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Banff Travel Diary | What We Did in Canada in July

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We visited Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada this July and we had so much fun. Here’s a full recap of everything we did (with a ton of pictures) and some tips to help you plan/prepare for your trip.





PREPARING / PACKING

In another post, I shared a bunch of tips for things you need to know before visiting Canada for the first time. I researched a lot before we went and I felt prepared and confident with going to a new country.

Before we left California, we converted some money into Canadian dollars at the bank. Canada will accept your cards, but your card company probably charges a foreign transaction fee for every purchase. Having cash was easier for us and we didn’t get charged any extra fees.

We researched hotels and where to stay very far in advance, and I’m glad we did because hotels in Banff fill up quickly during the summer months. If you are staying a longer duration in Banff, hotels may not be available for your entire stay; so try to book as early as possible just to research costs and reserve your room.

Of course I used my Erin Condren Life Planner to help me plan out the activities we wanted to do during our trip and organize the budget for everything. (More on how I budget with my Life Planner here). We also used a google sheets page to track actual costs and recalculate the final budget automatically.

GETTING TO CANADA + ARRIVING IN BANFF NATIONAL PARK

We flew into Calgary and drove our rental car 1.5 hours into Banff National Park. You have to pay to get into the park and since we were staying longer than 7 days, we bought a Discovery Pass which is valid for one year (I guess I should start planning a return trip ;)).

One of the first things I noticed when we arrived in Canada is that it is so clean there. The airport was clean, the highways were clean, and the national park was spotless. Canada is so beautiful.

STAYING IN BANFF

We stayed at Elk + Avenue Hotel with is located right in the center of Banff town. We had researched a lot of hotels and, even 8 months in advance, there was limited availability. So when we were ready to book, we were so happy to have found a room at such a great location. TIP: Research and book your hotel as soon as you can if you plan on visiting Banff between June and August.

I really liked our hotel because it is in a central location to all the shops and restaurants in Banff and there was a free underground parking lot. I’m so glad that we did not have to stress about where to park for our entire trip. Also, the free shuttle to the Banff Gondola picks up and drops off at the Elk + Avenue Hotel which was convenient for us when we visited Sulfur Mountain.

During the summer, and because Banff is so far north, the sun sets really late and rises really early. It felt like it was always sunny there. On our first morning there, we woke up just before 5am and it was already bright outside and we could see two deer across the street; it was so cool.

WHAT WE DID

Banff Town

There is a lot to do in Banff and since this was our first time, we tried to do a little bit of everything. On our first day in Canada, we just explored the town of Banff and walked along Bow River. It was so beautiful to see the mountains all around and look out at the river. I wish I could go back right now.

In the mornings, we would get coffee at Good Earth cafe (connected to our hotel) and walk up and down the quiet streets of Banff. It was pretty crazy because there would literally be no one else out in the mornings, but the town would be super busy in the afternoon/evenings.

In the evenings, we would go out into the town and look for food or pop into the different stores. Banff has these all-way crosswalks where you can cross in any direction at the light, even diagonally. I have never seen that before, so it was pretty cool.

During our trip, we visited the Fjallraven store and I bought a cute mini Kanken backpack. I absolutely love it and it’s such a great/practical souvenir to celebrate our trip. (Full review here). We also visited the Roots store where I bought a hat that says Canada across the front. Pretty sure I wore that hat for the rest of the entire trip; I love it!

Banff Gondola / Sulfur Mountain

We took advantage of the free Banff Gondola shuttle from our hotel and bought our tickets at the gate. The tickets give you an Up-Time so, unless you bought your tickets in advance, you have to wait around until that time. We walked around and explored nearby. If you wanted to, you could hike up Sulfur Mountain instead of taking the gondola ride up, but it’s a pretty intense hike. I made a list of the best easy to moderate hikes in Banff which are perfect for less-experienced hikers or families. TIP: Buy mosquito repellant right when you get to Banff; there are mosquitos basically everywhere which I found out the hard way.

