Banff is one of my favorite places to visit. There are just so many summer and winter activities in Banff.
This year, I was lucky enough to go to Banff in both the summer and the winter.
And boy….the seasons REALLY transform the Canadian Rockies. The summer is completely different than the winter.
During the summer, you can hike and canoe and in the winter you can ski and snowshoe.
I had a blast in Banff during my time. A few months ago, I planned on visiting Banff over New Years Eve. And this was one of the best decisions I made all year long!
So after Christmas, I flew out from Seattle and headed down to Calgary. The flight was a little delayed and I didn’t land until midnight.
However, I couldn’t wait. I just had to go to Banff. I got the rental car and drove about 2 hours (slower than usual because of the snow) to get to my hotel.
Overall, winter in Banff was an awesome time. It was cold, beautiful, and filled with a lot of adventure.
So if you’re thinking about visiting Banff in winter, here are the best winter activities in Banff!
1. Hike Tunnel Mountain
Tunnel Mountain is one of the most popular winter hikes in Banff (and for good reason).
I didn’t get to do it in the summer, but I’m glad I was able to do it in the winter!
The entire trip will take about 2 – 2.5 hours depending on how much sightseeing and pictures you decide to take.
Also, during the winter, the trail can get pretty icy, so be prepared with some good boots or cleats.
I stupidly used my regular gym sneakers and the traction was fine going up. However, going down I slipped a few times.
Anyways, the Tunnel Mountain trail is absolutely beautiful during the winter. If you want great views of the town, the mountains, and the Fairmont Banff Springs, then do this trail ASAP!
The view is simply breathtaking (and not because it’s freaking cold out haha).
You’ll see get one of the best views in town and they make for some good wallpaper or background images 🙂
2. Get A Drink At The Fairmont Banff Springs
Okay….I’m a bit biased because I LOVE the Fairmont Banff Springs.
This historic Grand Canadian Railway Hotel is just so beautiful and a ton of ton.
During my one week stay in Banff, I must have visited the hotel at least on half the nights.
I loved just going there to get drinks, chill, think about life, and talk to all the other interesting people at the bar.
During my time there, I met a few interesting people.
I met a really cool couple that moved to Alberta from the U.K. They are very well off and just like to have fun.
We talked about a lot of things like life, being happy, and general travel stories.
On another night, I met a cool couple from Baltimore who are hardcore skiers.
Since I’m a relatively new skier, they gave me some inside tips for when I hit the slopes.
My two favorite bars in the hotel are the Rundle Lounge and the Ramsay Lounge (in that order).
Keep in mind that pricing at the Rundle Lounge is slightly cheaper (one or two bucks). And I find the atmosphere of the Rundle Lounge to be better.
There’s nothing better than sipping on an old fashioned or some scotch after a long day of winter activities in Banff.
3. Hike To Bow Falls
The hike to Bow Falls was something I did in the summer. So I was curious to see what it would be like in the winter.
And let me tell you…it looks completely different! It’s truly like a winter wonderland.
However, the park does not upkeep the trail during the winter. So there are large portions of the trail that are rather icy.
I was able to get by fine with my gym sneakers, but cleats would definitely make it a lot safer.
I hiked all the way down to Bow Falls from the town of Banff. The river is not completely frozen so you can take some great video of the partially frozen water.
When I made it all the way down to the falls, most of it was frozen. I saw some tracks and figured it was safe to walk.
There are no park staff around to measure the thickness of the ice, so I was a little nervous.
I thought I heard a few “cracks” when I stepped around, but I didn’t fall through…which would be my worst nightmare haha!
Anyways, I managed to get a few great pictures of me on the beautiful ice 🙂
4. Snowshoe Marble Canyon
Alright…well technically, Marble Canyon isn’t in Banff…it’s in Kootenay National Park in British Columbia.
But it’s only a 30 – 35 minute drive from the town of Banff.
And there are multiple snowshoeing trails to go on. I decided to take the main one.
Marble Canyon is really cool if you’re a geology nerd because you can see millions of years of rock formations in the canyon.
