Topic Wiki

List of TR's:

Kosher Food/ Restaurants:
The local supermarkets (e.g. Nesters or IGA in Banff) have many kosher shelf products.

There's frozen chicken and some meat products here, also a kosher aisle of dry foods: Safeway Glenmore Landing - 1600 90 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2V 5A8, Canada

Synagogue:
None, though check GoDaven for temporary minyanim

Things to Do:

Download the GuideAlong app (formerly known as GyPSy Guide) and purchase the package for the Canadian Rockies Tours for $24.99. This self-paced guided audio tour covers Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Yoho National Park, Jasper National Park and more. It's an incredibly useful and informative app.

Banff
Johnston Canyon hike, Upper Falls recommended, 2 hr round trip.
Banff Gondola, take boardwalk (15 min, spread out stairs) to peak for amazing views
Mountain Biking - e.g. Tunnel Bench Loop (moderate, lots of fun with great views)
Bow Falls and Bow River
Lake Minnewanka and Two Jack Lake loop drive - boat cruise tour and speedboat rentals available

Lake Louise (45 min drive from Banff)
Shoreline trail walk
Canoe rentals
Lake Agnes teahouse hike (moderate, 2.5 hrs round-trip, can continue to Little Beehive or Big Beehive)
Plain of 6 Glaciers hike (moderate, 5-6 hrs round trip, Tea House along the way)
Lake Louise gondola


Moraine Lake (30 min drive south from LL)
2023 Update: Access by personal vehicle to Morraine Lake is no longer allowed. The only options to get to Morraine Lake are by Canada Parks Shuttle, private Lake Morraine bussing companies, and maybe a private tour bus. Local Banff bus service (Roam) may also have a shuttle to Morraine in addition to their service to Lake Louise. Reservations for busses get booked up early, so plan at least 3-4 days ahead. [Parking is extremely limited, arrive very early or later in the day, road is closed when parking is full.]
Walk along lake
Canoe rentals sometimes available
Rockpile climb to great viewpoint

Athabasca Glacier Adventure (90 min drive from Lake Louise or Jasper)
Early arrival recommended (first tour is at 10:30am, book online in advance)
2 hour duration, bring bottle to drink glacier water
Wear layers, temperature is unpredictable
Skywalk is a tourist trap, you can skip it and stay on bus to return to parking lot

Icefields Parkway drive from Athabasca Glacier to Banff with scenic stops:
Parker Ridge trail 2-hour round-trip hike (medium difficulty, uphill climb)
Peyto Lake viewed from Bow Summit (cars must park in lower lot and walk 10 min, but later in the day the upper lot can be used)
Mistaya Canyon (beautiful pull-off hike along Icefields Pkwy. Hike is about 10 minutes down to a powerful river rushing through a canyon with waterfalls)
Bow Lake (quick pullout stop)

Jasper

Yoho National Park
Takakkaw Falls
Emerald Lake
Natural Bridge


Hotels:

Getting Around:
A car is basically a must, though there are shuttles from Banff to the major attractions.
The nearest commercial airport is Calgary (YYC), a 90 min drive from Banff.

Notes:


Author Topic: Banff and Jasper Master Thread  (Read 155862 times)

Offline Lamppost

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #460 on: May 04, 2017, 08:14:54 AM »
Well obviously not. But thats exactly what im wondering. Is that a deal killer. I have to figure out a place to use this certificate. Considering that I have to be in one place the whole time and i dont want to go to something like disney land (we are an outdoor kinda family), where is a good place to go that has a high concentration of natural beauty within a reasonable drive of the hotel? I have been almost all over the USA (47/50 states excluding AR, OK, and the real challenge AK). Id love to see something new. Banff is new. And its gorgeous. So its just seemed to almost work. Question is how big that "almost" is. From what im treading it seems i may be pushing things just a bit too far. So its back to the drawing board for me. Any ideas?

Offline RabbiGoldenberg

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #461 on: May 15, 2017, 10:12:21 PM »
Looking for someone coming from NYC in the next few weeks. The locals travel mostly in July, and I need a package of educational materials by mid-June. My supplier doesn't send to Canada, so it really needs to hand delivered.

Offline julienbortz

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #462 on: May 16, 2017, 04:59:00 PM »
I'm sure this has been asked before but what's the consensus on choosing between the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Fairmont Lake Louise? Which one provides better overall value? Thanks!

Offline Dan

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #463 on: May 16, 2017, 04:59:46 PM »
I'm sure this has been asked before but what's the consensus on choosing between the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Fairmont Lake Louise? Which one provides better overall value? Thanks!
You won't go wrong with either.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline tzifanya54

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #464 on: May 16, 2017, 07:23:23 PM »
Hey i know its far from ideal but why "ridiculous"? Shkia is at 930. I could still have 8 hours per day there even with driving 3 hours round trip. No? Lets pretend that i dont have any kids. Is it still ridiculous?
Yes. Very unrealistic.

