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Welcome to this article about 20 things to do and see in Banff National Park. Post part of our Super guide to travel to Canada. A guide we have created full of advice and personal experiences to help you plan your next trip to Canada.

An article, where through our own experience, 21 days of travel through the Canadian Rockies, we tell you what you can do and what to see in Banff National Park.

Banff was our first Rocky Mountain National Park visited. Before embarking on the visit cut short by the fire this summer 2024 to Jasper National Park. A park that, without a doubt, for us is the Crown Jewel of Canada and the Rocky Mountains.

Banff National Park is the Canada's oldest national park and the 3rd created in the world. The prettier and the most spectacular, without a doubt, of Canada. Thanks to him, the Canadian Rockies are World Heritage Site by UNESCO, that says it all.

 Although, on the other hand, we have to say that it is just as beautiful, it is also the more crowded and complex to visit. Above all, it requires a lot of planning to visit all its best corners.

TIP to get started on basic requirements

Highlights for a film tour in Banff National Park

To visit the Banff National Park and its surroundings, we advise you to do it on a route of minimum 7 days.

Also, we recommend that you don't just stay in Banff National Park. From here you can also visit the Yoho National Park and Spectacular glaciers and lakes of the Icefield ParkwayThe famous Icefields Highway. 2 nearby destinations, just minutes from Banff National Park.

In summary, we would recommend that you dedicate at least 2 days to visit the area of Banff village. Along with its surroundings such as Lake Minnewanka or the Vermilon Lakes. Then, 1 day to the area of Bow Valley with Johnston Canyon. 2 more days in the area Lake Louise and Moraine. Ending, with 1 day in Yoho National Park. And 1 day visiting the ice road full of glaciers and beautiful lakes, the Icefield Parkway.

How to get to Banff National Park

On our trip we arrived in Canada from the airport Calgary. A city that we visited on the way back from our route and which I must say is not spectacular either.

From Calgary, we arrived in Banff in 1,5h y 128 km, driving along the TransCanada Highway. A super well maintained road open all year round, inside Banff National Park.

Really CalgaryIf you are going to visit the Canadian Rockies, this is the best airport to enter Canada, the closest without a doubt.

The best way to get from Calgary to Banff is by private vehicle, because of the flexibility it will give you to move around afterwards. But, if you prefer to move around By public transport, I can tell you that you will have 0 problems in Banff National Park. Everything is well prepared with shuttle buses and connections both from Calgary to Banff, and within Banff National Park itself.

You have multiple services of shuttle buses from Calgary Airport or Downtown, downtown, from Calgary to Banff Village or Lake Louise Village. In addition, you also have the option of arriving by train. An experience that takes you through the Rocky Mountains from Calgary or from Vancouver as well.

Discovery Pass to access Banff National Park

To access Canada's National Parks you must have a pass. This must be placed in the vehicle and carried with you if you are going to visit any of its free museums with it.

There are day passes and single national park passes. Or if you are going to be there for more than 7 days like us and through different National Parks, the one that is most cost effective to buy is the annual pass, called Discovery Pass.

De There are different Discovery Passes with different pricesIf you are traveling alone as an adult there is one for $75. If you are traveling in family or group there is another one for $151 or if you are retired, it costs $64. The Discovery Pass is valid for a single vehicle and for a whole year. In our case, we bought the family/group Discovery Pass.

With the Discovery Pass, we can also access more than 80 destinationsThese are all over Canada's National Parks and historic sites, for up to 7 people in one vehicle if with the Discovery family/group.

You can buy it in person once you are inside the national parks in Canada, at the Visitor Centers of the Parks or at some access points to the park by road. Or, you can buy it in advance online and have it sent to your home on the website of Discovery Pass. Of course, if you do it online, do it at least a month in advance, as it takes 20 days to arrive or maybe more if it is delayed.

How to get to the places to see in Banff National Park

The first thing we find different between the countries of North America and Europe is the organization of the streets of cities and towns.

in Canada, just like in the US, the streets are not designed for walking. They are very wide streets and are designed for cars rather than pedestrians.

