Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, has been at the top of Timothy’s must-see list for years. We’ve talked about going for our anniversary, but read that September isn’t the best month to go since it’s a muddy in-between of the frozen beauty of winter and the melted beauty of summer.

I was browsing google flights, trying out different destinations on different days to see if there were any deals. I chanced on a seasonal Frontier flight from Vegas to Calgary for $150/person round trip… departing in two days. I turned to Timothy and asked if he wanted to go somewhere for a long weekend. He suggested a few places closer to home before I interrupted with “how about Banff?”

It took a little convincing that it was feasible on such short notice, but we had free nights on hotels.com to cover two of three nights we would be gone and 4WD car rentals were reasonable.

Two days later we were off!

 

WHERE TO STAY

We spent the first night in Bow View Lodge, steps away from downtown Banff. It was very reasonably priced at $54 a night, plus we got 10% back with our Capitol One Venture Rewards Card on hotels.com. It was nice for a two-star hotel, but we did have one complaint. The thermostat didn’t work! The room wasn’t freezing, considering it was 1 degree Fahrenheit outside, but we couldn’t get it toasty like I’d have liked either – if the thermostat was reading correctly it hovered around 67. I recommend this hotel if you’re looking for somewhere clean but budget friendly close to downtown Banff.

The next two nights we used our hotels.com reward nights to stay at The Juniper Hotel, about .2 miles out of downtown Banff. It was a lovely three-star hotel. They offered cookies on arrival, the thermostat worked, their complimentary body wash smelled amazing, and they featured a small hot tub outside which we went out to see but decided not to brave. It’s worth mentioning the hotel’s bistro is very popular and highly rated, however it was way out of our budget so I can’t comment on it’s quality. All in all, I recommend this hotel if you’re looking for somewhere reasonably priced but still very nice!

It’s important to note hotels are much pricier over Christmas weekend and in the summer. The significantly cheaper winter prices are a great bonus to visiting in this season!

 

WHERE TO EAT

Banff is a tourist hotspot, and the prices of local eateries reflect that. The bistro in The Juniper Hotel smelled delicious, but the prices were insane. To keep this a budget-friendly trip we ended up eating only two meals in true local gems, but luckily we can highly recommend both of them!

For dinner we enjoyed Eddie Burger Bar in downtown Banff. You can find their menu here:

https://www.eddieburgerbar.ca/

They had a vast variety of customizable burgers with all kinds of toppings, and we both got one and were quite happy with them. Their fries were well seasoned and their staff friendly, recommending a nice place for dinner out of town if we were staying. It is a really small place with just a few tables, and the vibes lean more bar than restaurant. They had lots of milkshakes, some 21+, though their specialty was claimed to be “The Trashcan” which we didn’t try because it featured red bull. We did try an apple cider they had on tap, by the Canadian Okanagan. Neither of us are big drinkers but this was a darn good cider. It was unique in that it had a sour green apple taste. I’m so disappointed we can’t get it in the US!

For breakfast we dipped in Skoki’s Waffles, Crepes, and Frozen yogurt. You can find their menu here:

http://www.skokis.ca/menu1

They are a family owned business and EVERYTHING on the menu looked good. We both got bacon waffles and hot chocolate and devoured it. The bacon was cooked into the waffles, and they came with maple syrup (of course). I wanted to try so many other treats, but we were stuffed! What we did have was delicious.

 

WHAT TO SEE AND DO

• Ice skate outdoors on Lake Louise! The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offers skate rentals in an equipment shop to the right of the front desk at $14 for 2 hours, or you’re welcome to bring your own. There is no charge to go out on the lake! Older websites mention Chateau Mountain Sports as the spot to rent, but while the winter supply store is still there they no longer offer rentals. The lake typically opens for skating in early to mid-December and remains open as long as the hotel maintains it, which is usually through March. Skating is at your own risk, but they won’t clear the snow off the ice unless it’s a very safe thickness. (All the same, skating over cracks in the ice had my anxiety kicked into high gear.) Overall this experience was one of my favorites from the trip. It was both Timothy’s and my first time skating on a lake, and I can’t imagine a more beautiful backdrop.

• Explore The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and if it ’tis the season enjoy the Christmas décor! There were trees and garlands throughout the beautiful hotel while we were there. The thick branded mittens in their shop make a nice souvenir, too!

• Walk the path around Lake Louise -or take a horse drawn carriage! The views are unbeatable, and we loved our stroll but had a spark of jealousy for the sleighs that jingled by as well. Sleigh rides go for $37/adult and $30/child up to 8-years-old. Sleighs depart on the hour throughout the day. Find more information here: https://www.fairmont.com/lake-louise/promotions/sleighrides/

• Take the Lake Louise Ski Resort Gondola. They have a sightseeing option to go round trip for $35.95/person. I really wanted to see the view from the top but on this trip we elected to save the $$. There are no facilities at the top so do what you gotta do before heading up! You can stay as long as you want to enjoy the view and watch the skiers taking off. Keep in mind the last ride up leaves at 3:30pm. You can purchase tickets ahead of time here: https://shop.skilouise.com/2018-19-sightseeing-lift-ticket-adult.html

• Stop to enjoy the breathtaking view of Morant’s Curve, and hope to spot a train! Several online sites suggest trains run every twenty minutes, but we waited there (freezing) for forty-five and didn’t see one. We were disappointed but couldn’t afford to spend more time waiting since we had no idea if it’d be five more minutes or an hour. Since the majority of the trains going through are cargo trains, there isn’t a schedule you can follow. The curve is named for Nicholas Morant, a photographer for Cathay Pacific Railway, whose fabulously successful photo of the curve is thought to have helped draw visitors to Banff National Park.  The viewpoint is off of Bow Valley Parkway, heading away from Lake Louise village. There is not a sign marking the spot, though there is a small parking area. Once you’re on the parkway the curve is only about five minutes driving, so keep a close watch! We visited Morant’s Curve in the morning not long after sunrise and couldn’t have asked for better lighting… the snow floating off the trees looked like swirls of glitter in the air.

