Feature Destinations

300C Hot Rates and More

Travel Links

Featured Links

Select Hot Links

Other Links of Interest

Destination Cities

BANFF

Alberta | Canada

300C FEATURE DESTINATION: Banff, Alberta, Canada

Banff and Lake Louise have been welcoming international visitors for more than a century. In 1883 the attempts of three Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) workers to stake a claim to the natural hot springs they had discovered bubbling from the base of Sulphur Mountain led to the establishment of Canada’s first national park.
Today, Banff National Park (6,641 square km / 2,564 square miles) is one of four adjoining mountain parks comprising more than 20,235 square km / 7,813 square miles of spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountain landscape. For current visitors, bathing in these same hot springs is but one of many activities offered in Canada’s foremost National Park. When you visit the Banff/Lake Louise area you will see why each year more than 4.5 million visitors come to enjoy the unique feeling of the Canadian Rockies and to experience why the United Nations in 1985 declared our area a “World Heritage Site”.

Banff National Park is a year round playground in the Canadian wilderness. A four season recreational area that offers everything from 7,558 acres of downhill skiing/snowboarding terrain to hundreds of miles of mountain trails. Explore our landscape by bus or car, canoe or raft, on foot or skis. Enjoy the many sightseeing opportunities or photograph some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife on Earth.

HOW TO GET THERE

Banff is just ninety-minutes’ drive and 128km west of Calgary on a fast, four-laned stretch of the Trans-Canada. Speed limits outside the park are 110kph, inside 90kph, but watch your speed, as countless animals are killed on the road every year (one reason for the big roadside fences). Lake Louise is 58km away, Jasper 288km and Edmonton 424km. The approach from the west is more winding, the total journey time from Vancouver (952km) being about twelve hours. From the US the quickest access is from Spokane (600km away via Hwy 95) or Kalispell in Montana (Hwy 93).

TRANSPORTATION

Six daily Greyhound buses from Calgary (1hr 40min; $20 one-way), and five from Vancouver (via either Kamloops or Cranbrook, all via Lake Louise), arrive at the joint Greyhound-Brewster Transportation bus terminal at 100 Gopher St (7.30am-10.45pm, otherwise opens 5min before the departure of night buses; tel 762-6767). Increasingly, popular services are provided between Calgary airport and Banff-Lake Louise direct (and vice versa) by Laidlaw (1 daily year-round, 2 daily Dec-April; $30 to Banff, $38 to Lake Louise, $8 Banff to Lake Louise; tel 762-9102 or 1-800/661-4946; Calgary Ski Bus to Lake Louise tel 256-8473, www.laidlawbanff.com ); the Banff Airporter 8 daily; $36 to Banff; tel 762-3330 or 1-888/449-2901, www.banffairporter.com ); Brewster Transportation (3 daily to Banff and Lake Louise, 1 daily to Jasper in summer; $36 to Banff, $41 to Lake Louise, $71 to Jasper; tel 762-6767 in Banff, tel 221-8242 in Calgary, tel 780/852-3332 in Jasper). The most useful operator currently – because they have hourly departures between the airport and Banff or Lake Louise (and vice versa) – is Sky Shuttle ($34 to Banff; reservations daily 8am-11pm on tel 762-1010 or 1-888/220-7433, www.banffskyshuttle.com ). Given the surfeit of operators, some of the services may well go out of business, so check at the airport – the various companies’ ticket desks are lined up to the right as you face the main exit door in Arrivals. Note that Brewster run the only service between Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper (daily May-Oct 1 or later depending on snow, $51 Banff to Jasper): it’s heavily used. There’s no VIA Rail passenger service – a private company runs luxury trains once a week between Calgary and Vancouver via Banff, but tickets for the two-night trip cost several hundred dollars.

