The first time I heard about Banff was not from a travel brochure or a travel magazine . It was from watching the Banff Film Festival in Canberra. Jen and I sat in the National Sound and Archive watching people jump off cliffs, climb impossible mountains, and generally do things that made you question their decision-making skills. Somehow, instead of thinking “that looks terrifying,” we thought, “that looks amazing!”
We approached Banff by driving down the Icefields Parkway from Jasper, we decided to take the old 1A highway route which began at Lake Louise. Apparently, this was the road where you might get a rare encounter with wildlife. The type of wildlife encounter that sounds exciting until you remember the animals are bigger, stronger, and probably not interested in making new friends.
Just a week earlier, Jen and I had rented mountain bikes and ridden along this same road. We saw a mother of all elk, which felt like a good warm-up. This time, we hit the wildlife jackpot. First came a brown bear, then shortly after, a black bear. Okay, Banff, message received. We came looking for nature, and nature decided to put on a show.
Welcome to Banff!
By the time we reached town, we were exhausted. The car journey from Jasper had taken eight hours to cover only 200 kilometres, which is either a scenic adventure or proof that mountains have a very different understanding of distance. We arrived at the campground, parked the motorhome, and decided Banff could wait until tomorrow.
The next day, we decided to put off Banff and explore further down the road towards Calgary and stopped in Canmore. It was a charming little mountain town full of restaurants and tourist shops. We had lunch at “The Local” and met up with my sister and her husband, who were visiting from the US.
Before lunch, Jen and I walked around the Bow River.
The sky looked like it was planning something, and it was not good news. By the time we sat down to eat, the heavens opened, and it rained for the next 24 hours. Our sightseeing plans disappeared faster than a tourist spotting a moose.
The trip back to Banff was also memorable, but not in the way we hoped. A serious accident closed the highway for four hours, leaving traffic backed up for 15kms. At 4 pm, we accepted defeat. Banff would have to wait another day.
Since parking a motorhome in Banff is basically a competitive sport, we used the bus service instead. It was perfect. The stop was only 50 metres from our campsite, and the bus took us straight into town.
Banff really is an impressive place. A small mountain village surrounded by enormous peaks, it almost looks like someone designed a gift-card and then decided to make it a real town. Coming from British Columbia, where mountains, rivers, and forests are everywhere, you might think, “Another mountain?” But Banff still manages to make you stop and stare.
The town was busy, packed with tourists, hotels, restaurants, and gift shops. It had every adventure activity you could imagine: mountain biking, white-water rafting, skydiving, rock climbing, golfing, and probably a few activities where the main requirement is having more courage than common sense.
Banff was exactly what the film festival promised: a place built for adventure.
Would I return? Perhaps, if I had a reason. Would I recommend it to someone else? Absolutely. Just remember to bring patience, because the mountains might be beautiful, but they are not in a hurry.
Our travels include info on Jen’s Facebook post 1 and post 2
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