Banff, Canada - any suggestions?

[AFC-911]

Ok, so I'm going up there next week for 5 days.

I'm planning on doing a 3-hour glacier hike (Athabasca), the gondola and the hot springs. I might squeeze in a hike in Lake Louise as well.

Anything else I should consider?

[mikeesik]

helicopter rides.

[stealthn]

Chateau Lake Louise if you have a car it's worth the trip. The Banff Springs Hotel, the Bow Falls, two moose humping and beer

The Sulphur Mountain Gondola is good dress real warm.

If you are really into hiking there are a lot of good treks in the area, some an hour or so, some all day.

Being from FLA you will enjoy it all trust me

[RWebb]

take a MANPAD and shoot down some of the freakin' helicopters

[LakeCleElum]

Best drive around:

Banaff, Canmore, Spray Valley, Hwy 40 (closed in winter)

Banff, AB, Canada to Longview, AB, Canada - Google Maps

[Dottore]

The Grizzly House restaurant for game.

[Drisump]

Lots of great hikes but many require most of a full day. I don't know how adventurous you are but Sentinel Pass, Mount Temple is a good one for the adventurous....A mile vertical from the parking lot though...and it's much more of a mid to late summer trip (potentially too much snow). A much more laid back but beautiful trip is the tea house at Lake Louise or a high country walk to Skoki Lodge. There's lots of back country to explore. Have a good trip

[TheMentat]

Morraine Lake is quite scenic, but can be crowded.

There's a lot of other great ideas above

To he honest, I thought the Icefields Parkway up to Jasper, and all of the sights along the way were far superior to the crowds in Banff.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by stealthn

The Sulphur Mountain Gondola is good dress real warm.

Even in June?

[look 171]

You should to go to Louise if you are in Banff already. Please do all the tourist things, it is worth it. The Gondola is a must, IMO, if you haven't been to the high mountains out west. Take a dip in the Hot Springs (I am not sure if you have to be a guest or not?) I stay in Canmore because it is so nice and quiet there. I remember it as a little town outside of the park with nothing there. This was 35 years ago. We are driving up to Calgary again in mid July. Thankfully we have relatives there and I am sure we will be in Banff or Louise again. We never grow tire of those places no matter how many times we have seen it. enjoy.

[recycled sixtie]

I take bear spray with me on hikes and I have added a compressed air horn as well. Unfortunately gun laws here won't let u carry a gun in a National Park. Some trails require that you walk in a group. That happened a couple of years ago and my wife and I had to walk with a couple of other people. You are lucky this time of year that there are not too many people so Banff should be not be too crazy. Lake Louise and the Chateau Lake Louise are worth the visit. Next time you might consider Jasper a 3 hour drive north of Banff on the Icefield Parkway.Spectacular. Lower level hikes should be snow free. Higher level likes could still have snow until July! Enjoy!

[AFC-911]

I've hiked Alaska quite a bit and a lot of my friends in Alberta say the Canadian Rockies look very similar.

That said, I'm not doing any crazy hikes this time around. lol

As far as weather, I'm seeing highs of mid 60s and lows in the 30s. That should be really nice.

And yes, I LOVE the mountain scenery. Florida is boring, IMO.

[BRPORSCHE]

The tea house above lake loiuse is excellent. Yes it's a tourist trap, but damn is it have a view. And I know you will take some great shots.

The entire drive from Banff to Jasper is out of this world. You will literally want to pull over and just stare every few miles. The amount of waterfalls from the snow melt is just jaw dropping beautiful.

If you have the time go to Mt. Robson, it's like a mini Mt. Everest. The way it juts out of the surronding mtns is spectacular. Maybe a day hike?

[GWN7]

Fastest zip line in North America

Canada Olympic Park - Zipline At The Park

[recycled sixtie]

Originally Posted by BRPORSCHE

The tea house above lake loiuse is excellent. Yes it's a tourist trap, but damn is it have a view. And I know you will take some great shots.

The entire drive from Banff to Jasper is out of this world. You will literally want to pull over and just stare every few miles. The amount of waterfalls from the snow melt is just jaw dropping beautiful.

If you have the time go to Mt. Robson, it's like a mini Mt. Everest. The way it juts out of the surronding mtns is spectacular. Maybe a day hike?

The hike to the base of Mt. Robson takes about an hour and actually is quite disappointing until u get past the first hour because there is a lot of tree cover. From the parking lot at the bottom is impressive particularly on a day when it is clear. The top of Mt.Robson makes its own weather so u see the top on the average of about 1 in 10 days. I don't think many climb it as I believe it is very challenging. That reminds me to see if there any blogs on recent climbs of Mt. Robson.Love that area

[BRPORSCHE]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

The hike to the base of Mt. Robson takes about an hour and actually is quite disappointing until u get past the first hour because there is a lot of tree cover. From the parking lot at the bottom is impressive particularly on a day when it is clear. The top of Mt.Robson makes its own weather so u see the top on the average of about 1 in 10 days. I don't think many climb it as I believe it is very challenging. That reminds me to see if there any blogs on recent climbs of Mt. Robson.Love that area

I did the climb up to berg lake with the fam about ten years ago. I agree that at lower elevations it's tough to get a glimpse of the summit, but once you get up to berg lake you are offered a fantastic view.


and my pic that I took from my tent.

[AFC-911]

I'm pretty sure I'm not making it to BC and Mt. Robson.

And holy crap that zipline is high!

[look 171]

Originally Posted by GWN7

Fastest zip line in North America

Canada Olympic Park - Zipline At The Park

Wow, thanks for the tip. That's 10 minutes from my aunt's home. We have to do that this time around.

[AFC-911]

^ The bobsled looks even more intriguing. I may try it...

[billybek]

Elbow Falls!
Some decent short or long hikes from the parking lot. Picnic area and camping if you choose.
Some great mountain biking as well.
Kananaskis Trails, Elbow Valley & West Bragg Creek