Experience the Magic of Banff with Kids

My family was quick to learn, during our recent trip to Banff, Canada, that this place is – not only unendingly magical – but completely manageable with children. And what a splendidly beautiful experience to which you can (and should) expose them!

I had read a million and one blogs about Banff travel, but not a whole lot is out there for family travel. That. Means. Nothing. Take the family! Don’t hesitate! We found more than enough to make memories for a lifetime and could’ve stayed another three months, filling each day with a different hike, dining experience, small town, or outdoor adventure. In fact, I would up and move here in a heartbeat if Minnesota didn’t hold my entire extended family.

We instantly fell in love with this bowl of mountains and I came home excited to share our five-day itinerary so you can embrace the beauty with more ease and some tried-and-true recommendations. Plus, now the internet has a blog about vacationing in Banff for people like us – people who understand limits, whining, balance, growth, and the importance of packing all the snacks.

What to Know Before You Go

First off, Canada is big. Like, huge. And Banff, which is in the province of Alberta, sits above Montana just east of British Columbia. Some quick Canada facts include:

1. Their currency is Canadian dollars (no, not that same as American dollars). See exchange rates here.
2. While English is the official language in Alberta, you will see and hear French regularly in the area.
3. Canada follows the International Metric System, so shift your thinking to kilometers, grams, and Celsius.
4. If you’re going to the town of Banff, there is a one hour time difference between there and Minnesota.
5. To get into Canada, each family members needs a valid passport. Passports are valid for 10 years for adults but only 5 years for children. Be sure to plan ahead if you need one – here’s a link to all you’ll need to make it happen. *Mom tip: Put names on the back cover of your passports so it’s easy to know whose is whose without needing to frantically page through each one when going through customs (like going through security isn’t stressful enough, right?)

Our family flew into Calgary and tracked down our Turo car (it’s like Airbnb for cars – check it out!). The drive from Calgary to Banff is about 90 minutes, but our lodging was actually located in the town of Canmore.

Canmore is 20 minutes closer to the Calgary Airport than the town of Banff. Being close enough to Banff, we chose to stay here because A) it was equally as adorable and scenic and (more importantly) B) was soooo much cheaper to lodge here than in the town of Banff. More on Canmore later, but I highly recommend it.

My husband found an awesome lodge for us to stay. This is worth noting because, as a family of five with one kid now standing as tall as his dad and another who sleeps like a drunken helicopter, we need space that isn’t always easy to find or affordable. If you need more than a basic hotel room, look into the Lodges at Canmore (can also be found on Airbnb). The location was awesome because it was walkable to lots of little shops, food, and even the downtown area.

More tips you’ll be happy you read:

WHEN TO VISIT
Due to the popularity of this area, we advise visiting during shoulder-season (for Canada, this is Spring or Fall). Summer gets bizzzzzzzzzy and who likes a massive crowd when you’re trying to take in the peacefulness of nature? Our family visited in mid-June and we could tell the crowds were starting to build up, but we were still able to find parking spots, secure park passes, and not freeze our butts off.

WHAT TO PACK
It was in mid-50s to -60s when we were there – we certainly did not regret bringing warm sweatshirts. The Rockies are cold and layers are good. Throw a backpack on your back and strip down as the day goes on, but you likely won’t want to start your mornings in a t-shirt and shorts. Just like any unpredictably-weathered vacation, be sure to check the weather a week or two before you head out and pack accordingly. Oh, and rain is not uncommon. We packed rain coats for everyone and (thankfully) never had to bust them out once, but that’s not the norm.

HOW MUCH IS IT
Eating gets expensive. While the Canadian exchange rate is in our favor, it felt like eating was pricier than what we see here in Minnesota. It’s lovely because you don’t see a lot of chains in the area but you will pay for the uniqueness of your dining choices. If you’re looking to save some bucks, consider packing a portable cooler and hitting up a market for sandwiches and chips for some stunning picnicking. I’m all about supporting local but a family of five (one being a perpetually-starving teenage boy) adds up. Banff was slightly more expensive than Canmore, in general.

