Things to do in Banff in Winter (including Free Activities)

1. Explore Banff Town

Even if you don’t leave the town, there is so much to see in Banff. You can walk around the streets, checking out the shops and the restaurants or you can walk down to Bow River and take some photos.

There are lots of gift shops where you can get souvenirs and also some outdoor shops like Lululemon.

The festive vibes of the town during the Christmas season in December are especially lovely with the fairy lights in the trees and around town.

2. Do the Tunnel Mountain Trail

Distance: 4.5km return | Elevation: 300m | Time: 1.5-2 hours | Dog Friendly: Yes

The Tunnel Mountain Trail in Banff is short but steep and is one of the best Winter trails in Banff. The view from the top give you awesome panoramic views of Banff and the surrounding mountains.

This hike is 4.5km / 2.8 miles return with an elevation gain of 300m / 984 ft and will take you around 1.5-2 hours.

If you decide to do the Tunnel Mountain Trail in Winter, I recommend wearing micro spikes on you hiking boots or Winter boots as the trail can be icy and slippery in the Winter..

3. Visit the Fairmont Banff Springs

The Fairmont Banff Springs is a luxury mountain resort that looks a lot like a castle and was built in 1888. The grounds are huge and it is a place that I always like to visit when we are in Banff because it is so impressive!

If you want to visit the Fairmont Banff Springs while you are in Banff, it is best to catch the bus or walk as there is limited parking for non-guests.

4. Take a Soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs

Winter and hot springs go together like burgers and fries! We loved taking the time after doing some hiking and exploring to have a much needed soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs.

While you are relaxing in the hot springs, you can choose to bring a book with you to read, chat with friends or just chill out in silence.

The water from the hot springs comes from a natural source high in the mountains which we think is so incredible! Banff Upper Hot Springs are located near the top of Sulphur Mountain with views of the surrounding mountains and are around 12 minute drive from Banff.

You cannot reserve a spot at the hot springs. You can only book on arrival. There is a parking lot if you have a car, however with limited spots, or alternatively, you can catch the Route 1 bus or a taxi.

There are also change rooms, a gift shop and a café located on site.

5. Check out the View from Surprise Corner

Surprise Corner is such a great name for this viewpoint and is one of the best photo spots in Banff! It is located on a bend in the road which you can drive to and park in the small parking lot. It is only a 5 minute drive from Banff town or a short 25 minute walk uphill. Unfortunately, this is one spot that the bus does not go to.

Once you have parked, cross the road, carefully watching for traffic and walk up the boardwalk stairs to the viewpoint. From here, you will see the beautiful Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel across the river.

If you are like us and prefer a little more adventure in your holiday activities, you can venture down closer to the river on the opposite side of the road to the viewpoint. Be careful though, it is a long way down!

6. Go Skiing or Snowboarding

If you are visiting Canada to go Skiing or snowboarding, Banff may not be the place for you. Instead, you are going to want to go to the famous ski resort near Vancouver, Whistler.

However, if you are in Banff for the Winter and want to go skiing or snowboarding for a day, there are a 3 different ski resorts to choose from.

What awesome about Banff, is that if you want to visit all 3 ski resorts, you can purchase what’s called SkiBig3. SkiBig3 is a lift ticket that allows users to use the ski lifts at all 3 resorts.

Mount Norquay

Mount Norquay is the closest ski resort to Banff town centre and will take you around 10 minutes driving. It is thought of as the best resort for beginners and this is where we went for a half day when we visited Banff in the Winter.

Unfortunately, I cannot remember much of our trip to Mount Norquay as I was came down with a fever that day and all I wanted to do was sleep.

Sunshine Village

The Banff Sunshine Village Ski resort has 11 lifts with something for everyone. To reach the actual resort, you will need to take a 15 minute gondola ride with unparalleled views to the top of the mountain. The Sunshine Village Resort is 20 minutes from the centre of Banff.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is one of North America’s largest ski resorts, with 4,200 acres covering four mountains! The Lake Louise Resort has something for everyone with runs ranging from beginner to expert in difficulty. The views from Lake Louise are also absolutely epic!

You can see endless forests as well as the surrounding mountains such as Mount Temple, Mount Victoria and Mount Hector. The downside to the Lake Louise Ski resort is that it is a 40 minute drive from Banff, whereas the other 2 are located much closer to Banff.

