Fifteen miles (24 km) southeast of Lake Louise, Hwy-93 and the Trans-Canada Hwy-1 diverge, with Hwy-93 cutting due south through Kootenay National Park across southeastern British Columbia toward the U.S. border. That is the route we follow, all the way south to Mexico eventually, but anyone in his or her right mind will want to make the 15-mile (24-km) trip southeast along Hwy-1 to visit the beautiful Town of Banff, home of the landmark Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the biggest and most impressive of the grand old Canadian Pacific hotels. When it opened in 1888, this was the largest hotel in the world, with a grand total of 250 rooms; over the years, the hotel has been rebuilt and expanded to currently hold 846 rooms, most of which are booked up months in advance. Spreading between the hotel and Hwy-1, the Town of Banff has grown into the tasteful but bustling commercial center of the Canadian Rockies, with a year-round population of some 7,500 people, plus many times that many visitors daily during the peak summer season. Though the commercialism can detract from the natural splendor, Banff is definitely a very pleasant place to while away some time.
For the most spectacular introduction to Banff, head up Mountain Avenue, where the Banff Gondola (daily; $C22; 403/762-2523) will take you 2,300 feet (700 meters) up Sulphur Mountain for a grand view over the entire Bow Valley. The “springs” in the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel’s name refer to actual hot springs; to take a soak, visit the Upper Hot Springs ($C7.50; 403/762-1515), at the foot of the Banff Gondola. The original hot springs that spurred the growth of Banff have been closed and converted into the Cave and Basin National Historic Site (daily; $C4; 403/762-1566), west of town at the end of Cave Avenue, where exhibits detail the underlying geology that makes hot springs happen.
The main drag of town, Banff Avenue, has all the cafés, restaurants, and shopping you could want (for suggestions, see Town of Banff Practicalities below), but if the weather’s bad (and if it’s not, you really ought to be outdoors, enjoying Mother Nature!), you can learn about Banff and the Canadian Rockies in a trio of museums. Best first stop is the Banff Park Museum (daily; $C4), near the river at the foot of Banff Avenue, a Victorian-era remnant (it was built in 1903) that displays the taxidermied remains of typical park wildlife. Around the corner, a half block down from pleasant, riverside Central Park at 111 Bear Street, the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies (daily; $C6) has an expansive collection of historic books, postcards, paintings, and photographs, all capturing various aspects of the mountains and their inhabitants. Last but not least, the stockade-like Luxton Museum (daily; $C6), across the river at 1 Birch Street, details the cultures of the native peoples who inhabited the Canadian Rockies long before there were any Canadians. Inside there’s an intricately decorated tepee, bows and arrows and other hunting equipment, and some peace pipes; the museum gift shop is also worth a browse.
One of many cultural events that take place in Banff is the Banff Mountain Film Festival (403/762-6675), where the world’s best adventure-travel and mountain-climbing films are shown every November.
