Banff with Kids with Celine Brewer of Travel Banff Canada

Planning a family trip to Banff? Join Melissa as she talks with Celine of Travel Banff Canada about visiting Banff with kids - from best times to visit and where to stay to budgeting tips and must-do activities. Celine, a mom of two living in Canmore, shares insider advice on making the most of your Canadian Rockies family vacation.

Episode highlights:

• Best seasons to visit Banff with kids and which school breaks work best
• Banff vs Canmore - where should families stay?
• Realistic budgets for accommodation, food, and activities
• Must-do activities for families and hidden local gems
• Common mistakes families make when planning Banff trips
• How long to stay and nearby destinations worth adding

Whether you're planning spring break in the Rockies or a summer mountain adventure, this episode covers everything you need to know for an amazing Banff family vacation.

Where to stay in Banff with kids
Castle Mountain Chalets
Johnston Canyon Bungalows
Baker Creek by Basecamp
Pine Bungalows Jasper

00:00 Welcome to Family Travel Unpacked
00:07 Meet Celine 
02:16 Best Time to Visit Banff
09:25 Traveling with Young Kids in Banff
11:03 Planning Your Banff Trip
14:54 Accommodation Options in Banff
15:39 Budgeting for Your Banff Trip
18:27 Dining in Banff
20:22 Cost of Activities and Passes
22:09 How Long Should You Stay in Banff?
22:54 Banff Day Trips and Add-Ons
27:30 Must-Do Activities in Banff
35:00 Hidden Gems and Local Tips
37:37 Common Mistakes and Tips for Families
39:40 Guidebooks and Trip Planning Services
41:56 Conclusion and Farewell

Don't miss this inspiring, practical travel with kids podcast hosted by family travel expert Melissa Conn, founder of The Family Voyage, certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, and mom of two who proves family travel is achievable for everyone.

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Transcript

Melissa 0:02

Hey there and welcome back to Family Travel Unpacked. I'm your host, Melissa, and today we've got a really special episode. I'm chatting with my good friend Celine, who lives in Canmore, Canada with her two kids and her husband Dan. She knows the Banff area inside and out, not just as someone who lives there, but through her work with travel Banff Canada and Banff Travel Planning, where she helps families plan their Canadian Rockies vacations. I've been wanting to pick her brain about visiting Banff with kids for a while now. So I'm really excited about our conversation. Our family hasn't gotten up there yet, but we're hoping to in the next few years. So Celine, welcome! To kick it off, why don't you share a little bit about how long you've lived in Banff and what you've been doing up there.

Celine 0:41

Hey, Melissa. Thanks for having me on your podcast. I'm super excited to be here. Just to clarify, we don't actually live in Banff. We live just outside the Banff Park Gates in Canmore. So it's about a five minute drive to the Banff Park Gates and then 20 minutes to the town of Banff. We moved to Canmore in 2016 and finally started our site on Banff in the end of 2019, probably right around the same time that I met you. We've been writing about travel with kids since probably 2013, but we finally felt like it was time to write about our own backyard, which is why we started our first site on Banff.

Melissa 1:18

And can you tell us what all of your Banff sites are?

Celine 1:21

So I have travelbanffcanada.com, banfftravelplanning.com, and Banffwithkids.com. Then of course I also host the Banff Travel Podcast.

Melissa 1:30

Excellent. So to everybody out there listening, definitely go and download some episodes of Celine's podcast if you're working on planning your upcoming trip to Banff. She has tons of great info on her websites and also I love listening to her podcast. So Celine, what makes Banff so special for family specifically versus other mountain destinations?'Cause I know you guys have traveled all over the world.

Celine 1:52

I would say, rather than it being significantly different as a mountain destination, it has the same incredible mountain feel. It has those mountain experiences, it has, those stunning lakes that you see online. And just some really fun options for families here that isn't just about hiking.

Melissa 2:12

Well, I can't wait to hear more about those in just a minute. but first I wanna talk about timing. When do you typically recommend that people visit Banff, and what are the pros and cons of different seasons?

Celine 2:22

For sure. So, if we kind of break it down into summer versus winter, and the shoulder seasons, when you come can make a huge difference. If you think about summertime, we're talking like peak season, July and August. We're obviously gonna have the best weather then, but it's also gonna be peak crowds. And then on top of that, that's also the biggest chance for wildfires and smoke at that time. June is also really good. In Canada our kids tend to go to school until towards the end of June, so that is a good time for other people to travel here because all of the Canadian families aren't out traveling quite yet, and then September falls into that a bit

Melissa 3:00

Would you say that June is maybe a little bit less expensive than July and August as well, if people are looking to stretch their budgets?

Celine 3:06

Certainly the very beginning of June. From the beginning of June to the end of June is when it really starts to ramp up. So a lot of people

Melissa 3:13

Okay.

Celine 3:14

that like first couple of weeks in June. There is obviously some risk at that time about the weather, so not all of the lakes will be completely thawed at that time. There's a chance that Moraine Lake could still have ice on it. You know, those higher

Melissa 3:29

Oh, that's crazy.

Celine 3:31

We

Melissa 3:31

That's cool to see.

Celine 3:32

it is. But you know, the issue is people get these expectations in their head that the lakes are gonna look a certain way. And I've

Melissa 3:40

Okay.