WHAT TO PREPARE IN ADVANCE
Have Canadian cash on-hand for certain items (including Lake Louise Tea House). 99% of everywhere takes credit card, but for the small handful of exceptions, it’s nice to have it. Have passports ordered and ready to go. If you plan to visit Banff (the town) or the actual National Park, you will need a National Park Pass for your car dashboard. This is something you can order in advance to avoid potential lines of cars or a visit to the Visitor Center. You’ll want to know the days you’ll need your passes for + how many people will be in your vehicle before you order. A daily pass for a family is only $22 so that’s the way to do it if you have less than eight humans in your car. Otherwise it’s $11/adult per day and kids 17 and under are free.

If you plan to do a gondola (or other tour), consider looking up their online tickets. This avoids lines and can cost less. And always looks for family deals! We booked tickets ahead of time for the Banff Gondola after being shocked that the Sunshine Meadows Gondola (our original plan) didn’t open until late June. So do your research, plan your routes, and book tickets if available.

If you are going to do any major hiking, be sure to budget in the cost of bear spray ($40-70 depending on where you buy it). Pack a carabiner and you can attach the bear spray directly to the front of your backpack when hiking. It is highly recommended in every blog I’ve ever read about Canada hiking. Just sayin’.

One more biggie if you want to visit Lake Louise or Lake Moraine is to book the shuttle. It is currently the only way to access the lakes, so if this is on your list, it’s a MUST. Shuttles start in May and operate daily until mid-October or thereabouts. To keep life simple, you’ll want to book yourself the Parks Canada Shuttle. The hard part of shuttle-only is the actual SECURING of the reservation. 60% of the shuttle tickets are released at 9am CT two days before you plan to visit, so check back two days in advance for more availability (they release the other 40% early in the season).

This whole process felt complicated to me, so step-by-step, here’s what I recommend: Set an alarm for 8:45am exactly two days before you plan on visiting the lakes and have an account pre-made on the Parks Canada website to save yourself trouble and time when making the reservation. When the time arrives to book your shuttle, slots will go fast. Decide in advance if you’re hoping to do Lake Louise or Moraine first and whether you want to enter the park early or later in the day. (We visited Louise first because we knew we wanted to do the big hike there and wanted the kids to be fresh so we grabbed the morning slot to Lake Louise with the Shuttle Connector to Moraine in the afternoon.)

Once you’ve decided what you’d like to do, hop online to https://reservation.pc.gc.ca at 9am exactly two days before your hopeful visit. Sign in and select the “Day Use” tab. Select “Shuttle to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake” and pick your arrival date and party size. In map view, select the shuttle icon or in list view, select the shuttle option. This will show you what is available on which day during which time windows. Make your choice and go through the booking process. Adults are $8 and kids under 17 are free. BOOM! Booked.

Other transportation options include Roam Public Transit (less crowds, but more $$) or the Moraine Lake Bus. I’ll let you research those yourself because I can only speak to the Parks Canada Shuttle – and had zero complaints about the process.

Now that I spent half a year explaining transportation how-tos, let’s move on to the fun stuff, shall we? Let the itinerary-ing begin!

Day 1: Arrival (and Pizza)

We arrived in Calgary and drove straight to Canmore to settle in to our room at The Lodges at Canmore. The drive was a quick and easy 90 minutes and gets more and more spectacular as you get closer to the mountains. I even spotted moose off the highway! Our kids thought the “animal crossings” were super cool so be sure to look for those (they’re basically tunnels that go over the highway so wildlife can safely cross to the other side. #OnlyInCanada.)

After touring our room and setting up shop, we drove to downtown Canmore for a late dinner (parking is easy). Everyone was exhausted, but we happily scarfed some farm-fresh pizza from Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company which offers gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian options all whipped up in their giant wood-fired oven. Not to go straight to the beer talk, but if they still have Tree Brewing’s Mellow Moon Pineapple Hefeweizen, get it. Do it for me.

