By Saul Schwartz
My wife Fern and I spent five days in Alberta in June. This was our first time in this Canadian province!
Two Days in Calgary – We used our time in Calgary as a gateway to the Canadian Rockies.
Lodging – The boutique style Westley Hilton Calgary downtown was a good base. We never moved our car after driving about twenty minutes from the airport. The 24-hour fitness facility included a nice variety of cardio equipment, machines, and weights. The stylish king-size studio room was large. Hotel staff were friendly and helpful.
Food and drink options – We had one lunch outdoors at Sidewalk Citizen Bakery in the East Village. The locally made sourdough bread was amazing, along with sides of hummus and avocados. The bakery’s outdoor tables overlook the Bow River, near its confluence with the Elbow River. We had one dinner with food from Seed N Salt. Because the downtown location closed at 6 p.m., we ordered two Mediterranean bowls to take away. The vegetables were fresh and tasty.
Attractions – Walking tour –
In advance, we booked a two-hour guided walking tour through Get Your Guide. Our guide Amanda from Calgary Walks was very informative and the tour was well-paced.
We began at the Municipal Plaza. The historic 1911 City Hall building features a sandstone exterior and a single clock tower. Next to City Hall, the new Municipal Building was constructed in 1982 and is the seat of local government. The restored lion sculpture in front of the Municipal Building was moved from its original Centre Bridge location. The lions date back to 1916.
The Municipal Plaza also contains a temporary memorial honoring the deaths of First Nations children who were sent to Indian residential schools. The remains of over 200 children were discovered at a residential school in 2021. Hundreds of dolls, stuffed animals, and toys sit on these steps as a memorial.
Next, we walked by the former Calgary Fire Station number 1. The concrete and masonry facade from 1911 remains, along with five truck bay openings. The original bell from the station is located nearby at the active fire station number 1.
Across the street is the towering Family of Man sculpture made by Mario Armengol. This set of 21 feet high sculptures were originally displayed at Expo 67. These raceless, naked, and expressionless women and men hold hands in fellowship and goodwill.
We briefly walked down the Stephen Avenue pedestrian walk, which is blocked off during the day from vehicle traffic. We then went over to an observation deck to admire the glacier-fed Bow River, with its shades of blue and green. In the distance, we saw the historic Centre Bridge, built in 1915, which crosses over the Bow River along Centre Street.
Our tour guide took us through the large Chinatown district. One extremely large mural extends on both sides of a street to a width of 135 feet. This mural is based on a 1000-year-old ancient scroll, but the local artists (Rawry and Pohly) added in touches of Calgary Chinatown elements. The Chinese Cultural Center is modeled upon the Temple of Heavan in Beijing. Built in 1992, the beautiful and colorful (blue, yellow and green) interior ceiling is very ornate.
We spent a few minutes walking through the extensive Plus 15 system of indoor, second-story walkways that connect many of the downtown buildings. Calgary boasts this as the world’s largest indoor walkway, with about eleven miles of elevated paths. The walkways are designed to get around downtown in bad weather. We admired the three large Dale Chihuly sculptures entitled Winter Garden Chandeliers which sit above a reflecting pool. These three artworks are wonderful shades of amber, green, and blue.
Situated outside the dramatic skyscraper The Bow, Wonderland is a gigantic mesh-like sculpture of a girl’s head. This is where our tour ended.
On our own –
Although we saw the iconic Calgary Tower, we did not go up to the high observation deck.
Central Library – The New York Times called this a must-see destination for its architecture and innovation in the heart of downtown. We had drinks from the Second Cup coffee shop on the first floor of the library, which provided a great spot to view downtown and the East Village from its many windows.
CORE shopping center – On the fourth floor of the mall, we briefly strolled through the indoor Devonian Botanical Gardens. The temperature is very humid and warm in the gardens. There are many places to sit and admire the green oasis.
The downtown area is very flat and walkable. To plan our time in Calgary, we used Tourism Calgary’s Experience Guide brochure. Two nights in Calgary were plenty of time for us to get a feel for the city.
Three Days in Banff National Park –
From Calgary, the drive to Banff is about 90 minutes, along major roads.
Lodging – Because the Rocky Mountain Resort was not located within the town center of Banff, we took advantage of the hotel shuttle to get into town. The hotel gym was better than average with weights, mats, and cardio equipment. Wifi was free, but spotty. Parking was free. In June, our Banff hotel options were limited.
Day One –
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel – The grand mountain resort sits on a terrace above a bend in the Bow River. We spent an entire day at this opulent hotel. The hotel is designed to look like a castle from the turn of the twentieth century. We parked at an outdoor lot near the tennis courts. Rocky Mountain views are superb from all around the premises.
Willow Stream Spa – In advance, we at booked a three-hour slot at this luxurious spa facility. Fern and I thought this was amongst the nicest spa days we had ever experienced. The two-level spa contains an outdoor hot tub and many indoor features, including a large mineral springs pool and three cascading waterfalls with small pools, each with varying temperatures from cold to hot. The spa package included time in a relaxation room and a small café room with complementary drinks and interesting snacks (e.g., vegan muffins, trail mix, etc.). The staff were very friendly. Lockers were provided for our clothing. Although most of the areas were co-ed, there were separate whirlpools in the men’s and women’s locker rooms.