Celine 3:40

people come and be disappointed. So Moraine Lake is one of those examples of the turquoise lake that people have seen and they want that iconic picture of, and then they come and the glacial melt hasn't quite come into the lake, yet it might not have that like bright turquoise color that we've all seen that looks like blue Kool-Aid. The water levels might be quite low. So again, it's all trade-offs. You come earlier. You might get some trails with snow on them. Still higher elevation. Again, that all depends on what our spring is like, so it's really hard to predict. But I think if people come knowing that this is a possibility, and I do a lot of that, is trying to set people's expectations that the weather might not be perfect. You might have some snow,

Melissa 4:24

Right.

Celine 4:24

might not be completely thawed. People are generally less disappointed about it.

Melissa 4:29

That's fair. And what about other seasons?

Celine 4:32

We do have a secondary peak season, which is in the winter, so December, January. Specifically for families who love skiing and other winter activities. So I would say that December, around Christmas is, you know, again, really busy. My only caution with that is, especially as we've seen, less snow in some of the past years, sometimes if you come early December, you're not gonna get all of those winter activities in full swing. So mid to late December and even into January is a little bit better because that's when you can go dog sledding or the lakes will be frozen enough that you can skate on them. The ski hills will all be up and running. If you wanna try something like snowshoeing or something like that, you want there to be enough snow. So coming super early December doesn't necessarily guarantee that. Again, every year is different

Melissa 5:19

Right now, a lot of us here in the US have a break in February for President's Day weekend. Some districts make it even longer. They call it ski week, so that might be a great option if you wanted to come and experience the winter wonderland of Banff, right?

Celine 5:32

Absolutely. So we also have a week off in February, which is Family Day Long weekend, and then it extends for the whole week. The kids have it off, so it will be busy. My guess is it's probably around the same time.

Melissa 5:44

Is mid-February,

Celine 5:46

So I think our day off is February 16th, is the official family day.

Melissa 5:50

Yep.

Celine 5:50

this year. So that week we'll probably be busy, but yes, that's a good time to come for skiing and winter activities. And then of course we have the shoulder seasons again. This is where I tend to caution people when we talk about April and May, is

Melissa 6:05

Do we have a mud season?

Celine 6:07

Yeah. Yeah, right. That's definitely May. And April, so the lakes are probably gonna be frozen, especially the higher elevation Lakes. Trails are gonna be icy, muddy, possibly snowy, but it's also a quieter time. As we get into April, it's when the bears start to come out and lower in the valley, so wildlife sightings are good. So it can be a really good time. It's just setting those expectations. And if you are a family that loves to do these epic hikes, know that there's still very much avalanche risk and you have to really do your research on where you go. And then of course we have the flip side, October and November as well. This is also the same for April and May, but especially after Canadian Thanksgiving, which is the second Monday in October, things start to shut down. Schedules start to change. Places like Moraine Lake Road to see Moraine Lake will be closed'cause it goes through avalanche terrain. The road up to Takakkaw Falls will also close. Activities like, boat cruises and that kind of stuff will all shut down typically after Canadian Thanksgiving- They try to leave it open until then. And then it doesn't really reopen until, you know, it's starting to feel like spring and summer. So around our May long weekend, which is around the third week of May, is when things will shift back to everything being open. It affects bus schedules, all of that. So it's just really important that people are aware of those things closing in areas that are inaccessible at that time.

Melissa 7:33

Yeah, definitely sounds like some of the logistics can be more complicated in the shoulder season.

Celine 7:37

For sure, for sure. And even, like I said, taking buses becomes more difficult. Knowing how to drive in the winter can be really important, especially as we get into November and snow, ice on the roads, that kind of stuff.

Melissa 7:50

So my kids have really limited flexibility with their school schedules. I know your kids are around the same age, so you have a lot of the same constraints. Maybe we can miss a day or two here and there. So which school breaks are gonna work best in terms of what we just discussed? It sounds like our spring break, which is mid-March, would be a terrible time to come, except for maybe some downhill skiing. And then we have winter break, which as you mentioned, can be a good time if you wanna do all that winter stuff. We have a couple of long weekends in October generally.

Celine 8:20

If you're coming in March, expect that you're coming for winter activities. I think probably the best for you guys would be to come in early June if your kids are done. If you wanted to do a shorter trip, october can be really quite nice, especially the beginning of October. But again, it depends when those weekends actually fall and if things are gonna be open. Other than that, you know, summer is really still a very beautiful time to visit. It is one of the best times here and that's why it is so busy.

Melissa 8:49

Of course.

Celine 8:50

there's strategies for, making sure that you're not stuck in the crowds.

Melissa 8:54

And I know that's where you come in and that you have a lot of in-depth guidance that you give to people through your guidebooks and also your planning consultations to help them make the most of their trip whatever time of year it is.

Celine 9:04

For sure, absolutely, I love to give people tips on, you know, when to take your kids out during the day, what things to do first thing in the morning, what things you can go to later on. And then give yourself a little bit of relax time midday when things are super busy.

Melissa 9:18

now I know you and I have kids around the same ages, kind of that late elementary, early middle school stage. Would you say that Banff is worth visiting if your kids are younger, like maybe toddlers? Or is it better to save it for when the kids are older and more capable like our kids are I.

