The Real Banff Blog

Sometimes it's nice to sit back, relax & enjoy the sounds of the Rockies. This past week I hiked up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse & stopped by the Tea Cottage at the Lake Louise Inn for a little breather & a taste of culture.

Tea time is something that has been a part of the Lake Louise experience since people first started wandering around the Rocky Mountains. Lake Louise offers you a few different settings in which to sip your tea... whether you make the hike to the Lake Agnes Teahouse, wander by the Tea Cottage at the Lake Louise Inn or enjoy afternoon tea at The Chateau Lake Louise. Do you have an Altitude for tea? If so, be sure to stop by... time is running out this summer.

We're in the home stretch of the Banff Summer Arts Festival with plenty of events to check out if you haven't been able to make it up to the Banff Centre yet.

This weekend is the Banff National Park Dragon Boat Festival which takes place mostly out at Lake Minnewanka (recently made famous by the photo crashing squirrel), but if you can't make it out to the lake there are some cultural performances going on in downtown Banff... check out the schedule of events to make the most of your weekend visit!

Last summer I fell in love with Dragon Boating... being a canoe paddler from way back I had a hard time letting the J stroke go and adopting the short, forceful strokes of a dragon boat paddler. But once I gave in & felt the power of paddling in unision with 21 other people in the boat I decided dragon boating will continue to be a highlight of many summers to come.

The Banff Lake Louise Tourism team has been out on the water pacticing once a week for the past few months, they invited me out & let me sit back in the boat while taking some video of them practicing out on Lake Minnewanka last week to create this preview of the festival to come.

The Banff National Park Dragon Boat Festival is coming up August 15-16, 2009. If you're keen on heading out to Lake Minnewanka to watch the races there is the Dragon Express free shuttle heading out from town on both days from 8am-5pm. If you can't make it out to the lake you might be interested in some of the cultural performances taking place downtown Banff from 3pm-5pm on Saturday. Either way, check out the schedule of events to make the most of the festival.

If you are thinking about visiting Banff National Park see our Special Offers page for current deals & feed your adventure for less!

Moped... just saying the word brings a smile to my face.

Some friends of mine came for a visit the other day, both had been to Banff National Park many times & both had driven our scenic routes, but neither had experienced the scenic routes from the back of a moped.

"it's way different when you're out in the open & you can smell everything... you can really take your time and look around you."

If you're looking for a more intimate way to see the park, but you don't feel like peddling, paddling or walking check out this video to see if mopeding is something you might be interested in, then contact our information centre to get more information.

So "if you've done these drives before in your vehicle, maybe now you need to try it this way... it's pretty casual riding."

I was lucky this week, in that I got a behind the scenes look at the dance residence program at The Banff Centre. The dancers I spoke with came from all over North America for 5 weeks to study and come together as a company in what they call "a unique place to study". They are dancing in a few different productions during the Banff Summer Arts Festival and each dancer had nothing but praise for the experience they've had so far. When asked what they would recommend people do while in Banff National Park... 'visit the lakes' was what they said.

Summer is half over & I feel like I haven't taken full advantage of it yet. I've definitely had more then my fair share of picnics, but the real summer adventures will have to start now if I want to fit everything in!

The Banff Lake Louise Tourism dragon boat team is in full training for the Banff National Park Dragon Boat Festival on August 15-16. We were out on the water last night, working on our paddling techniques & race starts, trying desperately to intimidate the other team out practicing with our finesse and power. Currently there are 21 teams entered into the festival... 11 of which are local teams, & if last year was anything of an indicator for what we have to look forward to, this year will host some intense local team rivalries!

If you are interested in coming out for any of the events taking place during the rest of the summer in Banff National Park, don't forget to visit our Special Offers page.

I was hanging out Saturday afternoon thinking about getting ready for the outdoor concert I was going to check out as part of the Banff Summer Arts Festival, when the sound of a didgeridoo started floating across the valley. The show I was going to see was Xavier Rudd & all of a sudden I couldn't sit still any longer... I had to get ready and get up to the Banff Centre NOW!

