Banff is one of the most popular areas to visit in Alberta, Canada, ESPECIALLY in the summer. Although this is true, you will not regret visiting in winter, Banff’s off season. Winter in Banff is absolutely magical.

Banff, AB, Canada

6-Day Banff Itinerary in Winter

Calgary is the closest major airport to Banff at less than 2 hours away. We are from Phoenix, Arizona, which actually is only a quick 3 hour flight straight upwards. PS- Air Canada was amazing! Each one of their seats had a screen with games, movies, and TV shows. It was cheap to fly to Calgary too- about $160 round trip per person! On a Monday night after work, we flew into Calgary at 1130pm.

We did pick up our rental car this late- it was nice because there was no line! We chose a 4WD truck since it’s winter, at only $300 for 6 days. Since we weren’t doing any adventuring today, we picked a cheap hotel right near the airport- Best Western Premier Freeport Inn- it was about $70 a night.

Suprisingly, this was the comfiest bed of our whole trip. It was a really, easy nice stay in Calgary. We went into it knowing there wasn’t continental breakfast, which was fine because we wanted to check out Calgary before heading to Banff.

OKAY, this place was INCREDIBLE. the aesthetic was ON POINT, the food was delicious (especially the potatoes), and the waiter was so personal. You need to go here. Note, it is very small (which makes the charm level high), so you may need to wait.

Beyond eating breakfast, we didn’t feel like spending our time exploring the downtown area. I’m sure it’s great, but we were eager to get to the mountains. From Downtown, Banff is just under an hour and a half away.

First off, the drive to Banff is beautiful. The hour and a half goes by very quickly too! When you enter Banff National Park, you will need to pay park fees (if you don’t already have a pass). Fees are $21 a day for a family, so we paid about $80. Totally worth it for the views.

Banff in Winter is gorgeous. I know everyone thinks of Banff as the beautiful red canoes on Moraine Lake and the Gatorade Blue water, but winter is just as cool. From the snowshoeing and Christmas lights to the deluxe hot chocolate to ice-skating on Lake Louise. Plus, the crowds are MUCH smaller and prices are WAY cheaper. There are some things to know about traveling to Banff in Winter, first being the weather.

Temperatures in Banff in Winter (November-March) can range (in farenheight) from the negatives to the mid to upper 30s. The week we visited was beautiful, sunny & partly cloudy in the 20s- enough to break off your layers when outdoors and active. But, it can be below 0, easily. As long as you prepare, you’ll be okay! 

As I mentioned, activities change based on season. I think winter sometimes even has more recreation options. But here they are-

Summer: Swim, Hike, Kayak, Canoe, Paddleboard, Camp, Mountain Bike

Winter: Showshoe, Microspike Hiking, Cross Country Skiing, Downhill Ski, Snowboard, Ice Skating, Tubing, Sleigh Ride

Now that you know what to expect, let’s get into a 5 night, 6 day itinerary!

Banff National Park Pass

Obviously, you need to visit the Downtown Area- multiple times! There are multiple easily accessible parking lots for a low fee. Here’s a couple stores you should stop by! 

This is Banff’s famous 365 day Christmas store, which is even more fun in winter! 

This was one of my favorite souviner shops for postcards, clothes, stickers, etc.

I can’t visit any outdoorsy location without going to Patagonia. I just wish they made clothing specific to these locations! 

After walking around the Downtown Area, we wanted to get out into the wilderness & explore! I read about Tunnel Mountain in multiple places, & figured it was worth the try! Convienently, it’s only a few minutes out of Downtown. There’s a free lot & the trail is easily located.

We started hiking at 315 and finished around 500. In winter when we visited, sunset was around 430 & it was colorful when we hiked! This was a short but steep hike, but perfect- I loved it. Don’t forget to take a photo with the famous red chairs at the top.

After hiking, we went back to town for dinner. We usually focus on local foods, but we went to Old Spaghetti Factory because it’s so good, haha. After that, we went back to Canmore for our hotel for the next 2 nights- Basecamp Resorts & Lodge.

We woke up to a beautiful snowy morning in Canmore with tall mountains outside our window. Basecamp Resorts don’t have complimentary breakfast, BUT we found the most delicious bagel shop next door (literally a few steps away).

I mean WOW. This place is ADORABLE. I couldn’t stop looking at all of the cute decor & nooks. And their menu was very large! I’m not a huge pastry person, but I took some for the road. This place was so good we came here 2 days in a row. I highly recommend.

You can’t visit Banff in Winter without ice skating on Lake Louise, which freezes around November each year.

Lake Louise is about 45 minutes away from Banff, but totally worth it- the drive is beautiful! 

There’s 2 main rental places I would suggest for day use of ice skates around Lake Louise. One is from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, the hotel right on the lake. If you go to the main desk & to the right, there’s a rental counter (you don’t need to be a hotel guest). We paid about $50 for 2 pairs of skates for 2 hours (we could have skates longer but it felt like enough for us).

The second option is to rent from Wilson Mountain Sports in Lake Louise village, a few minutes from the lake. It’s a little cheaper here- $30 for 2 for the day- you just have to drive a little further. 

PLEASE NOTE: We were beginners. You don’t need to be an expert to skate. It was difficult, but 2 hours was plenty to learn some new skills.

After working up an appetite from skating, we drove to nearby Lake Louise Village for some food. We checked out a few shops and decided on Trailhead Cafe- it was delicious, quick, and affordable. 

It was only halfway through the day at this point. I’ve dreamed for YEARS of visiting the secluded, beautiful emerald lake lodge, surrounded by water & mountains. As I mentioned before, there are two areas to rent snow rentals- the Chateau and Wilson Mountain Sports. We decided to do another rental and get cross country skiis for a few hours from Wilson Mountain Sports & take them to Emerald Lake.

The drive from Lake Louise to Emerald Lake is about 40 minutes. You actually drive from Banff National Park in Alberta to Yoho National Park in British Columbia. The Yoho Valley drive was STUNNING.

Today was our official 5th anniversary, so we finished our night with a reservation at one of the best restaurants in town. In fact, you usually need to call to make reservation days in advance. This restaurant is called the Grizzly House- a 4 course fondue restaurant. I cannot tell you how awesome it was. Expensive- but worth it. It was in the top 5 best meals of my life.

You get a 4 course meal including soup or salad, cheese fondue, a meat course served on a hot stone in front of you with dipping sauces, and chocolate fondue for dessert. The vibes & decor of this place  This is a MUST-DO when you visit Banff in winter. 

For our fourth night in Banff, we stayed downtown at Canalta Lodge. I loved the location, the theme, the free breakfast, and the courtyard. They have a sauna, multiple hot tubs & a cold plunge tub.

There’s more to do than that?! Oh yes. We wanted to go for another hike today, so we went on AllTrails and looked for something close by. We ended up hiking Stoney Lookout Trail near Mt. Norquay Skii Area. This hike was 2.6 miles round trip with 761 ft elevation gain which felt tough. Definitely bring snowshoes or microspikes & poles.

After ice skating and a delicious lunch, we headed back to Banff to ride the gondola- something I HAD to do if I was going to visit Banff. The gondola is a bit pricey, but it was 1000% worth it. 