Celine 9:34

I'm probably the wrong person to ask, you know that I have written about traveling with babies and toddlers for like a decade, so my personal opinion is that if you wanna travel someplace, you know, even with a baby and toddler, that shouldn't stop you. However, you know, there are some things to know about traveling to Banff. I will say that there aren't a lot of places that are stroller accessible.

Melissa 9:55

Okay.

Celine 9:56

because it means that things are still, you know, rough in nature and that kind of stuff, but you're definitely not gonna be able to easily see everything if you are pushing a stroller around. I always do advise people that if you're coming with a baby or toddler, it's a good idea to have a carrier or get used to having your baby or toddler in a carrier. It's just gonna open up so much more for you than coming with a stroller.

Melissa 10:20

Hundred percent.

Celine 10:21

right? Like all of that fresh air being out in nature, you know, getting the kids out there. We have. incredible playgrounds in both Canmore and Banff that are really well suited to as well. You know, there's lots of nature areas where they can just explore and play and have fun. So, back to the traveling with babies and toddlers, I also advise people take it for what it is, it's going to be a slower time. You're not gonna see as much as you want to. Don't be afraid to go and have that nap back at the hotel or grab a coffee and go for a nice long walk while your baby naps and that kind of stuff. But absolutely

Melissa 10:55

sure.

Celine 10:57

for any age. But lots of places that you can go and explore still.

Melissa 11:02

That's great. And for families that do wanna come, let's say in the summer, since it sounds like that's really the ideal time to be in Banff, how far in advance should they start their planning process and be booking, let's say accommodations and rental cars?

Celine 11:16

Yeah, great question. So accommodations for sure is the one thing that you want to look at in advance. I would say probably anywhere from a year to six months. So I still have people that I'm talking to

Melissa 11:28

So right now,

Celine 11:30

Yeah, like you should be booking right now. The issue becomes the longer you wait, the less options you have and the places that you might really wanna stay at will be booked up or the prices are just going to increase as we get closer

Melissa 11:43

for sure.

Celine 11:44

So planning that kind of year to six months out, makes a lot of sense.

Melissa 11:48

Do you feel like there is enough infrastructure there in terms of accommodations to meet the demand? Or is Banff becoming one of those destinations where there are more people that wanna visit than what it can hold?

Celine 12:02

That's a great question. You know, between all of the areas and the mountain towns that are close to Banff, there is enough for sure. to the east of Banff, we have the town of Canmore. That's where you're gonna find more Airbnb type accommodations. Then obviously of the town of Banff, you'll find some, apartment style there as well, even within the hotels that are great for families. And then as you continue west, you can even go as west as golden, which is about an hour and a half from Banff. So you can still explore from Golden, which also has a lot of hotels and Airbnbs and restaurants. Even further east of Canmore, we have a small Hamlet called Dead Man Flats. We have Harvey Heights between

Melissa 12:45

Name.

Celine 12:45

and Banff. I know, right? And so any of those options are good and you can explore the entire area from there. I think there are plenty of options, but there's also some options that people really like that they wanna stay in. Like if you wanna stay in a cabin or if you want to, stay at the Chateau Lake, Louise. If your budget allows for that, then you do really wanna be looking at booking those in advance to make sure that you get them.

Melissa 13:08

Okay, great. Now in terms of getting there, what's the best approach for families? I know obviously a lot of people fly into Calgary, so can you talk to us about that drive and whether you recommend renting a car or taking a shuttle up to Vamp or if there, if there are other options that families should be considering.

Celine 13:26

Yeah, I think that really also comes down to time of year. So if we talk about summer specifically, super easy, fly into Calgary and then rent a car and drive out to Banff. It's about an hour and a half from the airport. It's an easy drive on a divided highway. Easy to do. If we get into wintertime, then you may want to start thinking about are you comfortable driving on snow and ice? I know not everybody is. So there are options. Airport shuttles that leave straight from Calgary Airport can take you to your hotel in Banff. That's the easiest way, and I think we all know traveling with kids that having your own car just makes life a little bit easier. You're not standing waiting for buses. You have the flexibility to come and go as you want,

Melissa 14:08

Are there, buses and shuttles around Canmore and Banff if you do wanna go the airport shuttle route.

Celine 14:14

absolutely. So Banff is the most central and the hub of really the entire area. So that is where a lot of the local transit leaves from. Roam is our public transit system. And, most of the routes will leave from the town of Banff. However, we do have a route that leaves from Canmore to Banff as well. So just keeping in mind for families that you will have to transfer some buses if you wanna go that route. there's obviously so many tours that you can do as well. And shuttles that you can hire? We don't have Uber here. I get that question all the time. We don't have it in the national Park, so you know, we do have some taxis, but there is no Lyft or Uber or anything like that.

Melissa 14:54

So if a family wants to avoid renting a car entirely, would you recommend then that they stay in Banff as opposed to staying in Canmore or one of the other smaller towns just to make transportation easier?

Celine 15:06

You're exactly right. That's exactly what I always say. If you want to go without a car, staying in Banff will make it the easiest for you. Because, as an example, if you wanted to take the bus to Johnston Canyon, it leaves right from the transit hub in Banff. Whereas if you are staying in Canmore, then you have to take, the Roam bus to Banff and then hop on the other bus to Johnston Canyon. Also, a lot of the tours will leave from Banff. Some will do pickups in Canmore, but most of the things operate from Banff.