After pizza, we walked a couple of the main streets in downtown Canmore but just wanted to go to bed, so we did that. Asleep by 9pm on Day One of vacation – gearing up for a big Day Two.

Day 2: Banff Gondola, Downtown Banff, Johnston Canyon

Day two is always the best – everyone is energized, still excited, everything’s still new, and now you’re well-rested! Taking advantage of these perks, we filled our day two with a variety of activities, starting with bagels from the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company in downtown Canmore. Nothing fills you up like a yummy toasted bagel – and they bake their own every morning. Pick up a bag of day-olds to take on hikes if you have a carb-loving family like I do.

We had booked 9am tickets to the Banff Gondola online well before our trip and I’m so happy we did because their parking lots fill up fast. I swear we got one of the last three spots in the lot (darn time-consuming bagels). Tickets to this gondola vary by season ranging from $50-90 (kids under 6 are always free) but this is one place that offers a Family Experience ticket where you get one free child admission with each paying adult. This saved our family $100! Tickets to the gondola can be purchased on-site but the line was long and, like, why?

The Banff Gondola sits at the base of Sulpher Mountain where parking is minimal, so consider using their complimentary shuttle service. Simply show them your gondola ticket for a free ride (another reason to buy your tickets in advance). It’s easy to figure out the routes and will save you time and frustration if the lot is full.

Since we had early admission and snagged a parking lot spot, we walked the short walk to the gondola building and braced ourselves for the 7,500-foot ride into the mountains. If you’re scared of heights, this likely isn’t an adventure for you, but I promise you it’s worth closing your eyes for the 8-minute ride to the top to experience those views! The gondola chairs never stop so no worries there and they’re very non-complex to board and exit. They are made for four adults, so we had no issue fitting our family of five in one car. Strollers are not allowed on the gondola and the lower building hosts a gift shop, bathrooms, and a Starbucks (yup. They’re everywhere.) Get in line, wait your turn, hop aboard, and prepare to be floored by beauty!

At the top of Sulpher Mountain, you’ll arrive in the upper terminal which has a coffee company (not Starbucks), another gift shop, restaurants (Sky Bistro is floor-to-ceiling glass windows with mountain views for days – and a hefty price tag but would be a super special experience), a multi-sensory theater, exhibits, and more bathrooms. Exit the building and when you’re done picking your jaw up off the ground, take the boardwalk hike to Sanson’s Peak. It’s a lot of stairs (so bring a baby carrier if you have little ones…and your patience). Allow yourself at least an hour or two to soak it all in at the top – we saw mountain goats, bought a couple souvenirs, read about the weather station at the top, and used the plastic binoculars we packed to find pikas in the rocks (a pika is like a hamster-meets-rabbit and I want one to live in my house with me).

Once you’ve soaked in all of Sulpher Mountain, head back to the upper terminal to hop in line for the gondola ride back down. Look for wildlife, hikers, dropped cell phones. It was one of the coolest adventures we did as a family on this trip and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

We did the Banff Gondola, but other gondola options include:

• Sunshine Meadows Chairlift
• Lake Louise Sightseeing Gondola
• Mt. Norquay Sightseeing Chairlift

If heights aren’t your jam, you could visit the Banff Hot Springs, warm pools of water to rest and relax that requires no hiking or pre-planning required.

Still in awe from our views, we hopped in the car and drove the 10 minutes to the town of Banff’s main shopping area. Thankfully we were there on a Thursday because when we went back on Saturday it was a nuthouse. I can’t imagine how busy it is on a weekend in peak season! But it WAS absolutely adorable and the shops, restaurants, bars, and cafes felt so local and friendly, we had a blast shopping for candy, ice cream, clothing, and souvenirs.

After much dining debate, we settled on the rooftop of Magpie & Stump where we enjoyed the taste of Mexico under the sunshine with nachos, burritos, and some (virgin) pina coladas (FYI – happy hour is 3-5 daily, 50% off tacos!)

Other recommendations are Cows for ice cream (line is long), Three Bears Brewing for a beverage, and BeaverTails for what I can only describe as deep fried dough covered in sugary substances that tastes like a child’s dream and a diabetic’s nightmare. Even as a diabetic, I loved it. Who am I kidding?

