Exploring Banff National Park in the Off-Season
Last spring we decided to get away for a quick trip to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. We almost always travel with our kids, so this was going to be a rare adults-only trip for us. To be honest, I struggle to plan trips for just my husband and I, as we truly love traveling and exploring the world with our kids.
Banff National Park seemed like a good choice for this trip because a – it has been on my bucket list forever, and b – while we know we want to take the kids out west, I didn’t feel like they HAD to be with us for the Canadian part. Turns out we spent the whole time saying “omg the kids would love this.” Raise your hand if you’re surprised.
Almost everything we did in and around Banff I’d do again with the kids. Being without them did allow us a bit more flexibility for time spent reading by glacial lakes, longer meals & happy hours, and an insane drive up and back the Icefields Parkway in one day, but I guess that’s the point?!
With or without kids, Banff and the surrounding area is an absolutely gorgeous place full of turquoise water (often peeking through the snow), incredible hikes, the cutest mountainside towns, wildlife & adventure. If you’re traveling as a family, I’d still highly recommend the adventures and pit stops below!
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Where to Stay
We flew into Calgary and rented a car to drive to our VRBO in Canmore. It’s a little over an hour drive, but was easy to do even at night when our bodies were on EST. Maybe it was just the thrill of being solo when we’re used to traveling with 4 kids?!
Our VRBO was absolute perfection. An easy parking spot outside to unload, a covered and safe parking garage for the rest of the stay, a fireplace, outdoor pool & hot tub, right next door to a coffee shop, an easy walk or drive into Canmore, and right off the highway for easy access to Banff and Jasper. It was dark when we arrived, so the bonus was when we woke up the next morning to the most spectacular view of the Three Sisters!
Coffee, Food & Treats in Canmore
Canmore is the cutest town surrounded by absolutely stunning views of the Canadian Rockies. I read a lot of recommendations suggesting to stay in Canmore vs Banff, and am so glad we did, as we loved the smaller town feel.
The downtown is so easy to walk around yet still offers plenty to do. We couldn’t get over the majesty of the rockies right behind the bagel / coffee / book shop. I was just constantly in awe. Some our favorite coffee, food & adventures are below!
Coffee & Breakfast
Eclipse Coffee Roasters – delish coffee, lattes & they had a tote bag (#IYKYK).
Rocky Mountain Bagel Co – holy cow. You won’t be able to go just once. You absolutely cannot go wrong with any of the bagel sandwiches or the flavored cream cheese. Our kids would flip over this place! Also definitely don’t skip the Nutella cookie. I’m not sure how they do it, but it is actual magic.
Le Fournil Bakery – oh my gosh, the most incredible French pastries I’ve had since….well, France. 10/10. No notes except to order one of everything. We stopped by and grabbed some snacks for our Icefields Parkway drive and let me tell you, I would do that again in a heartbeat. Best decision. The almond croissant was particularly amazing – maybe because we get those from a variety of bakeries at home, but they do not do this one justice!
Craigs’ Way Station – this “iconic breakfast restaurant” is a hole in the wall spot that has been a Canmore staple since 1983. When I pulled up the website, I noticed they’re currently looking for a new location. A bummer, since the view was so great, but don’t forget to look them up when you’re in Canmore!
Other ‘can’t miss’ stops in Canmore
Crazyweed – BEST dinner in Canmore. Hands down. The burrata. The cocktails. The cabbage. Oh dear Lord the cabbage. WHO AM I? I swear you have to try this cabbage. The fries. With the cabbage. The short ribs. Honestly just get it all. Everything on the menu.
Cafe Books – The cutest local bookstore. Definitely worth a stop and right beside Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. downtown. We were there the morning after an Emily Henry book release party and I lucked into a book with extra gifts! Obviously we found some souvies for the kids, too.
Adventure in Canmore
Sunset over Canmore Engine Bridge – this felt like such a little local gem. We went out to the engine bridge on our last night right before dinner at Crazyweed (again, cannot recommend enough) and it was perfection. There were several others there for sunset – runners, couples, people on their way home from work, plus several pups along for the walk. It was gorgeous and quiet and just the best way to end our stay in Canmore.
Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk – a lovely little 2 mile hike right in downtown Canmore. Nothing strenuous about it, but picturesque and enjoyable, all the same.
Quarry Lake – another beautiful area for a picnic, sunset, or a quick photo stop!
Coffee, Food & Treats in Banff
The town of Banff is an easy 25 minute drive from Canmore. It’s definitely busier than Canmore, and we were there in the shoulder season between peak winter skiing and summer holidays, so I can only imagine how it is in peak season. That said, it’s still a beautiful town to walk around with plenty to see & do – all the while surrounded by the majesty of the Canadian Rockies.
We loved the free parking near the train station, and found it super easy to walk around town from there every day. There is excellent coffee, delicious food, Canadian treats (dark chocolate bear paw for the win), and even one of the best hikes all accessible from downtown Banff. Some of our favorites are below.
Coffee & Treats
White Bark Cafe – absolutely do not miss the maple cinnamon latte and the sausage roll. This + sitting on the patio with your people / husband is what afternoon dreams in Banff are made of.
Cows Ice Cream – Even without the kids with us, I’m obviously going to report back on local ice cream. You can’t go wrong here. Solid cow marketing and delightful homemade ice cream. The Messie Bessie and the Moo Crunch are amazing and I’m not even a chocolate ice cream girl.
Lunch & Dinner
Bluebird – this was our date night dinner and dear mercy – Alberta steaks?! Stop. No, don’t. Have one. Trust me. Don’t even second guess yourself. You need an Alberta steak. The whole meal (drinks included) was a delight.
Fire & Farm – we stopped here for a happy hour – ahem, Après hour (who even are we??) – and the drinks & food were great! A nice spot right in downtown Banff if you need a place to warm up and enjoy some pizza and drinks before heading back out.
Banff Ave Brewing Co – if you love an afternoon stop at a brewery, this spot is for you. Good snacks, great beer, quality people watching if you sit on the porch.
Adventure
Hike Bow River Trail to Bow Falls – locals recommended this hike over and over again, and it didn’t disappoint. Still in downtown Banff, this is an easy hike to do as you’re exploring around town or between stops for food, treats and souveniers. A very easy to follow trail with so many gorgeous places to stop and enjoy the view, the Bow River hike is a must-do.
Adventure in Banff National Park
For all of the stops in the actual park (vs the town), definitely map your route before you go, as there is so much to see and specific stops may be further apart than you think!
If you’re considering driving the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, note the stops (Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, and even Lake Louise) that can be made along the way.
Lake Louise
The most well known stop in Banff National Park, and my namesake (ha – shout out to any fellow Louise-ers). We spent our first full day at Lake Louise, as I knew we wanted more time here than at other stops along the Parkway.
Quick tip – Parking can be really difficult in season. During shuttle season (May – October) you’ll need to pay for parking (if it’s even available) in addition to purchasing your National Park entry pass. Since we were there late April, we had no problem driving & parking right at the lakeshore. If you don’t have a car or prefer to do a tour, there are plenty of options to choose from!
I had no idea that the lake would still be completely frozen over in late April! At first I was disappointed to miss the turquoise water, but disappointment quickly turned into awe as we walked all. the. way. across. a still very frozen Lake Louise and stood in the middle of absolute mountain majesty.
While there were plenty of visitors along the edge of the lake near the hotel, the further we walked, the quieter the world became. I wish I could do this specific walk again 100 times, as it was just so magical and incredible.
Gondola Ride up Sulphur Mountain
Banff Gondola was absolutely everything everyone (thanks, Jess!) said it would be. This was hands down my 2nd favorite thing that we did the entire trip, after Lake Louise. My husband is not a fan of heights, but did just fine on the gondola ride itself, and the views from both the gondola and the top were absolutely stunning.