Melissa 15:34

well that's some good intel from on the ground. So let's talk about costs now. What do you think families should realistically budget for, let's say a week in Banff? In terms of accommodation, food, activities?

Celine 15:47

I think if you're looking in peak summer season, you$500 a night.

Melissa 15:52

Ooh,

Celine 15:53

Yeah. It's getting expensive.

Melissa 15:55

that's just for the accommodations.

Celine 15:57

Yeah. It is getting pretty pricey, especially in the town of Banff. And then if you need something that's bigger, it's just gonna go from there. So that's right now booking what you might be looking at. Canmore is probably cheaper. I would look at Canmore if you wanna save some money.

Melissa 16:13

I think I'm just.

Celine 16:13

it

Melissa 16:14

To wait until you guys go away for the summer again and stay at your house. That'll be my best budget friendly option in Canmore.

Celine 16:21

You can camp. I'm just gonna put that out there.

Melissa 16:24

You can camp.

Celine 16:26

So you're gonna come,

Melissa 16:27

That's perfect.

Celine 16:28

and then we can visit each other

Melissa 16:30

Exactly. You know what? I think Jacob can go and camp with you guys. He won't mind that. Ronnie and I, we can hold down the fort at the house.

Celine 16:37

There you go.

Melissa 16:37

I think Dan prefers to stay at the house too, right?

Celine 16:40

does, yeah. So you guys are gonna have to figure out the whole bedroom situation there

Melissa 16:43

We could just split it, right? You and four kids can go camp

Celine 16:47

Totally.

Melissa 16:48

rest of us will enjoy the house.

Celine 16:51

I mean, I joke about it, but there are some fun camping options here that maybe you guys would enjoy. So, parks Canada has some oTENTiks where it's like a permanent camp. It's got mattresses in it. Plenty of space for everybody. It's got little table and chairs. It's got a heater.

Melissa 17:07

So kind of a glamping situation.

Celine 17:09

of a glamping. Yeah, you could bring your sleeping bags. You don't even need to cook it's just a sleeping place. So there are some fun options.

Melissa 17:16

And what's the ballpark pricing for that glamping?

Celine 17:19

So those are through Parks Canada. I'm not gonna pretend that they're easy to get,

Melissa 17:23

So it's a capacity issue there not a cost issue.

Celine 17:26

Yeah, those ones are only like a hundred and some dollars a night Again.

Melissa 17:30

you can get'em

Celine 17:31

If you can get them.'cause some of them are also at like two Jack Lake on the Lakeside. So they're quite nice but definitely hard to get. And as we talk about that camping here, especially for the national parks, those reservations open up at the end of January for the entire season.

Melissa 17:46

right,

Celine 17:47

that, like how much in advance should we be planning? That's your six month mark right

Melissa 17:51

it's already done.

Celine 17:52

Yeah. Fortunately it's not because Parks Canada had some major issues with their systems this year, so they had to bump Banff to February 12th. So there's still some time

Melissa 18:04

And you have your alarm set for that, right?

Celine 18:06

Oh, always, always. I've already done Jasper. I've already done Yoho, and I don't just set an alarm. I have sticky notes, I have multiple screens open. It's a whole deal in my house.

Melissa 18:16

Right, it's a competitive sport for you guys.

Celine 18:19

It really is. So thankfully we got most of what we wanted this year. You know, doing a

Melissa 18:23

that's great.

Celine 18:24

trip and we'll see how that goes.

Melissa 18:26

Fun, fun. So for those of us who are a little bit less rustic and might wanna eat out when we're visiting the area, we're on vacation, I don't wanna cook and clean, uh, what kind of food costs are we looking at?

Celine 18:37

There's a ton of restaurants here between the town of Banff and the town of Canmore. You can basically find any kind of food that you're looking for, whether you're looking for sushi to Greek to Mexican, you're gonna find it here. The really important thing to know is Banff is a resort town was built primarily for tourism. So yes, there's a lot of restaurants. it's not gonna be cheap. Sorry, this one's gonna be in Canadian, but you're probably looking for$30 for a burger. Definitely not cheap when you're buying for a family of four.

Melissa 19:12

Right.

Celine 19:13

You know, but there, obviously there's cheaper places as well, but in a resort town, you are going to be paying those tourist prices for sure. Now those of you coming from the US get the benefit of the US dollar and

Melissa 19:26

Exchange rate.

Celine 19:27

Yeah. Keep that in mind.

Melissa 19:29

But you're looking at what, a hundred US for dinner. If you're eating out at a restaurant every night.

Celine 19:35

Yeah.

Melissa 19:36

So hit the grocery store, get some pasta, and just fuel up after a day of hiking.

Celine 19:41

You know what? It becomes really easy too, and you can really save some money there. If you're staying in Canmore and you have an Airbnb apartment, we have two big grocery stores here. You grab some food, you do breakfast before you leave, you pack a lunch, and then you go out for dinner.

Melissa 19:56

Right.

