Banff is by far one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
And the funny thing is, most Americans don’t know about it! I guess, many of us are too obsessed with our own national parks.
However, I believe Banff is one of the great national parks of the world for your bucket list (especially in the summer).
During the summer months (July and August), Banff is absolutely beautiful. And best of all? The sun doesn’t set until much later in the day (around 9 PM)!
This past summer, I was able to visit Banff for several days and I was completely blown away. It is filled with beauty beyond your imagination.
From the incredible turquoise lakes, to the incredible mountain summits, and the Fairmont Hotels, Banff is a destination you will want to see before you croak!
Here are the 12 best things to do in Banff in summer!
1. The Banff Gondola
Admittedly, the Banff Gondola is a little bit pricey. However, the views are really worth it. And I think it’s one of the best things to do in Banff for first timers.
It costs $58 to ride the Banff Gondola. And it is worth every single penny. The gondola goes up 2,292 feet to the summit of Sulphur Mountain and is an 8 minute ride.
When you first get up, you are greeted with the Banff Gondola boardwalk. The boardwalk is simply breathtaking.
You’ll get a 360 degree view of the entire town of Banff, including the very historic Fairmont Banff Springs (which is actually my favorite hotel in the world).
You can walk along the boardwalk to Samson’s Peak, which contains a weather station.
When you’re done with the boardwalk, you can go to the Banff Gondola Summit. The structure in the mountain has several levels. But the one you want to go to is the roof.
It has a great view of the mountain ranges and even an open fire pit! This is a perfect place if you want to snuggle up to your date.
During the summer, they often have musicians playing at night and it’s a romantic place to chill out for the night.
And if you’re feeling up to it, the Banff Gondola has several food options. They have a high end restaurant and also a buffet style restaurant.
I would highly recommend buying a bundled ticket to eat at those restaurants as they are in very high demand.
Tip: If you don’t want to pay the $58 fee to ride the Gondola up, you can actually hike the mountain. It typically takes about 2 – 3 hours so be prepared for quite the workout!
Most of the time, they don’t check your ticket on the way down, so you can ride down for free after you enjoy the views on top!
2. Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
I’m totally biased here, but I think the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is the most amazing hotel in the world. And it’s one of the amazing Canadian Grand Railway Hotels.
If you’re wondering what to do in Banff on your first night, I would say you should visit Banff Springs!
It’s nestled deep in the Canadian Rockies and its views are unparalleled. On my first night in Banff, I walked around the hotel for 3 hours!
Yes, it’s THAT BIG!
The Fairmont Banff Springs is one of Canada’s Great Railway Hotels. These are a series of 5 star hotels that the Canadian railroad companies built to serve the affluent passengers of the country’s then expanding rail network and they celebrated rail travel in style.
Today, we even mortals and middle class folk like us can enjoy the splendid beauty of the hotel!
The hotel gives tours every day at 3 PM. If you’re interested you’ll learn a lot about the history of the hotel, which has hosted royalty and other famous people.
I would highly recommend penciling in some time to go walking around the hotel near sunset (around 9 – 10 PM in the summer).
The hotel has so many rooms and ballrooms. Each is beautifully designed and worthy of many pictures!
3. Banff Historic Cave and Basin
I’ll be the first to admit, that I didn’t spend too much time at the Banff Historic Cave and Basin. But I still feel like it’s a cool part of Banff history to witness.
This was the birthplace of Banff (and the national parks system in Canada). In fact, Banff is the third oldest national park in the world!
At the cave, you can see the hot springs. It’s basically a small room that smells like rotten eggs haha 🙂
4. Downtown Banff
Downtown Banff is a place of wonder.
The area of Downtown Banff stretches several streets and is a great place to roam around. I was actually very surprised at the food options in Banff.
Here, you can get Chinese, Indian, sushi, and even McDonald’s all on one street! The variety of food options was very interesting.
Parking in downtown Banff can get busy during the rush hour. I would recommend parking in the garage on Bear Street.
If you’re looking for ice cream in Banff, I would highly recommend going to Cows! There is almost always a line in the summer no matter the time of day, but it’s totally worth it – I promise!
5. Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyon is a very popular hike and summer attraction in Banff. And it’s not that far outside of town.
Out of all of the hikes in Banff, I would say this is my favorite! The views are simply beautiful!
Now, there are two trails at Johnson Canyon: the upper falls and the lower falls. You can hike both.
To get to the upper fails trail, you have to hike the lower falls. At the end of the lower falls trail, you’ll be able to go into a small tunnel/cave and see the waterfall.
Now, I’m going to tell you about a cool hack for the trail. After the lower fall, but before the upper falls, you can hike down to the bank of the river.
There you’ll find a small cave and the famous “tipping rock” (I’m not sure if there’s a name for it). This rock is all over Instagram!
When I first saw it, I knew I had to get a picture of it.