Sitting on the grass with the mountains as a backdrop to the stage made me giddy. The Banff Centre brings in music, shows & art that should be seen in the Rockies, that belong here, that encompass the feelings inspired by the mountains. Even the night's performer felt this while he was singing "Do you feel it on the mountains... Do you feel it in Banff Alberta"

Banff National Park has it all... a world class cultural venue in a small town setting surrounded by large national park wilderness... no wonder they call us The World's Finest National Park! So if you're looking for adventure, culture, relaxation, a mouth watering meal or a shopping spree with friends then stop on by... we've got something for everyone... including special offers.

While taking in the awe of the valley's and mountains in the Lake Louise area from top of the Lake Louise Gondola I met this wonderful couple from Arizona... they are professional RV'ers. By that I mean they told me they've been RV travelling for 10 years now, and Banff National Park just took 1st place for their all time favourite RV trip!

Speaking with them made feel so incredibly lucky to call Banff National Park home.

This weekend I'll be up at the Banff Centre taking in some of the Banff Summer Arts Festival ... this is written on the Festivals front page thru the link provided... I think it's so wonderful I'm putting it here:

"Picture this. You are driving west. The sky is blue and the mountains are in front of you. The city is far behind. Exit where the green sign says Banff. Roll down the window. A blast of mountain air says — this is going to be fun. You are driving along Banff Avenue. The leaves sparkle in the sun. You turn left at the high school field and head for The Banff Centre. Oh, by the way — in this small town, the parking is still free."

Enjoy the video, hopefully this couple inspires you to visit The World's Finest National Park!

If you couldn't make it out to Banff National Park during the 4 days of Bike Fest, don't worry... I've got you covered.

The festival started on Thursday June 18 with the 6km Hill Climb on Hwy 93 S, past Storm Mountain Lodge. Some of the riders made it look like a leisurely ride, while others couldn't keep up with the needed oxygen intake. Next was the Friday morning 1A Sprint. The day started out gross and rainy, but then 10 minutes before the race started the sun came out bringing a rainbow along with it. When the racers flew by they created a wind as strong as that of a big truck passing... it was quit amazing!

Saturday was a big day with the Individual Timed Trial around the Minnewanka loop, the two community races (Little Crits & the Cruise Crit) and finally the Fulcrum Criterium along Banff Ave. & Bear St. Wait till you see the corners these racers had to make... can you say hairpin turn?! The final leg of the 5 part race was the Tunnel Mountain Road Race... taking the rider pack along yet another beautifully scenic drive.

Here is a link directly to the race results.

I really wasn't much of a road bike fan before this weekend, but I've got to say after watching all the different races & learning about a few of the tactics I'm keen on watching more.

Enjoy the video & I hope to see you out there next year!

In the last post, I wrote about how the rivers are running fast with all the snow melting off the mountains; this also means the water falls are thundering their way down to a basin or river below! I took a walk along Johnston's Canyon this week to the Lower and Upper Falls. It's an easy, paved trail that clings to the canyon walls and meanders through the forest. You can access this trail from the 1A Bow Valley Parkway (pdf 649.46 kB) which is a Sunday driver kind of road between Banff & Lake Louise. The couple I met in this video has one message to everybody: "You have to see the Rockies... that's a must."

The Rocky Mountains inspire artists of all kinds to make Banff National Park their home. The photographer in this video says "it's almost overwhelming how much you have to work with here." So whether you are an amateur or professional photographer, or you simply want to capture memories of your vacation, every single photo will make friends & family back home envious of the time you spent here.

Bike Fest starts today... I'll be heading out at 4pm to watch the Hill Climb racers along Hwy 93 S, then tomorrow is the 1A Sprint along the Bow Valley Parkway starting in Lake Louise at 9:30am. Both of these races are new this year & both of the routes are breathtaking. Don't worry; I'll have my camera with me. Saturday the racers will be flying along Banff Ave & Bear Street, along with the Little Crits & the Cruiser Crit races. Sunday has the racers competing in the Tunnel Mountain Road Race.

If you spot me over the weekend come and say hi... maybe you can be my next video!