Canada Trip with Friends
We have been told by many people how gorgeous Banff National Park is, so we decided it would make for an amazing friend's trip!
It was a fun change flying up towards Canada. We were able to fly over the Rocky Mountains, which were incredible! Once we arrived at the Calgary airport, we met up with our friends and made our way to our Airbnb in Canmore. After settling into our new home for the week, we were all very hungry, so food was on our brains.
We decided to try out the Iron Goat Pub and Grill for dinner. I will admit, our service was lackluster, but the food was good. Our Chipotle Mango Duck Wing appetizer was especially delicious! For our main meal, we went with the Game Meatloaf and the Bison Sirloin. I would say the highlight for this meal was the appetizer!
After dinner, we decided to try out a place I found on one of my social media accounts for dessert, the Old School Bus Ice Cream. It is literally a repurposed school bus! It was so much fun. The ice cream was also delicious!
The next day we ventured out to Banff to try a lot of the normal “touristy” things. We started with taking a bus to the Banff Gondola. The gondola takes you up to the summit of Sulfur Mountain, where you are able to have a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. I will admit, the ride in the gondola was a little nerve wracking for me, given my fear of heights. I was thankful to have friends in there with me to calm me down. The views at the top were incredible. We were even able to see where we would be going the next day, Mount Norquay.
After the gondola ride, we walked up to the Banff Hot Springs. After stepping into a changing room, we entered the hot spring where we were able to relax for a little bit. It was a little crowded and, honestly, not what I was picturing. I was thinking of those hot springs out in the middle of a forest somewhere. Might have to try to find one of those someday!
When we were done with the hot springs, we were all ready to eat. We took the bus back down to the main street and stopped in at the Banff Grizzly House for lunch. The Grizzly House is very well known for their fondue, as they offer many different kinds of meat options. One thing we did not realize when we chose this place to eat was that it is also known for something else. When we sat down at our table, we noted there were telephones at each table. When we asked our server about it, she said that you would use them to call other tables. We did not realize that the restaurant was not just for fondue lovers, but was also “for lovers and hedonists”. We all kind of got a kick out of it. Unfortunately, we did not get a phone call while we were there. We were able to enjoy some delicious fondue, however. We did the Four Course meal which comes with a salad or a soup. Then there is a cheese fondue with bread as an appetizer. For the main course, they brought out different meats that you cooked on a hot stone and could dip into five different sauces. Finally, for dessert, it was a chocolate fondue with different items to dip in it. Everything was so good, and we all had such a wonderful experience.
After lunch, our server told us about this really nice trail we could check out, Bow River trail, that led us right next to the river to Bow Falls. After a large lunch, this was perfect. It also brought us past the Banff Springs Fairmont, where we would be staying at the end of our trip. It was very soothing being right next to the water. After walking a little bit, we decided to stop at the Waldhaus Pub to grab a pint and to try their pretzel. If you know me, you know I love a good pretzel! The pretzel was good, but the beer cheese that came with it was a little underwhelming. Either way, it was a nice stop on a warm day.
Before venturing back to our airbnb, we did a little shopping downtown Banff. It was so fun walking around and just checking out the stores. My husband did find a nice little souvenir, a new coat from Canada Goose. It will really come in handy for some upcoming trips we have planned! It was also neat because they even had a subzero room, the Cold Room, where you could test out the different coats and accessories. So, of course, we all had to get in there and try it out!
We decided to order in some pizza from Canadian Pizza Unlimited. It honestly wasn’t too bad! It was a perfect way to end our first full day in Canada. We took it a little easy knowing what was to come the following day.
We started the day off with a trip to the Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. where we were able to grab some nice warm beverages and delicious bagels before a big adventure.
