Off Beaten Path Attractions in Banff

Banff National Park gets millions of tourists every year. The majority of them spend time walking down Banff Avenue, checking out the Banff Springs Hotel, and taking picture of Bow Falls. More adventurous one will take a trip to Lake Louise. But, there's a lot to do in Banff that doesn't involve the crowds. There are locations in the park that are beautiful and almost entirely ignored. There are activities that only a handful of people ever try.

Brewster Adventures provides horseback tours all throughout the National Park. Brewster is the oldest tour company in the Park with over 100 years of experience. They brought many of the original tourists to Banff, and they continue bringing authentic Western Canadian travel options to tourists. Other outfitters, such as Warner Guiding and Canadian Adventure Centre, also offer horseback tours. Getting into the back-country by horseback and experiencing a wagon-cooked dinner while sleeping under the stars is as Western as it gets.

Rat's Nest Cave in Grotto Mountain near Canmore is a true spelunker's paradise. This cave is well mainteined and can only be accessed with the assistance of a trained guide. Rat's Nest is not for everybody. You have to be quite fit and prepared to push yourself for 3 hours. But, inside the cave there are things that you can't find anywhere else in Banff.

Bow Lake is a glacier fed lake with the same emerald color as Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, but it has almost no visitors compared to the other two. Bow Lake is famous for the Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, which is operated by the Simpson family, who have been in the area for over 100 years. This Lodge is small, quaint, and historic. The Simpsons are the protectors of the tales of the region.

Brewster Adventures

PO Box 370

Trail rides, sleigh rides, and back-country-by-horseback...
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Rat's Nest Cave

Highway 1A

A wild cave for the determined tourist...
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Bow Lake

A small lake that's great for hiking and fishing...
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Discover Grizzly Bears from Banff

Tour a Grizzly Bear refuge...
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Banff Mountain Book Festival

user rating

Literary mountain adventures...
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Mountain Fly Fishers

For fly fishers only...
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Banff Public Library

101 Bear Street

Local library with an impressive collection...
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Last Temptation Thrift

229 Bear Street

Banff's only Thrift Store...
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Morning Wildlife Safari

Tour to Banff's best Nature & Wildlife viewing areas...
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Evening Wildlife Safari

Learn about the wildlife of Banff National Park...
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