• Walk around downtown Banff, the perfect place to enjoy a steaming cup of hot chocolate. The town is quaint and quintessentially Canadian, if a little touristy. The mountains rising up seemingly just beyond the streets are stunning.

• See Bow Falls, just minutes from downtown Banff, frozen over! There is a parking area off Bow River Avenue. It’s a quick stop but worth seeing.

• Rent a toboggan in Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel. There’s a slope behind the hotel used by locals and tourists. We didn’t get a chance to do this on our trip but think it sounds like a lot of fun to try with kiddos someday!

• Banff Upper Hot Springs can be visited for $8.30/person, and towel or even bathing suit rentals are available for $1.90/each. The entry fee includes a locker for your personal items. Located on Mountain Avenue not far south of Banff, we ALMOST skipped this and I’m so glad we didn’t. I highly recommend ending the day there. To be honest, I thought it might be miserable going in. No way in the frigid weather could this water be hot enough, right? I was wrong! At 104 degrees Fahrenheit the water felt AMAZING. It was actually hot enough that in the hour we stayed in, watching the sunset move across the snowy mountain backdrop, we sat on the edge of the pool several times to COOL OFF. I noticed a couple of people wore hats in the water but you absolutely didn’t need them. The rising steam kept the top of our heads plenty warm. We would have stayed even longer if we didn’t get so hungry and dehydrated. (We ended up picking up a pizza and relaxing in our hotel room for the rest of the night, trying to hold on to the waters heat.) At 5200ft Banff Upper Hot Springs is the highest operating in Canada. According to their website the thermal waters are pushed vertically more than 6500ft, through a big crack in the layers of rock. The hot spring facility is open Sunday-Thursday 10am-10pm and Friday-Saturday 10am-11pm, with the last admission sold 30 minutes before closing. http://www.hotsprings.ca/banff-upper-hot-springs

• Hike in Johnston Canyon to see frozen waterfalls. While the trails and catwalks are not steep, we were very thankful for the walking crampons we rented from Snowtips Ice Track Rentals in downtown Banff for $14/day (they also offer half day rentals). There are two forks in the trail. At each, it is best to head right first. These are short branch offs to fabulous views before you head back to the main trail to keep heading upwards. The views along the trail were constantly beautiful, often following the partially frozen glacier-blue river and passing by smaller frozen waterfalls on the way to the main event. The elevation gain to the upper falls is a smidge under 400 feet. It is .7 miles to the lower falls from the Johnston Canyon resort, and from there another mile to the upper falls. It is definitely worth it to go all the way up, as the view at each overlook seemed to be prettier than the next. We spent about 3 hours round trip, which included lots of stops to take in the sights. It was so cold the condensation from my breath froze my hair! It’s always a good idea to check trail conditions first, which you can do here: https://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/tcond/cond_e.asp?opark=100092

• Duck into British Columbia and Kootenay National Park. One location marks the division of two Canadian provinces, two national parks, and two watersheds. There is a sign marking the spot that makes for a nice photo op, too. If you type “The Continental Divide” into your GPS the location should come up, or try this address from Google Maps: Banff-Windermere Hwy, Improvement District No. 9, AB T0L 1E0, Canada

• Go snow tubing! This blog is geared towards people who are looking for things to do besides the obvious skiing and snowboarding opportunities in Banff. Tubing is a family friendly option that I consider a kind of in between! Once again this one was a little out of budget for our trip at $35/person, but when we go back we will definitely be trying it at Mt. Norquay Ski Resort! https://banffnorquay.com/winter/tubing/

 

GETTING AROUND

Since we flew into Calgary, the closest major airport, we rented a car and drove the two hours to Banff. We used Economy Car Rentals, who booked us with their affiliate, Routes. A shuttle picked us up from the airport and took us to office, only for us to find out we were at another affiliate, UDrive. They almost sent us back to the airport to wait for a Routes shuttle – which would have been an awful waste of time when we were freezing and tired – when they discovered our reservation was in fact in their system. No one could figure out why our receipt said Routes but UDrive had our information, but we got our car and that was all we wanted!

We reserved a 4WD SUV because we didn’t feel confident about the road conditions. They gave us a Jeep which we definitely enjoyed, however looking back it probably wasn’t necessary as all the roads were very well cleared while we were there. I would not hesitate at all to book a regular car next time! Driving was definitely the easiest way for us to get from Calgary to Banff, and gave us the most freedom to go where we wanted, stop where we wanted, and just drive around enjoying the views!

All in all, we had an amazing trip. The cold was insane and we couldn’t feel our faces for most of the time we were there, but on the flight home we were planning a return trip which is always a good sign! The weekend trip for two cost around $700, including flights, car rental, gas, hotels, food, and other purchases while there. I wholeheartedly recommend visiting Banff National Park in the winter to enjoy cheaper prices, fewer tourists, gorgeous snowy scenes, and the perfect traditional holiday feel.

Do you have suggestions of more things to do and see in Banff? Comment below!