Active Pursuits

Banff Township will tempt you with high-end shopping, impressive restaurants, and a seemingly endless array of fudge shops, but you owe it to yourself to step out into the park's well-tended wild. If you don't know where to start, don't worry; there are many outfitters here, but the recommendations below are typical of what's available.

Biking

The most popular cycling adventure in the Canadian Rockies is the 287km (178-mile) trip between Banff and Jasper along the Icefields Parkway, possibly the most spectacular mountain drive on earth.

You can do this on your own (bear in mind that this is a not a route for the inexperienced or out of shape, as at high elevation your lungs will be challenged to get enough oxygen out of the thin air to feed your starving muscles), but it doesn't hurt to have an experienced bike-touring outfitter to squire you around. An Internet search will reveal dozens of tour operators; Canusa Cycle Tours (tel. 800/938-7986 or 403/703-5566; www.canusacycletours.com) offers 6-day supported trips starting at C$1,200.

If you'd prefer a self-guided tour, simply rent a bike in Banff or Lake Louise and pedal along the Bow Valley Parkway -- Hwy. 1A -- between Banff and Lake Louise; running parallel to the much busier Hwy. 1, the Bow Valley Parkway runs along the skirt of Castle Mountain, one of the most impressive peaks in all of Banff. It's a solid day trip for an average cyclist, with a few ups and downs.

Fishing

For the more personal touch, Big Jim Dykstra (a fair name; he's 6'5") of Hawgwild Flyfishing (tel. 403/678-7980; www.flyfishingbanff.com) specializes in fly fishing, and will pick you up in his vintage blue Suburban at your hotel and squire you to his rivers in the area. A catch is guaranteed, or money back! Tours start at C$249 for a half day.

Banff Fishing Unlimited (tel. 403/762-4936; www.banff-fishing.com) offers a number of fly-fishing expeditions on the Bow River as well as lake fishing at Lake Minnewanka. All levels of anglers are accommodated, and packages include part- or whole-day trips.

Golf

The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course (tel. 403/762-6801) rolls out along the Bow River beneath towering mountain peaks. One of the most venerable courses in Canada, and one of the most expensive, it offers 27 holes of excellent golf. Although associated with the resort hotel, the course is open to the publicGreens fees for 18 holes are C$219 in summer, and drop down to C$149 in spring and fall.

Hiking

Banff is amazingly visitor friendly in that many of its most scenic areas are easily accessible by day hikes. The park has more than 80 maintained trails, ranging from interpretive nature strolls to long-distance expeditions (you'll need a permit if you're planning on camping in the backcountry). For a good listing of popular hikes, pick up the free Banff/Lake Louise Drives and Walks brochure from the national park information center at 224 Banff Ave.

Bourgeau Lake lies at the end of a long, steep climb (15km/9.3 miles), but it's worth the effort; the lake, set in an alpine meadow at the foot of Mount Bourgeau, is a jewel. There can be snow here into late June, so plan accordingly; the trail also passes through prime wildlife habitat, so be on the lookout -- both for your own interest, and your safety. Up and back is about 5 hours.

Johnston Canyon, 24km (15 miles) north of Banff on Highway 1A, is one of the best day hikes, and also among the most popular. It starts with a gentle incline into a narrow limestone canyon; the walls are more than 30m (99 ft.) high, but only 5m (16 ft.) across, and the path skirts the cliff face, tunnels through walls, and winds across wooden footbridges for more than a mile.

The hike to the lower falls, which takes about half an hour, is a breeze, but the vertical starts to increase after that and the crowds start to fall away. An hour later, as you reach the upper falls, where black swifts dive in the waterfall's spray, the number of people will likely have thinned considerably. Another hour, over increasingly steep terrain, will take you to the Inkpots, a high alpine meadow where you'll find a collection of small, deep pools fed by underground springs (the varying depths of the pools result in different hues of deep green, hence the name). Round trip to the Inkpots is a good 4 hours; but budget for longer -- the meadow, with a swift-running creel, is as scenic a spot as you'll find anywhere and relatively untraveled.

Nigel Pass (Icefields Pkwy., Hwy. 93) is a 15km (9.3-mile) round-trip trek that's a favorite day hike in the part of the Icefield area that falls within the Banff boundary. Look behind you to see the looming forms of Parker Ridge, Mount Saskatchewan, and the Hilda Glacier. Give yourself at least 5 hours to complete.

