I can officially confirm that the hype is real. Banff is undeniably the most spectacular place I have ever visited! You’ve probably seen photos of the turquoise blue lakes and stunning mountains, but the photos don’t even do it justice.

If you have the chance to visit this bucket-list town in Alberta, Canada, here’s everything I learned from the trip!

Visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

These two iconic lakes are a must-see in Banff, but getting there is no small feat, especially during the peak summer months. Booking the Parks Canada shuttles felt as hard as trying to get Taylor Swift tickets! The alternative local Roam bus was also full. Both are the more affordable options, so if you want to do this, be prepared to plan way in advance.

Instead, after thorough reading on The Banff Blog, I decided to book the extended 2 Lakes Combo tour through the private company Via Via and it was so worth it! The shuttle picked us right up at our hotel, which was ideal without a car. After about an hour drive, we arrived to Moraine Lake with a two hour window to explore. This gave us just enough time to enjoy an hour-long canoe ride, which I would recommend to anyone, and scurry up the rock pile for a scenic overhead view of the lake. The canoe line surprisingly only took about 15 minutes (we went on a Wednesday) and accepted card only. I would recommend canoeing at Moraine Lake vs. Lake Louise because of the surrounding mountains and the super clear but vibrant water color.

Next we loaded up the shuttled and headed to Lake Louise, only about 20 minutes away. Booking the extended tour option gave us five and a half hours here. With that, we did the Little Beehive hike with stops along the way at Mirror Lake and the Lake Agnes Teahouse. The PB&J at the Teahouse with the fattest slab on butter in the middle was an ideal mid-hike snack! If our legs wouldn’t have been so sore, we would’ve done Big Beehive instead, but once you get to the top, both have surreal views of Lake Louise. As a very novice hiker, I felt really comfortable with both Little and Big Beehives trails being well marked all the way up.

After we finished the hike, we popped into the Grab & Go store at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, grabbed a local beer and drank it while dunking our feet in the icy lake water. We tried to get a reservation for drinks or dinner at the Fairmont after, but it’s super tricky, and honestly sitting on the rocks by the water felt so nice!

Free Day? Rent E-Bikes

If you have a free afternoon, rent e-bikes from one of the local spots like Black Tie Ski & Bike Rentals! Per the bike store’s recommendation, my aunt and I spontaneously decided to do a 32 mile bike ride from town passing by the Vermillion Lakes to Johnston Canyon. This ride was one of my FAVORITE parts of the trip! It took about 1.5 hours each way for context (not bad on the e-bike) and was scenic the entire route.

Once we got to Johnston Canyon, we hiked 7 miles round trip to the Ink Pots, passing by the Upper and Lower Falls. Johnston Canyon is CRAZY PACKED, like walking single file line side-by-side packed, but ending up in the meadow with the Ink Pots surrounded by all the mountains made it so worth it. The Ink Pots are formed by “mineral-rich water bubbling up from underground springs” (source) making for the most vivid colors. Next time I go here, I’d have the trail downloaded on AllTrails so I could follow progress, and I’d bring sandwiches and brewskis to enjoy by the water before the hike down and bike back.

Other Paddle Boarding or Canoeing Ideas

If you have a vehicle, rent stand up paddle boards and go to Two Jack Lake! This is another spot I’d pack a lunch and chill for an afternoon, especially because it was much less crowded. If you want to canoe or paddle, but can’t make it to the lakes, you can do it right in town on the Bow River with Banff Canoe Club.

Where to Eat

Make dinner reservations in town ahead! The Grizzly House was so memorable for fondue and cooking meat on a 500 degree polished stone table side. I also loved Three Bears Brewery and The Bison, both recs from  @cornerbooth. The elk sausage (!) and kale pizza at Three Bears was awesome. Don’t miss the locally raised Bison Short Ribs at The Bison. 

What to Wear

The weather in Banff can change crazy quick! I would start the day in leggings and a fleece, and then be sweating in shorts and a tank hiking by afternoon. I highly recommend light layers that you can strip or re-add throughout activities. All the restaurants in town are super casual, enough that we would just arrive in hiking clothes. If you’re doing a sunrise hike, I wouldn’t mess around. It gets COLD!
For the hikes we did, I didn’t need full hiking boots. My HOKA trail runners were perfect and easy to go from street wear to mountains!

Transportation and Other Tips

We noticed water refill stations at all the mountains and hotels – it was so handy and easy to be eco-friendly.

Everyone who works in town is so nice. We met so many friendly people – lots of young Australians! 

Transportation to and from Banff to the airport is super slick with the Banff Airporter shuttle. They take you or pick you up right from your hotel.

Although I didn’t use, the Roam public busses around Banff looked super easy to use. The tickets book up going to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, but around town you can just buy a ticket on the app when you need and hop on and off like any city bus!