The Gondola ride was so much fun and the views were amazing. The gondolas seat 4 people so you may be sitting with people you don’t know if your party is fewer than four. The ride up is ~7-8 minutes long, and was very smooth. Once at the top, we walked the paved boardwalk/trail up to the top. We saw so far because it was such a clear day.



Fenland Trail

We walked Fenland Trail which bumps up against the Bow River. This is where the mosquitos got me. I wish I had bought some mosquito repellant sooner. Aside from being eaten alive (I was wearing shorts), Fenland Trail was pretty and peaceful. We passed the Banff sign on the way there and stopped to take a few pictures. Bow River is so beautiful and seeing it up close with the mountains and the trees was so cool.

Lake Louise

One morning, we left the hotel at 5am to see Moraine Lake at sunrise. I read that we needed to get there early in order to get parking because it fills up quickly. When we got there at 6am, the lot was full and they had blocked the entrance. I was pretty bummed but we continued on to Lake Louise which still had parking available, but I was surprised how full it was too.

Lake Louise was absolutely amazing. Even though there were already a bunch of people lined up all around the lake, we easily got up close to take our pictures and explore the area. It was so pretty looking out into the mountains as they kind of framed the water. Because it was early, the sun wasn’t fully shining down into the water to show its vibrant turquoise color.

Lake Agnes Tea House

We took off on the Lake Agnes Tea House hike which starts at the base of Lake Louise. By this time, I was prepared with mosquito repellant, long hiking pants, a workout shirt, and a rain jacket since it was pretty cool. The hike was really fun but still challenging. There weren’t too many people on the hike at this time.

Along the hike, we stopped to take pictures Mirror Lake and of the Beehive. Canada is so pretty. Everywhere I looked was picture perfect. Once at the Tea House up by Lake Agnes, we stopped to have tea and look out at the lake. We had the Green Jasmine with Flowers tea and the Maple Blueberry tea of the day. TIP: The Tea House only accepts cash — American Dollars or Canadian Dollars are ok.

Canoeing on Lake Louise

By the time we got down from the hike, the sun was really hitting Lake Louise and the water was super clear and vibrant. We decided to rent a canoe from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise; it was $105 CAD for 30 minutes or $115 CAD for an hour so we went out for the hour. It was so much fun out in the canoe and super beautiful. I was so happy that I had my wide angle lens for my phone so I could get some canoe selfies with both of us.

Moraine Lake

Another morning, we left our hotel extra early to get to Moraine Lake just before 6am, and even then, the lot was almost full! TIP: try to get to Moraine Lake by/before 6am to ensure you get parking for sunrise. Once the lot fills up, they will detour you and there is no overflow parking. Getting to the lake super early was totally worth it; Moraine Lake is so beautiful. This was my favorite place we saw during the entire trip.

We watched the sunrise at Moraine Lake and then walked along the Lakeshore Trail. It was a short, easy little hike but fun to see the glacial water flow into the lake and to get a different view that what you see all over Instagram.

On our last full day, we visited Moraine Lake early again and managed to find one of the last few parking spots. It’s so crazy how quickly it fills up there. This time, we brought sandwiches for breakfast and a blanket so we could sit on a bench and enjoy the sunrise. We spent the entire morning at the lake and it was the most clear, perfect day. We decided to rent a canoe and it was so much fun; definitely recommend. I brought my friction arm and attached it to the front of the canoe and we got some awesome video.

Tunnel Mountain

One afternoon, we hiked up Tunnel Mountain. It was a warmer afternoon and I’m not sure if I was just hot, but this hike was so hard for me. I was taking a lot of breaks and trying to find shade to drink my ice water under. The views at the top were worth it though; we could see the entire town of Banff and the Bow River.

Lake Minnewanka

Another afternoon, we visited Lake Minnewanka and took the 90 minute boat tour all the way out to Devil’s Gap. The tour was cool; our Captain, Marshall, and guide, Kenji, were super nice and very knowledgable. We learned about the history of the lake and got to drink a tea crafted with white pine needles, sweet grass, and spearmint.

