City Guide: 10 Ways to Explore Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada BESIDES Hiking

We recently returned from a wonderful weeklong stay throughout Banff National Park, with visits to Lake Louise, the town of Banff, and Canmore, all within the park. Located in Alberta Canada, Banff is by far one of the most magical places we have ever visited, filled with stunning, glacier fed lakes; tons of incredible hikes with views of mountains, waterfalls, and seemingly hundreds of types of plants, flowers, and animals; several historical sites now open to the public; dozens of lodging and dining options; and countless ways to have fun! 

Indigenous people have lived in what is now considered Banff for thousands of years. There are over 630 First Nations, a term used to describe indigenous peoples of Canada who are not Metis or Intuit,  throughout Canada, including the Banff area. The president of the Canadian Pacific Railway (the company built the railroad across the country and workers “found” the natural hot springs in the area and built the Banff Springs Hotel for tourist) named the area Banff after Banffshire, Scotland, his birthplace.

Banff became Canada’s first, and the world’s third, National Park in 1885. The park covers over 2500 square miles and about 96% of the land is wilderness. In 1990, the town of Banff became the first incorporated municipality within a National Park. Today the town of Banff has a population of about 8,000 people, but welcomes over four million visitors every year.

Getting situated: Head to the Visitor Center on Banff Avenue for maps, brochures, passes for Banff National Park (which also includes admission to two of the museums on this list!)  and tour booking information. 

• An up to date Visitors Guide to the area is here. 
• A good map of the downtown area and hiking trail map here and here.  
• This site has great downloadable maps to Banff, Lake Louise, and Canmore
• Helpful sites for planning a visit to the Banff area include BanffLakeLouise.com (info on everything Banff and up to date weather cams, traffic info, and closures) and theBanffBlog.com (hundreds of posts organized by area, trail, and activity, all by LOCALS!)

Getting around town: Banff can get extremely busy, and congested, during peak summer months. While there are public parking lots (see a good index and map here and here), street metered parking can sometimes be available in two hour increments. Most lots do fill up by mid morning, so your best bet is the Banff Train Station Public Lot. The town highly encourages people to take the ROAM Transit buses, which have several routes around the town of Banff, Lake Louise, and Canmore. 

Lodging in Banff: We really enjoyed our stay at the Rimrock Resort, which is just a five minute drive up Sulphur Mountain and about a five minute drive to downtown. Other popular lodging options include the Fairmont Banff Springs about five minutes from downtown, and Peaks Hotel and Suites, Canalta Lodge and Banff Park Lodge, all in downtown Banff.  A good index of lodging options here. 

Dining in Banff: There are dozens of dining options throughout Banff. Some top spots include The Grizzly House (fondue!), Tooloulou’s (Cajun Creole!), UNA (pizza!), Sky Bistro (at the top of Sulphur Mountain), Farm and Fire (farm fresh baked in a wood fire oven!), and Wild Flour Bakery (coffee! Pastries! bread!) A few good guides include this one and this one. 

10 Things to Do in Banff (besides hiking!)

1. Take a float boat ride down the Bow River. The Rocky Mountain Raft Tours company launches 25 passenger, guided raft tours from the base of Bow Falls several times each day during the summer. The rides are calm and gentle (no big splashes and very little chance of getting wet!) and end about four miles down the river. Guests return to the starting point via bus.  Be sure to keep an eye out for wildlife on land (past tours have seen bears, moose, and elk) and several mountains and hoodoos. 
   Kids will love not having to paddle (an experienced guide both paddles and steers the raft and also shares information about the area and local wildlife) and sitting on the side of a raft.
   Travel Tips: Raft tours run from June through the end of September- see the full schedule here; a designated parking lot is located just past the visitor parking lot for Bow Falls (definitely arrive early and walk over to the falls for a close up look, as well as a nearby beach to relax and picnic); only portapottie facilities available on site; guests are required to wear life preservers on board the raft; plan on 75 minutes for the raft ride and return bus ride. 

