Raise your hand if Banff is on your bucket list of dreamy destinations! ✋
I know that for my husband & I, Banff has been on our list for YEARS. So imagine my shock + excitement when he said he booked our flights + hotel for my 41st birthday! It turned out to be everything we had imagined and more, and the most perfect way to celebrate another trip around the sun for this mountain + nature loving girl. I am so excited to share our experience over 4 days in late September here with you!
**Lake Minnewanka pictured above**
I am going to share the details of our 4 day trip in chronological order from landing in Canada to our flight back home, of course highlighting our favorite things, where we stayed, additional suggestions, etc. along the way.
DAY ONE
YAY! Our almost 4 hour flight from Dallas has landed in Calgary. Time to hop in our rental car and make the 1 hour + 40 minute drive to The Rimrock Resort Hotel. I highly suggest finding somewhere to dine in Calgary depending on your flight time as there is nothing really between Calgary and Banff. Hubby and I had to stop for gas station snacks on the drive, but I wasn't complaining. 😜 Hey, it got us to our final destination faster!
The Rimrock Resort Hotel - this hotel is built into the side of a mountain so nearly all the rooms have mountain views! We absolutely LOVED our stay here and have zero complaints. The restaurants and lounge met all expectations as well. Everyone was SO NICE and accommodating and seemed so genuinely happy to have you there.
After checking in to our hotel and unpacking our things, we decided to explore downtown Banff which was only about a 5 - 10 minute drive/parking process making it super convenient! Not to mention the drive up & down the mountain was always a welcome view. 😍
There are TONS of shopping + dining options in downtown Banff. Our first stop was a unique restaurant we just happened upon called Grizzly House. (our gas station snacks weren't enough to hold this girl over until dinner, lol) Grizzly House has nearly every meat you could imagine on the menu, and amazing cheese fondue. We opted to sit on the patio because the weather was glorious, but the inside was super fun and just as unique as the menu! We loved the local craft beer selection too. A definite must do for unique dining experience lovers like us. We always find that some of the best places & experiences are the ones you didn't even plan... wouldn't you agree?!
**Grizzly House was definitely at the top of our faves list for experiences this trip!**
After our yummy patio experience, we continued to walk the picturesque downtown area going in and out of shops, grabbing all the cute souvenirs of course, and taking many photos + videos along the way.
Then we stumbled upon a tattoo shop on the main strip and you know me and my love of ink! I really love getting meaningful, lifelong souvenirs from our trips. I've gotten a few at this point - Chicago, Vegas and now Banff - and it always ends up being one of my favorite things about our trips.
We had a great walk-in experience at Strike First Tattoo! I will say they informed us that during their busiest time of year (summer), it is highly recommended to make an appointment vs walking in last minute.
Wondering what I got?! I had been wanting a Virgo symbol on my left arm, off-center above my elbow crease for some time, and what better time than on my 41st birthday trip to Banff?! I love love love how it turned out.
Here is what I wore on our travel day to Banff + to explore downtown. It was perfect and comfy and has two of my fave Amazon finds, the puffer vest and faux fur sandals! You can shop this look [[HERE]]
Dinner our first night was at The Juniper Hotel Bistro. My husband picked this place for the wonderful mountain views, but the food + drinks did not disappoint either! Their plates are smaller and meant for sharing so we ordered 4-5 things and it was the perfect amount of food. It was all so DELISH. I believe their menu changes with the seasons, but our two faves were the Cast Iron Brie and the Short Rib. I also discovered my love for Ice Wine Martinis here, a specialty cocktail to Banff/Canada.
**view from our table at The Juniper Hotel Bistro + my beloved ice wine martini**
DAY TWO
Waking up on my birthday morning, YAY! ♍
We opted to sleep in just a little and have a quick breakfast at Primrose in our hotel befor starting our adventure of the day. I had the avocado toast and it was so good!
Time to head off to see the famous Lake Louise! I believe the only way to tour this stunning lake is by hired transfer/shuttle, the same for Moraine Lake. We learned you can actually do both in one day because they aren't far from each other at all. We opted just for Lake Louise this trip, and will do Moraine on our next trip back to Banff.
My husband booked our shuttle with Fairview Limousine, it was just $40 total for the two of us. You can book various return times to suit how long you want to explore or any hikes you may want to do which we thought was nice vs there just being ONE return time option.
**Lake Louise - if the colors are this vibrant in an unedited photo, imagine seeing it there with your own eyes!**
When you first arrive at Lake Louise, you are going to see a LOT of people. Do not get discouraged and do not think this is the only picturesque spot for photos! We quickly learned that as you walk around to the right side of the lake (there is a clearly visible trail), there are TONS more photo opps and a whole lot less people for a more enjoyable experience.
A trail suggestion for Lake Louise is the Big Beehive Hike. We didn't have enough time for this trail with our return shuttle, but the aerial views from this hike look to be worth it! Just ask Google. 😉
After Lake Louise, we headed back to downtown Banff to find some lunch on a pretty patio, another way to this birthday girl's heart!