One of the activities we decided to try out while on our trip was doing Mount Norquay via Ferrata. For those who do not know, a Via Ferrata is a “climbing route in the mountains that employs steel cables, rungs, or ladders, fixed to the rock to which the climbers affix a harness with two leashes”. I was honestly terrified when we were talking about doing this. I never would have imagined myself attached to the side of a cliffside! Honestly though, it was such an amazing experience. Our guide, Tom, truly made it such a fun adventure and made it way less scary. It also helped doing it with all of our friends. We also met this couple from Australia who recently got engaged! The couple also introduced us to a Tim Tam Slam, which has now been one of my favorite little treats! It was so much fun and the views were incredible! If ever another experience like this comes up, we will probably sign up for it!
Once we were all done, we headed back to Canmore and chose to eat at BLAKE Brewhouse & Distillery. We started off with Duck Wings and Dumplings. We then tried the Kari Chicken Burger and the Kimchi Fried Rice. Very delicious! One of our friends also ordered the Mechanic Burger which had a “charcoal bun”. It was so neat to see the different items on the menu.
The following day, we traveled the Icefields Parkway, which is one of the prettiest drives in Alberta. We were able to take the Columbia Icefield Adventure which included the Ice Explorer Tour, admission to the Skywalk and transportation. The Ice Explorer Tour took us out in an Ice Explorer all-terrain vehicle out to the Athabasca Glacier, a 10,000 year-old sheet of ice. We were able to walk on the glacier, and they even had a place where we were able to drink from the glacier. I even put my face in the water for a glacier facial! After we were done at the glacier, we hopped back onto our bus and went to the glass-floored Skywalk. To say that I was uneasy at one point would be a lie. It was neat to be up high, but I was a lot happier when I could not see through the ground.
On our drive back to Canmore, we stopped at a few viewpoints along the way, Peyto Lake and Bow Lake. Both of these lakes were gorgeous! The colors were absolutely breathtaking!
When we got back to Canmore, we went to The Wood Restaurant & Lounge for an early dinner. We started off with Buffalo Chicken Poutine. Figured we had to try poutine while we were in Canada! For the main meal, we had the Red Curry Coconut Bowl and the Korean Fried Chicken Sandwich. We finished with the Warm Apple Crisp. Everything was delicious and being able to sit outside was wonderful!
The next day, we chose to do a hike, the Johnston Canyon up to the Inkpots. This hike is a seven mile out and back trail that goes by two waterfalls before finally finishing at the Inkpots, and it is only about a 30 minute drive outside of Banff. For those who do not know, inkpots are small mineral springs that can be slightly different colors depending on the time of the year. We made sure to get there early, since it is known to be a very popular hike. We were glad we did because as we came back down, it was crazy busy. The trail, per AllTrails, is a 7-mile out-and-back trail. It is fairly steep being about 1,899 feet elevation gain, so be prepared for that. The views were incredible and the weather honestly was perfect.
After a hike, we always like to go out to eat. This was no different! We chose to go to the Bridgette Bar for supper. We started off Oysters, Elk Carpaccio, a Margherita pizza, and Garlic Bread. For the main course, we had the Ricotta Dumplings and the Wood Roasted Halibut. We were able to sit around the wire and eat our meals which was perfect after a day of hiking!
One thing that everyone needs to do while in Canada is visit Lake Louise. We were unable to take the shuttle there, so we ended up driving. We got lucky and found a parking spot. I believe we got there around 7 AM and it was already almost packed! We got our normal photos in front of the lake before heading out to the Teahouse. We took the Lake Agnes Trail up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse where we stopped for a little something to eat and drink. It was a chilly, rainy day, so this was honestly perfect. Something to get us out of the rain and to warm up. You may have to wait a little bit in line as there are not many places to sit, and highly recommend bringing cash. They do accept cards, but the system can be unreliable being that far up. They also usually have to bring everything up there, so please be kind and pack up your trash and take it back down with you. After we were a little warmer, we continued on up to the Little Beehive. The views were incredible! We got a great view of Lake Louise and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The total hike, per AllTrails, is 5.7 miles out-and-back. It is fairly steep most of the way up as it ends up being about an elevation gain of 1,755 feet. Honestly though, it was incredible, and we would recommend it to everyone!
