Wife and I are taking 2 daughters (10&12) to Banff. Kids want to go horseback riding, do some hiking / biking, fishing, go karts / arcade, maybe kids day camp for a day?. Any guide / outfits recommendations? Also restaurants. We were thinking about spending couple days at lake Louise or Jasper (do the glacier hike?). Any feedback on those two places? Would probably be an either / or for those two places.

Do the glacier tour. The kids will love it. Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake are beautiful, but Jasper is a bit far if you're not staying the night there. Johnston Canyon is a great hike.

Fondue at the Fairmont Lake Louise or Banff Springs is delicious, and afternoon tea at Lake Louise is truly a dessert feast.

Those were some of the highlight for us, but we did a lot more than that. Will you have a car?

Yes I will have a car. Are you talking about the glacier tour ascot halfway to Jasper?

Yes. The one right on the highway. It's a very good experience, and the vehicles you ride in to go on the glacier are a sight to see.

Since you'll have a car, Marble Canyon and the Continental Divide are worth the trip. We also wanted to see Takakkaw Falls but the road was still closed. The Via Ferrata at Mt Norquay is also supposed to be a lot of fun. We had to do a private rock climb because it wasn't open for the season yet.

We are headed there as a family with our girls ages 7 & 9 in late July. My first recommendation would be to download the Guide Along app as this has been so valuable to guide you to all of the places in the park.

Look into Canadian Rockies Rafting for rafting adventures
Also CA Adventures is a great company for private guides
Reservations for Moraine Lake and Lake Louise have to be made this year through Parks Canada as personal vehicles are not allowed.
Our home base for our trip is in Canmore
I also recommend downloading the Alltrails app for hiking
Restaurants to look into
Iron Goat In Canmore
Maple Leaf Steak & Seafood
Bear Street Tavern
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co
Others:
Cows for ice cream
Block Kitchen (1st come)
Wild Flour Banffs Artisan Bakery

As a travel advisor I love helping others explore all the beautiful destinations. Hope this helps.

harringtontravelco said:

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We are headed there as a family with our girls ages 7 & 9 in late July. My first recommendation would be to download the Guide Along app as this has been so valuable to guide you to all of the places in the park.

Look into Canadian Rockies Rafting for rafting adventures
Also CA Adventures is a great company for private guides
Reservations for Moraine Lake and Lake Louise have to be made this year through Parks Canada as personal vehicles are not allowed.
Our home base for our trip is in Canmore
I also recommend downloading the Alltrails app for hiking
Restaurants to look into
Iron Goat In Canmore
Maple Leaf Steak & Seafood
Bear Street Tavern
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co
Others:
Cows for ice cream
Block Kitchen (1st come)
Wild Flour Banffs Artisan Bakery

As a travel advisor I love helping others explore all the beautiful destinations. Hope this helps.

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we just got back yesterday. i recommend fairview limosines to moraine lake. for 6 of us it was $130 CAD but well worth it. dont go through parks canada...trust me do fairview.

I'm looking into that, thank you. Thankful I have a guide for a day but most certainly don't want to stand in like for parks Canada shuttle. I will gladly pay

We were there in March, so different outdoor activities, but, food-wise, we enjoyed:

• Banff Springs Waldhaus
• Trailhead Cafe in Lake Louise, delicious wraps and sandwiches. Very limited seating, more of a grab and go place.
• The Station Restaurant in Lake Louise
• Juniper Bistro in Banff

I was in Canmore for a hot minute because we immediately went in the back country, but a great place to eat in Canmore was the Iron Goat Pub & Grill. There are also several great restaurants downtown in Canmore.

If you REALLY want to get into the back country while there, I would suggest going to Mt Assinibione. You can only get there on trail or by helicopter, but it is a magical place to hike. There is also a cozy tea cafe there.

All of these are great suggestions. I second Canmore, Peyto Lake, Continental Divide, the glacier, and Moraine Lake.

going solo for a long weekend this Sat-Tues, any recommendations for small towns to stay in for relatively cheap motels?

Look in Canmore. Nice downtown for walking and better restaurants imo than banff. Granted, such last minute this time of year not sure anything in the area will be "cheap".

We stayed at lamp house hotel/motel in Canmore for one night several years back and it was super nice. Cost around $125 a night at the time. My wife thinks I paid $300. For some reason she still talks about that place. She loved the vibes.

There is a hostel in Canmore that was really nice if you are ok with doing a hostel. Its right on the edge of town.

It may come to that!

I made a really quick trip over to Banff last week before Stampede started. The weather was not the best so I didnt do some of the things I wanted to, but man is that place awesome. I will be going back for an extended period of time. I am envious that yall are going.

looks pretty rainy this week too

Ferris Wheel Allstar said:

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I made a really quick trip over to Banff last week before Stampede started. The weather was not the best so I didnt do some of the things I wanted to, but man is that place awesome. I will be going back for an extended period of time. I am envious that yall are going.

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What was your favorite trail?

How are the fires affecting air quality? (I'm headed to Banff in August so I was just curious!)

I didnt hike any other than walking across the stairs on Sulphur Mtn.

Bumping this back to top.

Where are recommendations to stay? Looking in mid-August 2024.

Spent 6 nights in Banff/Jasper and Canmore in July 2023. One of the most incredible places I've been. That's saying something from a travel advisor. Would love the answer any questions about summer travel here. My info is in my Bio

Where did you stay?

We stayed at Lake Louise then Banff was our base.

One of the highlights was sunrise tour of Lake Moran

Gorgeous

Did 2 days of private tours - was able to see much more since I wasn't driving and wondering where I was going!!

We stayed in Canmore as our base. If I had to do again I would do a split stay between Canmore and Jasper. Canmore is a lot less touristy than Banff. Just parking in downtown Banff for dinner I felt like I was using my college parking skills to find a spot.

Also if anyone that is local to College Station I have a Canada Parks Pass that is good through July 2024 that I will gladly pass along for free.

Yes I read you stayed in Canmore earlier in the thread. I think most people like more specifics. Name of place (or even hotel vs vrbo), name of tour, etc.

we stayed at the Lake Louise Inn in September and really enjoyed it. We booked the condo with the kitchenette. They have a private shuttle service that runs from there to the Lake about every 45 minutes or so. They also have a Moraine Lake trip as well. It is the only way to go IMO.

https://www.lakelouiseinn.com/

In Jasper we stayed at Pyramid Lake Lodge, again can't recommend highly enough. The views of Pyramid Lake and Mountain are spectacular.

https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/hotels/pyramid-lake-lodge/

Pics from Pyramid Lake Lodge

If you take peek at my post in the earlier thread I have the name of the rafting company I used along with the private guide company. I would recommend them as they were top notch. Hope that helps, I wasn't in love with the accommodations in Canmore so don't want to recommend the place. I would stay in Canmore again just at a different place

Local to CS and planning on going summer 24. If that pass is still available I'll take you up on the offer.

Absolutely my cell is (979) 777-4099, text me and you can do a porch pick up if that works for you