Stock Food & Drink – in the hotel lobby, we spent a few minutes cooling down from the spa with drinks from this casual spot for coffee, tea, and light food options.
Hike to Banff Falls – From the hotel, we took a short afternoon hike from the back of the hotel, along the Bow River, and down to the falls. The falls are small but spectacular. The waterfall is the result of a change in course of the Bow River due to glaciation There are a number of viewpoints with benches.
Castello Italiana – Fern made dinner reservations for us at the Fairmont’s authentic Italian restaurant. During our meal, the chef stopped by to explain how he made the wonderful marina sauce that accompanied our hand-made pasta dishes. We also really enjoyed the focaccia bread with special garlic oil. Although the prices were high, the service was excellent, the décor was modern, and the atmosphere was special.
After dinner, we took our hotel’s shuttle into the town of Banff. In summer, the town is bustling, with many shops and restaurants. This evening, we had vegan ice cream at Little Wild. Most of the activity in town is focused on two parallel streets (Banff and Bear) and their cross streets.
Day Two – On our second day, we drove to various spots within Banff National Park.
Cascade Ponds – We went on a morning walk around these series of blue ponds, with bridges and paths throughout. There is a parking lot right by the ponds, along with picnic tables, benches, and restrooms. The ponds consist of a series of tranquil waters and grassy meadows. We enjoyed the short meandering trail that wrapped around the ponds. Great mountain views greeted us at every turn.
Johnson Lake – Next, we drove to this small green and blue lake. This area has its own parking lot. We hiked a portion of the 2.8-kilometer circuit that goes around the lake. With small elevation gains, we headed by some of Alberta’s oldest fir trees. This trail provides views of both Cascade Mountain and Mount Rundle. Colorful wildflowers sway on grassy slopes above the lake. The lake shines between the peaks of these Rocky Mountains. This site also had small restrooms and picnic tables.
Two Jack Lake – Our third stop was a short drive to another small lake. There was a large parking lot by the lake. The summit of Mount Rundle rises across from this lake. No trail allows access around the lake, so our time there was more limited. Pine needles here give off a pleasant scent. We watched several individuals fish and kayak in the lake’s blue waters. Two big horn sheep were eating and resting on the road near the lake.
Lake Minnewanka – Our final stop of the day was our longest drive from Banff. The deep waters of this large lake are named after the First Nations people as the “lake of the water spirits.” First, we had a picnic looking out at the lake and its many boats. Then we went on our longest hike in Banff, from the lake shore along the trail to Stewart Canyon. The trail is of moderate difficulty, including walking over many rocks and requiring some scrambling over curvy portions. The canyon is carved by the Cascade River which then flows into the lake. This is the largest body of water in Banff National Park. Above the lake, there are wonderful views of the Fairholme Range and Mount Ingismaldie. This was the most crowded of our four stops on this day. The large parking lot ended up being full, but we waited and found a space.
In the evening, we went back into the town of Banff. We started off sitting on the outside deck at the White Bark Café, which is a comfy locale with fair-trade organic coffee and several tea options. Then we had a light dinner, again sitting outside, at the Wild Flour Bakery, which offers an array of tasty bread. We had a vegetable soup, with sourdough bread, and a vegan dessert bar, along with drinks.
Day Three – Our final day was focused on a day trip to Lake Louise. Most of the day was cold and damp, with occasionally pelting rain showers.
With extremely limited local parking at the Lake Louise lakeshore, we were advised to take the 8X bus from Banff High School. The bus stops first at Lake Louise village. The buses were comfortable. Because of the demand, we purchased our day round-trip tickets in advance. Without a timed reservation, we still had to line up far in advance of the departure time to assure that we had one of the fifty seats. The ride takes about 45 minutes.
Due to the poor weather, we limited our time outside. Lake Louise was our most crowded stop within Banff. The emerald, green waters of the lake are right next to the magnificent Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The famous picture here is the view from the back of the Fairmont, where the lake goes out to the snow-peaked Mount Victoria in the distance.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise – For most of the afternoon, we enjoyed indoor weather protected views of the lake from two different restaurants within the famous hotel. Unfortunately, some of the hotel’s restaurants (including the large Lakeview Lounge) are limited to hotel guests during the peak summer season. Within the hotel, the views are equal to any mountain resort that we have visited. The floor to ceiling windows within the two restaurants, where we ate and drank, allowed us to enjoy the lake views on a day when walking around the lake would have been verry unpleasant. First, we enjoyed tea at the hotel’s elegant Fairview Bar. Then we had dinner at the new walk-in restaurant Louiza. Although somewhat overpriced, we enjoyed our meals. I had pasta with shrimp while Fern enjoyed her salad selection.
To plan our time in Banff National Park, we looked over Moon Handbook’s “Canadian Rockies.” Although somewhat dated, this guidebook provided us with useful tips. Three days in Banff National Park was the bare minimum for us to enjoy its key attractions.
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