morning and see if there were any dog friendly rooms available for the night. It was a good thing we did, because it was pouring cats and dogs for most of the afternoon and evening!
My tip for you here is to not be like us- Make sure you plan ahead. We did find a room, but it wasn’t very nice and it was very loud at night. I know… You’re probably thinking, “You’re a travel advisor and you didn’t plan your vacation out?” I know, it does sound crazy. But my wonderful husband doesn’t like taking vacations that are completely planned out. So we compromise and I get to do some planning, but don’t always get to make a bunch of reservations. I have trained him a bit better since then. 😉
We started our morning at this adorably delicious cafe, Coyotes Soutwestern Grill. I highly recommend the Frittatas! Since today was rather cold and cloudy, we didn’t do a ton of hiking. We started off with a short drive outside of town to see Bow Falls and let the dog get some exercise.
Our next stop was Lake Minnewanka, where we were able to enjoy our 3rd major wildlife sighting, a mountain goat!
We planned on doing a little hiking here, but when you’re just about to start a hike and a park ranger stops you at the entrance of the trail to warn you about potential bear encounters and your dog decides to do his business RIGHT next to the park ranger’s foot, you suddenly get a change of heart and just want to clean it up and go. So we did.
We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Banff. We picked up a few things to bring home and discovered some new beverages. After checking into our hotel, we got ready for our Anniversary dinner celebration. My husband and I are both big foodies. We might know how to save money when we travel, but we definitely will splurge on a good meal from time to time. It started down pouring while we were in the hotel, which made for a pretty adventurous run across town to our restaurant of choice, The Balkan. But we made it.. And Oh. My. Word. Do they know how to make a mean pot of mussels!
I would have loved a few more days in Banff, and if we wouldn’t have had such a long drive, we would have had some extra time on our first and last day to enjoy more. Another beautiful area that we drove by and I wish we could have spent time at was Vermillion Lakes. Banff is a magical place. If you love mountains, good food, beautiful lakes or hiking, Banff is the destination for you!
You can see this destination as a budget, moderate, or luxury traveler. If driving isn’t your thing, and you want to see more of this beautiful area in less time, reach out to us! We’d love to talk to you about taking the Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies!