Celine 19:56

a while you order some pizza. You can keep it cheap. It doesn't need to be expensive as all that. You can have a couple of nice nights out, but there certainly are some ways that you can come here and not be crazy expensive. Even as we talk about activities, some of the best things to do here are the free things, like go on a hike, enjoy spending time with your family, go sit by the lakeside and have a picnic. Not everything needs to be a paid activity.

Melissa 20:22

So, that segues nicely into talking about the cost of activities and passes. You know, as I'm sure you've seen here in the US, we had some really big shakeups in terms of how our national parks are priced for non-US visitors this year. It definitely has made visiting the US national parks less financially accessible to, international visitors, including our Canadian friends. Is there anything like that going on in Canada? What kind of costs can a visitor expect in terms of those activities, whether they're paid or visiting the national parks in the area?

Celine 20:58

Well, the good thing is this year is you're gonna find the exact opposite up here. So we have what was introduced last year and is going to be on repeat this year, which is our Canada Strong Pass. And all of the national parks are free from June through September, right? So June 19th through September 7th. They're all free. So if you're coming in that time, you don't have to worry about a park pass. There are other passes you might need. Like Kananaskis, so that's a provincial park that's kind of surrounding Canmore area. And so you do need a pass for there. But the national parks the summer are free.

Melissa 21:32

Even if you're not Canadian?

Celine 21:34

Even if you're not Canadian,

Melissa 21:35

oh, Canada. Thank you, Canada.

Celine 21:39

So, I mean, certainly I think we've seen an increase in people visiting the national parks, especially locals and Canadians, which was kind of the point. I'm not sure Banff needed the extra people, but it has been nice that people get to enjoy it for no cost.

Melissa 21:54

To have free access to such a beautiful place is amazing and as it should be,

Celine 22:00

Yeah. Yeah. I mean we still need some funds for the cleanup that needs to happen,

Melissa 22:04

presumably the hotel taxes cover some of that.

Celine 22:08

that's a great question. I have no idea.

Melissa 22:09

All right, so how long do you think that families should plan to stay in Banff? Let's say you're coming on a summer trip with your middle school kids. What's the minimum that makes it worthwhile? Sweet spot for a first visit?

Celine 22:23

So, this is gonna depend on how far you wanna explore. I think a really good sweet spot for the Banff area is around five to seven days. You can get a good feel for the area. You can visit all of the popular places while adding in some easy days that are maybe not the iconic lakes or the most popular hikes, but some time to just enjoy being in the mountains But if you wanna add on Jasper than I really think that a seven to 10 day is better for going that far.

Melissa 22:54

So what if you wanted to include some of the others? I know you mentioned Yoho, there's Kootenay that's nearby.

Celine 23:01

So if we can think about the map. you have Banff National Park, which covers, west to the border and all the way up the ice fields parkway, until it meets Jasper National Park. Once you cross over the provincial border into British Columbia, then you have Yoho National Park, and then from Banff as you go south and you cross into. British Columbia, you enter Kootenay National Park. So Banff has these three other national parks that are adjacent to it that you can explore. Yoho and Kootenay are easy day trips from Banff, although you can definitely stay in them, or stay in Golden further west as I mentioned, or go all the way down to radium or Invermere, and spend some time down there. And then of course, if you wanna do the Ice Fields Parkway, which is, one of the most scenic drives in the world, spend some time on there and head all the way up to Jasper. You'd wanna add a couple of days for that. You can definitely see the Ice Fields Parkway, and parts of it if you're just going on a day trip up there. But if you're gonna go all the way to Jasper, then it's well worth it to spend a night or two.

Melissa 24:07

And if you were doing that, would you still come back down to Calgary for your flight home or is there a different airport up there that you would use to fly out of?

Celine 24:15

A lot of people just do an in and out of Calgary, so they might put Jasper in the middle of their trip. So they'll do like three or four days around Banff, head out to Jasper a couple days, and then they might end in Canmore where it's only like an hour and 15 from the airport and just spend a day around Canmore. So that really works well because you've done that drive. You have some time to relax before heading to the airport. Sometimes people drive straight from Jasper to the airport, which is also doable. You're just looking at about four and a half hours of driving.

Melissa 24:43

Okay. Great. Now I know we touched briefly on the where to stay decision, and you indicated that Banff is better if you're looking at hotels, whereas Canmore is more about vacation rentals and Airbnbs. If you had any family coming to you that said, which one should we stay in and should we do a hotel or Airbnb, what's gonna be your immediate reaction to them?

Celine 25:04

If w e're talking about families, and this probably plays more into how I like to travel, I would probably pick Canmore and stay in an Airbnb just because I enjoy having space for everybody instead of being cramped into a hotel room, especially if we're talking about five to seven days. If you're spending three nights there, then maybe you can manage with the hotel room. I personally don't love sharing a hotel bed with my kids because they kick me and they can't share with each other, so.

Melissa 25:30

Right, of course.

Celine 25:31

Right.

Melissa 25:32

Bring that inflatable mattress with you.

Celine 25:34

Right. it's just nice if everybody can have their own space or a

Melissa 25:38

Mm-hmm.

Celine 25:39

space for the end of the day. Don't get me wrong, there are places in Banff like that as well. As an example, up at Tunnel Mountain Resort or Hidden Ridge, you can get some more condo style places. So those are really good.