2. Tour the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site. Originally opened in 1895 and moved to its current location downtown in 1903, the museum showcases many items from Norman Bethune Sanson’s collection from the early twentieth century. Refurbished in 1985, the two floor museum is meant to reflect Banff in the 1910s. The museum’s collection includes over 5,000 specimens of local birds, fish, plants, and insects. There’s also an exhibit on the effects of climate change on Canadian Rockies and a reading room. 
   Kids will love the taxidermy of mountain goats, bison, and bears and completing the Xplorers booklet.
   Travel Tips: The museum is open Thursday through Monday mid May through Mid October and on weekends in the winter; nominal admission fee– kids are free and so are  Canadian Park pass holders; free, three hour parking adjacent to the museum; washrooms available; plan on 45 minutes to tour the exhibits; museum map here. 

3. Learn about the history of the Banff area at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies.  Named for local artists and philanthropists Peter and Catharine Whyte, the Whyte Museum showcases the their collection of artifacts and artwork celebrating Banff and the Canadian Rockies.The main Gateway to the Rockies exhibit (the entrance sign replicated the sign at the entrance to Banff National Park in Calgary fact check) has several vignettes showcasing important elements of the history of the Canadian Rockies and Banff area. There are also rotating art exhibits, a library and research room, and collections of minerals and crystals. 
   Kids will especially love completing the activity books and sitting inside a replica model of a Brewster Company touring car. 
   Travel Tips: The museum is open from 10am-5pm- check here for up to date information on hours and admission fees (kids 12 and younger are free!); museum staff offer guided tours- check here; free parking is available; there are also several paid lots near the museum; Washrooms, lockers, and a gift shop are located near admissions; No dining facilities on site; plan on 60-75 minutes to fully tour the museum exhibits.
   Read our full feature of the museum here.

4. Learn about the  history and culture of Indigenous people of Canada at the Buffalo Nations Museum, an Indigenous-led charitable organization on the banks of the Bow River in Banff.  Its mission is to preserve this sacred site for Indigenous peoples of Canada to share their history with the community and visitors to Banff.  The exhibits of traditional ways of living in the past and present encourage visitors to act on reconciliation with good thoughts and good words.
   Kids will especially love trying to play the elk hide drum made by a Siksika Elder, seeing the various beaded headstalls for horses, and the giant Mountain Lion Tipi from the Niitsitapi Lodge. 
   Travel Tips: The museum is open daily from 10am-6pm; information on admission fees here; free parking in front of the museum; washrooms are not available on site; gift shop at end of self guided tour; check online for annual events like the Banff liniskim Cross-Cultural Powwow in June; plan on 30-45 minutes to tour the museum.

5. Walk through the gardens of The Cascade of Time Gardens. Opened in 1935, the gardens are located at the end of Banff Avenue on the grounds of a hotel that burnt down in 1930. The four acre park features dozens of varieties of flowers and plants. Banff National Park is also sister parks with China’s Huangshan National Forest Park, as well as being home to the administrative offices of Banff National Park. 
   Kids will love all the bridges and nooks. 
   Travel Tips: The garden is free to visit; follow the stone paths (strollers welcome, but there are several sets of short steps that would make it hard for people with mobility issues); washrooms in separate building to the right of the National Park Administrative Building; free parking available on site; plan on 30 minutes to tour the gardens.

6. Soak in the mineral rich water of the Banff Hot Springs. According to the website (we drove by, but did not actually go in the hot springs) the water “is heated geothermally, bubbling up to the surface from 1.8 miles into the earth’s crust. During the winter the water temperature is as hot as 116 degrees (farenheit) and during the summer, the water temperature cools to the mid 80s.” The bath house, which opened in 1886 and was most recently renovated in the 1990s, is a Federal Heritage Site located a few miles up Sulphur Mountain and very close to the gondola base. 
   Travel Tips: The Hot Springs are opened 10am-19pm- get up to date info on hours and admission fees here; admission passes can only be purchased on site, in person (no reservations); children are welcome; there is a café and gift shop on site; there is limited parking for cars and RVs (best to take ROAM buses)

7. Ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain on the Banff Gondola. The 10 minute (one way) ride on a one mile track affords visitors views of six mountain ranges and the Spray Valley. Once at the summit, with an approximate elevation of 7,500 feet, visitors can walk the self guided interpretive Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak or hike the South East Ridge Trail to the very top summit.  Visitors can choose to hike up the mountain and purchase a one way ticket down, or purchase a full ticket to ride the gondola up but hike down the mountain. 
   Kids will especially like the Family Experience, included in the gondola admission fee, located at the top of the gondola and includes interactive exhibits. 
   Travel Tips: Make gondola reservations ahead of time (as soon as you book your trip!) here; the parking lot fills up very quickly- a free (with purchase of gondola rides) shuttle is available and the ROAM transit buses make frequent stops to the bae lodge; dining (from the fancy Sky Bistro and Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen at the summit to grab and go Castle Mountain Coffee and at the base)- see the full list of options here; plan on 90 minutes for both rides and time to explore the summit area and exhibits. 