When we were full and tired of shopping, it was time to head to one of the hikes we had chosen for this trip – Johnston Canyon. Another 30 minute drive away from Banff and Canmore, but we read amazing things about this hike so had to do it.

Our family is a big waterfall family, so if there’s a waterfall involved, we will likely choose it. Johnston Canyon is also one of the easier hikes around the Banff area, so it all seemed to make sense. Other than those facts, I didn’t know much about it until we arrived. But I learned quickly –

Johnston Canyon’s hike to the Upper Falls is about 3 miles round trip and is an out-and-back trail. The elevation gain is nearly non-existent and the walk along the water is mostly boardwalk/bridges (so: beautiful). The parking lots were quick to fill early in the day and the crowds reflected that though. This was my biggest knock – we arrived later in the day and paid for it with the lines of people also wanting to see the falls. There was even a school group of about 40 kids that kept lapping us, then stopping, then lapping us again. I found it frustrating considering the path is narrow and there’s nowhere to really “get out of the way.” But I got over it and won’t complain about it anymore.

If you decide to hike Johnston Canyon, I would definitely aim for the Upper Falls, which is only a 1.5 mile hike (vs. just a 1/2 mile hike to the Lower Falls). Strollers are a pretty bad idea here. We saw people trying but we also saw a large chunk of strollers deserted by the bathrooms at the trailhead because you really can’t get where you want to go via stroller. There’s not a lot of stopping places to have a picnic or even a snack, but we found a couple offshoots that allowed us a rest. The lines to get photos at the lower falls were crazy, but if you decide to come early in the day, or even early evening, you’ll have a better shot of smaller crowds and likely have a much more enjoyable hike.

If you have a family that loves an extra challenge, you can keep hiking another two miles to the Ink Pots, which are gorgeous cold springs surrounded by sand, trees, and mountains. But the hike back out is uphill, so gauge all the factors before deciding to proceed post-upper-falls. We did not do this. We were running on empty and I was almost out of snackery (that’s my word for “snack bribery.” Both Lower and Upper Falls were worth the hike, even with the crowds. The color of the stream water was awesome and it felt so alive. Lots of crashing water, lots of hidden caverns to spot, lots of limitless floods of pouring falls that make you question: How does this much water even exist? It was cool and I’m happy we did it.

Soaring to the top of a mountain, shopping, and hiking will take a toll on little bodies, so our end of day choice was actually to head back to the lodge for an evening swim. With the heated pool, this was a no-brainer and everyone had a very chill (not chill-y) time. Traveling with family is all about the give-and-take. If you expect them to climb mountain summits, we have to allow them downtime to do kid things – like swim. So that is exactly what we did.

Dinner was late-night chicken wings at a very forgettable restaurant near our lodge, but if we had more energy I would’ve loved to have tried Canmore Brewing Company. Oh well. Guess I’ll have to go back.

Day 3: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes Tea House, Moraine Lake, Rocket Pie Pizza

Oh, day 3. A day I’ll never forget. Legitimately one of the best vacation days I’ve ever had with my whole family in my entire life. What I had seen online for the travels we were going to make that day did not even do it justice! The lakes, the blue colors, the tea house adorableness, heck – even the (yes, more) pizza. A perfect day from A to Z.

The plan of the day was to drive to the shuttle, do the Lake Agnes Tea House hike, possible try for the Big Beehive overlook, shuttle over to Moraine Lake, see how we’re feeling and if we had another hike in us, then head back for dinner in Canmore. We accomplished about 75% of those things and I was pretty proud of us for even doing that!

We started out early because we had secured our Canada Lakes Shuttle pass (see above under “What to Prepare in Advance” for full details) for the 10:00-11:00am window and we definitely wanted to get a filling breakfast before our long hike. I picked Beamer’s Coffee Bar in Canmore and was pleased with the choice. We had croissants, breakfast sandwiches, cinnamon buns, parfaits, and delicious coffee drinks (menu here). We took our food to go and started the one hour drive to the shuttle pickup. This was NOT an adventure we wanted to be late for!