Banff is small enough to get around on foot, but to reach the hostel and campsite (some 3km distant) you might need the small town shuttle bus operated by Banff Transit ($1 – exact change required; information tel 760-8294). It runs twice-hourly noon to midnight on two routes between mid-May and September, and on one route (the second of those detailed below) from mid-April to mid-May and October to December: the Banff Springs Hotel -Spray Avenue-YWCA-Banff Avenue-Trailer RV Parking at the north end of Banff Avenue (leaving the Banff Springs Hotel on the hour and half-hour, the RV Parking on the quarter hour) and Village I Campground-Tunnel Mountain Road-Otter Street-Banff Avenue-Luxton Museum (leaving Village I on the hour and half-hour and the Luxton Museum on the quarter hour). Taxis start at $2.60 and then charge around $1.35 a kilometre: from the bus terminal to the hostel or the Banff Springs Hotel should cost around $7. For details of taxi firms and car rentals , for which bookings should be made well in advance .

TOWN INFORMATION

Banff’s showpiece Banff Information Centre is an excellent joint park/Banff and Lake Louise Tourism Bureau venture at 224 Banff Ave (daily: mid-May to mid-June 8am-6pm; mid-June to early Sept 8am-8pm; early Sept to end of Sept 8am-6pm; Oct to mid-May 9am-5pm; Parks Canada information tel 762-1550: town and accommodation information tel 762-8421, recorded message tel 762-4256; National Park information, also at www.parkscanada.pch.gc.ca/banff .

The centre has information on almost any park-related or town-related subject you care to name, including bear sightings, trails and the weather, and all manner of commercial tours and outdoor activities. It is also the place to pick up a park permit if you haven’t already done so . Among their many free handouts, make a point of asking for the Banff and Vicinity Drives and Walks and The Icefields Parkway for maps of park facilities, the Backcountry Visitors’ Guide for an invaluable overview of backpacking trails and campsites, and Trail Bicycling in the National Parks for conditions and a full list of mountain-bike trails .

To the centre’s rear there is a selection of maps and guides you can consult free: excellent topographical maps can be bought from the “Friends of Banff National Park” shop (tel 762-8918) on the left, but note that many of the shorter and more popular trails are well worn and signed, so you won’t really need detailed maps unless you’re venturing into the backcountry. This is also the place to pick up details or book a place on the various events offered by the “Friends”, which in past years have included free guided walks daily in the summer to Vermilion Lakes (10am, 2hr 30min), a Discovery Tour of the Cave and Basin Hot Springs (45min) and a Park Museum Wildlife Tour (45min); places on walks are limited, so preregister at the store in the information centre.

The Tourism Bureau will point you in the right direction when it comes to accommodation hunting; it maintains a constantly updated vacancies board (though staff aren’t allowed to make specific recommendations) and a free courtesy phone. There are also several fee-based alternatives .

Banff and Lake Louise have been welcoming international visitors for more than a century. In 1883 the attempts of three Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) workers to stake a claim to the natural hot springs they had discovered bubbling from the base of Sulphur Mountain led to the establishment of Canada’s first national park.
Today, Banff National Park (6,641 square km / 2,564 square miles) is one of four adjoining mountain parks comprising more than 20,235 square km / 7,813 square miles of spectacular Canadian Rocky Mountain landscape. For current visitors, bathing in these same hot springs is but one of many activities offered in Canada’s foremost National Park. When you visit the Banff/Lake Louise area you will see why each year more than 4.5 million visitors come to enjoy the unique feeling of the Canadian Rockies and to experience why the United Nations in 1985 declared our area a “World Heritage Site”.

Banff National Park is a year round playground in the Canadian wilderness. A four season recreational area that offers everything from 7,558 acres of downhill skiing/snowboarding terrain to hundreds of miles of mountain trails. Explore our landscape by bus or car, canoe or raft, on foot or skis. Enjoy the many sightseeing opportunities or photograph some of the most spectacular scenery and wildlife on Earth.

EATING

Banff’s 100-plus restaurants – more per head of population than anywhere else in Canada – run the gamut from Japanese and other ethnic cuisines to nouvelle-frontier grub. If your funds are limited, the Banff International Youth Hostel and the YWCA cafeterias, plus any number of fast-food and take-out options, are probably the best value, while Banff Avenue is lined with good little spots for coffee and snacks, many with pleasant outdoor tables. As for bars and nightlife, given Banff’s huge number of summer travellers and large seasonal workforce, there are plenty of people around in summer looking for night-time action.