In Banff National Park in general everything is like this as a rule, because it has a large area of ​​territory. But, on the other hand, something that we fell in love with about Banff town is that it also has a part of the town center, the Downtown, completely pedestrian.

Now, to go to places of interest in Banff town or surrounding areas, you will need to move. with vehicle. Be it a private vehicle or public transport. Or, what we advise you is to visit it through one of the multiple tours departing from Banff.

Lastly, tell you that you can move around in a private vehicle on a regular basis through the great the masses of people and cars that there are in summer. So, as a first tip, if you go like us in August, Get up early to find parking.

Sometimes, tours can be the best option. O carefully, move around by public transport, through the network of public buses of Banff National Park. Especially to visit Lake Louise, Lake Minnewanka or to the Jonsthon Canyon, among others.

Where to stay in Banff National Park

Surely, Banff, will be yours base for visiting the Canadian Rockies. Or at least Banff National Park, which is the most visited of the 7 national parks in the Canadian Rockies.

Banff village is one of the towns with the most accommodations in the area, Banff has 50 accommodations.

If you still don't have accommodation booked for your trip, we recommend one of these 50 hotels in Banff, due to its proximity to Calgary airport and the main attractions of the Canadian Rockies.

See which of the 50 best suits your tastes and budget, all of them in general in Canada are very good.

By motorhome or camper or tent: Campsites in Banff

In our case, when making our trip through the Rockies of Canada by motorhome, we stayed in different Banff National Park Public Campgrounds, a very good option and at a good price (around €25 per night) if you go in a tent, camper or motorhome as it is in the middle of nature and next to the main points of interest.

Banff National Park What to See and Do

Below, I'll tell you about the main visits, activities, hikes and experiences in Banff NP. Everything that we consider the most essential things to see and do in Banff National Park.

Visiting the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, a must-see in Banff National Park

If there is a historic landmark in Banff National Park, it is the Cave & Basin National Historic Site.

Thanks to the discovery, by railway construction workers, in 1883, of this cave, Banff National Park was declared by the Canadian government in 1885. Canada's first declared National Park and the third in the world, after Yellowston in the USA and the Royal in Australia.

 Today at the Cave and Basin you can visit the original cave where the hot springs spring up. Another of the springs with hot spring water outside, where we can see protected mini black snails, a museum and various exhibits. There are ongoing guided tours in English free of charge. A special place for indigenous peoples for over 10.000 years.

Here there is 4 of the 9 hot springs that there are in total in Banff. Another of the sources is in the Upper Banff Hot Springs thermal pool.

 La Admission is free with the Discovery Pass card, which we mentioned above. You just have to show it and they will let you through.

Finally, if you are traveling with children, ask for the Explorer booklet that they have here at Cave and Basin National Historic Site. The visit will be more entertaining. By answering the questions and activities in the booklet, at the end they will have their reward badge. Badges that they can collect with those from other places.

 Bathing in the Banff Upper Hot Springs

Outside the historic Cave. Above Banff Village, on a road that goes up to the Sulphur Mountain gondola, we find the spa. Where we can bathe in the hot springs, Banff Upper Hot Springs.

There used to be a pool at the original Cave and Basin, but this was added long ago to better preserve the historic site.

These Banff hot springs are one of the great traditions of every traveler to Banff National Park. Relaxing here in these warm, mineral-rich waters is priceless.

The bathrooms are in a federal heritage building. They have a outdoor pool overlooking the peaks escaped from the Rundle and Cascade MountainsIts waters are between 37 to 40 degrees.

The operating hours are of 10 to 22 hours, but the last entry is at 21:30 p.m. Tickets cannot be purchased in advance or online, only at the reception in person. Prices are $17,50 for adults and $15,25 for children. You must bring a swimsuit, flip flops and a towel. There is a Family ticket for two adults and two children $56,75 that you save a little bit and it's not bad.

Walk along the Bow River in Banff Village and visit to Bow Falls

The river Bow is the river that runs through Banff village and one of the most important in Banff National Park. That's why you can't miss visiting its banks, waterfalls and even strolling among its works of art.

I'll tell you a little about the route we took to visit it.

