BANFF

Unfortunately our time in Banff was a little rushed due to inclement weather coming in but we still managed to do a lot in our 2 nights & 3 days! And best of all now I have a better idea of the town, hotels, restaurants, and activities for our next trip! Banff is honestly one of the most beautiful places I have EVER been- the mountain views are literally 360- every way you look there is an amazing view- we were in total awe. And how lucky were we to get there during the fall leaves changing!? We stayed at a great hotel in the heart of downtown so we were within walking distance to everything! However- town was really crowded with a ton of tourists. Apparently summer is the busiest season so we weren't even hitting the peak but it was still packed! I can't even imagine what it's like then! The pictures below are from my walk through town and up to the famous Fairmont Springs Hotel. 

We took a great (and TOUGH) bike ride up Tunnel Mountain road where there is a popular hike (we skipped the hike as we were running out of time). We were lucky to see a beautiful elk just sitting up on a hill on our way down back into town.

Some of the amazing food we ate in Banff!

Our last dinner at the Maple Leaf Grille- so good!



The hot tub "cave" at our hotel!

Also I thought it would be interesting to add these "fun facts" from one of the Banff visitor guides that I picked up :)

1- Banff is the highest town in Canada with an elevation of 4537 ft (1383 m)

2- Banff Natl. Park was established in 1885- it is Canada's fist national park!

3- Banff Natl. Park is home to 7 Natl. Historic sites- Skoki Lodge, Abbot Pass Hut, Howse Pass, Cave & Basin, Banff Park Museum, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, & the Cosmic Ray Station on Sanson Peak

4- The highest mtn. in Banff Natl. Park was thought to be Mt. Forbes at 11850 ft (3612 m) but the summit of My. Assinboine actually crosses the Park border, making it the highest at 11870 ft (3619 m)

5- The largest man-made lake in Banff Natl. Park is Lake Minnewanka, while the largest natural lake is Hector Lake.

6- The Bow River, whose source is the Bow Glacier and Bow Lake, flows thru Banff & continues as far as Hudson Bay.

7- The TransCanada HWY, near the town of Banff has 2 multi-million $$$ overpasses that are 50 m wide and are here solely for use by the Park's wildlife.

8- A summer resort village called Minnewanka Landing, was est. in 1888. Eventually it grew to have 4 avenues, 3 streets, hotels, restaurants, and cruise boats. In 1941, it was completely flooded by the Calgary Power Co. under the War Measures Act, and now it's a "high altitude" dive site. The town, which is one of 3 dive sites in Lake Minnewanka, is considered the best preserved example of a submerged historic village in Canada.