What were your must do Banff excursions?

[Anonymous]

OMG, who is this hiking snob trolling this page? National parks are great for kids!! Who cares if you aren’t going to scale any mountains. Hopefully, unless the trump administration has its way, these parks will be here forever so you can go back with older kids and do longer hikes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely no suggestions for kids that young. Bring a lot of things to keep them amused. We hiked and you needed to be a healthy adult to keep up. You certainly wont be going far into the park with kids. Maybe the hot springs, but you can do a pool here...

Not a place young kids will find fun.

OP kids are not that young and I think there are plenty of fun family things to do. My son at that age loved hiking- still does.

With kids that age in Banff, they won't really be hiking. They'll be walking a bit. But yes, as someone pointed out Canada does have Wifi.

Winter with kids would be great. Summer, not so much

Why so negative?

Kids are a lot more capable than people give them credit for. We've done various NP vacations and our kids have always done great. Sure we don't pick the most strenuous hikes out there but even at 4 my son could manage 4-6 mile of hiking. At 6 my son hiked a pretty strenuous trail with the name switchback in if it that give you any indication of how tough it was.

Op- we're also headed to Banff with kids this summer (6 and 9) and can't wait! Following this post for any suggestions.

The kids who can hike like that on a trip are the kids whose families prioritize walkability and hike often at home. My guess is the PP is a suburbanite or otherwise car-oriented and they probably do a lot of strollers even at age 4. Nothing wrong with that as there are other ways to get exercise but OP should think about how far her kid can walk at home and assume that the number won’t change dramatically on vacation.

i am the above poster and honestly, we don't hike a lot at home (DC isn't the best for that sort of thing). My kids are overall pretty active/high energy; they run, bike, and swimming. Even without much hiking my kids still manage just fine on NP vacations. Kids are tough. I know plenty of kids who would whine while walking around the mall or neighborhood here, but do just fine walking all over Disney

[Anonymous]

We're headed to Banff and Jasper this summer with our 10 year old. She's done some pretty tough hiking already in her life, so moderate 6-9 mile hikes are within our grasp.

However, we have a rule to alternate hiking and non-hiking days, and to find other activities or just chill on the off days.

One of the things we found (that hasnt' been mentioned) is Elevation Place and the Rec Center in Canmore (where we're staying for Banff). Check those places out online.

[Anonymous]

Hiking near Lake Louise was my favorite thing. I enjoyed Lake Louise more than Banff. Eat at the Fairmont for lunch overlooking the lake. Take a hike to the Tea House. You can also go to the ski resort and take the chair lift up to get great views. Enjoy! It is one of the most beautiful places you can imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG, who is this hiking snob trolling this page? National parks are great for kids!! Who cares if you aren’t going to scale any mountains. Hopefully, unless the trump administration has its way, these parks will be here forever so you can go back with older kids and do longer hikes.

What does Trump have to do with Canada's National Parks?

OP given the amount of visitors to the Banff area every year there has to be a lot to do. Negative PP is a little out of it. Perhaps her kids need concrete to have fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely no suggestions for kids that young. Bring a lot of things to keep them amused. We hiked and you needed to be a healthy adult to keep up. You certainly wont be going far into the park with kids. Maybe the hot springs, but you can do a pool here...

Not a place young kids will find fun.

OP kids are not that young and I think there are plenty of fun family things to do. My son at that age loved hiking- still does.

With kids that age in Banff, they won't really be hiking. They'll be walking a bit. But yes, as someone pointed out Canada does have Wifi.

Winter with kids would be great. Summer, not so much

Most adults don't "really" hike. There's all kinds of hiking, for every level of hiker, in the Canadian Rockies. If you think your kids would be bored in the Canadian Rockies, it's a sure sign you've taken them to Disney far too many time.s

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Absolutely no suggestions for kids that young. Bring a lot of things to keep them amused. We hiked and you needed to be a healthy adult to keep up. You certainly wont be going far into the park with kids. Maybe the hot springs, but you can do a pool here...

Not a place young kids will find fun.

OP kids are not that young and I think there are plenty of fun family things to do. My son at that age loved hiking- still does.

With kids that age in Banff, they won't really be hiking. They'll be walking a bit. But yes, as someone pointed out Canada does have Wifi.

Winter with kids would be great. Summer, not so much

Most adults don't "really" hike. There's all kinds of hiking, for every level of hiker, in the Canadian Rockies. If you think your kids would be bored in the Canadian Rockies, it's a sure sign you've taken them to Disney far too many time.s

Truth! I said this above... I can bet that ll the kids who would be bored and couldn't possibly hike a few miles in Banff would probably have no problem walking endless miles around Disney.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OMG, who is this hiking snob trolling this page? National parks are great for kids!! Who cares if you aren’t going to scale any mountains. Hopefully, unless the trump administration has its way, these parks will be here forever so you can go back with older kids and do longer hikes.

What does Trump have to do with Canada's National Parks?

OP given the amount of visitors to the Banff area every year there has to be a lot to do. Negative PP is a little out of it. Perhaps her kids need concrete to have fun.

LOL! The anti-Trumpers let their rage blind them

[Anonymous]

I hope you plan to spend some time in Jasper as well. We enjoyed Jasper much more than Banff. We saw more wildlife and there were a fraction of the people in Jasper. In Banff, walking some of the trails was like walking in NYC — mobbed. When we were there a few years ago, they didn’t have ranger-led hikes and talks like in the U.S. parks, which was disappointing. Just hike and bring some good books and movies on Netflix. There isn’t much else to do up there.

[Anonymous]

There are beautiful lakes you can canoe (Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Emerald Lake, etc...). You can go rafting, you can go to Radiuum Hot Springs, you can shop, rock climb, go to the movies, take the gondola, go for a bike ride, look for moose (there will be plenty of elk), and so much more. It’s so beautiful and there is plenty to do for all ages.