Destination Snow: Banff/Lake Louise/Sunshine Village

Banff’s life began quietly when several Canadian Pacific Railway workers came upon hot springs enclosed in a cave in 1883. It didn’t take long, though, to figure out that this area could be a haven for tourists. Banff National Park (Canada’s first) was founded in this glorious setting that includes pristine forests, rivers, mountains, glaciers, and an abundance of wildlife. The park, located in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta, covers 6,641 square kilometers (2,564 square miles) of pure adventure.

Banff, Canada’s highest town at an elevation of 1,383 meters (4,537 feet), is an incorporated municipality within the national park. The scenic town is a popular and convenient base for sports activities throughout the park. Its population of a little over 7,100 strives to maintain a high quality of life and respect for the nature surrounding it. At times, the town’s population includes a number of four-legged residents, including elk and long-horned sheep.

While the town’s peak season is in the summer months, the Banff, Lake Louise, and Sunshine Village areas have become major winter sports destinations. The three ski areas combined provide more than 250 runs over 7,700 acres. Ski magazines have consistently rated the area as having some of the best scenery in North America. Skiers and snowboarders use a convenient, interchangeable lift ticket and shuttle transportation to make the most of their visit. Because of the extensive ski areas, there are plenty of trails for all levels of skiers. Beginners find 23 percent of runs designated for them while intermediates have the run of 38 percent and experts enjoy 39 percent of the slopes.

The Banff/Norquay ski area is just a short ride from the Banff town site and opened its first run in 1926. Its 190 acres of terrain are varied from gentle beginner runs to double black with some of the most demanding runs on Upper Lone Pine and Gun Run. Lake Louise is the single largest ski area in Canada with 4,200 skiable acres. Four mountain faces provide 113 named trails and have a vertical drop of 991 meters (3,250 feet). It is also home to the new Grizzly Express Gondola. Sunshine Village is a 15 minute drive from Banff and spans 3,300 acres. The ski area is located on top of the Continental Divide and a majority of the terrain lies above 2,154 meters (7,000 feet). There is good terrain for all levels of skiers and advanced skiers love the steeps of Goat’s Eye Mountain.

In addition to downhill skiing and snowboarding, winter sports in the Banff area include cross-country skiing, ice hiking, snowshoeing, sleigh riding, ice skating, and dog sledding. The area offers some of the best ice climbing opportunities around with its steep rock walls that produce marvelous frozen waterfalls. Everyone should take some time for sightseeing. Bus tours take visitors through magnificent scenery and wildlife areas. A popular stop is the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefields. Scenic gondola rides are available from Banff.

For those who want to go inside occasionally to warm up, Banff offers more than 200 shops and restaurants in its rustic town site. Shops offer everything from traditional souvenirs and art to clothing and jewelry. Restaurants and cafés in the town’s central area offer menus ranging from Alberta beef and ethnic cuisine to Italian and even Swiss. Calgary, located 130 kilometers (80 miles) east of Banff, offers many tourist sites and dining opportunities, as well.

This small town is big on history. Banff Park Museum offers a taxidermy exhibit that includes indigenous birds and animals. The Natural History Museum offers a geological look at the area while the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum follows the experiences of the natives of the Northern Plains. The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies includes three art galleries and is home to an exhibit on the cultural history of the area.

From a sunny slope to a cozy pub, Banff and its surrounding area know how to host a fantastic winter vacation.

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