Melissa 25:51

Presumably you're just paying for that.

Celine 25:53

for sure. It's gonna be more expensive the

Melissa 25:55

Yeah.

Celine 25:56

you are.

Melissa 25:57

Mm-hmm.

Celine 25:58

Yeah, so I personally like that extra space. Both towns are incredibly walkable. Lots of pathway systems. You can rent bikes, go for walks, really great playgrounds, downtown area, places to go shopping, all of that. You're gonna find that in both towns you're gonna find the same incredible mountain scenery. You're gonna have easy hikes in both towns.

Melissa 26:18

So you're not losing out on charm either way.

Celine 26:21

You just need to drive a little further if you're staying in Canmore. So, as I said, you've got that extra 20 minutes between the town of Canmore to the town of Banff. So it's a little bit of extra driving every day, but it is absolutely doable.

Melissa 26:33

And are there any really unique places to stay that people should know about?

Celine 26:38

What I think is kind of unique and nice for people to stay in is some cabins. So there are some cabins even just outside of Canmore or if you go into Banff so the National Park part. But on Bow Valley Parkway, there's some cabins that you can stay along there- the Castle Mountain Chalets or the Johnston Canyon bungalows or Baker Creek Chalets. All of those are really fun options I think, with kids'cause it kind of gives you that mountain feel staying out in nature, so I like those. Similar when you go up to Jasper, there's lots of cabin options up there. We went up there last summer, we stayed in the pine bungalows. Our kids just love that they had fire pits outside where we were roasting marshmallows and just that kind of mountain experience.

Melissa 27:20

And maybe we can drop some links down in the show notes to those places that you mentioned if families are interested in researching more about them. So let's get to the fun stuff. What are the must do activities for a first time family visit to Banff?

Celine 27:35

I think first of all, what most people know about Banff are places like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, so those iconic lakes that we talked about with the beautiful turquoise color. One thing we didn't mention when we were talking about the transportation part of it is that you can't actually go to Moraine Lake in your own car. So you do need to book a shuttle for that. They've closed down the road to public access, unless you're staying in the lodge up there or you happen to have a handicap tag. Those are the only two options for driving that road. And then Lake Louise itself is just, again, one of those top things that people know about is so busy that planning a shuttle to both of those is really the best way to go. Lots of options for that. Parks Canada has a shuttle that's fairly cheap. It's$8 Canadian per adult, free for kids. But you do need to be on that in April trying to book that. So again, at those lakes, there's plenty of options there. You can canoe on either of the lakes. It's probably the one of the most expensive places too, canoe here. But everybody's got that picture in their mind of the red canoes on Lake Louise. So that's where you can do that.

Melissa 28:40

Can you wrap a Canadian flag around your shoulders and then have it, somebody take your picture from behind.

Celine 28:45

I feel like you're not allowed on the lake unless you're planning on doing that.

Melissa 28:50

Checking and you're required to post it on your Instagram, right?

Celine 28:54

You really are. Whether you're Canadian or not, you need that Canadian flag wrapped around. You can hike at either of those. Lake Louise is home to some tea houses that you can hike to, and at the tea houses you can have lunch or cake, which is always a really good incentive to get your kids hiking if you want. Moraine Lake has some lake shore hikes. You go up to the rock pile for that iconic view. So that's a great day with the kids, is just to enjoy that. There's gondolas, you have the Banff Gondola just outside the town of Banff Lake. Louis Ski Resort has a gondola, my favorite at the Sunshine Ski Resort takes you up to the alpine where you can do some fairly easy hiking with some stunning views. So I think those are well worth it. You get to do the easy hiking without the hard work of getting up there. So that one's specific for sunshine. The Banff Gondola has a beautiful wooden boardwalk at the top with stunning views. All three of the gondolas have interpretive centers at the top. So that's fun for the kids,

Melissa 29:54

That's cool. Different.

Celine 29:56

act like they don't wanna learn, they do. They love going in there and like chatting with somebody and learning about the animals and seeing the giant grizzly bear footprint and all of that kind of stuff. So incorporating some of those things, especially picking those hikes where the kids can have those more fun activities I, I think is well worth it. If waterfalls are your thing, we have that. The Johnston Canyon Hike has catwalks attached to the canyon walls, so it's an easy hike past waterfalls. Kids love it. There's a cave that you can go into to get closer to the lower falls. My kids love it. Anytime I mention going on a hike, they're like, Ugh. And then I say, Johnston Canyon, and they're like, oh yeah, let's go there. So it's super fun.

Melissa 30:35

Do you get wet during that hike?

Celine 30:37

You can get a little bit sprayed from

Melissa 30:39

Little splash. Okay.

Celine 30:40

but it's, it's not too bad. It does get really busy. It really does. And it is one of those things that I think is such a beautiful, easy hike here. And a lot of people will say, it's not worth the time to give it a miss If you time it right, it is well worth it. So I think you should go early. Or another option if your family is not early birds, is to go around dinner time when everybody else is off having dinner. Bring some snacks and go.

Melissa 31:05

Right, because you guys have long days in the summer.