Now, I don’t know much about geology (even though I took one class in college haha), but they were beautiful.
And during the winter you may even catch some brave souls ice climbing down from the banks. I ran into a group and it was really cool to see them in action.
I don’t think I’ll ever be that brave, but it’s fun to watch!
Anyways, the main Marble Canyon hike is really short. In fact, that would be my biggest complaint. I don’t think it took me more than 40 minutes to complete the whole thing.
So on the way back, I decided to take another trail. I can’t recall which one it was, but at this time (around 3:30 PM) I was the only person on it.
For some people that may be a little scary, but I liked the peace and quiet. The hike led me into a forest of trees.
By this time, it started to snow – not too much, but enough to make chicken little believe the sky is falling.
There’s just something really peaceful about being in the middle of a frozen forest when the snow is falling.
It’s dead quiet because the snow absorbs a lot of the sound. In fact…you might think you are deaf!
Anyways, it was a really cool experience for me (an introvert).
5. Snowshoe Or Cross Country Ski On Lake Louise
Oh, what can I say about Lake Louise?
If you thought it was beautiful in the summer, wait until you see it in the winter!
The lake is completely frozen by late December. And you can snowshoe or cross country ski across the frozen surface.
I decided to snowshoe from the hotel all the way to the other side of the lake. It takes about an hour and a half round trip.
Of course, I took longer because of all the pictures I took!
When you’re snowshoeing on Lake Louise, you might even see the people on horse drawn carriage tours.
It’s a surreal experience for me to walk on a frozen Lake Louise because I had canoed there just five months earlier!
Anyways, when you make it across the lake, you can get much better views of the mountains.
I wouldn’t recommend climbing up the trail on the other side (to go to the Plains of the Six Glaciers) as that’s avalanche territory.
In fact….when I made it across the lake, we heard “thunder” all of a sudden. One of the mountains in the distance had a mini avalanche!
It was pretty crazy and I think that’s the first avalanche that I have witnessed in person.
6. Skate On Lake Louise!
Skating on Lake Louise was one of the #1 things I wanted to do in Banff this winter.
I had seen so many beautiful videos that I just had to do it!
And it’s routinely ranked as one of the best outdoor skating rinks in the world.
I hadn’t skated since middle school, so it was an interesting experience re-learning a bit. But it’s like riding a bike (which I don’t know how to do for the record haha).
You can rent a pair of skates from the hotel. The rental center is located to the right of the check-in desks on the first floor.
The rink can get pretty busy during the day and they don’t really shovel off the snow until later in the afternoon.
The skating rink is open until 11 PM at night (they have lights to keep it visible at that hour). As a result, I would recommend going after dinner to avoid the rush.
And if you’re planning on skating on the lake, be sure to get some pictures with the giant ice castle! It’s pretty cool, don’t you think? 🙂
7. Ski The Big 3
It would be a tragedy to go to Banff in the winter and not ski or snowboard!
And this was only my second time skiing haha! That’s right…I literally took one lesson about two weeks before my trip to Banff.
But I wasn’t going to let anything like inexperience stop me!
Now there are three ski resorts in Banff:
- Mount Norquay
- Sunshine Village
- Lake Louise Ski Resort
Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort are the two larger mountains.
Mount Norquay is smaller, but is also kid friendly because they have a big inner-tubing park.
I decided to ski on Sunshine Village since it was closer to me and was the biggest resort as well.
I had already hiked part of Sunshine Meadows in the summer, so it was interesting to be back on the same mountain!
Fair warning….arrive early in the winter as the main parking lot tends to fill up VERY quick.
I got there about an hour after it opened and had to park 7 km away and take their bus to the top!
And don’t forget it takes about 30 minutes to take the gondola from the base to the top of the mountain – so factor that into your planning.
Anyways, the ski slopes are amazing!
Obviously with this being my second time skiing, I decided to stay on the beginner slopes.
And they were a lot steeper than I expected! The slopes kicked my ass for the first 4 or 5 runs haha. I couldn’t control my speed enough going down and crashed a lot.
