Outside the city: Banff

To the north is Mount Norquay Ski Area, which is only a 10-minute drive from town up a spectacular mountain road. Sunshine Village Ski Resort is a 20-minute drive to the west, and Lake Louise Ski Area is another half hour north. Along the Icefields Parkway towards the north end of the park is the Icefields Center and Athabasca Glacier—both are worth a visit. If you are driving to Banff, you might want to take a day or two and visit the Radium Hot Springs, which lie a two-hour drive west of Banff along one of the most spectacular stretches of highway in the world. © WCities