Paradise Valley/Larch Valley, near Lake Louise, is a 17km (10.5-mile) hike that runs the gamut of alpine terrain, from high meadow to the fringe of towering peaks, beside thundering falls, and over a majestic pass before ending at spectacular Moraine Lake, where you can enjoy some well-deserved rewards at Moraine Lake Lodge. This is a difficult hike that will take you 7 or 8 hours to complete; you might not want to attempt it if you're not in good physical condition.

Parker Ridge is a 5km (3-mile) trail that takes you up to a ridge top with expansive views of the Columbia Icefield and Saskatchewan Glacier, one of the largest alpine valley glaciers in the Rockies. Keep an eye on the lower slopes for grizzly bears and mountain goats. Be prepared for cold and windy weather. Budget a couple of hours' round trip.

Peyto Lake/Bow Summit is a short, 20-minute stroll heading out from the Icefields Parkway, Hwy. 93; this trail takes you to a jaw-dropping viewpoint of Peyto Lake and Peyto Glacier, and the Mistaya Valley. Interpretive displays along the 1.2km (.7-mile) loop explain the basics of the subalpine and alpine landscape.

Plain of the Six Glaciers (Lake Louise): Beautiful but busy, you'll want to leave early to avoid the crowds on this glorious hike. The trail begins at the far end of Lake Louise (the lake itself, not the town) and ascends to an exposed moraine below Victoria Glacier. It offers an exceptional view of six other glaciers (hence the name). You can have lunch of just a warming cup of tea at the Plain of the Six Glaciers Teahouse; if you're suitably fortified, you can hike the last half hour to the Victoria Glacier Viewpoint.

Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk: Take the Sulphur Mountain Gondola, in the town of Banff, to the top, and that's where this gentle stroll begins. Wander along an elevated boardwalk for about 1km (a little more than half a mile) that takes you to the top of Sanson Peak, where you'll find a historical weather monitoring station. Along the way, interpretive plaques will tell you all about the stunning vista that lies below the ridge you're now skirting from the comfort of a steady, level surface.

Sunshine Meadows: When the skiers go home for the season up at Sunshine Village near Banff (usually late May), a spectacular guided tour season begins. White Mountain Adventures (tel. 800/408-0005 or 403/760-4403; www.whitemountainadventures.com) will take up to 6 people up above the ski area and into the Continental Divide for C$450; each additional person is C$75, and additional children (8-12) are C$50. This is one of the most extraordinary day hikes in the region, and you can't do it alone: White Mountain's guides are the only ones permitted here. A highly sensitive wilderness area, the crest of the ski hill, well above the tree line, gives way to an astonishing alpine meadow sprinkled with wildflowers. Beyond, to the west, the Rockies unfurl in all their majesty.

The truly adventurous can use this as a departure point for Mount Assiniboine Lodge (tel. 403/678-2883; www.assiniboinelodge.com), across the provincial boundary in British Columbia; a rustic log lodge set amid almost ridiculous alpine scenery, the lodge can be reached in about 5 hours from Sunshine Meadows. Don't want to carry in your gear? The Lodge can arrange to have it air-lifted before your arrival (there are no roads).

In town, it's easy to strike out from the townsite and find any number of good, short hikes. There are paths in town along both sides of the Bow River; from the west end of the Bow River Bridge trails lead east to Bow Falls, past the Fairmont Banff Springs to the Upper Hot Springs. Just beyond town, the Fenlands Trail begins just past the train station and makes a loop through marshland wildlife habitat near the Vermillion Lakes.

From the Cave and Basin Centennial Centre, you'll find two longer trails: the Sundance Trail tracks alongside the Bow River to Sundance Canyon, 5km (3 miles) on; another 2.5km (1.5 miles) will take you up and past Sundance Falls.

If you're not keen on setting out on your own, Parks Canada offers several guided hikes daily in the summer months. The Banff Information Centre has a chalkboard outside that lists the hikes and their departures daily; there may also be upcoming options not listed, so feel free to ask if you don't see anything that suits.

Some routes are free, while others (like the popular evening Wildlife Research Walks) charge a small fee; both require preregistration. For information and preregistration, call tel. 403/762-9818.

Horseback Riding

Warner Guiding and Outfitting (tel. 800/661-8352 or 403/762-4551; www.horseback.com) offers short day trips with a meal (breakfast, in the morning, or evening dinner rides) for C$97 per rider. Multiday trail rides, which start at C$686 (C$775 in July and August) for a 3-day lodge-to-lodge trip and peak at C$1,335 (C$1,514 in July and August) for a 6-day backcountry tenting trip, explore some of the most remote areas of the park. Some rides climb up to backcountry lodges, which serve as base camps for further exploration; other trips involve a backcountry circuit, with lodging in tents.