The Canada Lakes shuttles do pickups right near the Lake Louise Ski Resort and they do a great job of emailing you with detailed information for parking, tickets, and times. We got there in plenty of time, got our paper ticket from the booth, and got our spot in line for the Lake Louise delivery shuttle. We noticed the line for Moraine Lake dropoff was even longer and that is a choice you can make – Moraine is stunning in the morning hours but we knew we didn’t want to rush our Lake Agnes hike so chose Louise as our first stop.

Important Note: Hang on to your ticket – this is your Park Connector shuttle ticket and will get you to and from the other lakes if you choose to do that. Also, if you have plans to do the Tea House, bring Canadian cash, eh?

The shuttle ride was about 20 minutes to Lake Louise from the pickup spot. When we arrived, we followed the crowd to the big blue lake everyone sees on Instagram. But unlike so many influencer hot-spots, this one was definitely all it was cracked up to be. The color was surreal. The background even more surreal. We had blue skies in our favor and a sunny day (not always the case) and were so grateful for no rain. If rain is in the forecast and you’re considering a hike, be sure to do hiking boots and pack a rain jacket. It’s a doable hike in the rain, but not as pleasant without the right gear.

Speaking of gear, our kids wore their hiking shoes and layered shirts – while we were cold in some spots, most of the time with the vertical Lake Agnes hike, we did get sweaty and stripped down. Our day packs held water bottles, snacks, bug spray, binoculars, sunscreen, and our camera.

To get a lay of the land, Lake Louise is quite large and has a walkway around most (if not all) of it. When we got there, we veered right and headed to the Lake Agnes Tea House trailhead that heads towards Mirror Lake. The climb to the tea house will take about 2 hours and goes up about 1,500 feet in elevation – albeit slowly, but you WILL feel the burn. It’s a gradual, but brutal at times, hike, so make sure your whole family is up for the challenge. A lot of the trek is woods with some great glimpses of the lakes and eventually you will come across Mirror Lake. This was a nice place to stop and have a treat or dip your toes in the ice cold water. The lake is small and not as colorful, but it was fun to look up into the hills and try to find the chimney of the tea house.

It was mid-June when we hiked and there were patches of snow nearing the top of the trail the closer we got to the Lake Agnes Tea House. It was muddy and slick in spots, but we weren’t going to let that stop us from our sandwiches and soup.

The tea house entrance is some steep steps and a waterfall (again, beautiful) and then out of nowhere you see it. An adorable wood cabin from 1905 is ready to serve you, as it has for hikers for over a century. It’s obviously grown in popularity so if you’re visiting in high season, be warned that your wait could be far greater than ours was. While my family checked out the water and surrounding paths, I happily stood in line (not moving and resting my head on the railing up the tea house steps) awaiting a table. The line had two options – one side for dining in and one side for to-go. We had dreams of eating AT the actual tea house, so I spent the extra 10 minutes to wait for dining in and was so happy I did. I think I stood in line a total of 25 minutes before we were called in to sit inside the tea house (also very pleased we avoided a table on the patio because at that point it was getting chillier again and our sweat had dried and I was coooold).

The inside of the Lake Agnes Tea House was the highlight of my trip. Read up on the history, talk to the workers, try the teas, order the biscuit. The inside is a hodge podge of seating options and gives “hobbits live here” vibes. I loved everything about it.

The tea house is open June through November and has zero electricity. They don’t accept credit cards and have solar lights that warm and light their kitchen. Bakers make pastries and bread from scratch every morning and the sweet employees bunk in nearby bunkhouses for 5-day stints before ending their “shift” bringing down with them bags of garbage and presumably finally taking a shower once they arrive home. The girls were joyful, efficient and got along lovingly in the kitchen. Restrooms our outhouses that sit up a set of steps behind the tea house, but if ya gotta go, ya gotta go.