7. Walk to Vermillion Lakes

One of the things we did during Winter in Banff was walk to Vermillion Lakes via the Fenland Trail. We found that all of the parking lots around Vermillion were closed at the time so we opted to park our car in Banff and walk from there.

The walk took us past the Banff Town sign so we got some photos with the sign before continuing on.

Once you reach the Fenland Trailhead should on the map above (also a parking lot if it has been ploughed), you can take the Fenland Trail into the forest, following the signs to Vermillion Lakes. I recommend downloading the All Trails maps to ensure you don’t get lost.

8. Watch the sunset at Two Jack Lake

Two Jack Lake is one of our favourite lakes in Banff for paddle boarding in Summer and during Winter, it is still just as beautiful!

You can drive all the way to Two Jack Lake and Park in the parking lot there. Be careful when walking down to the lake though, as the ground can be super slippery! Attaching micro spikes to your boots would help with this short stroll down to the lake.

I can highly recommend visiting Two Jack Lake at sunset as the colours are just gorgeous if you have the right conditions.

9. Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon is stunning in the Summer, but in the Winter it is magical and surprisingly less crowded even though personally, we both think it is more beautiful.

You can do a self-guided walk of Johnston Canyon along the normal trails, or choose to see a completely different side of Johnston Canyon on an Ice walk Tour.

During Winter, you will see frozen waterfalls and walk along a snowy path. The trail can be slippery and so I recommend wearing micro spikes. The Lower Falls are 2.2km /1.4 miles return with an elevation gain of 30m / 98 ft. The Upper Falls 5.4km / 3.4 miles return with an elevation gain of 120m / 393 ft.

Allow two to two and a half hours to do the return trip taking in both the lower and upper falls, and approximately one hour if just doing the lower falls.

To reach Johnston Canyon from Banff, if you have a car it will take you around 30 minutes or you can catch bus #9 to Johnston Canyon which will take around 40 minutes.

10. Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway is open all-year-round and it a completely different kind of beautiful in the Winter. It is a road full of incredible stops at frozen waterfalls and frozen lakes such as the very popular, Peyto Lake.

The Parkway closes if weather conditions become dangerous. For example, if there is a snowstorm during Winter which means the road is unsafe to drive, it will be closed.

There is no cell service for most of the parkway and so you should prepare and take extra caution when travelling in Winter. There was a little bit of a snowstorm while we were there and even though the road was open, we completely chickened out of driving it.

11. Visit Lake Louise

If you are visiting Banff in the Winter or the Summer, Lake Louise should be on the top of your list! The lake is completely transformed in the Winter time.

Lake Louise is the definition of a Christmas movie destination, with its frozen lake, snow-capped mountains and hot chocolate by the fire. There are loads of different activities to do at Lake Louise in Winter like ice skating on the lake, snow shoeing through the forests around the lake and checking out the ice castles at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise!

You can also still hike in Winter at Lake Louise. One of the best Lake Louise Winter hikes is the Fairview Lookout.

You could even check out the Fairmont’s Ice Bar where you can sip on a mulled wine or a spiked hot chocolate whilst gazing out across the stunning frozen lake.

12. Go Dog Sledding

Yes, you read that right! You can dash through the snow in your very own sled let by a band of dogs! Dog sledding was historically a transportation method for the indigenous Canadian Inuits and it continued to be used frequently as transportation well into the early Banff settlements.

The only dog sledding that is located in Banff National Park is run by Kingmik which is located in Lake Louise.

They have a 2 different tours available but the one that stands out to me from looking at their website is “Narnia,” purely from the name. This is the shorter and cheaper tour. It is only 30 minutes, whereas their other tour “Great Divide Tour” is 1.5 hours.

Going dog sledding is an exhilarating way to see Banff National Park and an experience that you will never forget!

13. Hike or Snowshoe to Grassi Lakes

Distance: 4.3km / 2.7 miles return | Elevation: 203m / 666 ft | Time: 1-2 hours | Dog Friendly: Yes

Grassi Lakes is located in Canmore which is a 30 minute drive from Banff. It is the perfect trail to do with family and friends and is a great Winter hike to do whilst in Banff. This was the first Winter hike that we did after arriving in Canada!

The hike is a steady climb from the parking lot all the way up to the lake, which is bright green/turquoise when thawed and perfectly stunning all-year-round!