When we got back, we ended up going to Three Bears Brewery and Restaurant for dinner. We started off with the Alberta Bison Ribs as our appetizer. For the main course, we had the Nashville Hot Chicken Sandwich with Cheesy Waffle Fries and the Beer Battered Fish and Chips. Finally, for dessert, we had the Soft Serve Ice Cream. The food was nice and filling after a busy day.
We ended the night by trying marmite. Let me save you the details and just say, I am fine with never having it again!
After a day of hiking, we chose to go another route and venture towards the water. Four of us ended up going white water rafting with the Hydra River Guides out of British Columbia. That is right, we ended up leaving the beautiful province of Alberta for the day. Before heading out though, we stopped at Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. for some breakfast! The rafting took us down the Kicking Horse River near Golden, British Columbia. It honestly ended up being a fairly nice day for it, with the sun coming out! One of our friends and I still put on the extra fleece just in case. I will admit, I was very happy I did as I got a big rapid in my face at one point. Our guide, Drew, was amazing! He really made the experience so incredible and calmed any nerves that we had going into this.
When we were done, we stopped in Field, British Columbia for a midday meal at Truffle Pigs Bistro. We started off with the Schrute Farms Beet Salad (mainly because of The Office). Then for our main dish, we went with the Chicken’n Dumplings, and the Balbi Korean Ribs. We then ended our meal with the lemon tart. It was nice to be able to dry off and enjoy some delicious food and warm beverages.
Once we got back to our Airbnb in Canmore, we met back up with the rest of our group, and we walked down to where there was a farmers market going on. It was so nice to walk around and see all the different vendors. We even got to try some of the food there.
Now we have come to our final full day of our trip. We checked out of our airbnb and headed to the Fairmont Banff Springs for our final night. A few of us decided to try out the spa while we were there and got massages as well. While we were waiting for our massage time, we enjoyed some breakfast at STOCK inside the Fairmont. We had a hot chocolate and London fog to drink and enjoyed their Salmon and Lox bagel and the Acai Bowl. We then enjoyed a raspberry tart.
We also tried to do a little exploring of the hotel itself, which was stunning. There were so many amazing views and the decor inside was so relaxing. We even had a cute little treat waiting for us in our room!
The Fairmont Banff Springs has a full spa onsite where you get your nails done, have massages and facials, enjoy the different whirlpools and mineral pool. We chose to do the Ultimate Ascent Massage which is a two hour restoration and healing of the body. They start with a footbath and foot scrub followed by a gentle dry-brush exfoliation. Then they do a hydrating massage followed by a warm wrap and a face and foot massage. I had never done the dry-brush exfoliation before, but man was it rather amazing! The whole experience was incredible and felt perfect after a week of different adventures! We were also able to enjoy the different whirlpools that were of different temperatures. So incredibly relaxing!
For our final dinner, we chose to eat at the 1888 Chop House inside the Fairmont. We started off with the King Crab Tart, the Lamb Tartare, and the A5 Gunma Joshu Japanese Wagyu Filet. The gentlemen had been talking up the A5 Wagyu they had on a previous trip, so of course we had to try it out! It honestly was delicious. Literally melted in your mouth! For the main course, we had the Dry Aged Brome Lake Duck and the Gold Standard Wagyu Filet Mignon with the addition of Foie Gras (which is duck or goose liver). Honestly both were incredible and would highly recommend! We also all split some potatoes, asparagus, carrots, and sunchokes for sides. Finally for dessert, we tried a few different options. We went with the Strawberries & Milk, the 1888 Sundae, and the Preserved Banana. They were all very good and complemented one another nicely. It was a perfect way to end our trip.
This trip will go down as one of our favorites! We had such an amazing time and got to experience so much. The food was incredible, and we really lucked out on the weather! We were also super lucky to have some incredible guides who helped us get through some pretty scary adventures! If you are thinking about traveling to Banff, do it! You will not regret it. There are so many amazing places to see and people to meet! Until next time, remember it is not the places you go, it is the company you keep.
