Banff National Park
We kicked off summer with 4 days of tent camping in Banff, Alberta over Canada Day weekend after 4 days of tent camping at a family reunion in Kalispell, MT. We did not realize when booking this trip that we were there over Canada Day so that was an added adventure!
We quickly learned that Banff is basically Nature’s Disneyland—beautiful, bustling, and full of adventure! We stayed at Tunnel Mountain Campground, a huge and popular spot that books up months in advance. While the nearby train kept things exciting at night(it came through 3x a night and honked its horn 6-8 times each time, best guess is to get wildlife off the tracks), the campground itself had so many great amenities—full bathrooms and showers, nature programs, and tons of biking and walking trails. We especially loved walking across the street to the Hoodoos Viewpoint, which offered incredible views and a perfect dose of Banff’s natural beauty.
The natural landscape in Banff is absolutely breathtaking—the vibrant water set against the towering mountains is something you can’t forget. The logistics for this trip definitely kept us on our toes—between the shuttles, limited tickets for Moraine and Lake Louise, and the early starts to beat the small parking lots—but it all added to the adventure and made us appreciate every stop that much more.
On Canada Day, Corban, his mom, and I took the Parks Canada shuttle to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Even though Corban tried countless times, we couldn’t snag tickets for all six of us—but it worked out perfectly! Lou(FIL) took the kids to the Canada Day Parade instead, and they had an amazing time celebrating!
Moraine Lake was definitely a bit calmer than Lake Louise, but both were full of energy with lots of people enjoying the views. I wanted to get all the way in the water but by the time we got to Moraine it was getting late so I got in up to my knees and called it good!
We did the Bow River Float, which was a peaceful and scenic experience! The ride was slow and relaxing—perfect for taking in the views—and the big river raft made it extra fun for the kids. It was a gentle, family-friendly way to enjoy the beauty of Banff from the water.
Corban did an incredible job finding all of the cool pullouts on the drive north from Montana. My favorite was Marble Canyon but we stopped at Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, along the Vermilion River, and a bunch of other unnamed pullouts.
Did the Banff Gondola which was amazing! I’d highly recommend doing this activity because the views were outstanding. It was cold at the top so plan accordingly. The power shut off 5 mins after we were done in half of Banff and we were so thankful we had gotten off in time!
I got to see a former coworker who was on her honeymoon in Banff on our way back from Takakkaw Falls. It’s one of the tallest waterfalls in Canada. A short little walk along the river gets you to the base of these incredible falls and it’s a great leg stretch on the long drive. We also stopped at Emerald Lake but there was zero parking and it took us 30 mins to even get out of the parking lot because there was no where to turn around.
On our way home, we stopped at the Golden Skybridge Adventure Park and had an absolute blast for a few hours! We all tried the massive zipline, mountain roller coaster, aerial obstacle course, and of course, crossed the giant suspension bridge. The only downside was that there weren’t any water fountains on the far side of the bridge where most of the activities are—but otherwise, it was such a fun and memorable stop!