We walked along Banff Ave until we reached the Bow River, where there is a very cool bridge (location) . Wooden walkways and where they rent canoes and kayaks, if you want a nice walk along the river. Then, we cross the bridge to walk along the Cascade Gardens , where the offices of Banff National Park are located in a beautiful garden park. We continue a little further along the Bow River Trail, where a path full of works of art runs. Here sculptures and paintings accompany us on the walk, until we see the waterfall formed by the river.

An 1,5 km route easy and very pretty.

Visit Lake Minnewanka and Stewart Canyon

One of the closest and most famous lakes to Banff Village is the Lake Minnewanka.

To visit this lake you have to do it in the Banff tour, or take our car or the bus and park in one of its parking lots:

Parking GPS coordinates: 51°14'52.6″N 115°30'02.4″W/51.247944, -115.500667

From this parking lot there is a dock where you can take a boat for a tour of the lake, a cafe bar, an incredible and very large picnic area on the shores of a lake beach, kayak rentals and various trekking activities.

Here is the only lake from Banff National Park where You can rent a motor boat. The noise makes the lake lose its charm, but oh well.

We decided to walk a little to see the lake from its shore and get to the Stewart Canyon Bridge, where from here the road was closed due to the presence of bears but perhaps you can extend the route. The route is 7,5 km round trip, easy and without any gradient. Crossing the Stewart Canyon bridge, if you are into climbing, you have one of the most visited climbing areas by climbers.

In return, we were able to enjoy a secluded paradise beach, with a swim included, where even a deer came to visit us and drink water.

Walking through the fairy chimneys, the Hoodos of Banff

The Hoodos are unique and spectacular rock formations of sandstone, limestone and sedimentary rocks that are also known as fairy chimneys. Another of the points you will visit if you do the Banff tour.

They are a cool geological attraction located along the banks of the Bow River near the Tunnel Mountain public campgrounds near Banff Village, where we stayed for two nights.

 These rocky pinnacles help us understand how wind and water erosion has worked on the terrain over thousands of years. Erosion has left the rocks as thin columns at the top and larger ones at the bottom.

To see the Hoodoos you can do so from a viewing point or from a couple of trails that pass by them.

The viewpoint, with a small parking lot, where they are best seen is the Hoodos Viewpoint, where the Trail starts  Hoodoos Trail Head, easy and with good panoramic views of about 10 km to another of Banff's cool viewpoints the Surprise Corner Viewpoint, where there is also another small parking lot.

From the viewpoint, don't miss the photo in the typical red chairs of Parks Canada.

 

Climb to the top of Sulphur Mountain for the best views of the Bow Valley

A mountain with great views in Banff Village is Sulphur Mountain. I dare say that for us it was the best viewpoint in all of Banff National Park. Nowhere else did we have such beautiful views as we did when we climbed here.

 To climb this peak with one of the best panoramic views of Banff and the Bow River Valley, you must come by public transport or private vehicle and park in the parking lot where the part route to the top of Sulphur Mountain.

Parking GPS coordinates: 51°08'53.7″N 115°33'28.0″W/51.148250, -115.557778

From here comes the Well-marked trail of less than 12 km there and back to the top of Sulphur.  A very nice trail but quite hard if you are not used to walking due to the steep slope that accumulates on the climb with hardly any respite until the top. Almost 800 meters of elevation gain in just over 5 kilometers.

Although it was hard, my 8 and 11 year old children did it and I assure you that today they say that it was the best hike we did in Canada, and they did a lot of them hahaha!

The reward of reaching the top after the hard effort and seeing mountain goats and a lot of squirrels climbing on us, plus the views, make this trail something very special for our memories.

For those who prefer not to walk, there is the option of taking a cable car, lto Banff Gondola, for a modest price.

Other amenities at the top of Sulphur Mountain

Above we arrive at a restaurant, a small museum with exhibits and a gazebo beautiful village and valley at the top, which is reached by stairs and wooden walkways.

The best plan after coming down is to go to the hot springs, the Upper Hot Springs, which are right next to the Sulphur Mountain parking lot.