Don’t forget your micro spikes! We were slipping and sliding all over the trail before we put ours on. 😆

14. Hike to Wapta Falls, a Beautiful Frozen Waterfall

Distance: 8.8km / 5.5 miles return | Elevation: 125m / 410ft | Time: 3-3.5 hours | Dog Friendly: Yes

Wapta Falls is a 1.5 hour drive from Banff and we actually did this hike while we were staying in Golden for the Winter but it also makes a great day trip from Banff.

At the end you will be rewarded with stunning views of a huge frozen waterfall. We felt like we had been transported into a fairytale.

15. Soak in Magical Panoramic Views from the Banff Gondola

One of the best times to visit the Banff Gondola is in Winter believe it or not! The gondola is way less busy than its peak period in Summer and it transforms into a true winter wonderland, complete with snow dusted peaks, cozy mountaintop views and dream photo ops! If you’re deciding whether it’s worth it, I break down the full experience in my honest Banff Gondola review.

Planning your trip: Winter Tips & Logistics

Nearest Airport

Banff is located in the Canadian Rockies, in Alberta Canada. The nearest international airport is Calgary which is 1.5 hours drive from Banff.

Why visit Banff in the Winter

The cold and the snow isn’t for everyone but if you are looking for a getaway to a magical Winter town covered in snow and surrounded by the most beautiful nature, then you will love Banff in the Winter. As long as you pack for the cold and are ready to embrace it, you will have an amazing time!

Personally, Dave and I love visiting Banff in the Winter and we are keen to go back!

Winter Safety Tips

The cold! Brrr

The first thing you need to make sure you are aware of is that Banff can get extremely cold in the Winter. For reference, we visited Lake Louise in early – mid November and it got down to as cold as -15 degrees Celsius!

We found that in these kind of temperatures we needed to have warm socks and shoes, coats, beanies and neck warmers. I will go over our full Winter packing list in this guide.

Driving in the snow! Eeek

You also need to be prepared to drive in the snow if you are hiring a car. This was something that we had never done before our trip to Banff and luckily it wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be, although it was quite slippery around the town.

Where to stay in Banff in Winter

There are some really nice resorts and hotels in Banff but my all time favourite the Moose Hotel & Suites. It is cozy, modern, and right in the heart of Banff and has the most beautiful rooftop with hot tubs that are perfect after a day of exploring snowy trails. Book your stay now because this hotel is extremely popular.

Another hotel that is still on my bucket list and dog friendly, is the Fairmont Banff Springs. Staying here would be like living in a fairytale because the hotel is LITERALLY a castle. 👉 Check availability and book your stay here.

Banff Winter trip packing list

When visiting Banff in the Winter you need to be prepared for cold temperatures. Here is a packing list for all the most important items that you should make sure you have.

• Merino Base Layers (tops and bottoms)
• Fleece Jacket
• Puffer jacket
• Winter accessories – gloves, beanies and a neck warmer (believe me these all help!)
• Waterproof outer layers – waterproof jacket and pants
• Ski or Snowboarding Clothes – If you have clothes for the snow, bring them! Alternatively, you can hire clothes in Banff for skiing.
• Skis, snowboards or snowshoes if you have your own – If you don’t have these, you can hire them in town.
• Hiking boots that are waterproof and insulated. There’s nothing worse than having cold, wet feet!
• Snow traction devices like micro spikes – When hiking in the snow it is likely that you will come across icy sections, especially on the more popular trails.
• Sunglasses and sunscreen – Don’t be fooled by the fact that it is Winter. Even on a cloudy day, the sun can reflect off the snow and give you a really nasty burn!
• Nice clothes for going out on the town!
• Backpack raincover
• A swimsuit for the hot springs
• Your camera!

Our Thoughts on Visiting Banff in Winter

Although Summer will always be our favourite season to spend in Banff because we just love hiking and backpacking, Winter is definitely a special time.

I love how many adventurous activities there are still available to do during Winter and reasons to get outside! Banff is a very unique part of the world in this way. Not only does Banff have skiing and snowboarding, but there are also frozen waterfalls and skating on lakes and so much more!

You might also enjoy:

• Banff Winter Tours You Need to Check Out
• Epic Photography spots in the Canadian Rockies
• Amazing Icefields Parkway Stops You Shouldn’t Miss!
• Everything You Need to Know About Johnston Canyon
• How to Spend an Epic 3 Days in Golden in Winter
• Is the Banff Gondola Worth it?
• How to See the Ice Bubbles at Abraham Lake, Alberta
• Amazing Canmore Winter Activities

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