All of the big things have been done for the greater Canmore area except for Banff. So that is what we set out to do today. We were surprised that there were not many people in town and therefore getting a parking spot was no problem.
We started down Banff Avenue checking out the various shops. I think everyone managed to get started on their Christmas shopping. We were getting hungry so we ended up having a great lunch at Melissa’s Missteak. This is our favourite restaurant in Banff and we try and go any time we are here. After getting fueled up on food, we made our way down the other side of Banff Avenue.
Before leaving downtown Banff, we drove up to the Cascade of Time Gardens which sits at the end of Banff Avenue. It is a four acre park with pathways among the various gardens. It was still lovely in late September but I am sure it is spectacular at the height of summer.
We finished up our tour of Banff by taking the Banff Gondola ($64 CAD / person) to the summit of Sulphur Mountain. It is an eight minute ride and the views from the gondola are scary. At certain points, you are 125 feet above the ground. Once you get to the top, you have stunning views of the town of Banff, the Bow Valley and six mountain ranges.
Before leaving Banff, we stopped in at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and did the Mount Norquay and Lake Minnewanka scenic drives. We saw mountain sheep and a bull elk. I am so happy that we have seen wildlife every day we have been here.
We dropped Paul and Jen at The Grizzly Paw for dinner while Karen and I headed over Sav-On to pick up supplies for the drive tomorrow. It was then back to the condo to pack up for the next part of our adventure.
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