Canmore and Banff: Alberta’s charming mountain towns

Article content

In the 19th century, the quest for coal to fuel transcontinental trains led people to Canmore, Alta.

Article content

In the 20th century, just after coal mining came to an end there, the quest for Olympic gold, silver and bronze in nordic skiing events led people from around the world to Canmore.

Article content

Today, people continuing that quest still make their way to Canmore, part of the legacy of the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games. However, for those who aren’t Olympic athletes, such as my wife Ruth and I, and probably you, too, there are multiple reasons to visit Canmore.

During our time there, we discovered that people who live in Calgary (an hour’s drive away) and other parts of western Canada consider Canmore as their getaway community. It’s a place to unwind, reconnect with nature, maybe get some outdoor exercise, and enjoy the mountain views.

Article content

Let’s start with the mountains, part of the eastern Rockies. Nobody’s asking you to climb them, just look up and enjoy the views (they’re free!).

Better yet, tell your Calgary friends to meet you at the Canmore Golf & Curling Club (canmoregolf.net). Their Sandtraps Restaurant patio has incredible mountain views. On colder days, the view from inside is still great because the restaurant has floor-to-ceiling windows.

While there, visit the lounge above the four-sheet curling venue. Check the walls for memorabilia from Canmore-based curler John Morris, owner of two Olympic gold medals.

We didn’t meet Morris, but other Olympians, past, present, and future, live in Canmore.

If you stay at the Paintbox Lodge (paintboxlodge.com), a boutique (five rooms for rent) hotel, you probably will meet Sara Renner, who won an Olympic silver medal in Nordic skiing in 2006. She and her spouse (Thomas Grandi, a fellow Olympian in alpine skiing) own and operate Paintbox Lodge.

Article content

“When I bike my kids to school every day, it takes my breath away,” Renner says of the natural surroundings. “It’s just such a special place in the world.”

A trip to the Canmore Nordic Centre to see the still-used 1988 Olympic Nordic skiing venue (and the Olympic memorabilia inside the Day Lodge) led to a visit with Nadia Moser, a 25-year-old from Yukon with Olympic dreams in biathlon. Even before the snow flies, Moser and other world-class athletes are able to train there in the autumn because snow from the previous winter is saved under sawdust.

Winter activities available to the public at the Canmore Nordic Centre include snowshoeing, fat biking, tobogganing, skating, and winter disc golf. In summer, mountain biking, hiking, roller skiing, orienteering, and disc golf take place there.

Article content

More to our pace, however, was Nordic Walking with Mandy Johnson, who runs Active by Nature (activebynaturecanmore.ca). Our 4-km walk, using poles to mimic the upper-body movements of Nordic skiers, was an enjoyable workout with the benefit of seeing the Bow River, the Rundle mountains, and Cascade Mountain.

“A lot of people bypass us on the way to Banff, but they’re missing something really special,” Johnson said.

At your own pace, exploring Canmore’s downtown is a pleasant way to spend a few hours. Many national companies have set up shop in Canmore, but the downtown is where the local owner-operated shops and galleries are.

Before or after your exploration, take a break at the 8th Street (also known as Main Street) location of Eclipse Coffee Roasters (eclipsecoffeeroasters.com). Purchase some muffins, and a hot chocolate or a cafe mocha, and enjoy them outside while sitting on a couch next to a gas-fed fire pit table.

Article content

Downtown is also where you will find the Canmore Museum (canmoremuseum.com), where I learned about the community’s mining history, the “Big Head” sculpture (inspired by the Scottish roots of Canmore’s name), and the North West Mounted Police Barracks (open to the public in summer months).

The local community arts centre, known as artsPlace (artsplacecanmore.com) is also downtown. During our visit, we were fortunate to attend a drumming event conducted by Indigenous musicians, where we learned about the history and significance of drumming to the Indigenous community.

Also downtown: Art galleries. Almost a dozen of them. Four in a row at one point on Main Street.

