alberta

Banff, Alberta The Top 7 Things You Don’t Want To Miss Out On

My favourite place in the world is the mountains. I am not even picky about which Mountain Range, although I am partial to Rocky Mountain in my home province of Alberta. I can see them from where I live, and Jasper is just shy of 2 hours away from my doorstep. But, as much as I love Jasper, I have a particular fondness for Banff National Park

Banff offers so many things to do and explore but these are some of my favourites. 

Canoe 

One of my favourite memories in Banff is canoeing. I rented a canoe for an hour from the Banff Canoe Club and spent a fantastic hour leisurely paddling the Bow River. 

Banff Gondola

This was the first gondola I had ever ridden and the views are incredible. Ride it to the top of Sulphur mountain and take in the 360 views. Enjoy a meal at the top, then either ride the gondola down or better yet take the extra time, and energy, and hike down.

Take A Hike

While we’re talking about hiking; Banff National Park and the surrounding area is full of amazing hikes. All skill levels and distances can be found with just a short drive. Tunnel mountain is right in the town and it’s a perfect “beginners” hike.

Bow Falls

If hiking isn’t your thing, but you still want to check out some awesome views than Bow Falls might be more up your alley. They can be seen with just a short walk from the parking lot. 

Banff Hot Springs

Banff Hot Springs is open year round and the only place I have swum outside in the winter. To top it off it was snowing, that is such a cool experience. 

Lake Louise

Just a short drive, through the gorgeous mountain country, is Lake Louise. The picturesque lake offers canoeing in the summer, and ice skating in the winter. Explore it in both seasons, the little town offers restaurants and some shops as well. 

Rocky Mountain Bagel Company

As much as I love Banff the surrounding area has so much to offer as well. This is in the neighbouring town of Canmore. This is the one place that o stop every single time I am in the area. The bagels are good but the bagel sandwiches are even better. I have never gotten anything from there that I haven’t loved. I am particularly fond of their gluten-free apricot cookies

Every time I visit Banff I find another thing to fall in love with. Is there anything I missed that you love?

Posted by Jenn in Travel, Travel Alberta, 15 comments

Drumheller Alberta, 2 Exciting Days In The Dinosaur Capital Of The World

What little boy doesn’t have, at least a mild one, an obsession with Dinosaurs? When exploring options for our family holiday Drumheller, the Dinosaur Capital of the world became an easy option for us for a long weekend vacation.

Surprisingly, with only a few short weeks until the long weekend, and knowing we wanted to camp our options were not as limited as we thought. We ended up making a reservation at Dinos Nest, which is located within Drumheller City limits. We stayed at the sister site Dino’s RV Nest. The location is awesome as it seems fairly central when you’re looking at tourist destinations. The lady who we dealt with was incredible and was full of tips and suggestions when we were planning our day. We had a good size green space at our campsite and my kids quickly made friends with the other campers. The playground was a definite hit. We did have to pay for firewood but that is the case in nearly all campgrounds these days and we found the price to be fair. The portable fire pits are ingenious and incredibly handy.

After getting a good nights sleep we started out for a full day of adventuring and exploring Drumheller.

Day One

  • The Worlds Largest Dinosaur! You can not visit Drumheller and no give this a visit. My family loved this. The little ones were thrilled to be “eaten by a dinosaur” and take some awesome pictures.  With over 100 steps to the top is a treck, but the journey is worth it.  There is a gift shop there, however, do yourself a favour and skip it. The Royal Tyrrell has a more reasonably priced one.
  • Follow the North Dinosaur Trail.
    • The Little Church. It is beautiful, and the history is wonderful. It is Little, as the name implied, so little in fact that we nearly drove past it.  It seats only six people at a time, but it seats them comfortably.
    • Horsethief Canyon, another area rich with history and the view is incredible. I wish we had brought a picnic as it would have been a perfect spot. The boys made friends with some gophers and sat there watching them for a good amount of time.
    • Bleriot Ferry which crosses the Red Deer River. It takes about 5 minutes or so to cross the river and then you’re on your way.
    • Orkney Viewpoint, just off the beaten path for another incredible lookout. It is gorgeous and I would love to catch is during a sunrise/sunset. The river snakes through beautifully.
  • Royal Tyrrell Museum. Drumheller’s Claim to fame. There are a lot of interactive displays to keep the kid busy while we read the information panels. Certainly informative. The staff throughout the museum were full of interesting fact and were happy to answer any questions Big H & L had to ask. They have an amazing fossil of a Nosodor, in near perfect condition. This is was my absolute favourite exhibit and I highly recommend you take some time here. The gift shop was reasonably priced which both shocked and pleased me. I expected otherwise. This is the gift shop I recommend you buy your souvenirs at.

After a day full of activities we were all ready to head back to the camper. We made a batch of Tacos in a Bag for dinner while the boys made friends with the other kids at the campsite. After dinner (and marshmallows of course) they headed off to bed and Blayne and I enjoyed the rest of our evening – with an amazing show of the Northern Lights – and planned what we would do the next day of our dinosaur filled weekend.

I think my favourite time of any trip is after the kids go to bed, and Blayne and I get to relax on our own, in the quiet. Doing it outdoors around the campfire is something special all on its own.

Day Two

  •  The Hoodoos. My kids absolutely loved this place. Climbing and running around. Beautiful scenery too. It is much smaller than I had expected, but years of people and weather have led to that. They are still unique and wonderful though. None the less, you can spend hours exploring and climbing. We spend about an hour there and we didn’t even make it a fraction of the way to the top.
  • Atlas Coal Mine. While there are only certain things you can do if you’re under the age of 6, there is still a ton to do here with the younger ones. The pony cart ride and the train ride were by far the most popular for us.  B and I enjoyed it from a more adult perspective and the boys loved seeing everything. The staff, especially the train conductor, were friendly and super informative. We were there for about 3 hours. Bring a picnic as this is also a perfect place to eat.
  • Rosedale Suspension Bridge. Not only is it free it gives you another glimpse into the past. Big H and L could have easily spent all day going back and forth if we were to let them. At the other side, there is plenty of trails that you can hike if that is something you have time to do. I hear there are smoulder piles that have been smoking for years, so keep an eye out for that!
  • The Fossil Shop. Drumheller has no shortage of souvenir stores but this one is special. The items in the store are BEAUTIFUL, which grossly undersells it even. While there some incredibly large and expensive pieces there are plenty of small, gorgeous, unique pieces available as well for a very fair price. I’m confident that there is something there for everyone. The staff is helpful and encourages you to “touch the past.”

One Final Stop

  • WHIFS Flapjack House. We had breakfast here after being told by numerous Drumheller locals that it was the place to be. The food was awesome. The buffet had all the offerings and their famous Flapjacks were all they were made out to be.

From there we ventured onward. Still talking about the memories we made and the wonderful vacation we had.

Posted by Jenn in Travel, Travel Alberta, 28 comments