Our meals were basic (the homemade bread was the shining star) and absolutely hit the spot after a hard hike. Cucumber sandwiches, peanut butter, biscuits with jam, hot chocolate, warm tea, vegetable soup, bars and cookies and breads – oh my! Our total was well over $100 but it was worth every single Canadian penny for both the food and the experience.

After lunch, we thought we’d try to finish the hike to Little Beehive, which is supposed to be a majestic collage of all the areas you’ve passed during your hike in one snapshot. Only about 3/4 of a mile up (but on a full stomach) proved to be more difficult than we all anticipated. While the crowds up here were lessened, the final push proved harder than we thought. I blame the vegetable soup. Or the raspberry bar.

We hit Little Beehive, snapped all our pics, took mini naps on the large rocks, threw some snow, and debated trying to finish the series and complete Big Beehive, but our kids were adamantly against it. OK, I’m kidding. It was me. I was adamantly against it. You guys, I was tired.

So back down we went. This hike is an in and out hike (not a loop) and while you’d think going down would be much easier than coming up, we were shocked at the toll it took on our knees and feet. It is quite a steep climb so down took caution and attentiveness. Plus, there was a lot more horse poop on the trails on the way down, which served as great entertainment for our 8-year old. The entire “up, down, and eat in between” experience took us about four hours, and I felt like we were movin’.

Was it hard? Sure. Was it 100000% worth it? ABSOLUTELY. Do I wish I had bought another raspberry bar at the tea house and brought it home with me? Also, yes.

Our family celebrated at the bottom as we walked past teal Lake Louise to head for the shuttles. We soaked in one final viewing of this one-in-a-million lake, and were very proud of ourselves for accomplishing what we came to Banff to do. Kids can do anything if they just believe in themselves and put one foot in front of the other. Never doubt their abilities. They are amazing little creatures.

The trek to the shuttles was in the parking lot at the same spot as dropoff, but this time we got in line for the Connector shuttle. It was time for us to see Moraine Lake! Shuttles arrive every 15-30 minutes but are regular and often even early.

It was late afternoon and our crew was understandably exhausted so the 15-minute ride to Moraine was a welcomed rest period. You will need your paper connector pass to board the shuttle and the wait can be long depending on the time of day. Obviously by end of day, not as many people are still lake-hopping so the line was probably quite a bit shorter than normal (also, it was the shoulder season – I cannot stress enough what a difference this will make!)

Moraine Lake was the perfect evening cap to our exhaustive day. The waters were almost as teal as Louise and the mountains felt even closer. We threw pebbles from the shore and built cairns with rocks and put our feet up until we were reenergized enough to explore the area.

Moraine Lake has a cute gift shop near the shuttle dropoff and some port-a-potties in the parking lot, but our kids’ eyes went directly to the giant scaleable rock pile next to the shoreline. There is actually a trail that leads to the top of the rock pile, but us being the maniacs we are, scaled them like we were starring in the sequel of Free Solo. It was fun and a little dangerous, but once you’re at the top, you (and your camera) will be thrilled you made the scale!

There are hikes all around Moraine if you choose to do them. It’s also worth noting that both Lake Louise and Moraine have canoe rentals if you have the money, the time, and the patience to wait for a canoe (keep in mind – these will cost you upwards of $150 per canoe for an hour and are on a first come first served basis).

We spent a total of about 45 minutes at Moraine Lake, but were all ready to call it a day and head back to Canmore for food and rest. Our fuel tanks had run out of tea house peanut butter sandwiches and lemonade so we did not attempt the Lakeshore Trail, Sentinel Pass, or Larch Valley hikes, but maybe next time. Moraine deserves more time and love than we were able to give it that day, but more reason to come back!

The shuttle ride back was exactly like the ride there, except 3/5 of us fell asleep. I’d say that’s a sign of a day well spent. We got back to our car and had to make the hour drive back to Canmore for dinner. No one was in the mood to sit at a restaurant so we called an audible and ordered pizza from Rocket Pie, a local pizza place that surprised us with its awesome crust (also available gluten-free) and funky flavors.