Offline tzifanya54

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #465 on: May 16, 2017, 07:25:18 PM »
Well obviously not. But thats exactly what im wondering. Is that a deal killer. I have to figure out a place to use this certificate. Considering that I have to be in one place the whole time and i dont want to go to something like disney land (we are an outdoor kinda family), where is a good place to go that has a high concentration of natural beauty within a reasonable drive of the hotel? I have been almost all over the USA (47/50 states excluding AR, OK, and the real challenge AK). Id love to see something new. Banff is new. And its gorgeous. So its just seemed to almost work. Question is how big that "almost" is. From what im treading it seems i may be pushing things just a bit too far. So its back to the drawing board for me. Any ideas?
Are there hotel options in Vancouver?

Offline julienbortz

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #466 on: May 16, 2017, 07:49:59 PM »
You won't go wrong with either.
Thanks Dan, but has anyone stayed at both that preferred one over the other? Better location? Better overall property?

Offline RabbiGoldenberg

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #467 on: May 17, 2017, 12:10:21 AM »
Hey i know its far from ideal but why "ridiculous"? Shkia is at 930. I could still have 8 hours per day there even with driving 3 hours round trip. No? Lets pretend that i dont have any kids. Is it still ridiculous?
Why is Shkia a factor? You want to Daven with a Minyan or you want to have daylight to see the mountains? Were you planning on leaving the Rockies when it got too dark to see them?

Offline Specialized

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #468 on: May 21, 2017, 10:43:19 PM »
We just did a day trip to Kananaskis, and discovered that it works very well with children or for an erev Shabbos. We took the trail to Troll Falls and it is about a mile, wide enough for a stroller and not too rocky. The drive from Calgary was easy because it is so close.

Offline mb1

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #469 on: June 14, 2017, 10:26:52 PM »
How much does the Banff Fairmont charge to warm up packaged meals?

Offline Mutty

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #470 on: June 15, 2017, 09:06:11 AM »
How much does the Banff Fairmont charge to warm up packaged meals?
We warmed it ourselves. We got a microwave in our room. We just had them store our frozen meals, requested the one we needed early so it can defrost and then used the microwave. We also had a small fridge.
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline Mutty

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #471 on: June 15, 2017, 09:08:17 AM »
How much does the Banff Fairmont charge to warm up packaged meals?
FYI. I also emailed them before we went and they actually gave us an upgrade. I discussed the food in the email as well. Always better to come prepared (and remember the name of who answered you). They were very accommodating. We stayed in Banff two nights and Lake Louise two nights, both Fairmonts.
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline mb1

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #472 on: June 15, 2017, 09:45:23 AM »
Thanks,
Are there microwaves and refrigerators in the rooms?

Offline Dan

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #473 on: June 15, 2017, 10:44:39 AM »
How much does the Banff Fairmont charge to warm up packaged meals?
They told us there was a $4 delivery fee for warmed up meals, but they didn't actually charge us the fee.
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline Ysturmwind

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #474 on: June 15, 2017, 11:13:28 AM »
How much does the Banff Fairmont charge to warm up packaged meals?

They didnt charge us anything to warm up the meals. We left the food with them in the kitchen and they brought them up to us when we called, it so easy and great to have hot/good food there. 

We did the same with the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver but they charged us $6 each time, luckily the food certs covered that.


Offline mb1

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #475 on: June 15, 2017, 11:20:17 AM »
They emailed me a form that says $10 per person + $5 delivery fee + 18% gratuity + 5% gst.
The name of the form is "kosher form 2016."

If they actually charge according to the form I would consider bringing my own toaster.

Offline Dan

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #476 on: June 15, 2017, 11:33:06 AM »
Just bring a toaster, what's the big deal?
Save your time, I don't answer PM. Post it in the forum and a dedicated DDF'er will get back to you as soon as possible.

Offline mb1

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #477 on: June 15, 2017, 11:42:04 AM »
Just bring a toaster, what's the big deal?
I probably will.
Just figured that it's easier to have them warm it up as I need them to store the meals anyways.
But if it's $25++ I'll bring a toaster.

Offline Mutty

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #478 on: June 16, 2017, 10:13:01 AM »
I didn't get any charges. They gave us a microwave and fridge in the room and we warmed it ourselves. No charge for that either.
“You see things; you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say 'Why not?”

Offline amx

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Re: Banff Master Thread
« Reply #479 on: July 05, 2017, 06:09:57 PM »
Thinking about going to banff in the next few weeks, problem is naturally nothing available there. After reading through the thread seems like people had a nice experience at falcon lodge in canmore which has availability . Question is- should  I go there or wait for a diff time and try to go to banff itself?? TIA