Banff’s Untamed Beauty

Banff is one of those rare places where jaw-dropping natural beauty meets an interesting history. Nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, this charming mountain town holds the honor of being Canada’s first national park, and the third in the world following Yellowstone and the Royal National Park in Australia.

Banff was established in 1885 after workers laying the Canadian Pacific Railway discovered natural hot springs nearby. Soon after, the railway built the Banff Springs Hotel to lure wealthy European travelers to the Canadian wilderness, and the hotel still stands today.

The town is only about 1.5 square miles in size, and is one of the few towns located inside a national park. Because of this, there are specific restrictions and stringent criteria for residency – keeping the total number of year-round residents to under 10,000. By contrast, more than 5 million people visit Banff annually, with 75% visiting in the summer months.

After the most amazing sunrise reflecting on the Rundle Mountainside behind our hotel, we enjoyed a leisurely Tuesday exploring village shops and having a fantastic lunch at The Boss. We then met our Radventures guide, Ollie, for an evening wildlife tour. While our hope of wildlife sightings were slightly diminished due to the unseasonably warm weather, we were promised a few off-the-beaten-path stops as we kept our eyes out for wildlife.

Our first stop was Bow Falls, just a short drive from downtown Banff. Though not particularly tall, the falls are a wide, dramatic stretch of thunderous white water that cascades over rock formations creating a class six rapids.

Next we drove up past the Bow Valley to take in the view of Rundle Mountain, one of Banff’s most photographed peaks. Its razor-sharp silhouette and east-west orientation make it a stunner, especially during sunrise and sunset when it catches the light just right. We spotted a mule deer on our way up the mountain – our first sighting of the evening. After a short hike to the lookout spot, we got a great view of Banff’s own hoodoos – needle-like limestone pillars carved by centuries of wind and water. According to local Indigenous legends, these formations were once giants turned to stone for their wrongdoings.

While there, we spotted a Clark’s nutcracker busily pecking seeds from the whitebark pine tree. Unlike most other pine trees, the whitebark’s pinecones don’t open to spread its seeds upon drying out; instead, the “scales” of the pinecone must be broken apart before seeds are released. Enter the Clark’s nutcracker! These clever birds crack the cones to harvest the large, nutritious seeds.

From there, we made our way to Two Jack Lake, one of those postcard-perfect places. Named after two local men named Jack and a winning hand in a poker game. The water was still and glassy, reflecting the pine-studded shoreline and distant mountains. It’s a favorite among locals for paddleboarding and kayaking.

Next up was Lake Minnewanka, the largest lake in Banff National Park. At a depth of about 460 feet, it’s a glacial-fed giant with a fascinating twist: there’s a whole town submerged beneath its icy waters!

The town of Minnewanka Landing once stood along the lake’s edge in the early 1900s, complete with cottages, hotels, and even a small wharf. When a dam was built in 1941 to support wartime hydroelectric needs, the water level rose and the town was swallowed whole. Today, divers can still explore the sunken remains.

We got our second wildlife sighting on the road leading to the lake – a herd of big horn sheep making their way through the area.

Our final stop was Norquay Lookout perched high above the town. The view from here is nothing short of spectacular; the Bow River winds through the valley, Cascade Mountain standing guard, and the charming, rustic Banff below.

As we made our way back toward town, we spotted a raven flying nearby. While we didn’t see a black wolf, common in Canada, we did learn about the symbiotic relationship between the raven and wolf from Ollie. They work together when hunting for prey, with the raven following a specific pack of wolves (and even “playing” with the pups when they are young by chasing them and nipping at their tails) and calling out when they spot prey from up above. After the wolves kill and feed their pack, the ravens then scavenge the remains.

This evening tour through Banff wasn’t just a checklist of scenic stops, but a reminder of how wild, beautiful, and deeply storied this part of Canada truly is. From ancient hoodoos to ghost towns under lakes, every corner of Banff seems to hold a secret waiting to be discovered.

Wednesday morning will come early, as we head to Moraine Lake and Lake Louise for sunrise views. Stay tuned!