Banff Winter Tours You Need to Check Out

Are you planning a trip to Banff in the Winter and feeling overwhelmed about driving and getting around in the snow? The best way to still be able to get out and about in Banff in winter is to join a tour.

Banff is one of my favourite places to visit in the winter. Dave and I even spent our honeymoon there when we first moved to Canada!

Banff is incredibly festive during the holidays, but it is also the centre of so many incredible outdoor adventures and also some really magical and relaxing outdoor activities.

Just imagine sleigh rides, seeing Lake Louise in the snow, walking along a frozen Johnston Canyon and more! Personally I just love seeing Lake Louise transformed into a winter wonderland.

In this guide, you’ll find tour ranging from relaxing to adventurous such as ice climbing up frozen waterfalls. No matter what you enjoy, there is something in Banff in winter for everyone.

1. Lake Louise & Yoho Full Day Tour

💰 Price: from CAD$178
⏰ Duration: 7 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.9/5
▶ Click here to book

If you are visiting Banff National Park in the Winter, you can’t miss a frozen Lake Louise and Emerald Lake!

Lake Louise transforms into a magical winter wonderland during the wintertime and is definitely a spot you can’t miss on your Winter trip to Banff!

This tour to Lake Louise from Banff is perfect for you if you are wanting to visit Lake Louise without the fuss of having to drive, find a parking spot and figure out what to do when you actually get there.

On the Lake Louise and Yoho Full Day Tour, you can sit back and relax whilst you are driven along the road to Lake Louise. The only thing you need to worry about on the drive, is spotting wildlife!

Once you reach Lake Louise, you’ll be able to go for a lakeshore walk. Then you’ll head to Yoho National Park where you’ll visit my personal favourite winter spot, Natural Bridge, followed by Emerald Lake.

At Emerald Lake Lodge, you’ll get a gourmet lunch, followed by s’mores and hot chocolate around a cosy outdoor campfire. Yum!

🧥 Clothing Tips
When spending time at Lake Louise and Emerald Lake, you are going to want to be prepared for it to be super cold! Bring along the following with you:

• Warm clothing
• Hat
• Gloves
• Scarf
• Waterproof shoes
• Thermal clothing
• Snow clothing
• Warm shoes

2. Grotto Canyon Icewalk

💰 Price: < CAD$90
⏰ Duration: 4 hours
⭐ Rating: 5/5
▶ Click here to book

On this unique Banff tour, you will explore the incredible Grotto Canyon as you hike along a frozen creek using ice cleats provided by the tour guide. Your tour guide will point out unusual rock formations, spectacular frozen waterfalls and indigenous wall art which you would probably miss if not on a tour. This is definitely a tour that you cannot miss!

The hike itself is only 2.1kms so you don’t need to be extremely fit to be able to do this tour. As you take in the beauty of the frozen waterfalls, you will get to enjoy a nice hot chocolate and classic Canadian maple cookie.

What to Bring:

• Thermal clothing
• Warm clothing
• Snow clothing
• Scarf
• Warm shoes (the ice cleats will attach to the bottom of your own shoes)

3. Family Friendly Horse-drawn Sleigh Ride

💰 Price: < CAD$50
⏰ Duration: 40 minutes
⭐ Rating: 4.3/5 (244 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

This Family Friendly Horse-drawn Sleigh Ride is a great short tour for the whole family and a great way to see some of Banff! In this tour, you will join a small group of about 8 people and see iconic Banff mountains such as Rundle Mountain and Cascade Mountain.

In the sleigh, you will be provided with a warm wool blanket so that you don’t get cold while you enjoy the ride and look out for wildlife such as elk and deer. After the ride, you will have time to warm up by a fire with a hot drink at the stables.

4. Morning or Afternoon Johnston Canyon Icewalk

💰 Price: < CAD$90
⏰ Duration: 4 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.8/5 (284 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

Johnston Canyon is an amazing place and one you definitely don’t want to miss on your Winter trip to Banff! We have been in both Summer and Winter and we much preferred Winter. Not only are there less crowds but everything turns into a frozen Winter Wonderland!

You can choose from a morning or afternoon tour which will include transport to and from Johnston Canyon. Make sure you watch out for wildlife on this scenic drive! The tour also includes a hot chocolate, maple cookie and the use of ice cleats which you will need to do this hike as the trail will be slippery.

You will also be offered a pair of hiking poles if you like, however we didn’t find we needed poles to hike Johnston Canyon in Summer or Winter.

The hike to Johnston Canyon’s upper falls is 5.3km return with 263m elevation gain.

What to bring:

• Thermal clothing
• Warm clothing
• Snow clothing
• Scarf
• Warm shoes

Johnston Canyon Evening Icewalk

💰 Price: CAD$90
⏰ Duration: 2.5 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.6/5
▶ Click here to book

If you are feeling extra adventurous, you might find the Johnston Canyon Icewalk more appealing under the stars, plus you get a souvenir headlamp! This tour takes you to the lower falls which are not as far of a hike as the upper falls.

5. Banff National Park Guided Tour with Snowshoeing Hike

💰 Price: From CAD$188
⏰ Duration: 8 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.7/5
▶ Click here to book

This tour takes you around some of the most beautiful lakes in and around Banff and includes some incredible spots along the Icefields Parkway, including the very special Abraham Lake where you might even be able to see the frozen bubbles (as pictured in the above photo). I saw these recently and they are so so cool! They are literally bubbles that have been trapped under the ice as it’s frozen!

You can opt in to hire ice skates to skate across Abraham Lake!

The guide also takes you to Peyto Lake Viewpoint and Bow Lake (snowshoes provided) which are two of our favourite stops along the Icefields Parkway.