8. Smell the sulphur at the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. Three explorers “found” the thermal springs and cave in 1883, which were later preserved by the Prime Minister of Canada. A bathing pavilion built on site opened in 1914 and was a popular attraction for bathing visitors until the 1970s, when it was closed and reopened as a public pool until 1992. Today the site includes the preserved cave, indoor museum exhibits, children’s area with theatre, hiking trails, an exhibit dedicated to Canadian internment camps post WWI, and lots of special programs.
   Kids will especially love the Story Hall exhibits and the Galletly Building, which has a variety of kids activities, including Snakes and Snails and Tower Tumble games, coloring stations, reading nooks, and a series of Indigenous Voices short films (nine short films about the indigenous people of the Canadian Rockies).
   Travel Tips: Info on hours and admission fees here (it is included in National Parks Discovery passes); large parking lot in front of the main admissions building and gift shop; washrooms located throughout the complex; gift shop sells a variety of park themed gifts and souvenirs as well as snacks and drinks; bring the stroller for the toddler crew; make sure kids grab the Explorers booklet at admission and complete it while touring the site to earn a special keepsake; plan on 90 minutes to tour all the exhibits, more time for the walking trails.

9. Visit the “Castle in the Rockies” and Heritage Hall at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Canada’s “first grand railway property.” Built in 1888, the Fairmont Banff Springs was originally a summer resort with 250 rooms and now has over 700 rooms. The Heritage Room on the second floor is free to the public and offers an engaging exhibit featuring the history of the building of the hotel and its famous guests and special events. Visitors to the hotel are also invited to dine at the hotel’s many restaurants (the Rundle Bar and Patio are good options for family friendly snacks and drinks, Waldhaus serves great Bavarian dishes, and Castello is the spot for Italian). 

10. Check out the views. If you’re not a big hiker, you can drive (or, in many cases, bike but it’s a big workout!) to some incredible viewpoints. Some of the can’t miss spots:
    1. Bow Falls Overlook and Bow Fall Trail for views of the Bow River: Near the Fairmont Banff Springs, there are washrooms and decent size parking lot. There’s also a small “beach” great for skipping rocks and calmer than the raging falls a few yards to the left. Trail map here.
    2. Bow River Trail for views of the surrounding mountains: The Trail is located in downtown Banff and includes a walk over the new-in-2022 Nancy Pauw Bridge. The mostly paved path also includes a walk through the Art in Nature exhibit. Nearby public restrooms are located near the Central Park parking lot. Central Park also has a great playground!
    3. Surprise Corner for views of the Fairmont Banff Springs, Rimrock Resort, Spray Valley, and Sulphur Mountain: The drive up Buffalo Street to the intersection with Tunnel Mountain Road has a very small parking lot and no other facilities. There is a set of stairs to the upper view point and placards providing the history of the area.  There are nearby trailheads, including the Hoodoos Trail- see the trail map here. 
    4. Hoodoos Viewpoint for views of the Hoodoos: Drive through Tunnel Mountain and the camp grounds to a medium sized parking lot (with washroom facilities) . Walk up the path with a slight incline to the upper view point with more expansive views of the hoodoos. There are placards explaining the forming of the hoodoos.
    5. Vermillion Lakes View Point: Right off the highway with small parking lots, washrooms, placards to explain the area. 

11. Some spots we didn’t have time to visit, but come recommended:
    1. Historic Luxton Home Museum, which showcases the history of a family of pioneers from the early twentieth century.
    2. Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, which hosts over 400 events each year including concerts, festivals, and art exhibits. 
    3. Discover Banff Tours, which offers a wide variety of experiences including tours to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, horseback riding tours, and whitewater rafting. 

Disclosure: We were given a media pass to explore the Whyte Museum and the Buffalo Nations Museum. All opinions expressed are my own.