Take a horseback ride around Banff Village and surrounding areas

In Banff there is a Canadian horse farm that organizes horseback riding tours and excursions of different options and difficulties, some even with a carriage and barbecue at the end.

Visit the Cascade Gardens in Banff Village

The Cascade Gardens are a haven of peace and beauty in Banff Village.

They are gardens located at the base of the Mount Cascade, tastefully designed and with very beautiful views.

The gardens have a combination of constructed and natural decorative elements, with a wide variety of ornamental flowers and plants of all colors.

These gardens are accessible to everyone. Organized with different thematic areas, which guide the visitor through their paved paths.

In addition to having ponds, fountains, bridges and wooden pergolas, there is a large historical building which is where the palace-like headquarters of Banff National Park.

It's full of Columbian ground squirrels, so keep an eye out for them, they're very playful.

Climb Tunnel Mountain 

If you prefer to climb a summit, but on a shorter route with less elevation than the Sulphur, and with also impressive views of the Bow Valley and Banff, there is an alternative.

The alternative is the summit of Tunnel Mountain. A route of 4 km there and back and 418 meters with an easy gradient and an exceptional reward at the end. The car park It is very small, but if there is no space you can park below.

Excursion to Lake Boom

One of the hikes that we all enjoyed the most, along with Mount Sulphur, in Banff National Park, was the one to Boom Lake. A little-known hike, but easy and spectacular at the end. 

A 10km trail route, there and back, with less than 200 metres of elevation gain and a spectacular emerald lake with glaciers as a backdrop. In addition, it is a route that is not crowded, very different from what we have seen in other glacial lakes in Banff National Park.

 Park here with a picnic area where the well-marked trail starts.

We definitely recommend it highly and I would say that it is essential to experience the peace and calm of the splendid nature of Banff National Park.

Canoeing on the Bow River in Banff Village

In Banff Village, you can rent a canoe or take a group canoe tour. The rental point is right on the banks of the Bow River at a small boat launch before crossing the bridge that takes you to Cascade Gardens in Banff Village.

Visit the Banff Park Museum National Historic Site.

El Banff Park Museum National Historic Site It is free with the Discovery Pass, which as we have indicated above you must have in order to access Banff National Park.

There are many stuffed animals in this museum, which left us with a bit of a strange feeling. Honestly, we didn't know if we liked what we saw or not. We love animals, but stuffed animals are something else…

On the other hand, all the well-explained exhibits were very educational and entertaining for the little ones in the house.

Here you can also order the Explorer booklet such as Cabin Basin and the Banff National Park Information Centre. These are the three places that have the Explorer programme for this area and that, upon completing the booklets, give the children badges.

Buffalo Nations Museum

A small but interesting museum to understand the origins of these lands and the importance of the buffalo for indigenous history.

Your visit lasts approximately one hour exploring the different exhibits with very complete information about indigenous cultures and histories.

It closes at 18pm and costs $12 for adults and $6 for children, free for those under 7 years old.

Visit to Lake Louise and canoe ride

If there is a famous lake in Banff National Park that is it Lake Louise. Although unquestionably beautiful and a must-see, for me the most spectacular part of Banff National Park is the Morain or even Boom Lake and nearby Peyto Lake or Emerald Lake in Yoho.

He is so famous that he is the place that is most difficult to visit due to parking restrictions on the lake and because of the masses of people there in summer. 

To visit it you have to plan your visit to Lake Louise very very well. That's why I have written you a more detailed post with all the options to access Lake Louise and everything you can see and do there.

We choose to enjoy Lake Louise by canoe And I assure you that it was a good idea to be able to see it without the hustle and bustle of the hundreds of tourists who pile up on the shore. The price of the canoe for the 4 of us was $160, the most expensive canoe rental for one hour, but it is really worth it for the extraordinary place. 

In Lake Louise, you can not only admire a beautiful lake, but you can also take many beautiful hikes of all levels.

From easy 2km circular route . plain with views of the lake throughout surrounding the lake to the route up to the Lake Agnes Tea House 7 km round trip and 385 m of elevation gain accumulated. Finally, another mythical route of Lake Louise is the famous Plain of Six Glaciers. Route of moderate difficulty, 11 km round trip, where you can see incredible glaciers. A route that you have to count on at least 5h to do it.