I’ve never seen these children eat pizza so fast (and we eat a LOT of pizza!). Pajamas, pull-out sofa bed, and a movie put everyone to sleep – full, accomplished, happy, and ready for another day of adventure.

Day 4: Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk, Downtown Canmore, Banff Canoe Club

Every vacation should have a built-in “do whatever comes up” day and that’s exactly what our Day 4 was. Everyone slept in but excitedly popped out of bed when we promised them crepes from the neighborhood breakfast joint, Cacao 70. The menu was fun and unique and their waffles came with ice cream on them!

With our walking shoes on, it was time to check out downtown Canmore by foot. The walk from our lodge to downtown was easy to get to using the Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk – an accessible scenic trail with ponds, ducks, birds, and a mountain-laden background. On your way, be sure to stop at the town’s symbol, the Big Head Sculpture.

The Big Head is the start of a variety of amazing little shops and local restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and art galleries. Be sure to take in 8, 9, and 10 Street to get the true taste of Canmore. And stop at Old School Bus Ice Cream for a scoop of ice cream served straight out of an – you guessed it – old school bus.

We shopped for about an hour and headed back to get the car from our lodge, but before getting back, we sidetracked to a local grocer for some picnic-able items to bring in to Banff for lunch. At the lodge, we tossed our drinks and groceries into a cooler, then drove the 20 minutes into Banff to do some canoeing on the Bow River.

There are obviously tons of options to canoe in the Banff area, so narrowing it down was not easy. But the Banff Canoe Club won out because it was A) easy, B) affordable, C) close, and D) FUN! The hardest part of the whole adventure was finding a parking spot. Banff is a very busy little town on Saturdays and the parking lots proved it. Once we nailed a spot, we brought our cooler down to the shoreline of the Bow River and enjoyed a much-deserved picnic to energize us for our canoe ride.

The Banff Canoe Club is set up on the Bow River in town between hotels and a hospital. The setup is clear and easy – we walked into line, filled out some paperwork, and got a canoe nearly instantly. Life jackets, whistles, and oars are provided. The employees were awesome and helped us in and out, and even set our littlest up with a backrest for his middle seat because he is so tiny. Our total was $60 per canoe and we rented two canoes + an extra $10 for our third person. Prices are spelled out nicely on their website. This is a far cry from the canoe rental prices from the lakes we were at less than 24 hours prior, am I right?

Canoeing was a favorite for our kiddos. Be sure to have someone with muscle in each canoe because the current is relatively strong one way (thank you, teenage son, for being my muscle). We rowed up around the bend with nothing but blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the distance as our scenery. It was thankfully a quiet day on the water because it’s not a super wide river so if you get too many canoes out there, I imagine it’s not the calmest activity.

When we got as far as our arms could take us, and keeping an eye on the time, we turned our boats around and enjoyed the currents pushing our canoes back to the canoe club. Do keep an eye on time – we were told that if you go over your time, you may as well stay out for a second hour because you will get charged for it. But boy, did that hour FLY! I’m so so happy we decided to do this. It was a total blast!

We returned our canoe and decided to walk into the town of Banff to get a few extra steps in. We bought some clothes, a Christmas ornament, a Beaver Tail, a beer, and some appetizers at a little pub on the main street. It was a cozy, relaxing, sunny, lovely way to end our time in Banff.

Of course we returned early to the lodge to night swim and crashed hard and happy, once again.

Day 5: Spray Lakes Road, Calgary, Home

How we planned our trip was to fly in and out of Calgary, which is about 90 minutes from Banff. With an early morning flight, our decision was to spend our last full day in Canada exploring Calgary and sleeping in a hotel near the airport. So that’s what we did!

We woke at our Lodges at Canmore one last time on Day 5 and grabbed coffee and parfaits from Blondies, the quaint little corner coffee shop I’d been eyeing up since we got to town. It was busy and wonderful. We had our hearts set on seeing some Canadian wildlife before we had to headed back to the Midwest so I googled best driving loops to spot wildlife and decided to do the Spray Lakes Road drive near Grassi Lakes. We were hiked out so we only drove the road, but there are many hiking options along this drive. Know that they are pretty rustic and woodsy though (read: >bear potential).