“It’s a very arts-minded community,” said Jason Carter, who along with his spouse, performance artist Bridget Ryan, own and operate the Carter-Ryan Gallery (carter-ryan.com). “The mountains draw the artists to them.”

Article content

Even if you haven’t been to Canmore, you may have seen Carter’s distinctive artwork. It’s displayed at the airports in Edmonton and Calgary, and his paintings on hockey sticks were player-of-the-game awards at the 2022 world junior hockey championship in Edmonton.

“The response to the sticks … was mind-blowing,” Carter said. “It was the perfect storm of art meeting sport.”

So, in the 21st century, what will your quest be should you visit Canmore?

DON’T FORGET BANFF

If you’re visiting Canmore, nobody is going to stop you from making the half-hour drive to Banff — except the Parks Canada employee at the booth on the Trans-Canada Highway.

That person will ask you, politely, to pay for an entry pass, because Banff is located inside a national park.

Article content

In downtown Banff, where the mountain views are free (and spectacular), one of the town’s newest restaurants is in one of its oldest hotels.

An evening meal at Brazen (banffjaspercollection.com/dining/brazen) takes you back to the late 19th century, even to the style of clothing worn by the wait staff. The inspiration of the restaurant is to salute the people who were “brazen” enough to explore the rough mountain terrain, and then act as guides to other visitors of the area which became known as Banff.

As a result, the menu is “brazen” as well. Food choices such as the mac and brie, stuffed mushroom caps with wasabi peas, and pork belly are meant to be shared around the table. Main dishes include salmon (my choice — it was good!), ginger beef, and a 14-ounce New York steak with a local coffee rub (from Banff Roasting Company) and chocolate au jus.

Article content

Cheesecake, creme brulee, and chocolate cake with miso caramel, chips, and peanuts are on the dessert menu.

Tea is from another local company, Jolene’s Tea House.

Brazen is located inside the Mount Royal Hotel (banffjaspercollection.com/hotels/mount-royal-hotel), located at Banff Ave. and Caribou St. The hotel is within walking distance of many downtown attractions, a good thing since finding a parking spot in Banff can be tricky.

The Mount Royal’s history dates to the early part of the 20th century. Due to a fire in 1967, what exists today are additions made in the 1940s and 1950s, the rebuilding of the area destroyed in the 1967 fire, and the “Cascade wing,” which once was a separate hotel but was connected to the Mount Royal in 1994.

Article content

The top level of the Cascade wing is a lounge, with two outdoor hot tubs.

In daylight hours, another restaurant not to be missed in Banff is Sky Bistro (banffjaspercollection.com/dining/sky-bistro), on the top of Sulphur Mountain. It’s a very popular place, so make a reservation beforehand.

To get to Sky Bistro, take the Banff Gondola (banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/banff-gondola), which transports customers from its lower terminal (1,583 metres above sea level) to its upper terminal (2,281 metres) in eight minutes. You also could hike up the mountain, if you really, really, really wanted to do so.

Once at the upper terminal, waiting for you are Sky Bistro’s menu — and some fantastic mountain views on the other side of the huge windows. Acting on a tip, I had the seafood chowder (so, so good) and then split a pulled bison burger (with big, thick fries) and chicken waffles with my wife, Ruth.

Article content

The upper terminal area also has outdoor observation areas (including a wedding venue), an interpretive centre (good for the kids), and the Above Banff Theatre (a multi-sense presentation of the area from a bird’s-eye view).

From the outdoor observation area, we could see the Fairmont Banff Springs (fairmont.com/banff-springs).

For a taste of the area’s history, the Fairmont Banff Springs is worth visiting, even if you don’t plan to stay there (Tip: Park for free on the street next to the tennis/soccer area). Two floors of the hotel are open to the public, including “Heritage Hall,” where photos from years gone by are on display, such as Marilyn Monroe on the hotel’s golf course in 1953.

GETTING THERE

After flying to Calgary, a rental car drive to Canmore along the Trans-Canada Highway takes about an hour and a half. Airport shuttles are also available; for details, visit explorecanmore.ca.