How to Spend Four Days in Banff
Earlier in February, Aldo, my best friend (Eugenia) and I went on a ski trip to Banff, Canada, a resort town in the Banff National Park. We heard a lot of great things about spending a few days during the winter in Banff. Specifically, the beauty of the surrounding area and how perfect it is for skiing since it does not get as crowded as other ski locations, such as certain resorts in Colorado. After doing some research, it did not take a lot of convincing for us to book the trip and try out skiing in Banff!
Where We Stayed in Banff
We booked a hotel right in the middle of downtown Banff. The hotel was called the Brewster’s Mountain Lodge. When booking, we didn’t really know where we should stay. However, the Brewster’s Mountain Lodge ended up being the perfect hotel for us. We were surrounded by restaurants and bars, sports shops, souvenir stores, a museum, a bowling alley and even a movie theater!
Aldo and I stayed in one room, while Eugenia had her own room. Our room at the lodge was on the 3rdfloor, and was a cabin-style, two-story loft named the Loft King Suite. The suite was very cozy, had a nice view of a busy Banff town street, had a decent living room area with large windows and even a jacuzzi (unfortunately, we did not have time to actually use it). The upstairs included a king-sized bed, two small bedside tables, a crammed clothes cabinet that barely opened due to being too close to the end of the bed (haha!). Let’s just say there was really nowhere to move once you got upstairs – just hop into bed and go to sleep. But that was totally fine with us! We had plenty of space downstairs.
What to Pack when visiting Banff during the Winter
We rented our ski equipment in Banff but brought our ski clothes with us. Check out our Winter in Banff – Ski Packing Checklist which will provide a summary of items that we recommend packing for a ski trip in the middle of the coldest of winters in Banff. Please feel free to add to it and send me any suggestions.
You may think I’m exaggerating about the cold. But while in Banff, temperatures reached lows of -37F! Not only were we in Banff in February, we were there during a cold front (and we were not as prepared as we should’ve been). Did you know that there’s such a thing as too cold for skiing?
We bought about $300USD worth of items to keep warm while on the slopes. Most notably, we bought balaclavas (to cover our faces, otherwise, we were in risk of frostbite), hand and feet warmers, and a hat for me that fit under a helmet. All of these items are listed on the checklist so that you can get them ahead of time and not overspend.
Things to do and see during the Winter in Banff
Skiing in Banff
Lift Tickets
When we booked our hotel, Aldo also bought our lift tickets online in advance from SkiBig3. We planned to ski in Banff for the four out of our five days there. Therefore, we got lift tickets that were valid for four days over a six-day window, which allowed us to plan for a rest-day in-between. The great thing with getting these tickets in advance was that they were waiting for us at the hotel when we checked in – so convenient! You just need to make sure that the hotel that you’re booking is listed on their website after you’ve added the tickets to your online cart.
I would highly recommend the SkiBig3 lift tickets. They provide access to three of the big mountains near Banff – Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise and Mt. Norquay. SkiBig3 also contains great information on their site which comes in handy while planning to hit the slopes. You can quickly check shuttle schedules to and from the mountains (free shuttles!), the snow conditions and temperatures, as well as trail maps for each mountain. Also, you have access live webcams which show you the current conditions on the slopes, from visibility to how crowded it is.
Expect the Unexpected
We arrived in Banff on a Friday. Our plan was to check in, rent our ski gear, have an early dinner and wake up early to ski the next day. Well, the temperatures changed that plan a bit. As we were getting fitted for our gear, we found out that the ski lifts would likely be closed the next day due to the severe cold. Bummer!!
But wait – some good news, we were informed that: (1) if the lifts were closed, we would be reimbursed for the days that we did not ski, and (2) Friday night is the one night there is night skiing on Mt. Norquay. At this point, we debated… we were tired and wanted to rest that first evening. But since the lifts would be closed the next day, we didn’t want to waste time and not get any ski time in. So, we decided we would night ski in Banff!
Night Skiing in Banff
We caught a free shuttle about two blocks from our hotel to Mt. Norquay. It was COLD! On my first lift ride up, my goggles froze – the condensation from my breath froze on the goggles and I could not see a thing. I was on top of the mountain, with frozen goggles. Eventually, we managed to get the goggles back to normal by keeping them inside the jacket with hand warmers. I made it down the mountain in one piece and was later advised that you should not take your goggles on and off when it’s that cold, because they freeze up the way I just experienced. Also, you should not touch the goggles to get the ice off because the warmth from your hands causes them to freeze up more!
Aldo and Eugenia also had fogging/freezing issues with their goggles. We ended up doing a few more runs, but it was getting colder and colder each time we went down.
After about an hour and a half, we called it quits. The worst part though?! The night shuttles back to town were not scheduled to run for another two hours. We ended up calling a cab to take us back to town. It was about $45USD – definitely beat us having to wait for that shuttle as we were pretty restless at that point. The only thing on our minds was food and a nice drink!
Skiing in Banff
After the initial debacle, we ended up skiing in Banff for three days. We did one day in Lake Louise (the farthest of the three mountains from downtown Banff). Catching a shuttle around 10am got us to Lake Louise mountain by 11am. The shuttle ride was actually a really nice drive – the scenery is beautiful. Lake Louise has 145 runs with a good variety of trails, from beginner to advanced. Check out the trail map here. I personally liked it a lot, but due to the longer shuttle drive, we skied the remaining two days at Banff Sunshine.