We followed our Google map to the “Canmore Nordic Centre” and followed the road along the water. I had my eyes glued into the woods dying to spy a bear or moose, but alas, nothing. The roads are all gravel and are very bumpy and the viewpoints are aplenty, so drive slow if time and company allows. Our family did wind up driving past small herds of mountain goats (some had babies – eeee!) but that was it for wildlife. Oh well. The drive was still the nature cherry on top of our scenic vacation sundae.

After the drive, it was time to bid farewell to the mountains. The time for our 90-minute drive into Calgary had come so goodbye Banff and beauty, hello giant metro Calgary!

We arrived in Calgary early afternoon and had zero clue how we were going to spend our day here. All I knew of was the Peace Bridge, an artist-designed pedestrian phenomenon that crosses the Bow River on the way into downtown Calgary. That was the first thing we did – parked on the street using a parking app and walked across the bridge towards the city. It was a LOT warmer in the metro than in the mountains, so we splashed around a bit in the river and watched all the tubes float by, wishing we had planned ahead and booked one for ourselves. Check out Lazy Day Raft Rentals if the idea of floating down a river on a hot day sounds inviting.

Downtown Calgary is a lot like Minneapolis with apartments, a substantial skyline, tons of restaurants, and the occasional grassy square they call a “park.” The Calgary Tower is a tourist attraction with 360 views allowing you to see the whole city with glass under your feet (cost is $22/adult, $10/child). There’s also the Calgary Zoo, Chinatown, and a few cool museums.

As much as we love a big city, there’s almost nothing that beats walking through the local neighborhoods of a new-to-us city. Our neighborhood of choice was the Kensington Neighborhood, a short walk southeast from the Peace Bridge with eclectic consignment shops, hole-in-the-wall dining choices (hello Flipp’in Burgers, I’m talking to you!), record stores, coffee shops, creameries, bakeries, and poutine! Gotta get some poutine.

Because I am a tortured Type 1 Diabetic who likes to break rules, my favorite stop was Pie Junkie, an adorable pie shop and bakery that sold mini pies, ice cream pies, pot pies, pastries, and even more. It was a little piece of what my future heaven will look (and smell) like.

Eventually, we got back to the car and headed down 17th Avenue on our way to the hotel, but had to stop because this street was hoppin’! What caught my eye was a vintage market in the middle of the town square. My son made his own trucker hat and I shopped for awesome clothes and enjoyed some sunshine and strolling.

Our late lunch was at Cold Beer & Pizza, a very newly-opened pizza and pub with a patio that just happened to be right next to where we parked. This is a bold claim, but my husband is a pizza snob and he says this was some of the best pizza he’s had in his life. Not bad considering we were in Calgary and not Chicago or New York. The patio had a ping pong table which our kids enjoyed while we cheers’ed our beers to a trip well done. Family travel has its difficulties, but man, is it worth every struggle, meltdown, penny, and calorie.

And that’s a wrap, folks. The next morning we woke up and hopped on a plane back to Minneapolis from Calgary (with one stop in Edmonton – the day before the Oilers were in their last battle for the Stanley Cup!). Uneventful, which is exactly how I prefer travel days to be.

This was a family trip of a lifetime, a bucket lister for sure. We could’ve stayed another month and headed to Jasper, Glacier, Golden, heck even Edmonton would’ve been cool to check out. We never saw a bear, we never did the hot springs, we didn’t get to Three Sisters or Tunnel Mountain, never climbed Castle Mountain or went inside the Cave and Basin Historic site… but we did a LOT and realistically, time is a big dumb thief so we will just have to go back someday.

Traveling with varying ages of kids can be difficult. Can the little ones keep up? Maybe. Will the big ones be bored? Maybe. Will it be worth it? HARD YES.

Banff is magic. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve ever been that hosts mountains and blue skies. It felt distant and serene and busy but peaceful. It’s as chaotic or calm as you make it. It’s the perfect place to wear your layers and go wherever your feet want to take you.