Once at the top, the Sulphur Mountain boardwalk stretches across the summit of the mountain and offers incredible views of the mountains and the town of Banff. I loved walking the entire boardwalk all the way to Sanson Peak, the highest point on Sulphur Mountain.
Make sure you book your ticket in advance so that you don’t miss this must-do! Also be sure to give yourself plenty of time at the top. We had tickets for a 5:30pm upload time and thanks to no lines, were able to board the gondola right on time. We took our time sightseeing, walking the boardwalk and in the gift shop, and were back in the parking lot about 2 hours later.
I noticed that on our tickets it mentions limited parking availability and the need for public transit to get to the base of Sulphur Mountain. Like with Lake Louise, we had no issues driving and parking right at the base of the mountain – again, I assume we have off-season travel to thank for that!
Lakes in Banff National Park
There are so many incredible lakes to explore in the park. It can be hard to choose which ones to visit! Because we were there in late April, many of the higher elevation spots were still frozen and under a blanket of snow. We saw lots of turquoise water peeking through the snow, but the lower elevation lakes had thawed and were the most amazing shade of blue.
The weather this time of year was crazy because we literally had to slide down part of the Peyto Lake hike on our butts because we didn’t think to rent spikes for our shoes, but the next day we were in a tshirt & tank top reading in the sun on the bank of Two Jack Lake.
What you choose to do (snowshoe, ski, hike, kayak, paddle board, wade in the water and find rocks, etc) will likely depend on the time of year you are there and the weather. Regardless of when you go & what you do, don’t miss the chance to see these stunning lakes in Banff National Park! Peyto, Bow, Minnewanka & Two Jack were some of our favorites, though Moraine and others were still closed because of icy roads!
If you don’t have your own transportation, you could always do a tour like this to see all you can while in Banff National Park!
The Icefields Parkway & Jasper
We decided to take a day to drive up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park (when in Canada, right?!). The total trip was a little under 4 hours each way, but with plenty of stops along the way. We left from Canmore and loaded up on French pastries before we headed out of town, which I highly recommend.
Icefields Parkway
Because we had already spent an afternoon at Lake Louise, we drove straight to Bow Lake & then Peyto Lake. We loved hiking around both of these stops – especially the hike at Peyto Lake. The view of the lake from up above was truly stunning.
Back in the car we drove to the Athabasca Glacier. Depending on time of year, you can do a tour of the Icefield and the Athabasca Glacier, which would be absolutely incredible. We parked and hiked out to the glacier for a photo op, which is just as cool (and cold) as it sounds.
Our next stop was Sunwapta Falls (which flows from the Athabasca Glacier), which is a must-see. The damage from the 2024 Jasper wildfire was so heartbreaking, but the beauty of nature despite the ash & burned trees was such a powerful reminder.
Jasper
The town of Jasper itself feels like a hidden gem. The destruction from the wildfire was still apparent when we were there, but the resilience of the people and the town was even more evident. We enjoyed walking around town (the post office, fire station, totem pole & train station with twinkling lights on the train were especially picturesque), and grabbed some much needed and delicious food before our drive back.
The Raven Bistro – omg the orange creme brûlée. I’m still dreaming of it. If they have it and you get it, bring me some, please and thank you. Apparently The Raven Bistro is one of Open Table’s top 100 restaurants for 2025, and I’d have to say I agree! The bacon, brussels & blue happy hour snack was my favorite…until the orange creme brûlée.
Jasper Brewing Co – this wasn’t open post-wildfire when we visited, but was on our list, so wanted to include it here! If you go, please report back!
All in all, it’s safe to say we fell in love with the Canadian Rockies. I’d love to go back, and of course we want to take the kids. I’ve heard wonderful things about summers in Banff, and we truly enjoyed the off-season as well.
For now we’re just sitting here in NC wishing for snow (instead of ice!) and contemplating shoe spikes if we do get the ice they’re calling for…
If you’re looking for other winter travel ideas, make sure you check out these posts:
Tips for Winter Travel with Kids
