The Fairmont Banff Springs

[Freckles]

Hey!

My husband & I are looking to take a belated 3rd Anniversary trip this summer.We're very adventerous and love the outdoors.
We are considering staying in Canada at The Fairmont Banff Springs. Do you think we should wait until the winter? The scenery looks so stunning in the winter, and we love snow. Skiing, snow-shoeing,ice skating, etc.

Any advice, trip reports, etc. to share?

TIA!

[allison]

We went there for our honeymoon! We were there at the end of May, beginning of June. There was still snow up in the mountains and the scenery was stunning! We loved it! The hotel is amazing too! We also drove to Lake Louise and stayed there a few nights and then we drove to Jasper for a few days before returning. You'll LOVE it there!

When during the summer would you be going?

[maplekitty]

Banff is one of those amazing places that it really doesn't matter what time of year you go! In the summer you have amazing trails to hike, gorgeous lakes to see and the beautiful lush greenery of the forrest and mountains surrounding you. In the winter, it's a snow covered wonderland. So honestly....any time of the year is great! Check out the town's website for the dates of festivals going on - it's always very cool when there is something fun going on in the town square!

[Freckles]

Thanks ladies.

We have always wanted to visit there, but I always imagined being there in the winter. I'm glad to hear it is stunning no matter the season. We do like to hike and golf, which is nearby, so maybe we will just go for it this summer.

Allison---Hey lady! I had no idea you honeymooned there. Any recs of where to book online? Should we stay in one spot, since it's only 7 days? Did you like the other spots as much or more?

maplekitty---Thanks for the tip on the festivals! I will definitely look into that as well.

[boilermaker]

We also honeymooned there...though we went in winter time. We absolutely loved the trip, even though the temps dropped to -20 C while we were there! We are planning to return next year to celebrate our 5yr anniv and are planning to go in the summer.

Definitely take some time to enjoy the spa and the hot springs. The restaurants at the hotel are really good, but our favorite one was in town, a place called the Maple Leaf. We went on hikes even in the winter and the scenery was breathtaking.

I also highly recommend going over to Lake Louise and also spending a night in Calgary if you can. The Olympic park is kind of neat to see and they have a fun downtown area too.

Here's a few pics to tempt you :)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2cf30b3127cce9cabcb2019d800000026108AbNGLRi5ZNK

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2cf30b3127cce9cabcb2198e900000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b2cf30b3127cce9cabcb2c19d400000016108AbNGLRi5ZNK

[Freckles]

boilermaker Thank-you so much for posting! What GORGEOUS scenery. It really is at the top of our list, but I'm wondering if some the magic will be missing in the summer, since I have this winter wonderland pictured in my head? Can you stay at Lake Louise? Any great recs for booking the trip?
Thanks for the restaurant rec as well.

[allison]

Heather! You're going to LOVE it there! I think we just booked direct, through the hotel websites but I'll check with DH to be sure.

We were there for 8 days as well and had the best time. It's so amazingly beautiful up there. We flew into Calgary and immediately drove to Banff. We were there for three days and then drove to Lake Louise for 2 days. Then it was off to Jasper. We stopped a lot on the way there taking in all of the scenery including the Columbia Icefields, a must see in our book. We were only in Jasper for one night. I would have loved to have stayed longer there and go river rafting, but I still hadn't had surgery on my knee so that was out. After Jasper we drove back to Calgary, stopping in Banff for lunch. We stayed in Calgary two nights before we flew out.

We loved just driving around and seeing everything. I'm probably going to butcher this, but we loved the drive around Kananaskis Country near Banff. We also took a tour on Lake Minniwanka which is the largest lake in Banff National Park. It was there we saw a nest of bald eagles...so beautiful!
Lake Minniwanka and Two Jack Lake are both available for scuba diving in the summer.

Lake Louise was still frozed when we were there which we loved. We've never seen anything like it and I just loved it so much!!! The hotel (Chateau Lake Louise) was amazing! We also checked out Lake Moraine (sp?) which was equally stunning.

The Bow River follows along the Trans Canada Highway and we made frequent stops to check out the power of the river with it's many water falls (the falls in Banff are very cool! and you can get pretty close).

Here are a few pics from our honeymoon.

Me at Bow River Falls in Banff:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bca6d04100000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

On our drive through Kananaskis Country:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bca2d04500000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

Lake Moraine: (frozen)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bc95514200000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

Columbia Icefields:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bc91514600000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

And one of many bears that had just come out of hibernation. You'll see them along the highways and roads. Just don't get out of the car!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bc80d06700000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

[allison]

One more picture! I saw you asked about staying in Lake Louise. Chateau Lake Louise (a Fairmont hotel) sits right on the banks of the lake with the most beautiful views:

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bc97514000000025108Abt27hw0ZtH

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b3d936b3127cce9d52bcad517a00000026108Abt27hw0ZtH

[Freckles]

Hey Pal!

Thanks so much for posting your beautiful pics, and all that great information. I am definitely going to research a trip similar to your trip. How far are Banff and Lake Loiuse from one another? It sounds like it might be best to combine the two spots then.
I am so very excited now.Thank-you very much!

[boilermaker]

Banff and Lake Louise are not far apart at all. Maybe an hour?
I enjoyed the one night we spent at Lake Louise, but other than the hotel, there really wasn't anything to do there in the winter except ski (and we did that but you can do the same ski resorts out of Banff).