To stock up if you’re camping, use either the big Safeway supermarket at 318 Marten St and Elk (daily 9am-10pm), just off Banff Avenue a block down from Wolf Street, or the less frenetic Kellers (daily 7am-midnight), opposite the Whyte Museum at 122 Bear St on the corner of Lynx.

Aurora , 110 Banff Ave (tel 762-3343). Very popular bar and nightclub (cheap drinks) attracting a young crowd in the Clock Tower Village Mall; dancing nightly until 2am and live music, usually Friday and Saturday evenings.

Baker Creek Bistro , Baker Creek Chalets , Bow Valley Parkway (tel 522-2182). As a break from town it’s definitely worth driving out here for a meal of innovative and well-cooked staples, like steaks and pastas, in a restaurant frequented by locals as well as tourists. The snug lounge bar is also nice for a drink, especially later in the year when the fire’s lit. Moderate.

Balkan Village , 120 Banff Ave (tel 762-3454). Greek outlet, known for big portions of reasonable food and belly dancing on Tuesday in the winter to whip things up; in summer the place turns raucous on its own, with frequent impromptu navel displays from well-oiled customers. Service can be a trifle surly. Moderate.

Barbary Coast , upstairs at 119 Banff Ave (tel 762-4616). Excellent, if obvious, food – pizza, steaks, burgers and salads – at good prices: the restaurant is full of sporting memorabilia, and the separate popular bar at the front, open till 2am, also does food (with occasional live music).

Bistro , corner of Wolf and Bear next to the Lux Cinema (tel 762-8900). A cheaper sister restaurant of Le Beaujolais , this is a pleasantly calm place a block or so off Banff Ave where you can enjoy first-rate food in intimate surroundings.

Bumper’s , 603 Banff Ave (tel 762-2622). A little out of the centre, but this excellent-value steakhouse – one of the town’s busiest – still draws in Banff residents and visitors alike. There’s a good lounge upstairs, a locals’ favourite, for a drink before or after dinner.

Cilantro Mountain Café , Buffalo Mountain Lodge , Tunnel Mountain Rd (tel 762-2400). A good café-restaurant, with the usual North American fare, that’s ideal if you’re staying at the hostel or campsite and want a modest treat; has a nice outside terrace for the summer. Inexpensive.

Earl’s , upstairs at the corner of Banff Ave and Wolf St (tel 762-4414). You can rarely go wrong at restaurants in this mid-priced Canada-wide chain. Lively, friendly service, plenty of room and consistently good food that is extraordinarily eclectic – everything from Thai to Italian influences.

Evelyn’s , 201 Banff Ave, corner of Caribou (tel 762-0352). One of the best inexpensive places on the strip for breakfast; excellent range of coffees. A second, less busy outlet, Evelyn’s Too , can be found next to the Lux Cinema at 229 Bear Ave.

Joe Btfspk’s [sic] Diner , 221 Banff Ave (tel 762-5529). Tries too hard to evoke a period feel – red vinyl chairs and black-and-white floors – but does good, if slightly overpriced, food; often busy at peak times.

Le Beaujolais , 212 Banff Ave at Buffalo St (tel 762-2712). Known for almost twenty years as one of western Canada’s better, smarter and more expensive restaurants. A choice of set-price menus between $40 and $66 help keep tabs on spending. Reservations recommended.

Melissa’s , 218 Lynx St (tel 762-5511). Probably Banff’s most popular daytime destination, set in an old log cabin: big breakfasts, superb mignon steaks, salads and burgers, plus a good upstairs bar, Mel’s , for a leisurely drink, and a summer patio for food and beer in the sun. Recommended, particularly for lunch. Moderate.

*Outa Bounds*and nightclub – along with Aurora – is a rather soulless basement bar, with food, pool, dancing and occasional music, it still manages, somehow, to draw in the crowds.

Rose and Crown , upstairs at 202 Banff Ave (tel 762-2121). Part of a chain, combining a moderately successful pub atmosphere (darts, mock-Victorian interior) with a family-oriented restaurant. Food is of the pub-lunch variety and later on you can shake a leg in the adjoining nightclub and disco – occasional live music.

St Jame’s Gate , 205 Wolf St (tel 762-9355). It was only a matter of time before Banff got an Irish pub; hugely popular with locals and visitors alike.

Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon , upstairs at 203 Banff Ave (tel 762-0333). Serves good Tex-Mex and vegetarian food (family-oriented until 8pm); doubles as a lively bar with live bands (usually country) Wednesday to Sunday; pool hall and games room. Moderate.

RESERVATIONS

Banff Accommodation (Rooms) tel 762-0260 or 1-877/226-3348, www.banffaccommodations.com

Banff Central Reservation (Rooms – Skiing) tel 277-SNOW or 1-877/542-2366

Canadian Rocky Reservation Centre (Rooms) tel 609-3665 or 1-877/609-3665

Good Earth Travel (Ski Packages) tel 678-9358 or 1-888/979-9797

Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (Ski Packages) tel 256-8476 or 1-800/256-7669

Ski Banff-Lake Louise (Ski Packages) tel 762-4561 or 1-800/661-143

The information centre carries extensive lists and contact information for guides and outfitters for all manner of outdoor activities . Among the more passive entertainment are billiards upstairs at the King Edward Hotel , 137 Banff Ave (tel 762-4629; $8 an hour), ten-pin bowling at the Banff Springs Hotel (tel 762-6892; $3.75 a game, $1.10 shoe rental), and new-release films at the Lux Cinema, 229 Bear St (tel 762-8595). You can work out or swim for a fee in the pools at the Banff Rocky Mountain Resort (tel 762-5531) or swim at the Sally Borden Recreation Building at the Banff Centre (tel 762-6461) and Douglas Fir Resort at the corner of Tunnel Mountain Drive and Otter Street (Mon-Fri 4-9.30pm plus 2-9.30pm in summer, Sat-Sun 10am-9.30pm; $7.50; tel 762-5591): the last is especially popular as it also boasts waterslides. Note that the only swimmable lake in the park is Johnson Lake northeast of town off Lake Minnewanka Road: the others are usually glacier-fed and thus immensely cold.

For general bus tours, contact Brewster Transportation (tel 762-8400), who’ve been running trips for decades. For something just a little more demanding there’s golf at the stunning Banff Springs Golf Course (tel 762-6801; from $35 for nine holes, $125 for eighteen holes, club rental from $35 for steel, $50 for graphite). You’ll need to book well in advance. Free shuttles run to the clubhouse from the Banff Springs Hotel . Birdwatching with Halfway to Heaven Birdwatching (tel 673-2542) costs $30 for a half-day, $65 for a day, with snack or lunch included.

CYCLING
Mountain biking is big in the park, with plenty of rental places around town . One of the cheapest outlets is Bactrax Bike Rentals, 225 Bear St (daily 8am-8pm; tel 762-8177), where rentals work out at $6-12 an hour or $22-42 a day for mountain bikes, $8 an hour or $30 a day for road bikes: rates include helmet, lock and water bottle. The company also has easy bike tours from one to four hours ($15 per hour, including bike) on paved routes around Sundance Canyon and Vermilion Lakes. More ambitious rides on the Icefields and Bow Valley parkways or around Moraine Lake can be arranged in Lake Louise at the Chateau Lake Louise hotel through Cycling the Rockies (tel 522-2211; groups of six or more, $69 per person half-day, $109 full day).

If you’re exploring on a bike under your own steam, pick up the Trail Bicycling Guide from the infocentre, which outlines some of the dedicated cycling trails: the best known are Sundance (3.7km one-way); Rundle Riverside (8km one-way); Cascade Trail (9km one-way); and the Spray River Loop (4.3km).

Bactrax is also one of four places in town who rent out rollerblades (the paved Sundance Canyon Trail near the Cave and Basin centre is a popular run); prices start at $3 an hour. The other outlets are Ski Stop branches at the Banff Springs Hotel (tel 762-5333) and 203a Bear St (tel 760-1650; $6 an hour) and Performance Sports, 220 Bear St (tel 762-8222; $20 a day).