See the Vermilon lakes

From the center of Banff you can take a Trekking of about 6,5 km iry return to visit the Vermilon Lakes, a group of lakes very close to Banff Village.

If you prefer not to go trekking, you can go by public transport or by private car park in a small parking lot on the side of the road that goes up to Lake Louise.

There are no canoes or kayaks to rent here.

Take the bus to Lake Moraine and go trekking 

From Lake Louise, there is a shuttle bus to Lake Moraine, another of the beautiful lakes in Banff National Park. 

For that road in summer Only the bus can circulate and it is closed to the circulation of private vehicles. So the only two options to visit it are in a tour or by shuttle bus which you have to book the bus ticket with time (it is the same as Lake Louise).

Here you can see the post where I explain everything about how to get to Lake Morain and the hiking routes from there.

Once at Lake Moraine you have several routes you can take. The easiest and most accessible for everyone is the route walk along its 1,5 km shore and the route to Rockpile, some iconic rocks where you can see views of the lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Rockpile route It is circular and only has 800 meters and 35 meters of unevenness, making it a very easy route.

If you are looking for routes of moderate difficulty you will find the one Eiffel Lake 12 km go and come back and 370 elevation meters or of Larch Valley and Minnestimma Lakes 10km round trip y 535 m elevation gain.

Lastly, and just for experienced mountaineers Here at Morain Lake a part Sentinel Pass Rocky Mountains Legendary Route that goes to two famous people and beautiful valleys the Larch Valley and the Paradise Valley through 725 m of elevation gain and 6 km one way, 12 round trip.

Bathing at Johnson Lake Beach

Below Lake Minnewanka, we find a small lake, Johnson Lake, with a beach and a swimming area. It is the lake recommended by the tourist office for swimming, with the best temperature in the area and the most suitable for children to enjoy.

It has parking and a picnic area around it, ideal for a hot summer day in Banff National Park.

Hiking Johnstone Canyon Trail 

The big draw of the Bow Valley area is the stunning and beautiful Johnstone Canyon.

To visit it there is a very well marked trail that is el Johnston Canyon Trail that I explain in this detailed post.

This well-marked trail is a total of 12,5 km round trip and 412 meters of elevation gain. We did it with our 8 and 11 year old children and it was very easy and cool.

To park here we must do so in front of the campground in the designated area. Johnston Canyon Parking Lot, where the Trail starts.

This Trail, however, is divided into different sections and visits and can be made shorter or longer, depending on what each person wants and can do.

If you want to do the shortest of all, it is to the lower waterfall, otherwise you can do one of about 6 km round trip to the upper waterfall and for the daring ones, reach the last point where we find the Ink pots, 7 springs of turquoise water that are in a meadow past three kilometers of the last waterfalls.

Visit and walk through the Moose Meadows 

From Johnston Canyon a very short drive away you can park in this parking lot and enter into A beautiful meadow in the middle of the Bow River Valley.

Apart from simply enjoying the meadow, a route starts from here that goes to the turquoise pools of the Ink Pots, although the route is more monotonous than the previous one, since you only see forest and there are not as many views and landscapes.

Silverston Falls from Castle Junction

A little further ahead of Moose Meadows, we find the Castle Junction, one of the important road junctions where we can go to the Trans Canada Highway 1.

Right at Castle Junction we can park the car here and take the path of Rockbound Lake Trail and in 1 km and without almost any unevenness, reach the Silverston Falls.

Map of Banff National Park what to see

Below is this interactive map of Banff National Park that we have made with all the places to see in Banff National Park, both those we mentioned above and some others that may be of extra interest to you if you are going for more days.

Tips for visiting Banff National Park

In general I can tell you that Banff National Park is the most impressive of the National Parks that we have visited, but also the most visited and crowded, so you have to organize yourself well before you go.

About tips that I would give you from the experience of our visit to Banff National Park would be the following:

Tips on Route Planning in Banff National Park

On food and saving, tips

Tips on trails and wild animals