5 Must-Do items for your Banff-Summer Bucket List
- Two and a Ute
- Feb 23
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 17
Nestled in the heart of the Canadian mountains lies a small, quintessential town, surrounded by some of the most jaw-dropping scenery you can imagine. Like something out of a fairytale, this little, albeit very popular, mountain town is on the doorstep of arguably one of Canada's most beautiful national parks.
Captivating the hearts of all who visit here, The Town of Banff, located just a 2.5 hour drive from Calgary, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, is part of the wild and beautiful Banff National Park. Surrounded by towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, alpine evergreens, and roaming wildlife, it is easy to see why this small town draws millions of visitors from all over the world every single year, including ourselves.
With plans to stay for just one Summer, we soon realised that this special piece of the world would be near impossible to walk away from, drawing us back year after year. Three Summers later, working and travelling in this bucket list destination, we have five must-do items that should be on everyone's bucket list for their trip to Banff National Park.
Explore the Town of Banff
This might sound like a given. The Town of Banff is the perfect base for your adventures in the surrounding national park, but it also has so much to explore without needing to get behind the wheel of your car! It is very easy to waste time meandering down Banff Ave and Bear Street, stopping into the local gift stores and boutiques and treating yourself to local delights like maple fudge, beaver tails, poutine, and bear paws, but there are other highlights we also recommend you visit while in town.
After starting the day with a coffee from a local coffee store, we recommend chatting with the staff at the Banff Visitors Centre. Here, you can get current information, maps, tour options, and local tips and tricks from the people who know Banff best! After, if you're up for a scenic walk, just 30 minutes from the visitors centre is the historic ‘Cave and Basin,’ known as the birthplace of Canada's national parks. Along this walk, you cross over the striking turquoise-coloured Bow River, pass the Cascade Gardens and Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, with the possibility of seeing elk and deer along your journey!
After sightseeing all morning, it will be time to satiate your appetite at one of the many restaurants, breweries and distilleries in town. Our favourite go-to’s are Nourish, Three Bears Brewery, Hello Sunshine and Shoku Izakaya. With full bellies and renewed energy, you can spend the rest of the day bowling at High Rollers or 5-pin bowling at The Banff Fairmont, drinking cocktails at Park Distillery, shopping at Cascade Mall, wandering through some local art galleries or soaking up the beautiful Summer sun.
Ride a Gondola to the Top of a Mountain
Banff National Park certainly has no shortage of stunning views to catch your eye, no matter the direction you look. How can these landscapes get any better, you ask? From the top of a mountain! Now, I know that not everyone is keen on trekking up the side of a mountain, or maybe you're just short on time or have young kids who are part of your adventure, but you still want to witness the beauty from above. This is when riding a gondola or chair-lift is the perfect opportunity to have those rewarding views with little-to-no effort required.
Banff National Park has four gondolas and chair lifts at various locations throughout the park: Mt Norquay Ski Resort, Lake Louise Ski Resort, Banff Gondola and Sunshine Village Ski Resort. Each offers the opportunity to peer over the endless mountain ranges that dip out into the horizon and to witness the park's beauty from a whole new perspective. Pricing, views and amenities do vary at each location.
You can check out the various gondola options available in Banff, at Get Your Guide using our links below.
Canoe on a Glacier-Fed Lake
If you're considering visiting Banff National Park, it is (understandably) likely you were captivated by images and videos of the sparkling blue lakes that are nestled throughout the mountains. You could easily be fooled into thinking that the colours in those images have been edited or enhanced to make them more appealing because they're just too beautiful to be real, right? I can assure you, those colours are very, very real. These glacier-fed lakes contain a fine particle called ‘rock flour,’ which reflects light, creating a stunning palette of blues, giving them that unmatched beauty as they contrast against the rocky greys and greens surrounding them.
Canoeing on one of these serene lakes, such as Moraine Lake or Lake Louise, should definitely be on your bucket list! Both locations offer canoes for hire, with, admittedly, a pretty little price tag. However, if you have the opportunity and means, canoeing on these lakes has been one of our favourite experiences in Banff. There is something magical about gliding over water so vibrant, clear and unpolluted that is near impossible to describe. If you are driving more locally, bringing your own paddle-boards and canoes/kayaks is also an option. If you do bring your own watercraft, be sure to comply with all 'clean, drain, dry, certify' rules, which are enforced by Parks Canada.
Now, keep in mind that accessing both locations for this experience can be difficult, so I have put together a guide of how to access Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, where I give tips and tricks on how to avoid disappointment on your visit here.
Hike on one of Banff's Trails
Before coming to Canada, we had never hiked on a trail in our life, walked yes, but hiked, absolutely not.
After moving to The Canadian Rockies we soon began to dip our toes in hiking, starting with smaller hikes and building up to multi-day backcountry adventures. ‘Hiking’ can be a daunting thing to consider for your holiday, but getting out and exploring the trails will take you deeper into the park, rewarding you with indescribable beauty no matter what trail you do.
Whether you're a casual stroller or summit seeker, Banff has something on offer for everyone. There are over 1500 kilometres (1000 miles) of maintained trails, with varying difficulties across the 400 options. Banff National Park has everything from lakeshore strolls at Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, to walks at Johnston Canyon or Sunshine Meadows, to a little more of a challenge like Tunnel Mountain or Consolation Lake, to The Larch Valley, Cirque Peak, Mount Assiniboine and everything in between.
If you are new to hiking in Banff National Park, I would encourage you to read up on some hiking tips and tricks, including bear safety, packing lists and trail etiquette before you head out on your adventure.
Take a tour and learn Banff's history
Banff’s history stretches far beyond when it was founded in 1883, with a deep connection to local indigenous groups for over 10,000 years. In the 1800’s the Canadian Pacific Railway company sought to turn, what is now Banff National Park, into a tourist destination for visitors from all over the world. The rich history of local Indigenous people entwined with the influence of rail and 21st-century conservation approaches has resulted in an interesting narrative for Banff National Park. Taking one of the many tours on offer here, such as the Open Top Tour, is a fantastic way to learn about the history of this world heritage site and appreciate its incredible significance to Canada.
Whether you're wandering through town, canoeing on pristine lakes, or adventuring on trails from below or up high, you're bound to fall in love with Banff. These five bucket list items are a great place to start, but no matter how you choose to spend your time in Banff National Park, you are guaranteed to be captivated by its beauty. We leave you with a friendly reminder that this is a very busy place during Summer, filled with travellers from all over the world wanting to experience its beauty. Be kind and patient and appreciate all that you are experiencing, finding joy in the magic of Banff National Park and those around you whom you share it.
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