BOATING
Boat trips can be taken on Lake Minnewanka , as can fishing trips, which can be arranged through Lake Minnewanka Boat Tours (tel 762-3473). Monod Sports, 129 Banff Ave (tel 762-4571), have all-day drift-boat fishing trips on the Bow River and Nakoda Lake for cutthroat and bull trout plus brown and brook trout (both are catch and release, meaning you have to put any caught fish back into the water) at $375 for two people and walk and wade trips ($110 per person): trips include guide, instruction, tackle, wader, drinks and food. Beginner fly-fishers can take an instructional tour with the company. Banff Fishing Unlimited (tel 762-4936) have Bow River float trips and walk and wade trips (from $100 per person) and half-day fishing cruises on Lake Minnewanka ($80 per person in a group of six). Similar trips are also offered by Adventures Unlimited (tel 762-4554). Tackle can be hired from Performance Ski and Sports, 208 Bear St (tel 762-8222). Remember you need a national park licence to fish, available for $6 a week, $13 a year, from tackle shops, most of the above companies or the information centre.

If you want to rent canoes for paddling on the Vermilion Lakes or quiet stretches of the Bow River, contact Bow River Canoe Docks ($16 an hour, $40 a day; tel 762-3632); the dock is on the river at Wolf Street. Or learn to kayak on the Bow with Alpine Adventures (tel 678-8357; six-hour course $99).

HORSE RIDING

Horse riding is easy to organize, with anything from one-hour treks to two-week backcountry expeditions available. The leading in-town outfitters are Holiday on Horseback, 132 Banff Ave (tel 762-4551). One-, two- and three-hour rides start at about $25, while a six-hour trip up the Spray River Valley costs about $115. You can also take overnight trips to the Sundance Lodge from around $300 including all meals. Martin Stables, off Cave Avenue across the river from downtown, have hour to full-day rides ($25-115) and rent horses by the hour from $25. The Corral (tel 762-4551) at the Banff Springs Hotel lets them out for $29 and offers a three-hour ride from the hotel to Spray River, Sulphur Mountain and Mount Rundle ($64).

WHITE WATER RAFTING

Best among adrenaline-rush activities is white-water rafting on the Kicking Horse River, located a few kilometres up the road in Yoho but accessed by some eight companies in Banff and Lake Louise, most of them providing all necessary gear and transportation. Other gentler “float” trip options with the same companies are available on the Kananaskis, Kootenay and Bow rivers.

Long-established Hydra River Guides, 209 Bear St (tel 762-4554 or 1-800/644-8888, fax 760-3196, www.raftbanff.com ), has two daily six- and seven-hour trips ($85) in paddle or oar rafts on the Kicking Horse. Wet n’ Wild Adventures (tel 344-6546 or 1-800/668-9119) has full ($78) and half-day ($55) trips in the Kicking Horse Canyon, a half-day trip ($55) in the wilder lower part of the canyon for more advanced rafters, two-day trips and raft and horse riding combination trips. Wild Water Adventures from Lake Louise (tel 522-2211 or 1-888/647-6444) has a half-day trip in the canyon ($69) plus rafting in the canyon for those seeking a gentler look at the Kicking Horse ($59).

Rocky Mountain Raft Tours (tel 762-3632) offers more sedate one- and three-hour rides (3 daily; $24) down the Bow River from the canoe docks at Bow Avenue and Wolf Street For half-day trips ($54) on the Kootenay River, contact Kootenay River Runner (tel 762-5385 or 1-800/664-4399), which also has three-day ventures and is one of only three companies to offer trips on the wilder, lower section of the Kicking Horse canyon (day-trips at $79 on the Kicking Horse River or $105 in the lower canyon). For gentle float trips on the Bow or Kananaskis rivers, contact Canadian Rockies Rafting (tel 678-6535 or 1-877/226-7625): $39 for the Bow, $45 for Kananaskis

IMPORTANT CONTACTS

Ambulance tel 911 or 762-2000.

American Express 130 Banff Ave (tel 762-3207).

Bike rental Bactrax, 225 Bear St (tel 762-8177); Banff Adventures Unlimited, 211 Bear St (tel 762-4554); Inns of Banff, 600 Banff Ave (tel 762-4581); Mountain Magic, 224 Bear St (tel 762-2591); Performance Ski and Sport, 2nd Floor, 208 Bear St (tel 762-8222); Ski Stop outlets at 203a Bear St and Banff Springs Hotel (tel 760-1650 or 762-5333).

