Lake Minnewanka, 7:14am, October 2024. Just before the storm rolled in. I shot this from the dock that's now closed for the season.
16 Best Things to Do in Banff, From My Sixth Visit
An honest, opinionated, mildly biased guide to one of my favorite places on Earth — written from notes I keep in a Moleskine that's now mostly trail dust.
FAQ
How much?
Forty bucks.
After dark
Hi, I'm SarahI write about the Canadian Rockies because they're where I learned to hike, eight years ago, after a bad year that needed mountains. I'm based in Edmonton. I've spent ~200km on Banff trails, two summers working seasonal at a Canmore café, and one cold January teaching myself to use crampons in Johnston Canyon.Things I'm not: a guide, a photographer (the photos here are just from my phone), or someone who gets paid by tourism boards.
The 16 things, ranked
1. Vermilion Lakes at sunset
Five minutes from town. Free to drive. Most tourists are at dinner. Vermilion Lakes Road runs alongside three shallow lakes that mirror Mount Rundle on the other side. At sunset in summer the light turns pink, the wind drops, and the reflection is so clean you can flip the photo upside down and not tell which way is up.
ATTRACTION · FREE
1. Vermilion Lakes at sunset
