*By Charmaine Noronha*
Magical mountains, stunning scenery, all-terrain adventure, delectable dining, and more abound in Banff, Alberta. Canada’s most breathtaking region gave birth to Banff National Park, the country’s first national park centuries ago. And since its inception, it’s become one, if not the most, visited destination in the country. And for good reason.
A backdrop of dark skies, sweeping views, turquoise blue waters and pine-scented forests offer a bevy of activities and indulgences that enable you to embrace the great outdoors among the Canadian Rockies all year.
Explore what to see, do, eat, drink, and where to stay in this treasured natural landscape with this wee guide.
Where to Stay in Banff
Mount Royal Hotel
Situated in the heart of Banff, this historic hotel offers some of Banff’s most iconic views. The hotel dates back more than 100 years when it was originally called the Banff Hotel, making it one of Banff’s most historic places to stay. Each wing of the hotel represents a different decade that the hotel was alive and well for, offering a unique stay for each guest.
As soon as you step outside of its entrance, you’re greeted by beautiful Cascade Mountain, crisp mountain air and an expansive feeling of being in the centre of Banff’s picturesque resort town.
Where to Eat in Banff
Brazen
You gotta be bold, you gotta be brazen to breakfast it up here! The first meal of the day begins just a few floors down from my room with a view. Brazen honours the spirit of Banff’s mountaineers and explorers, the mavericks who built this town. What strikes me as soon as I pop open the menu is the availability of gluten-free and vegan options. So without hesitation, this gluten-intolerant gal ordered the GF avo-toast option with a poached egg, sprouted lentils and crispy potatoes. The toast is fluffy, the avocado plentiful, and the taters are flavourful. With a full belly, I set out for a day of explorin’!
Farm & Fire
Situated in the lovely Elk Hotel, this cozy restaurant pays homage to wood-fired food and slow-roasted staples with a wood-fired craft kitchen in the heart of Banff. Its menu features fresh ingredients from local Canadian farmers enjoyed in a warm and modern dining space.
Chef Scott Hergott, recognized for his award-winning culinary innovation at the Banff Gondola’s Sky Bistro, has a farm-to-table philosophy evident throughout the menu. Highly recommend the winter salad filled with bonafide beets, avocado, squash, and goat cheese best enjoyed with a scrumptious appetizer side of salmon tartare.
Sky Bistro
Speaking of Sky Bistro, you simply can’t come to Banff without dining here. Located on the summit of Banff’s Sulphur Mountain, Sky Bistro is the dining must-do in the sky. Pairing the splendor of the Rocky Mountains with a distinctly Canadian menu that features a selection of regionally sourced local meats, produce and ingredients, this experience is one for the books.
So much so that Sky Bistro won a World Culinary Award for being North America’s best rooftop restaurant in 2022. Another beet recommendation that can’t be beat! I dined on a beautifully prepared and presented fresh beet salad and delicious smoked salmon entree here.
Where to Drink in Banff
Grizzly Paw Distillery
This award-winning brewery helped to pioneer the craft beer movement in Alberta. It started as a wee Brew Pub on Main St., in Canmore, but quickly became a go-to destination for tourists, so the owners built another brewery in the city that’s beautifully designed with a backdrop of mountain peaks.
While most come for the craft beers, it’s a great spot even if you’re not a brewski drinker like myself. The brewery also employs a soda maker, similar to a brewmaster, and has been making innovative sodas for many years. They also sell homemade cocktails in a can such as Mountain Mule and Gin Squeeze.
And, they’re a brewery with a heart. When wildfires devastatingly swept across neighboring Jasper this spring, wiping out part of the beloved resort town, Grizzly Paw donated proceeds from one of their products for relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Wild Life Distillery
Craft distillery Wild Life produces, distills and bottles on site from Albertan prairie grains. Co-founders Matt Widmer and Keith Robinson have succeeded in cultivating sweet spirits, everything from vodka, amaro, and gins, to award-winning whiskies, which include wheat, 100 percent rye, single malt, and peated single malt.
I’d highly recommend a spirit tasting flight to sample some of the rarer, exclusive releases, while they’re tasting room serves up delicious craft cocktails, charcuterie and bottle sales.
Wild Life also offers immersive tours of their new distillation space on Boulder Crescent, which includes a glass keepsake, and a post-tour canned cocktail at the tasting room, along with all the deets about the art of distilling. The distillery also hosts events in the space, as well as regular open mic-nights for budding talent.
Jolene’s Tea House
Jolene, Jolene, please don’t take my tea. I can, and basically do drink tea all day, ‘ery day so I was delighted to stop into this brewhouse. Locally-owned and operated by Jolene Brewster, Jolene’s Tea House has been hand-blending organic teas in Banff National Park since 2005. Her vision is to share the majestic beauty of the mountains through a love for tea. And I’m here for it. Her Wild Blueberry Rooibos was a hit with my traveling crew and I loved her Spirit Tea blends.
Her retail outlet hawks everything from cute tea mugs to candles and more!
What to See and Do in Banff
Lake Minnewanka
While most flock to Lake Louise or Moraine Lake, there’s another almost secret beauty of a sweeping, stunning lake here: Lake Minnewanka. This glacial lake in the eastern area of Banff National Park is actually the second longest lake in the mountain parks of the Canadian Rockies.
Records indicate that the lake, which got its name from the Stoney-Nakoda First Nations people, is an archaeological site. Artifacts from as long as 14,000 years ago are buried at Sandy Beach, along a northwest stretch of the lake. Other archaeological sites here document 10,000 years of the Pre-Contact Period.
We were fortunate to head out on a Pursuit Collections catamaran to cruise these glacial waters to peep the mountain views from the water. Our captain revealed the history of the region while we dined on homemade Chinese chicken dumpling soup specially prepared on board by beloved Banff chef Scott Hergott.
When we disembark a few hours later, we find it hard to leave the lake, snapping pics of the surrounding beauty for at least an hour around the Minnewanka Lakeside Trail. This winding trail follows the lakeshore. If you reach the Stewart Canyon Trailhead, veer up that path to catch views of Cascade River flowing into Lake Minnewanka.
Banff Gondola
Head all the way up Sulphur Mountain via the Banff Gondola. In just eight minutes, you’ll get to enjoy the amazing views of six mountain ranges as you coast over treetops. Once you’re at the summit of the 7,486-foot-high mountaintop, walk the ridgetop boardwalk for a landscape like no other. Back inside, the interpretive centre provides the lowdown of the region and geological facts about the mountains and their surroundings.
A huge thanks to Pursuit for hosting us on this press trip. As always, reviews and opinions are entirely our own.
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