In Lake Louise, Timberline Tours (tel. 888/858-3388 or 403/522-3743; www.timberlinetours.ca) offers day trips to some of the most spectacular nearby spots, such as a 3-hour ride to Big Beehive, above the lake (C$95) or a 4-hour ride to the Plain of Six Glaciers (C$115). Three day trips start at C$585 per rider; you can go as long as 10 days in the back country for C$1,950 per rider.

Rafting & Canoeing

Rafting can be as easy and gentle as a two-hour family float trip on the Bow River, just below Banff Townsite; Canadian Rockies Rafting Company (tel. 877/226-7625 or 403/678-6535; www.rafting.ca) offers trips from C$55 per adult, or C$45 for children under 16 (the company allows children as young as 3 on the Float). On its website, Canadian Rockies Rafting rates its various trips the way ski hills do: Green circle for beginner; blue square for intermediate; and black diamond for the rough stuff.

The closest option for serious white water is the Kicking Horse River, with Class IV rapids past Lake Louise just over the Continental Divide near Field, British Columbia. Canadian Rockies Rafting offers trips to Kicking Horse for C$125 for adults or C$115 for ages 12 to 15 (under 12 not permitted), lunch included. You can do a half-day, but it's only C$15 or C$10 less, respectively, and doesn't include lunch.

For an extra C$20 per person, you can have Hydra River Guides (tel. 800/644-8888 or 403/762-4554; www.raftbanff.com) pick you up in Banff or Lake Louise and then take you to Kicking Horse for a 2 1?2-hour run down the Kicking Horse (C$105 per person, including lunch. No discount for kids; all must be over 12).

Skiing

Banff is a great place to ski, and has abundant choice. The park has three principal ski areas (Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village, and Lake Louise), two of them huge, offering an incredible mix of terrain; as an added bonus, all are within about 45 minutes of each other along Hwy. 1. Their proximity has resulted in a recent alliance for booking and promotional purposes, which makes exploring their options a single stop online, at Ski Banff Lake Louise Sunshine, www.skibig3.com. You can reach the office at P.O. Box 1085, Banff, AB T0l 0C0; tel. 403/762-4561. Multi-day passes for unlimited use at all three (including night skiing) start at three days for C$239.85.

The smallest of the three, Banff Mount Norquay (tel. 403/762-4421; www.banffnorquay.com), is just above the town of Banff, across the highway; you can see the shops and restaurants of Banff Avenue from its chairlifts. It's small, but steep, and can be challenging; its signature run, the North American, is one of the steepest runs on the continent. Norquay tends to emphasize family skiing; the resort offers day care, instruction, and is the only ski area in the region to offer night skiing. Full-day lift tickets are C$55 for adults, C$43 for youths (13-17) and seniors, and C$17 for children under 12.

To get to Sunshine Village's (tel. 403/762-6500; www.skibanff.com) vast skiable area, well above the tree line, you'll take a long ride on an alpine gondola just to get to the ski area's base. There, you'll find the main lodge and the Sunshine Inn, which in 2008 was undergoing a major renovation to make its large front deck -- for meals and après-ski drinks -- even bigger.

Just 15 minutes west of Banff off Hwy. 1, Sunshine gets more snow than any ski area in the Canadian Rockies (more than 9m/30 ft. per year!). Skiing often continues into late May, though it could go well into June. The reason for summer closing is typically lack of demand, not lack of snow. Lift tickets here are C$75.95 for adults, C$53.81 for youths (13-17), C$61.67 for seniors, and C$25.95 for children under 12. Just to ride the gondola is C$25.95.

Lake Louise Ski Area (tel. 800/258-SNOW in North America, or 403/552-3555; www.skilouise.com) is the biggest of the three, with both the front and back sides of one mountain and the front of another. It is massive, gorgeous, and at times extremely challenging. In addition to the main lodge at the base, there are two other lodges, one halfway up the front side, and another at the bottom of the back side. The one on the back side, Temple Lodge, has a big deck for BBQing burgers; on a sunny, warm spring day, it's packed with sunbathers.

Lake Louise has 1,680 skiable hectares (4,200 acres) and 113 runs, making it among the largest ski resorts in North America. Lift tickets are C$77 for adults, C$55 for youths (13-17), C$63 for seniors, and C$24 for children under 12.