Banff/Lake Louise in Canada

10 years ago, a friend of mine told me about a place called Banff and a wedding he attended at the Fairmont Banff Sprints. After googling the pictures of this majestic castle in the mountains, I was determined that one day I would visit. Fast forward to planning our 5 year wedding anniversary and I convince George that heading north, as opposed to south where its warmer, is the best idea for us. We’ve just recently returned and as everything is fresh in my mind, I’d like to give you guys a summary of what we did.

What/where is Banff/Lake Louise?

9 times out of 10 you are going to say Banff and someone will ask you to say it again or spell it out because it just doesn’t roll of the tongue well. Sounds like you are missing a vowel or something. Lake Louise is another one, apparently the S is not silent as its named after Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria. The Canadian Rockies are about a 1.5 drive from Calgary, Canada and are made up of various national parks, Banff and Jasper to name a few. I would say Banff is the most popular of the national parks and there is an adorable town nuzzled in this gorgeous valley. Lake Louise is about 45 minutes away from Banff town (opposite direction of Calgary) and is famous for Chateau Lake Louise, another Fairmont hotel that rests at the base of a stunning turquoise lake with mountains in the background. Oh and Fun Fact, 2017 is Canada’s 150 year anniversary and all the national parks and sites are free. That was a nice perk!

What type of trip is this?

I am not a skier. Sure, I have skied, even in Park City Utah and managed not to kill myself, although almost ran into children on the bunny hill because nobody taught me about french fries and pizza so I didn’t know how to stop and had to fall to avoid harming the innocent children. So needless to say that we don’t really plan trips around the sport of skiing. Not to mention my husband is Mediterranean so vacation and cold don’t go together. Therefore, going to Banff during their famous ski season was out of the picture.

Hiking is what people do there when they don’t ski. Sure, I can hike. I mean I can walk. I can even walk fast, and sure, I can walk fast and slow up hill with an incline and maybe even carry a little backpack filled with snacks and water. Seems like a good plan to be a “hiker”. Although be warned that hiking shoes are a real thing and not just a sales ploy. They legit help you tread on the path and prevent sprained ankles and are even waterproof. My point is that we are not these huge outdoorsy adventure people but we do appreciate nature, are active people and were up for a Mountain adventure. We opted to go in September because it would still be hiking season, past the craziness of summer and close to our actual anniversary. The exact dates we went was dictated solely by availability of my dream hotels. (3rd week in September). Little did we know it was going to be straight up Winter this year as it was unseasonably cold and snowy. More on the weather and our experience later.

Where to stay?

Let me start by saying that while I enjoy luxurious hotels, I really don’t place a lot of value on them and would much rather spend my money on activities or food when traveling. Typically, we try to spend around $200/$250 for hotels knowing that little time is spent there unless we are somewhere where that’s completely out of market. Location, comfort and basic good service are an expectation for us, but I don’t get too excited about extra fancy covers or people waiting on me hand and foot. However, because I first had the idea of coming to Banff when I saw this castle in the mountains and than later the Chateau on the lake, I was emotionally tied to the concept of staying at each of those places to have the full experience. So, in January (9 months before the trip) we starting looking at booking the rooms and realized we were already late to the party because it was very hard to find dates that worked. Luckily we found 4 consecutive nights between the two hotels and decided to go for it despite the brutal price point. Let’s just say that the rooms were super pricey and lucky for us the US $ is stronger than the Canadian.

So the million dollar question, was it worth it and which hotel did we like more? This is a topic of much discussion on the travel blogs I researched and here is my break down.

Fairmont Banff Springs: Location is not central as its literally in the side of a Mountain and about a 20/25 minute walk into Banff town. So now you ask yourself the question of how important it is to walk into town when the hotel has restaurants, shopping and a view of the mountains. You can easily drive or walk into town to explore but you could also hang out in the hotel and not feel like you have a long commute to where all the action is. Because let me tell you, while Banff town is adorable, there is only so much action that can take place in a small town. It’s all about the nature and lack of action that attracts people. So as far as the room, we upgraded to the Mountain View with the mentality that we should Go Big or Go Home and yes, waking up to a view of the mountains is quite dreamy. The service was impeccable; which of course you pay for with the daily resort fee. They even have a new system of having you text the concierge if you need anything, ok so maybe this isn’t that new to other people, but to me it was and I found it quite useful. The pool and hot tub were just OK. There was a stunning view of the mountain but something about it felt very commercial. We did not go to the Spa but I can imagine it would be nice as well. Restaurants were solid, can’t say any of the food blew me away, but it was definitely good. We tried the breakfast buffet at Bow Valley Restaurant, Japanese restaurant and Italian. So, if I were to do it all over again, I would probably only stay 1 night at Banff Springs and then park the other 2 nights at one of the nice lodges on the main Banff road for half the price. Our friends stayed at Moose and it was a really great place that I would recommend. I actually visited their spa and outdoor hot tub which were spectacular!

Chateau Lake Louise: VERY touristy, not just “hey there are a lot of people here” but BUS loads of tourists get dropped off in front and then hang out in back or in the hotel staring at the lake. I get it, I am also a tourists but its a bit overwhelming if you are expecting anything quaint and intimate. However, I think staying there is a must. Since its a 45 minute drive from Banff, I think a day trip there just wouldn’t have been the same. Part of the issue is that parking is limited so if you aren’t staying there and don’t come early enough, you have to go the the overflow lot 10 minutes away and then shuttle in. I think that just changes the entire experience. Again, we went for the room with the view, this time a Lake and Mountains and very much thought it was worth it. This room was smaller and older than Banff Springs, but the overall hotel had a nice modern vibe with French influence. Incredible service and very solid restaurants where we tried Alpine lounge and Wallier Stube for that truffle fondue. mmmm. OH and you need reservations at these places, especially if going during peak season. We were actually there only Monday – Friday, so can only imagine its quite a bit worse on the weekends. But the view, the view, the view. There are no words or pictures that can do it justice. I am trying via this post, but I still won’t be able to get across the feeling you have when surrounded by these grand mountains.