We also did the drive along the Bow River and Lake Minniwanka. We saw so much wildlife, it was amazing. I had friends that went in the summer time and they did a great horseback ride/picnic in the woods organized by the hotel. I plan to do that when we go back in the summer.

DH booked our trip directly though the hotel. And since we went at a not extremely busy time of year, we were upgraded and given some fun stuff like champagne and chocolates in the room, complimentary wine at dinner, etc for being on our honeymoon. So for us, it was worth it to book through the hotel. Then we used the hotel to book the excursions for us.

[boilermaker]

Oh one more thing I remembered. Rental car.
We rented a car at the airport and drove up to Banff. There is a shuttle that runs up there also, but we didn't really want to mess with that.
Then we turned in the car at the hotel (Hertz) so we wouldn't have to mess with it for the 5 days in Banff. There is a trolley system that runs from the hotel all over Banff and like I said earlier, we booked most excursions through the hotel so they provided transportation. And all the ski places send buses to pick you up anyway.

Then we picked up a car again for the drive over to Lake Louise, the 2 days there and in Calgary and returned it to the airport.

I don't know if that is as applicable in the summer, but we figure it saved us about $250.

[Freckles]

Thanks again, boilermaker. I think we may just stay put at the Banff and venture out in the car, since the two places are pretty close in proximity. The wildlife sounds great, and it seems like there is a lot to do.:)

ETA: We cross-posted, so maybe we won't rent a car for the entire time then.

Any great websites I should look at?

[tinkerbelljenny]

We have stayed at the Chateau Lake Louise and also went to Fairmont Banff Springs. We drove there from Montana last summer and it was so beautiful. We will be going back there this summer.

[Freckles]

tinkerbelljennyGlad to hear you enjoyed it enough to return, and in the summer to boot.;) Would you suggest staying put at Banff for all seven days, or splitting our stay between the two spots as it seems many of you have done?

[tinkerbelljenny]

We only go during the summer because we don't want to do the drive from MT in the snow during the winter.
You can always stay at your hotel and drive to all those places during the week. It might be easier to stay at one place instead of changing hotels every couple of days. We prefer to stay at Lake Louise and then we usually drive to Banff for the day. It is so beautiful in all those areas but the only negative that we found was that the last time we went there last July, it was so crowded! There were people everywhere but we were there on a weekend so I don't know if it is usually like that.

[bethnjim]

Besides being pea green with envy, I say RUN, don't walk to Banff Springs Hotel. My husband and I stayed there on our honeymoon in July 2003 and it was the MOST fab hotel we have ever stayed in. It was amazing and I really want to go back! I have LOTS of pictures!!!
Hotel:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab626305000000016108Acs2jFuzbs8

Right down the street from the hotel:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab623b16500000016108Acs2jFuzbs8

Lake Louise area:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab62fb16900000025108Acs2jFuzbs8

[bethnjim]

The scenery on the climb UP to the tea house at Lake Louise:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab62bb16d00000016108Acs2jFuzbs8

Me in front of Lake Louise:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab629b16f00000016108Acs2jFuzbs8

River that husband and I went "river floating on":
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4df22b3127cce9e1ab611b15700000016108Acs2jFuzbs8

[Freckles]

Fabulous pics bethnjim!

I have a question: What is river-floating like? Is it just like white-water rafting, but with less powerful currents?

We are debating between Canada and Utah now. The only aspect holding us back is that I had always envisioned going there in the winter.

I will post the outcome once we book.

Thanks again!

[Pine Tree]

I used to live in Calgary, and I absolutely love Banff. I think for a vacation, it's much better in the summer, although you do have to rent a car if you want to go hiking and sightseeing outside of town. The hiking is some of the best in the world. The restaurants are fantastic, and it is not that expensive to eat in town at all. I used to love going hiking and then sitting in beautiful bistors in my hiking boots.

Lake Louise is beautiful, but other than the hotel there are very few services. It is definitely worth going for high tea at the hotel - go early for a window seat.

I'm an avid skier, and Banff is great for that (Sunshine ski resort or Lake Louise, but I prefer Sunshine), but keep in mind that in the winter it can be really cold. For a vacation, unless I was specifically going to ski for a week, I would go in the summer instead.

[maplekitty]

Oh and if you can do it and you have enough time, you can fly into Edmonton and go to Jasper and then drive from Jasper to Banff on the Jasper-Banff Hwy - which is soooo beatiful (the drive is about 3 or 4 hours) and then go and stay in Banff and fly home out of Calgary.

[bethnjim]

Fabulous pics bethnjim!

I have a question: What is river-floating like? Is it just like white-water rafting, but with less powerful currents?

We are debating between Canada and Utah now. The only aspect holding us back is that I had always envisioned going there in the winter.

I will post the outcome once we book.

Thanks again!

Yes, a river float is like the white water rafting, but with less powerful currents. It was wonderful. Our tour guide talked about the water and answered questions for us. One person on the tour with us asked about drinking water and the tour guide gave us a long explanation about how he drank the water and got some type of worms in his intestine track and had to take medication. It was pretty nasty, but interesting. He also told us about the bears that have come down into the city of Banff. One attacked a group of golfers and when they shot the bear with darts they found a massive tumor in its nose, which is why it went after humans.

We also had the joy of seeing a HUGE male elk one day. The antlers were MASSIVE.

We had such a wonderful time and really hope to go back soon!!