It’s basically a giant rock that looks like it’s about to tip over.
6. Lake Minnewanka
While Lake Minnewanka isn’t my favorite like in Banff, I think it is still a worthy point of interest in Banff.
Before you visit the lake itself, I would highly recommend driving on Lake Minnewanka scenic drive. It’s a beautiful drive that goes around the lake and will give your spine chills.
I believe Lake Minnewanka is the only lake in Banff that allows motorized boats. So if you want to go boating, this is the place to be!
One of my favorite hikes at Lake Minnewanka was the one to the old bridge over Stewart Canyon. It’s very beautiful and you can actually hike down to the river bank for a cool view of the bridge.
Note, there is a lot of parking available at Lake Minnewanka so don’t worry about going even during rush hour.
7. Lake Louise Ski Resort and Gondola
The Lake Louise Gondola is a very popular attraction in the winter for skiing and snowboarding. In the summer, it is a great place to hike around.
In fact, I would say the gondola is once place you must visit in Banff!
At the base of the resort are several restaurants and a gift shop. That’s where you buy your tickets to go up.
During the summer you won’t go all the way up to the ski area. However, you’ll still be able to take the open chairlift up to get great views.
The chairlift goes up 6,850 feet and is a beautiful 14 minute ride. Once you are up there, you can go on the boardwalk to get a beautiful view of the town of Lake Louse, including the famous Fairmont Lake Louise.
There’s even a restaurant right across from the boardwalk platform in case you are feeling hungry or want to get a cold drink at the top of the world!
8. Peyto Lake
Peyto Lake is one of the most famous lakes in Canada. It is known for its beautiful turquoise blue color, which it gets from the glaciers.
It may look fake in Instagram photos, but it is 100% real.
I’m not actually sure if you can hike all the way down to the shores of the lake. I got pretty close, but didn’t want to risk a bear sighting since I didn’t have any bear spray with me.
The hike down can be VERY steep in certain areas, so be ready for a challenging hike back up!
9. Lake Louise
Lake Louise is arguably the most beautiful and famous lake in Banff. It is simply indescribable and pictures don’t do it justice.
You just have to visit yourself and see how incredible it is!
Lake Louise sits directly across from the Fairmont Lake Louise. On the lake, you’ll get amazing views of the hotel and the water itself.
Fair warning, the lake will have A TON of tourists around during the summer, especially in the morning and afternoon, so getting a good picture may be tough at times!
The #1 thing to do on Lake Louise is canoeing by far! The Fairmont Lake Louise rents canoes from their boathouse near the left side of the lake.
They will rent you boats for 30 minutes for an hour. However, the pricing makes more sense to rent for an hour (which goes for around $120 – Canadian Dollars).
There’s simply no greater thrill than canoeing on Lake Louise. It was on my bucket list and I’m glad I did it! The views are incredible and you’ll be sure to have a ton of fun.
10. Fairmont Lake Louise
Fairmont Lake Louise is my second favorite hotel in Banff! Like its counterpart in Banff, this is a Grand Railway Hotel.
It is simply beautiful and worth a visit by itself (not even considering the lake). I think it’s one of the best free things to do in Banff.
While I don’t think the ballrooms are as nice as the Fairmont Banff Springs, I still think they are worth a look. I took two hours to go around the hotel.
It’s incredible how this thing was built. And if you’re feeling hungry or thirsty, be sure to check out the hotel’s several restaurants and bars!
I ate at one of the restaurants downstairs before a hike and the food was soooo good!
11. Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village has to be my favorite Gondola ride in Banff. And it just so happens to be the longest as well!
The gondola ride is incredible. It takes about 25 minutes to get to the top.
Obviously, during the summer, the ski summits are closed. However, you will still go up over 7,800 feet in elevation!
Note, bring some extra layers when you’re going to the top (even in summer). It can still get quite cold!
At the base camp on top, you can visit the Sunshine Village Hotel and there are also several food options and places to get a nice hot cup of coffee or hot chocolate.
When you’re ready to go up, you can ride up to the second summit to go on several hikes. The view up there is just ridiculous! It’s so beautiful!
There are alpine three lakes on the top of Sunshine Village (Laryx, Grizzly, and Rock Isle). And you can hike around all of them.
Unfortunately, there was a bear sighting when I was up there and the park rangers closed the trails for several hours.
However, that didn’t stop me from grabbing a bunch of pictures from afar!
12. Bow Falls
Bow Falls is a major waterfall on the Bow River. I would highly recommend hiking to the Bow Falls from the Bow River in Banff.
I’m not sure about the exact distance, but I’m sure it’s a few kilometers from Banff.
The falls are located near the Banff Springs Hotel (it’s about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the hotel).
You’ve probably seen higher and bigger waterfalls, but the Bow Falls is still a sight to see. If you’re daring enough, you can go on a boat tour of the river near the falls.