Celine 31:07

Do, especially if you're coming in June, like we're talking about like 5:30 AM sunrises and 10:00 PM sunsets, right? you have lots of time during the day to explore. If you go to Johnston Canyon don't go midday, I promise you, you're gonna hate it. There's gonna be so many people, they're gonna be lined up to get into the lower falls for their Instagram picture. It's just not gonna be worth your time. But go early. Go before eight o'clock. I say that because a lot of the tour buses will start arriving between eight and nine. So if you can get out there ahead of them, you might face some crowds on the way back, but at that point you've already seen it. Or at dinnertime, like I said, you know when

Melissa 31:46

We'll take the evening shift.

Celine 31:47

I knew, I knew you would. Uh, what else can we talk about? Scenic drives, right? If you just

Melissa 31:54

Yeah.

Celine 31:55

and like look for animals. We have some incredible scenic drives. Obviously the ice fields parkway, which we've already talked about, the Bow Valley Parkway, Lake Minnewanka Scenic Drive. So Lake Minnewanka scenic Drive takes you past three lakes. You know, all of our lakes that we talk about, we're not just talking about Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, there's lakes everywhere

Melissa 32:14

Lakes everywhere.

Celine 32:15

The lake's everywhere. As you are going to Lake Minnewanka where you can do a boat cruise on the lake. They have a junior explorer, option as well for kids. But even if you just do the regular one, again, the stories are really interesting, it's a great way to spend an hour. Also along there is Johnson Lake, which is the local lake, it's got a small beach, it's got a beautiful little hike around it that's super easy, there's a hermit cabin that you can find in the woods. So you could spend a morning there with the kids, they'd throw rocks in the water, play in the sand, maybe rent some paddleboards and go there. So just so many great options for things to do with kids.

Melissa 32:51

you mentioned the beach. What kind of temperatures are we talking about at the absolute warmest in the summer?

Celine 32:58

It's gonna be cold.

Melissa 32:59

Freezing.

Celine 32:59

Kids don't feel cold, so kids will still

Melissa 33:01

Oh, your kids don't feel cold.

Celine 33:05

I find it so funny that we'll take them there and they'll play in the water and people are like, are you gonna go in? I'm like, oh no, never. No, I don't go in the cold water.

Melissa 33:12

Gimme my puffer.

Celine 33:13

Right. And so also even in Canmore we have Quarry Lake, which is our kind of little swimming hole. So there's a lot of fun things to do. Bike rides if your kids love riding a bike. We have great pathway systems. Sundance Canyon, you can ride a bike out to there on a pave trail and then do a short hike through the canyon. If you're here in the spring or the fall, Bow Valley Parkway, which is a secondary highway that goes between the town of Banff and the town of Lake Louise, So parallels the Trans Canada Highway, Along there is where you find Johnston Canyon. But the eastern section of that road actually gets closed to vehicles in June,

Melissa 33:50

Oh, that's cool.

Celine 33:51

and September. And then you can go ride bikes on it. Super fun.

Melissa 33:54

Is there a bike rental shop in town that you recommend that'll have kids bikes?

Celine 33:59

There's so many bike rental shops, lots of them have kids bikes Also, between the town of Banff and the town of Canmore, we have a paved bike trail as well,

Melissa 34:08

Oh, that's great.

Celine 34:08

Trail. Yeah, so lots of options for bike rides. We talked about gondolas, canoeing, scenic drives, hikes. You know, there's no shortage of hikes here.

Melissa 34:18

Now Okay. you've mentioned lots of great activities. I know you said you've got playgrounds and there's a swimming hole in Canmore at Johnson Lake. Are there any other good options for decompressing after you've had, let's say, a busy morning out on the trail with kids?

Celine 34:32

Yeah, I mean, I guess it depends what you're looking for, how you wanna spend your afternoon, whether it's just walking up Banff Ave and grabbing some ice cream, maybe shopping for some souvenirs. That's a great time to do something that's a little bit easier like the Banff gondola go up there and just meander on the boardwalk. Hotel pools are a great option. I always tell people, you know, if you have kids, it's nice if you have a hotel pool or a hot tub or something like that as well. Yeah, lots of little options.

Melissa 34:59

Great choices. Now are there any sort of hidden gems or local spots that most tourists miss and I respect if you wanna keep them secret, but if there are any that you're willing to share with our listeners, that'd be great.

Celine 35:10

You know, unfortunately I feel like social media has ruined any hidden gems. I feel like most places end

Melissa 35:18

Fair.

Celine 35:19

media and that it's really hard to find those little places. Specifically for Banff, I would say, it's to look for those spots that aren't always on social media and to go further than what other people are doing. So if you are not just getting outta your car and taking a picture and then getting back into your car and going to the next place, it's gonna make a big difference. As an example, when you go to Lake Louise, most people just go to the immediate lake shore and don't go any further. it's crowded, it's noisy, and people will leave there telling me that they thought Lake Louise was a waste of time. My advice is if you're able to, walk along the lake shore to the back of the lake, you're gonna find way less people there. Most people are gonna take the shorter hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House. But if your family is up for it, you can hike to the Plain of six glaciers Tea House, which is twice a distance, but it's not as steep. But there's way less people that go that way. So it's kind of knowing those different places that people aren't just getting outta their car and taking a quick picture, maybe adding on a short hike. At Lake Minnewanka, if you walk along the shores, you can go to Stewart Canyon or onto the Lake Minnewanka Trail, the further you get from those immediate places where people stop, the less people you're gonna see along the way. Even along Lake Minnewanka, Scenic Drive, there's a little place called Bankhead. It's the old remnants of a mining town that we're there. It's just a short little walk around there. But kids love it'cause it's got all the old foundations of the building and an old train car. But it's kind of a fun place for them to go and explore. Even as an example, the Cave and Basin is where the hot springs were originally found. It's the birthplace of Canada's entire national park system. So you can go there and see the actual location of that. But what's really cool too is below it and up behind it is a set of wooden boardwalks. The other thing that's there is the Banff Spring snail, which was close to extinction or endangered. So you can see that there, it's just really small, but it's still kind of fun for kids to go and see. But every time I go to those boardwalks and you walk there, I'm always surprised that there's nobody else there. It's beautiful. It's scenic. It's easy, it's a great place for kids to enjoy being outside and maybe learning something.

