Banff Gondola and Calgary
Banff Gondola – This is open from 8am – 10pm (last ride 8:30pm) during summer and the ticket price in 2022 was $59CA/Adult. Located about 3 miles from Banff downtown, the 800 ft journey is 8-minutes long and offers spectacular views. Once at the summit, you can take a self-guided interpretive Sulfur Mountain Boardwalk hike to Sanson’s Peak or the make your way to the rooftop observation deck. There is an option to hike to the top, the round trip is about 6.2 miles with amazing views.
Lake Minnewank – Another place to enjoy blue waters. There are a couple of scenic trails here if you have time:
- Stewart Canyon Trail – 4.1 mile round trip with views of Cascade River and the canyon
- Aylmer Pass and Lookout Trail – 14.4 mile round trip with jawdropping view of Lake Minnewanka Reservoir and the surrounding mountain peak
We spent about an hour here and hiked around a good portion of the lake.
Calgary Downtown
Later in the afternoon, we drove to Calgary and spent the evening hanging out in Prince’s Island park – This is a large 50-acre green space located to the north of downtown Calgary, offering walking and biking areas along Bow River (the same one we saw in Banff and Canmore). You can get a beautiful view of Calgary Downtown from here.
We had dinner at an Indian restaurant in Calgary, amongst one of the numerous Indian restaurants, before driving back to Canmore.