Banff Sunshine has the highest peak of the three, Goat Eye’s Mountain. It also has 104 runs (see trail map). Banff Sunshine appeared a bit more inconsistent in how its trails were categorized. We ended up going down a lot of Greens (easy) that were completely flat (not fun), Blues (intermediates) that were more like Black Diamonds (hard), and a Black Diamonds that were more in line with being Blues. There was just one Diamond that we went down that seemed like a Blue, but if you search, you’ll probably find more.
We only did night skiing at Mt. Norquay, so I don’t have much to contribute about that mountain. But it seemed pretty small overall. Here is a trail map.
In the end, how much you enjoy a mountain will depend on a number of factors that are in line with your personal preferences; whether it’s most trails, highest peak, difficulty of runs, etc.
*Travel Tip*
It’s easy to get lost with the lack of signs/directions on many of the runs. We recommend grabbing a map beforehand and planning out basic routes, especially since some of the trails can take 30mins or longer to complete.
Hot Springs Experience in Banff
On our “day off” from skiing (our first full day in Banff when the lifts were closed due to the cold), we visited the Upper Banff Hot Springs. Banff is known for its natural hot springs, therefore, we were excited to experience one. How would this even work though? We were freezing while being outside and now, we were thinking of heading into an open-air body of water in the middle of winter in Banff? It ended up being a great experience – not what I was expecting though.
I imagined a hot spring in the midst of a cavern, up a mountain, in the middle of nowhere (you get the romantic picture). The hot spring that we went to looked more like an outdoor hotel pool! That was a little disappointing, but the experience was still worth it. Also, the views from the hot pool were breathtaking, looking across the valley to Mount Rundle.
*Travel Tips*
Did not pack a bathing suit? Not to worry! They rent out bathing suits there for about $1.50USD. And you can get a really cute “historic” bathing suit – or you can opt for a “modern” suit. Go for the historic one, you won’t regret it!
Also, the entrance fees are very fair – approx. $8USD per adult and children are around $6USD. You can also rent towels for approx. $1.50USD and lockers for $0.75USD.
A very helpful lady in the locker room told us to leave our towels in our locker before going outside. This is because they would end up freezing over from the hot springs mist.
Note that tickets to the Upper Hot Springs were included with our ski passes!
Banff Gondola
After the hot springs experience, we drove over to the Banff Gondola (less than a 5min drive). When we got there, we found out that the Sky Bistro was closed. The Sky Bistro is one of the main attractions of the Gondola due to the amazing views. The fee for the Gondola is steep – approx. $49USD per adult. However, they have some lunch packages where you get a lunch and the Gondola admission.
Lunch at the Banff Gondola
It’s a good thing we inquired a bit more about the packages and found out that the Northern Lights café was still opened. We were able to get a Gondola and Northern Lights café lunch package for about $66USD per person. Makes sense to do the lunch for about $15USD extra. We honestly did not expect much as far as food quality, but were pleasantly surprised. We arrived at the Northern Lights café after ascending the Banff Gondola (about a 15min ride up). It was pretty empty at the café, so we selected a table of our liking – the café is circle-shaped, hence every table is guaranteed a great view.
The lunch that was included with our tickets was buffet-style and was tasty! There was a variety of items: salads, brisket, chicken, pizza, soups and desserts! The experience overall was very pleasant. After lunch, we descended down the Gondola and made our way back to the lodge. We still had some time before dinner, so we decided to make a quick visit to one of the town’s museum.
The Whyte Museum
The Whyte Museum, or the museum of the Canadian Rockies, gathers, preserves, and exhibits materials related to the cultural heritage of the Rocky Mountains of Canada. It allows its visitors to immerse in the history and culture of Banff and the Canadian Rockies. Worth a visit.
Our tickets to the museum were included with our SkiBig3 lift tickets!
Restaurants and Bars in Banff
After the museum, it was après-ski time (yes, even though we did not ski that day, we still took advantage of the happy hours! 😊). One of our favorite places with a great food and drinks happy hour was Earls. Definitely recommend giving them a visit when in Banff. Another day we went to the Park Distillery, which had a great selection of drinks. Unfortunately, we did not eat there, but the food menu looked delicious.
One of the nights we dined at Melissa’s Missteak. The upstairs has a crazy, fun bar atmosphere and the downstairs has a nice, calm, casual restaurant setting. We ate in the restaurant area and got the prime rib. It was scrumptious! Apparently, Banff and Alberta in general, is known for its beef.
We also ended up going to The Block Kitchen + Bar (on our last night). We had tried to grab a table there each night of our visit, but it’s a very small place and the wait times were long. To be honest, for me, it was OK (dessert was my favorite part of the meal), but my bestie enjoyed her choices (spicier dishes). I guess it’s just a matter of taste.
Final Thoughts
We had an amazing time during our trip to Banff in February, despite experiencing the coldest temperatures we’ve ever experienced! Yes, we would’ve preferred if it was a little warmer while we were there. However, all in all, we got to ski a good amount without the large crowds (always a plus!) and explored activities and parts of Banff outside of skiing, which we may not have otherwise.
It is truly a beautiful town! We did not get to explore Lake Louise, but it is on our list for the next time we’re there!
Have you been to Banff during the winter? Is there something you’d recommend that I haven’t mentioned in my post? Let us know in the comments below!
Safe Travels,
Patrycja
