Banff Itinerary and Pics!!!

BANFF ITINERARY 7/20-7/25

•Flew into Calgary (YYC), picked up rental car, about 1.5 hours away from downtown Banff

•Recommend staying in downtown Banff. Tons of hotels to choose from right on the main avenue


Itinerary 

Thursday
-Landed in Calgary 4:45pm
-Rental car @ Calgary Int’l Enterprise
-Checked in to Fox Hotel & Suites
-Dinner at Maple Leaf (fine dining, great outdoor seating) @ 8pm
-Walked around downtown Banff, got what we needed for room: water, snacks, etc.

Our balcony on Banff Ave.



Friday: exploring Banff and nearby lakes
-6am coffee run at White Bark, walked around downtown, walked down to bridge at end of Banff Avenue and look back at the iconic Cascade Mountain



-back to room to get ready for day
-Breakfast 9am Juniper Bistro (great outdoor seating with views of mountains, Bow River. Great menu).

-Explore Fairmont at Banff Springs, little hikes around there, walk to Bow Falls behind the hotel


-Stop at grocery store for hiking fuel: sandwich stuff, snacks, bear spray + whistle (we got ours at Home Hardware downtown)
-Walk around downtown Banff
-Drive 15 min to Lake Minnewanka. Easy hikes around lake. Beautiful drive
-Two jacks lake right next to Minnewanka


-Early dinner at Hello Sunshine Sushi
-Banff Gondola at Sulphur Mountain summit. Book in advance as it’s more expensive the day of ($80 a person, but a very cool experience, scariest gondola ride to top). Walk the skywalk up in the mountains, check out each floor, restaurants, coffee, live music up there.



-Headed back to Banff
-Ice cream at The Cow. Get ready for a long line
-Another option: Little Wild Coffee by Wild Flour for gelato
-Quick drive to Surprise Corner Viewpoint for epic views of Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

-Back to room to prepare sandwiches, pack camelbacks for hike tomorrow

Saturday: Lake Louise & Moraine Lake
-Have a pre made breakfast + snacks at the hotel
-You will need to buy your “last minute” shuttle tickets on the Parks Canada website 48 hours in advance to go to Louise & Moraine, can’t drive your own car in anymore.
-3:30am alarm clock to get to designated pick up spot on time (about 45 min drive from downtown Banff)
-Start at Moraine Lake: Rock pile trail - best view of Moraine Lake, low effort + high reward, 0.5 miles total, watch the sunrise here


-Other smaller hikes at Moraine, enjoy area before taking shuttle to Lake Louise
-Lake Louise to Agnes Tea house lake 1.5 hours to reach tea  house - cash only




Continue on to Big Beehive Hike and views of Lake Louise

-Head back down opposite side of mountain on Plain of Six Glaciers trail end up back at hotel (different scenery, gorgeous meadows)

-Lunch (expensive) or coffee at Fairmont Lake Louise to rest your feet before heading back to shuttle


-Head back Banff 4ish, shower, regroup, pack camelbacks for next day’s hikes
-Dinner @ Park Distillery. Great patio and ambiance
-Walk around downtown, try to have an early night