Banff Canada travel | Golden Skate

Banff Canada travel

Sam L

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
Hey guys, am in the process of planning a trip to Canada in March 2018 and I'm interested in going to Banff National Park. Lake Louise in this area is rated as one of the most beautiful outdoor ice rinks in the world. That's pretty much why I'm going. Just wondering if people on here have been there, and generally in the Banff national park and if you have any advice.

So it's outdoor skating and sightseeing I'm interested in. I'm travelling by myself so I need to go to frozen lakes where there are going to other people like Lake Louise. Last thing I want is to be alone and fall through the ice and drown. lol

Vermillion Lakes look beautiful as well. Any others? Other activities? I don't have a long time there though only about 3 days.
 

iluvtodd

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 5, 2004
Country
United-States
We were there in the 1980's, and totally loved it (hope we get back there some day). We took a gentle rafting trip down the Bow River & a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain (?), where we got to see Bighorn Sheep up close & personal. I don't remember how close it is, but Moraine Lake is gorgeous. I remember it had 2 different shades of blue in it.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
I've been to Banff/Lake Louise a lot, but mostly in the summer.

Are you going to have a car? Lake Louise itself is some distance from the "village" of Lake Louise. If you want to stay in Louise, I would recommend staying at the youth hostel in the village. The hostel also have very good food. It's not super cheap, but is better and better value than any other restaurant in the area. If you're traveling alone, it would be a good place to meet other people.

The road to Moraine Lake, which takes off from the road between LL village and the lake itself, is closed in winter.



Here's a website with information on skating in the area:
https://www.banfflakelouise.com/ice-skating

The picture of skating on Lake Minnewanka is awesome. Lake Minnewanka is near Banff, where there is lots of accomodation and tourist stuff. It's about 45 minutes by car from Banff to Louise.

If you go to Louise, also drive west on the trans-Canada highway over the Kicking Horse Pass and stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint. If you're lucky, you'll see a long train go through the tunnel, with its front and back ends passing over/under each other. It's about 25 minutes from Louise to Field,BC, which is way down at the base of the pass.
 

jersey1302

On the Ice
Joined
Jan 10, 2016
Country
Canada
I havent been there in 15 years but I do remember it was absolutely stunning there. Everytime we go back to Alberta we are in Edmonton at their indoor water park in the mall haha, we haven't been back to the mountains yet. I 1000% want to though. I remember the gondola ride up the mountain is just fantastic. perfect views. Sorry I can't really give much information but have a great time!! NanaPat seems to have the info down quite well though!
 

Sam L

Medalist
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
We were there in the 1980's, and totally loved it (hope we get back there some day). We took a gentle rafting trip down the Bow River & a gondola ride up Sulphur Mountain (?), where we got to see Bighorn Sheep up close & personal. I don't remember how close it is, but Moraine Lake is gorgeous. I remember it had 2 different shades of blue in it.

My sister went in summer and she had some absolutely gorgeous photos but I'm at beginning of March so my photos will look very different.

I've been to Banff/Lake Louise a lot, but mostly in the summer.

Are you going to have a car? Lake Louise itself is some distance from the "village" of Lake Louise. If you want to stay in Louise, I would recommend staying at the youth hostel in the village. The hostel also have very good food. It's not super cheap, but is better and better value than any other restaurant in the area. If you're traveling alone, it would be a good place to meet other people.

The road to Moraine Lake, which takes off from the road between LL village and the lake itself, is closed in winter.



Here's a website with information on skating in the area:
https://www.banfflakelouise.com/ice-skating

The picture of skating on Lake Minnewanka is awesome. Lake Minnewanka is near Banff, where there is lots of accomodation and tourist stuff. It's about 45 minutes by car from Banff to Louise.

If you go to Louise, also drive west on the trans-Canada highway over the Kicking Horse Pass and stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint. If you're lucky, you'll see a long train go through the tunnel, with its front and back ends passing over/under each other. It's about 25 minutes from Louise to Field,BC, which is way down at the base of the pass.