Melissa 37:35

Those are great ideas. Now, for families who are planning their first trip to Banff, what are the biggest mistakes that you typically see them make?

Celine 37:46

Some of the mistakes I see people making obviously I think apply to all travel planning for families is we try to fit too much in without giving kids a break.

Melissa 37:57

Guilty as charged.

Celine 37:58

yeah, same. Same. And then you wonder why are my kids so grouchy? We all are more tired when we're on holidays. We're doing a lot more. You can try to plan one main activity and then give them some time to just be kids. I think that always makes a big difference. Maybe split up visiting all of the lakes. Kids are probably gonna get pretty bored of, oh, we just saw Lake Louise. Oh, we saw a Moraine Lake. Now we're gonna Emerald Lake. Oh, then we're gonna go see Peyto Lake. Oh, we're gonna see Bow Lake. They're just gonna be like, I don't care. Kids are less into these scenic views, right? So let's incorporate some fun along with it. We are going to canoe on Lake Louise and then we're going to do a little hike around Johnson Lake and then we're gonna go look for animals, along Vermilion Lakes Road. Or we're gonna do a bike ride to that canyon instead. I think I said it earlier, incorporating some of those other fun things when we're doing a hike. Let's go hike Johnson Lake instead because it's got a fun little hermit cabin hidden in the woods that we can try to find. Or we can play at the beach and have a picnic later. Let's take the Sunshine Meadows gondola because we know there's an interpretive center up there, and that'll be fun for the kids. They usually have a little, scavenger hunt. Don't make it all about the scenery and just seeing every place, but incorporating some of those fun things, that usually makes things a little bit easier with kids. And then of course, the downtime, right? Give yourself a break, let them play. Maybe do something that's different than hiking too. A river float is a really easy thing to do. For very adventurous kids, You could look at whitewater rafting. Older kids can do things like canyoning, where they're repelling down waterfalls. Teenagers can do stuff like the via ferrata. So many options for things to do that aren't just hiking and seeing another lake.

Melissa 39:39

Awesome. Now, I know that you have made a couple of different guidebooks and you also offer trip planning services. So who are those designed for and what kind of gap are they filling?

Celine 39:49

So my guidebooks I created as a. Overview of the area. These are the different areas that you can visit on your trip and the must do things, but also it includes other information that you don't need to go digging around for. You know, best times to visit. What are the temperatures like? What should I book? So it's kind of everything all in one. There may be some parts that you wanna dig deeper into, but it really gives you that overview of it and it allows you to figure out like, no, that sounds good. I wanna do that. Or, you know, not something I'm interested. I don't care to drive there. So it's everything all in one for that kind of do it yourself planning.

Melissa 40:29

Kinda a shortcut to save some time.

Celine 40:32

Totally. So you don't have a million blog posts open. You can just go through there. It gives you what you need to know. And then I've created a number of itineraries that put that whole schedule together. From a local perspective, these are the times I would visit this. So day by day, itineraries all broken down for you. Obviously with options in there, because I know that not everybody's gonna wanna do everything, but I've listed the options and where to get more information. And then, there's a lot of people who are really busy and just don't have a lot of time. So I do one-on-one Banff travel consultations where we'll get on Zoom for an hour. And in almost all circumstances, we can plan your entire trip in that one hour. I can see on your face when you really like something I've suggested, or something's just not a fit for your family and I can offer other options, real time, and we can build that itinerary. I can also, explain to you the area, what makes sense, how to build that in, what the time you have, and all of that. I also do custom itineraries, but I do really like the one-on-one. I feel like I can just really get a sense for what people like.

Melissa 41:37

And if somebody wanted to book one of those consults with you, how can they find you?

Celine 41:42

You'll find everything on my main site, travelbanffcanada.com. That's the easiest place. You can also find me on Facebook. You can find me on Instagram- Travel Banff Canada. I'm under that handle everywhere.

Melissa 41:56

Awesome. Well, thank you so much for hopping on with us today, Celine. I think you've given us some great information for people who wanna get going, planning a trip to Banff with kids. I know it's definitely on our family's list.

Celine 42:08

Thank you, Melissa. It was so fun chatting with you about this.

Melissa 42:12

Thanks so much for listening to Family Travel unpacked. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd love it if you could leave a review or share it with a friend. Be sure to hit follow and drop a five star review wherever you're listening. And until next time, safe travels.