Johnston Canyon

We visited Johnston Canyon around 8am one morning because we read that it fills up quickly. Parking was easy at that time and we started our hike to the Ink Pots. We stopped to see the Lower Falls and the Upper Falls and they were beautiful. I really enjoyed Johnston Canyon. I would say that the hike to Ink Pots was my favorite hike of the trip, even though the actual Ink Pots weren’t that cool to me. On the way back down, the trails had really filled up and it was not very fun. It kind of felt like we were getting pushed through the crowded Disneyland streets during summer.



WHERE WE ATE (VEGAN)

After we were all settled into our hotel on the first day, we walked to the IGA for some groceries. We weren’t really expecting to find a lot of vegan options at the restaurants, so we bought snacks and peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches. The sandwiches were good for breakfasts and lunches, and we would find something out for dinners.

I noticed that there were a lot of Australians working at the different restaurants in Banff; we found out that there is a work visa program between Canada and Australia so it’s easy to come over for a year or two to work. I know that there are a lot of vegans in Australia/people who know what veganism is, so I really liked it when we would ask if something was vegan and they knew exactly what I meant.

Nourish Bistro

One afternoon, we ate at Nourish Bistro which is a completely vegetarian/can be made vegan restaurant. To find that in this little town was really cool so of course we had to try it. I did a full review of our experience at Nourish Bistro here.

Wild Flour

Wild Flour Bakery Cafe was a great find for a breakfast pastry or afternoon dessert. There was a variety of vegan food including: chocolate torte, almond macaroon, wild seed bar, peach + ginger + blueberry muffin, or fig & anise cookie. I really liked the chocolate torte and got it almost every time we went there.

Park

We ate dinner at Park one night, located right on Banff Avenue. I had researched the menu and saw that there were some vegan side dishes we could order which sounded like a fun, tapas-style meal. We ordered the smoked tomato chili vodka soup (no biscuit), hiker greens salad, crispy cauliflower (without the sauce), beetroot hummus (no flatbread), side of carrots, and a side of broccoli. The food was fine, but they like to garnish with an oil drizzle that I thought was too much.

Block

We ate lunch at Block and liked it so much that we came back a second time. We had the mixed olives, veggie samosas, naan burger made vegan (sub ciabatta bun, no mayonnaise, no cheese) – our waitress understood what substitutions needed to be made to accommodate my request, and the bao buns (vegan). The food and the service was good; definitely recommend.

El Patio

We had a light dinner twice at El Patio a rooftop restaurant above/a part of Magpie & Stump restaurant. The restaurant is right next to this cool rainbow crosswalk. We enjoyed chips, salsa, and guacamole there; and they also have a vegan taco. It was a cool place with a fun atmosphere.

MY FAVORITE THINGS

This is a maybe a weird favorite thing, but I was so impressed with all the free WiFi in Banff and at most all of the main touristy places. TIP: Your cell phone provider may charge international fees/roaming fees when traveling to Canada; mine does. So, to avoid having to add on a paid international package, we turned off our data and had our phone on airplane mode the entire trip. We knew our hotel had free WiFi, but were so pleased when basically every shop/restaurant in the town of Banff had it, and even places like the Banff Gondola. Also, I didn’t know google maps did this, but if you start your directions while on WiFi, it’ll still guide you and track your GPS location even after you drive out of WiFi range. This was so great for helping guide us to Moraine Lake or Lake Louise.

I was really happy with all my hiking clothes I brought with me. Here’s a little packing list of everything I brought/bought for this trip:

As a cute souvenir, I designed this shirt. I love it so much and it comes in a few different colors. I hope you guys like it!

My favorite place we visited the entire trip was Moraine Lake. The water was gorgeous and the trees all around with the mountains really made for a breathtaking view. I also liked how the parking lot is smaller so the number of people who can be there is potentially fewer than at Lake Louise, so you can get a more “private”/”exclusive” viewing experience.

The Johnston Canyon Hike to the Ink Pots was my favorite even though the end location wasn’t as impressive as I had hoped. The hike itself was just really enjoyable and we had a lot of fun that day.

Overall, our trip was so perfect. We had a great time and I already can’t wait to go back. I hope that this travel diary was helpful for you to plan your trip and get some inspiration; if so, share it on Pinterest!

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