Bookshop Banff Book & Art Den, Clock Tower Mall, 94 Banff Ave (daily: summer 10am-9pm; winter 10am-7pm; tel 762-3919) is excellent for general books and local guides.

Bus information Bus depot, 100 Gopher St (Brewster Transportation tel 762-6767 or 1-800/661-1152; Greyhound tel 762-1092 or 1-800/661-8747); Banff Airporter Banff-Calgary Airport services (tel 762-3330 or 1-888/449-2901); Banff Transit town shuttle (tel 762-8294); Laidlaw Chateau Lake Louise-Lake Louise-Banff-Calgary Airport (tel 762-9102 or 1-800/661-4946); Sky Shuttle Lake Louise-Banff-Calgary Airport (tel 762-1010 or 1-888/220-7433).

Camping equipment Tents, outdoor gear and ski equipment to rent from Performance Ski and Sport, 208 Bear St (tel 762-8222).

Car rental Avis, Cascade Plaza, Wolf St (tel 762-3222 or 1-800/879-2847); Banff Rent-a-Car, 230 Lynx St (tel 762-3352), for low-priced used-car rentals; Budget, 208 Caribou St (tel 762-4546 or 1-800/268-8900); Hertz, at the Banff Springs Hotel (tel 762-2027 or 1-800/263-0600); National, corner of Caribou and Lynx (tel 762-2688 or 1-800/387-4747); Sears (tel 762-4575).

Dentist 210 Bear St (762-3144).

Doctors Dr Ian MacDonald, 216 Banff Ave (tel 762-3155); Dr Elizabeth J. Hall-Findlay, 317 Banff Ave (tel 762-2055).

Foreign exchange CTM Currency Exchange at 108 Banff Ave, Clock Tower Mall (tel 762-4698 or 762-9353), 317 Banff Ave (Cascade Plaza) and the Banff Springs Hotel . Visa advances at CIBC, 98 Banff Ave (tel 762-4417); MasterCard advances at Bank of Montréal, 107 Banff Ave.

Hospital Mineral Springs Hospital, 301 Lynx St (tel 762-2222).

Internet access At the public library .

Laundries Cascade Plaza Coin Laundry, Lower Level, Cascade Plaza, 317 Banff Ave (tel 762-2245); also a laundry in Johnny O’s Emporium, a small mall at 223 Bear St (Mon-Sat 8am-midnight, Sun 9am-midnight; last wash 10.30pm. If you’re at the hostel or campsites, the nearest laundry is the Chalet Coin Laundry on Tunnel Mountain Rd (tel 762-5447) at the Douglas Fir Resort .

Library 101 Bear St (Mon, Wed, Fri & Sat 11am-6pm, Tues & Thurs 11am-9pm, Sun 1-5pm; tel 762-2661).

Lost property tel 762-1218.

Parks Canada Administration tel 762-1500; campsite info tel 762-1550. Park wardens tel 762-1470. 24hr emergency number only tel 762-4506.

Pharmacy Cascade Plaza Drug, Lower Level, Cascade Plaza, 317 Banff Ave; Gourlay’s, 229 Bear St (Wolf and Bear Mall); Harmony Drug, 111 Banff Ave.

Police tel 762-2226.

Post office 204 Buffalo St at the corner of Bear St (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm). Stamps and other basic postal services also at Cascade Plaza Drug, Lower Level, Cascade Plaza, 317 Banff Ave; Mailboxes Etc, 226 Bear St; and Goro Canyon Gifts, Banff Park Lodge.

Road conditions tel 762-1450.

Taxis Alpine (tel 762-3727); Banff Limousine (tel 762-5466); Banff Taxi (tel 762-4444); Legion (tel 762-3353); Mountain (tel 762-3351); Taxi-Taxi (tel 762-3111).

Tourist information tel 762-1550 for park information or 762-8421 for town and accommodation.

Trail conditions tel 762-1550 or 760-1305.

Weather tel 762-4707 or 762-2088 (24hr recording).

Copyright Rough Guides Ltd as trustee for its authors. Published by Rough Guides. All rights reserved.The Rough Guides name is a trademark of Rough Guides Ltd.

Check for Banff Hot Last Minute Travel Deals, Banff Hot Rate Hotels, Banff Travel & Vacation Packages, Banff Car Rentals.