Where to eat?

Park Distillery – Located in the center of downtown, it’s a hip distillery with a fun vibe and delicious elevated bar food.
Good Earth Coffeehouse – Cute little coffee shop towards the end of the main strip serves the best peach and cherry tart you’ll ever have!
Afternoon Tea at Rundle Lounge at Banff Fairmont Springs – Pure bliss. You’ll need reservations but that view overlooking the mountains while munching on little sandwiches and desserts is the best way to unwind from a hike or skiing.
The Post Hotel and Restaurant – We didn’t eat there but we’ve heard that this is the top restaurant in Lake Loiuse area.
Walliser Stube at Chateau Lake Louise – Two words; Truffle Fondue. Do it!

What to do?

Icefields Glacier – 2.5 hour drive from Banff. We bought our tickets through Brewster. I am a little torn on this experience because on the one hand, it is a rare opportunity to set foot on a glacier and take phenomenal pictures, but on the other hand it is extremely touristy and not intimate and frankly brief. You can get tickets in advance or when you arrive, then you take a bus up the road and then transfer to one of these giant trucks and drive a few minutes out on the glacier. They let you lose for about 30 minutes with your closest 300 friends and then get you back on the bus. If you opt for the skywalk, the bus takes you 10 minutes up the road. We had the unfortunate experience of getting off the bus even though it was snowing and there was no visibility (should have never gotten off the bus) and ended up having to wait 20 minutes in line until the next bus came to get us back to the car. And there was no bathroom! My review is if you are in Jasper park, it’s worth the stop but to go out of your way from Banff and spend the full day in the car, I would probably skip it. Albeit, if the visibility was clear, that Skywalk would have felt completely different and I may have had a different review.
Peyto Lake – An upside about the drive to Jasper park from Banff is the view of Peyto . Luckily its a 10 minute hike from the parking lot and just an unbelievable view. Highly recommend you make a stop if you are driving that direction.
Bow River Falls – Bow River flows through Banff and is at the base of the mountain side where the Fairmont sits. Highly recommend a stroll along the river and a visit to the modest but serene falls.
Cave and Basin – About a 30 minute walk from the Banff Fairmont is this hidden treasure. I warn you now that the surfer smell is no joke but its a cool stop for about 30 minutes to see the cave and then a walk around the mini museum.
Cascade Gardens – Hard to miss as these gardens are where Banff Road dead ends. Very calming, reminds me in some way to the Japanese Zen Garden in Monaco for those that have been. You don’t need more than 10 minutes to stroll around the gardens and take in the beauty.
Johnston Canyon (Ink Pots) – We took a guided hike here but you can feel quite comfortable doing this on your own. It took about 2.5 hours to get up and 1.5 to get down. Overall I’d consider this a moderate difficulty with a very easy first 90 minutes and a bit more strenuous last hour. It felt amazing to get to the top and be in the middle of the mountains with a view that I can’t even put into words. I will try with some pictures. The draw is also these tiny Ink Pots, which are natural ponds with bubbling water due to the temperature and composition. I can’t get all scientific to explain this without googling it so if you care enough about what they are, I invite you to google them 🙂 Suffice it to say that this hike was spectacular and I would definitely recommend this as a worthwhile “long” hike.
Banff Surprise Corner – You can drive up to this lookout point and get incredible views of the Fairmont.
Farmers Market in Banff – Takes place every Wed, we went when it was raining so didn’t spend much time there but the vendors looked interesting and I think it would be a great spot for a snack or lunch while walking around town. Probably don’t need to go far out of your way for it.
Gondola to Observation Deck – The single best experience in Banff was soaking in the view from the deck. We bought tickets through Brewster but it wasn’t necessary to book in advance. Yes its touristy, blah blah but you know what, I am a tourist and there is a reason people go here. It’s breathtaking to say the least. We went on a cloudy day so unfortunately did not get to see the colors of the sunset and even in the 30 degree weather, we were mesmerized and completely overwhelmed with a rush of emotion from the view.
Banff sign welcomes you as you drive into town so just prepare to stop and take some pictures. We found that there is a great, “pay it forward”, culture of tourists taking pictures for the folks in front of them with hopes someone will pull over soon to take pictures of them.
Lake Louise Fairview Hike – Its about a 30 minute, VERY steep hike just to the left of Chateau Lake Louise (if you are facing the lake) and it is worth every step and pant and squeal. Surprisingly we didn’t run across too many people on this path and I don’t really understand why. Do it!
Lake Moraine – There are a lot of opinions about the best lake in the Banff area and most of what we read is that Lake Moraine is it, even better than Lake Louise. Frankly, I get it. It truly is. Again, we had the clouds, snow and cold weather, which makes for a different experience and we were in love. I cannot imagine how much more stunning it would have been in the true summer sun but we found it to be magical with the snow. Parking is hard and you either have to hang around the road that leads to the lake and wait until they let you in or go the the overflow parking and take a shuttle. We spent about 3 hours VERY slowly walking around and taking some of the best pictures we’ve ever taken. If you are looking for somewhere to clear your mind, this is it.

Our friends use this travel agent http://www.myamoretravel.com and Samantha was wonderful in helping customize their trip. If you don’t want to figure things out on your own, I’d recommend you reach out to her.

Below is a collage of our favorite pictures and if you scroll over each picture, you can read the caption and see where it was taken.