I am so happy to see a tour like this one as I think it is perfect for outdoor adventure photographers like us! The Rockies are full of awesome photo spots, with a few more good ones listed in our short guide Best Winter Photography spots in the Rockies.

6. Guided Ice Climbing Experience for Beginners

💰 Price: From CAD$200
⏰ Duration: 7 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.8/5 (15 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

This tour is a true bucket list experience! You will join an introduction to ice climbing for beginners class in Banff and learn the basics along with safety precautions before climbing frozen waterfall!

I think this one is a little too terrifying for me but Dave is dying to try ice climbing.

Locations for this tour do vary depending on the day but they include Canmore Junk Yards, Johnston Canyon, and Haffner Creek. Once you arrive at your location for the day you will get a full briefing from your certified guide on safety and how to use the equipment (all gear is included). You will also learn about body positioning and movement skills which you will use when climbing.

What to bring:

• Warm clothing
• Food and drinks
• Jacket
• Gloves
• Snow clothing

📌 Note: You will be required to drive your own vehicle to the meeting location and the climbing site.

7. Day Tour – Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon

💰 Price: From CAD$173
⏰ Duration: 8 hours
⭐ Rating: 5/5 (4 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

This is a full day tour from Banff that you don’t want to miss! The tour includes both Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon and you can even opt in to skate on Lake Louise which is a true bucket list opportunity!

Personally, I love Johnston Canyon more in the winter and the Ice Castles at Lake Louise are absolutely magical!

Marvel at the Winter Wonderland that is the Canadian Rockies and enjoy watching out for wildlife, gazing at frozen waterfalls and snapping pictures in front of the castle-like Fairmont Hotel at Lake Louise.

Your guide will also take you snowshoeing in the forests around Lake Louise (snowshoes provided).

8. Narnia Dog Sledding Tour

💰 Price: CAD$439 (for 1 sled / 2 people per sled)
⏰ Duration: 30 minutes
⭐ Rating: 4.9/5
▶ Click here to book

I’d love to go on a dog sledding tour to try it out but it is a very expensive activity. This one is the cheapest one offered and is 30 minutes long. You will literally feel like you have entered the snowy forests of Narnia as this tour follows a beautiful woodland trail and showcases stunning views of towering peaks and icy blue glaciers. 

9. Banff Snowmobile Tour

💰 Price: CAD$274
⏰ Duration: 2.5 hours – 4 hours
▶ Click here to book

There are actually no snowmobiles allowed within Banff National Park and so you will have to travel about 2 hours from Banff for a snowmobile tour. There are two tours to choose from with Discover Banff Tours, Panorama – Paradise Basin Snowmobiling or Golden Snowmobiling.

The tour in Golden is a little more affordable than the Paradise Basin Tour but also shorter at 2 hours. Dave and I spent 3 days in Golden in Winter and did the snowmobiling there which was an incredible experience so I highly recommend it!

If you choose to do the tour in Golden, you will need to get yourself there from Banff. On the other hand, if you don’t have your own vehicle, perhaps the Paradise Basin tour would be a better choice, as there is transport available to book with the tour company.

No experience is necessary for either of these tours and your guide will teach you everything you need to know to have a super fun filled day out in the mountains!

10. Banff Wildlife Tour

💰 Price: From CAD$136
⏰ Duration: 3 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.4/5 (296 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

On this must-do Banff tour, you will be shown Banff’s secret wildlife hideouts and some insanely beautiful viewpoints such as Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake and Bow Falls. Your guide will take through wildlife corridors to see elk, deer, coyotes, foxes, bighorn sheep, and more!

📷 Don’t forget your camera!

11. Lake Louise: Cross Country Skiing Lesson with Tour

💰 Price: CAD$144
⏰ Duration: 5 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.9/5 (7 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

Want to learn how to cross-country ski? On this tour you will finally get your chance! The tour consists of beginner cross-country ski lessons over easy terrain, followed by a short ski tour around Lake Louise.

❗ Note: Ski equipment is not included in the tour and can be rented from the Chateau Lake Louise for $60 pp or at Wilson Mountain Sports in Lake Louise town for $30 pp.

What to bring:

• Warm clothing
• Hat
• Packed lunch
• Outdoor clothing
• Winter sports gear
• Gloves

12. Banff Sunset and Stars Evening Walking Tour

💰 Price: From CAD$66
⏰ Duration: 2 hours
⭐ Rating: 4.9/5 (288 reviews)
▶ Click here to book

Are you dying to see the Northern Lights in Banff National Park? Well, this tour doesn’t guarantee the Northern Lights but we all know that it’s been pretty crazy out there this year so why not go with a guide.

On this tour, you will see some absolutely epic sunset views in the Canadian Rockies, followed by star gazing. Ice cleats will be provided if required.

Our Thoughts

We both absolutely adore Banff in both the Summer and the Winter, however the Winter definitely has a bit of magic about it. When we first went to Banff in the Winter, we were brand new to driving around in the snow and it actually stopped us from see a lot of the area.

If we could go back and do it again, we would definitely book some Winter tours so that we could see and do more fun activities in Banff!

You might also enjoy:

• Amazing Things to do in Banff this Winter
• How to Spend an Epic 3 Days in Golden in Winter
• Epic Photography spots in the Canadian Rockies
• Amazing Icefields Parkway Stops You Shouldn’t Miss!
• Amazing Things to do in Banff this Winter
• Amazing Canmore Winter Activities
• How to Hike to the Frozen Wapta Falls in Winter
• How to See the Ice Bubbles at Abraham Lake, Alberta
• Amazing Whistler Tours in Winter
• How to Spend 4 Unforgettable Days in Vancouver in Winter (Mountains, Forests, Breweries)
• Best Things to do in Vancouver BC in Winter

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