But after that, I started to get the hang of it and started crashing less! In fact, on my last run I didn’t even hit the snow 🙂
Anyways, skiing in Banff was truly quite the adventure. It’s beautiful up there. In fact, I found myself stopping in the middle of nowhere just to take pictures.
When the sky clears up and the sun hits the snow, you can get incredible views of the mountains in the distance.
8. Hike Johnston Canyon
What can I say? Hiking Johnston Canyon is one of my favorite things to do in Banff.
It’s beautiful in the summer, but I think it may be even more beautiful in the winter.
Oh before I forget…go to Banff Adventures and get yourself a pair of cleats before you head out.
A rental is about $15 Canadian dollars for the whole day and they are 200% worth it. If you don’t have cleats you’ll be sliding down the trail on your ass the whole way!
Anyways, the trail gets busy around 11 AM to 2 PM during the day. So try to avoid those hours if you can.
I decided to go earlier in the morning (around 10M ish). The hike was beautiful.
There’s just something amazing about watching the water freeze over.
The #1 thing I wanted to do at Johnston Canyon was to see the secret cave and tipping rock.
I wasn’t sure if you could reach the cave during the winter because of all the ice, but it is still possible!
There’s a trail that leads down that many people use.
When I got there, the cave was pretty empty. In fact, I stayed there for about 20 minutes by myself just admiring the beauty.
The rock is even more beautiful in the winter. I loved all the snow in the background.
The small waterfall on the side is almost completely frozen, but you can still hear the water gushing through.
Hiking to the secret cave and tipping rock was one of the highlights of my trip.
9. Soak In The Banff Upper Hot Springs!
I wasn’t able to make it to the hot springs during my summer trip, so I sure as hell wasn’t going to let this opportunity pass in the winter!
The hot springs was discovered in 1883 and is a staple of Banff culture!
This is a natural hot spring with great views of Mount Rundle in the background. And at an elevation of 1,585 meters, it’s the highest hot spring in Canada!
The water is kept at a toasty 39 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit).
You can rent a towel and a swimsuit from the front desk. Along with the ticket and rentals, I paid about $12 Canadian dollars.
Let me tell you….the hot springs will do amazing things for your body. I went on New Years day after a long night of drinking.
I wasn’t hung over, but wanted to release some of the toxins in my body. It was an awesome experience. I must have stayed in the water for about 30 minutes!
I just couldn’t keep my eyes off the beautiful mountains. Banff is truly a beautiful and amazing place.
10. Check Out The Views At The Rimrock Hotel
The Rimrock Hotel is one of the high end hotels in Banff. And it’s located close to the hot springs and the Banff Gondola that takes you to Sulphur Mountain.
The hotel was built into the side of the mountain. It’s actually quite incredible. I had a great time just walking around and checking out all of the ballrooms.
One of my favorite sights was from one of the ballrooms. I had an amazing view of the trees and Canadian Rockies in the distance.
These are seriously some of the best views in Banff!
11. Walk On A Frozen Lake Minnewanka
Wow….what can I say? I think walking on Lake Minnewanka is one of the coolest activities in Banff in the winter.
The lake is not entirely frozen, so stay away from areas that are thin ice.
The main area of the lake (where the gas station is), is generally safe in December.
Lake Minnewanka took my breath away when I saw it frozen for the first time. It’s an incredible view.
What’s truly amazing is I heard a noise….an echo. It sounded almost like a blue whale.
I wondered what it was and someone explained to me that it’s actually the ice cracking and echoing around the mountains.
Wow! What a crazy experience, right?
The snow on the lake is super light and powdery. When the wind blows, it’s kind of like being in a sandstorm!
Anyways, you can hike on the lake (like me), or even cross country ski on the surface! And if you want, you can skate as well – you’ll just have to shovel away the snow to create a rink.
Best Winter Activities In Banff
Overall, Banff is a wonderful place to visit in the winter. I’m glad I was able to visit in both the summer and the winter.
I think it really made me appreciate everything more.
There are a ton of things to do in Banff in the winter. The views are incredible and it’s just surreal being somewhere like this.
If you go to Banff in the winter you will not be disappointed!