Boston Pizza - another place we didn't plan, but loved! We shared a pizza and the French onion soup, and I had a glass of pinot grigio alongside. Sunshine, yummy food, good tunes, beautiful scenery, YES PLEASE. Super casual and perfect after our hike. Be sure to snag a spot on the upstairs bar patio if you can!
**view from the upstairs bar patio at Boston Pizza**
We had a little time to kill before getting ready for dinner that night so we sat on the patio in the Larkspur lounge at the hotel. There are amazing views throughout the lounge, but the patio is superb.
**the Larkspur patio view + fave cocktail on the menu, Five Diamond Fizz**
My amazing husband booked us a 7 course tasting menu with wine pairings at Eden for my birthday dinner. THIS MAN KNOWS ME WELL. He also convinced me to bring an amazing dress and do an epic mountain photo shoot before dinner! I love him so much and all of the unique ways he celebrates the person I am. ❤
**front of the hotel photo opp, and our dinner view at Eden**
Eden - what a wonderful, elegant, and delicious dining experience! We really loved doing the wine pairings and learning about each of the wine's history, and also tasting how it changes the flavor of the foods and the wine when paired with particular ingredients. Eden is located in The Rimrock Resort Hotel where we stayed.
And here are a few favorites from the photo shoot!
**this was the road our hotel was on so it was a real stress-free option for photos! Dress is from Lane 201 Boutique and linked here: Eternal Love Maxi Dress**
Fun fact: my husband owns his own media company outside of his day job [producing photo + video content for companies, and also running their social media accounts. The man is good with a camera, y'all. It's so funny because I was a professional photog for 10 years and as soon as I put my camera down, he picked one up.
DAY THREE
We left this day open and just decided to do whatever our hearts desired last minute. To us, those always end up being some of the best days on vacation.
Had a slow Saturday morning in the hotel room followed by breakfast at another winning restaurant my husband found, Bluebird.
**a very photo worthy restaurant inside & out and the best omelet I've ever had in my LIFE**
Bluebird Wood-fired Steakhouse - LOVED the vibe of this mountain town restaurant! Very cozy, yet trendy, and a super cute patio. Breakfast was quite amazing so I can only imagine what dinner would be like here! Next time. 😉 If you do breakfast, you MUST get the French Omelet if you love mushrooms like me, omg. I'm drooling just typing this, lol. And do not, I repeat DO NOT, forget the soufflé pancakes!
While fueling up at breakfast, we finalized our adventures for the day starting with the Lake Minnewanka scenic drive, or also called the Lake Minnewanka Loop. It is relatively short depending on how much time you take photographing all the sights, and can easily be stacked with other plans in your day. They also have cruises you can book for Lake Minnewanka which look amazing!
**I love the moodiness the cloud cover gave us for photos that morning. There's a spot just across the bridge driving over Lake Minnewanka where you can pull off and park for free to go down to the lake, seen here.**
I must've asked myself 100 or more times, how is this even real? My husband captioned it best:
No filter. Just God.
After our scenic drive around the Lake Minnewanka Loop, we headed over to Johnston Canyon for one of the more unique hikes we've ever been on.
It's a relatively easy hike through a deep mountain canyon with many beautiful waterfalls along the way. We did both upper and lower falls and I want to say it was maybe around 5 miles total there and back. What made it so unique was the fact parts of your walk/hike were built into the side of the mountain, with nothing underneath you! I was not particularly a fan of that myself, but it did make it more "exciting"overall. 😜
**video of said walkway built into the side of the mountain at Johnston Canyon**
What's in my yellow cup you ask? Those that know me well know that I always pick one hike on our mountain trips to take a bottle of Pinot Noir to toast to God's beauty and to the gift of this wonderful life. Sometimes we take our own charcuterie too!
**view of the Upper Falls at Johnston Canyon**
After your hike, be sure to stop in the gift + coffee shop for some unique finds and yummy treats. It was a great way to end our time at Johnston Canyon.
I will say we were disappointed we didn't have time to hike further to the ink pots which is only accessible via Johnston Canyon. Just Google image search "Banff Ink Pots" and see for yourself! It looks incredible!
**What a sweet surprise. We caught a rainbow outside the windows at Larkspur when we returned to the hotel.**
Dinner that night was at La Terrazza inside of Banff Park Lodge for some absolutely AMAZING Italian food. My two top suggestions for ordering: the Woodford Sour if whiskey is your thing, and the Bison Cannelloni. Y'all. That was my fave thing I ate the whole trip! Trust me on this one.
**Woodford Sour, Antipasto Misto board, and the Bison Cannelloni**
DAY FOUR
Our last day left no room for anything outside of breakfast in the hotel that morning between the drive back to Calgary and our flight time. So we enjoyed another meal at Primrose while taking in the hotel mountain views one last time.
**breakfast view at Primrose on our last morning in Banff**
We decided to watch Hope Fellowship's Sunday morning service virtually online while driving to the airport, with the mountain views in the background. It made going home just a bit sweeter.
We love you, Banff.
Until next time...
XO
