Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies draws more than 4 million visitors annually, a sizable majority during the warm months.
Jagged peaks of the Canadian Rockies backdrop Banff town on a January day. Photo Credit: Robert SIlk
But the park of more than 1.6 million acres, which contains charming Banff town within it, has tons to offer for winter recreational enthusiasts, and without large crowds.
Twice in the past three winters, I've made my way to the Banff region, where I've skied the Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine ski areas and lodged in the park's two historical Fairmont-branded hotels.
I've also done some Nordic skiing in the forest and meadows above Lake Louise and ice skated on the lake itself. And last year, I bore the cold of a January night in Banff to enjoy ice carvings and outdoor dance performances during the SnowDays Festival Weekend of Wonder, which is taking place from Jan. 22 to 25 this year.
Banff is Canada's largest and oldest national park. With its establishment in 1887, it became just the third national park in the world.
The park showcases the Canadian Rockies. As a resident of Denver, I love and regularly visit the Rockies in my backyard. But at the risk of being ostracized by my local tourism boards, I can unequivocally say that I find Canada's version to be even more spectacular. The peaks are more jagged, more imposing and more arresting.
Bedding down in Banff
Banff National Park was founded during the golden era of railroad tourism, and from that time came what are now the park's two Fairmont-branded properties, both of which are part of the Historic Hotels of America network.
The Fairmont Banff Springs debuted in 1886 as the Banff Springs Hotel. The 764-room property, designed in the French chateau architectural style, sits imposingly and beautifully on the edge of Banff town, its steep roofs topped by gables tucked into the pine-covered mountainside.
The Fairmont Banff Springs sits on the edge of Banff town, tucked into the pine-covered mountainside. Photo Credit: Fairmont Banff Springs
A $25 million renovation of 110 of those guestrooms was completed there three years ago.
Thirty-eight miles to the northwest sits the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Opened in 1890 as a small log cabin guesthouse, the resort has gradually evolved into the 550-room luxury resort it is today. The Renaissance Revival architecture that characterizes the hotel first appeared in 1912, and further buildout took place all the way through 2004.
The hotel's latest addition, called Basin Glacial Waters, was completed after my visit last January. It is an indoor/outdoor complex with pools and saunas of varying temperature.
Both hotels offer several restaurants, from high end to casual and have elegant public spaces complete with chandeliers and picture windows that evoke an early-20th century feel. A major difference between the two is that while Fairmont Banff Springs sits within walking distance of Banff town and its shops, museums and restaurants, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is more secluded and oriented toward stunning Lake Louise and the open space that surrounds it.
On the slopes
For skiers, Banff National Park offers resorts that compare in quality to many famous Western U.S. ski areas but with more reliably long seasons and lower prices.
The Chateau Fairmont Lake Louise offers direct access to a broad network of cross-country ski trails Photo Credit: Robert Silk
I think the jewel of the park's three ski areas, marketed collectively as Skibig3, is the Lake Louise Ski Resort, which offers more than 3,200 vertical feet on more than 4,200 acres, placing it in the top 10 of North America for skiable terrain. Unfortunately, the day I skied there was marred by low clouds and hard, icy snowpack due to a prolonged period of little snow.
Still, I got a sense of what the mountain could offer, including an exciting array of open bowls for advanced skiers on its west side and a fun network of varied terrain off the Larch Express lift on the ski area's easterly edge.
Banff Sunshine, which I skied in 2023, has an unusual entry point. Most skiers will choose to take an approximately 20-minute gondola ride to Sunshine Village, from where a wide range of runs and lifts can be accessed. From there, skiers and riders are treated to incredible views of the Canadian Rockies, and to a 3,400-acre ski area that favors the experienced, with more than half the runs graded as black or double black.
A much smaller ski area, Mount Norquay, is located just outside of Banff town. I haven't had a chance to ski that one yet.
Winter wonders
Banff National Park's winter recreational opportunities are also ample off mountain.
At the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, I was fitted with cross-country gear at the on-site rental center, then spent an exhilarating -- and yes, tiring -- two hours exploring a portion of the broad network of maintained trails that can be accessed from the edge of the hotel property.
The resort also maintains and grooms a sizable ice skating and hockey rink just outside the hotel on Lake Louise. One afternoon I borrowed skates, a hockey stick and a puck from the rental center. After some time regaining my skating legs, I took hockey target practice and attempted rudimentary stick and puck drills, an activity I'd only done once or twice before. Super fun.
On the final evening of my most recent trip last year, I took a drive into Banff town. I'd intended to visit the Banff Upper Hot Springs, but despite its gorgeous view and the enticing steam rising from its mineral pools, the big crowd made me reconsider.
Ice skating on a groomed section of the lake is a popular activity at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Photo Credit: Robert Silk
Instead, I headed into town, where I took a tour and did a tasting at Park Distillery, which distills gin, vodka and rye whiskey, including a tasty maple-infused rye.
I also visited the Banff Park Museum, which houses 5,000 animal specimens, such as grizzly bears and a variety of foxes, and includes rare birds and large fauna.
For dinner, I enjoyed Korean barbecue at Seoul Country, one of several ethnic restaurants in Banff.
Mostly, though, I strolled, taking in the art galleries as well as the ice carvings and outdoor dance displays that were part of the Weekend of Wonder, while admiring the way this town embraced winter.