Thank you. I will need to stay in Banff. I was thinking Lake Louise but I thought it put me in a too enclosed area whereas Banff was a bigger place and more central. I wanted to visit Lake Louise, Vermillion Lakes and Lake Minnewanka so I thought Banff is more central. Thank you for the advice, I'll try to check it out. Do you know if there are a lot of people skating on Lake Minnewanka or there's a dedicated area for it? I just don't want to turn up and find myself the only person there but I don't know anything about checking if ice is safe etc... I have only ever done outdoor skating once, that was in Sweden and I was taught how to check if ice is safe but I'm not confident.

I havent been there in 15 years but I do remember it was absolutely stunning there. Everytime we go back to Alberta we are in Edmonton at their indoor water park in the mall haha, we haven't been back to the mountains yet. I 1000% want to though. I remember the gondola ride up the mountain is just fantastic. perfect views. Sorry I can't really give much information but have a great time!! NanaPat seems to have the info down quite well though!

Ok sounds like I must do the gondola trip, I was going to skip so thanks for the advice.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
Oh Banff.......One of the happiest memories of my entire life....Seriously. It's a beautiful city and very relaxing. It has very happy memories for me and it's close enough to Calgary that if you're looking for excitement, you can jump in the car and hit the city for some shopping or go to a club. It's also a very romantic city so, if you're looking to spend time with your significant other, it's perfect.
 

NanaPat

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 25, 2014
Country
Canada
Oh Banff.......One of the happiest memories of my entire life....Seriously. It's a beautiful and very relaxing. It has very happy memories for me and it's close enough to Edmonton that if you're looking for excitement, you can jump in the car and hit that giant mall or go to a club. It's a very romantic city so, if you're looking to spend time with your significant other, it's perfect.

I think you're thinking of Jasper. I don't find Banff (the town) very relaxing, as it has grown a lot over the years. It is very busy in the summer, when we're there. It also isn't near Edmonton (almost 5 hours drive, one-way). Jasper is closer to Edmonton (about 2 hours), but still not real close.

The park on the other hand is gorgeous and relaxing.

My sister went in summer and she had some absolutely gorgeous photos but I'm at beginning of March so my photos will look very different.

Thank you. I will need to stay in Banff. I was thinking Lake Louise but I thought it put me in a too enclosed area whereas Banff was a bigger place and more central. I wanted to visit Lake Louise, Vermillion Lakes and Lake Minnewanka so I thought Banff is more central. Thank you for the advice, I'll try to check it out. Do you know if there are a lot of people skating on Lake Minnewanka or there's a dedicated area for it? I just don't want to turn up and find myself the only person there but I don't know anything about checking if ice is safe etc... I have only ever done outdoor skating once, that was in Sweden and I was taught how to check if ice is safe but I'm not confident.

Banff National Park is gorgeous wherever you are and in every season. You can easily drive to Lake Louise for the day (less than an hour each way) as long as there isn't a major storm. . We usually camp in the Lake Louise area, but we've driven up from Banff, done an 8-hour hike, had dinner at the youth hostel, and driven back to Banff in one day.

There is a Parks Canada Visitor Centre on Banff Avenue in downtown Banff where you can get all kinds of information (ask questions of a real person, not just get brochures touting expensive attractions). I'm sure they'll know current conditions. The Cascade Mall across the street has a laundromat, drug store, and food court with a pretty good mix of food. They're all downstairs. One of the two major grocery stores is nearby.

If you go to the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, you can easily go to the Upper Hot Springs at the same time. There's something about being in a hot pool outdoors when it's cold (even better if there's a light snow) that can't be beat.

If you want, PM me and I can give you more information.
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
^^ It's definitely Banff I'm thinking about. I was touring with a group called Up With People and we had been a long tour of Canada that began on PEI. I don't know if they still have this event but we performed at The Calgary Stampede. From there, we went to the West Edmonton Mall and then on to Banff. I don't know if they still exist but, we sang with a group called The Young Canadians.
 
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