Bike. Hike. Walk. Run. Eat. Repeat.

Have you travelled to Western Canada before? If you haven’t, add it to your list. Every place we visited, we never wanted to leave. If you have, please join in and add your favourite places to go. 

VANCOUVER

We started our trip in Vancouver. We love this city. We stayed at the Westin Bayshore and I would highly recommend it. They serve an AMAZING breakfast buffet, the staff was helpful and friendly, there is an indoor and outdoor pool (with full food and drink service) and the location in Coal Harbour can’t be beat.

View from our room

There are so many ways to be active here. This is probably what we loved the most. You can bike, walk or jog pretty much anywhere and everywhere. We loved how walkable the city is from attractions and restaurants to its various neighbourhoods.  We spent a lot of time at the waterfront simply watching seaplanes land and take off, marvelling at huge yachts, watching cruise ships come in and just walking up and down the harbour, taking it all in.

Vancouver has amazing bike paths throughout the city. Biking is an especially great way to see Stanley Park. We biked around the whole park, taking in the views while we had lunch at Prospect Point.  We also walked around the interior and stopped for a break at Stanley Park Pavilion. 

We loved jogging around (feel free to bike or walk!) Kitsilano Beach.  Here you can feel the relaxed vibe of Vancouver, catch some beach volleyball games and try to spot the home of Lululemon founder Chip Wilson.

Granville Island is a popular destination. Lots to look at and more to eat. It wasn’t necessarily a highlight for us but I understand why people like it. 

We enjoyed meals at Cardero’s in Coal Harbour, Tacofino in Gastown and I am OBSESSED with the salad wraps and warm italian donuts at Joey. Our favourite meal (for food and experience) was at Tavola. We sat at the bar (tables can be hard to come by) and enjoyed chatting with the bartender, Dennis, throughout our meal.

Three nights in Vancouver would probably be the perfect amount of time to enjoy a lot of what the city has to offer.

BANFF AREA

Everyone was excited to share their ideas about what we should do in Banff and now I know why. There is so much to see and so many different, magical places to visit. It is almost too beautiful to even process. I just wanted to lie down and have the earth absorb me.

Kananaskis Mountain Lodge

I had no idea what to expect when we arrived at the Kananaskis Mountain Lodge. This place is phenomenal. We have been conspiring on how to go back ever since stepping foot in the lobby. There are campfires burning throughout the property and a fireplace in the main lobby that burns 24 hours a day. We spent our first night in front of this fireplace playing Scrabble. This is a destination for couples, a getaway with friends and certainly for families. 

We spent half a day at the new, adult only Nordic Spa. It is a dream spa. We loved the robes, the fires and all of the multiple saunas, hot tubs and steam rooms. We also had amazing massages. Take me back!

Lake Louise

We headed to Lake Louise after our first night at the lodge. It took us about 1 hour and 50 minutes to drive there. We left the hotel at 4:30am to get to Lake Louise early to avoid the crowds and to secure parking. As absurdly early as this was, I would highly recommend getting to Lake Louise by 6:30am. 

Lake Louise is stunning. Everyone knows this but to see it and to be part of it is simply beyond words. We took in the sunrise and then headed for our hike to the Agnes Tea House  and even farther to the Plain of Six Glaciers. This hike truly allowed us to enjoy, appreciate and take in this most spectacular part of Canada. The hike was hard at times but it is possible for a family to do. I would say the minimum age I would hike with would be 7-8 year old. We took SO many pictures because everywhere we looked was so majestic. Going as early as we did allowed us to enjoy this trail with very few other people on it (on the way up, anyway).

Dressing for this hike can be tricky. Definitely layer. At times, my sweatpants and hoodie were not enough and then other times I was too hot in my shorts and tank. The only thing I should have brought, that I didn’t, was some sort of light jacket with a hood for when it rained. I really did not want to be carrying much at all and I am glad we packed and dressed minimally. 

If you are really lucky, you could secure a room at the Fairmont Chateau. This would be an unreal experience; it just wasn’t in our budget. 

Banff

We stopped in Banff for lunch at Bear Street Taverna which had been recommended to us by a couple of friends. After 15km of hiking we were ready for some good food and to just zone out and people watch. I dipped my pizza in honey for the first time. Delicious! We parked at the Information Centre, which I would also recommend if you can find a spot. This is where we ended up paying for our Banff Park pass. Because we arrived at Lake Louise so early, no one was there yet to sell passes. The nice thing is, instead of putting a ticket on your car, they give you a chance to buy the pass that day before they process a proper ticket. It is a great and fair system!

Trails, Trails and More Trails

Eric found a great app called AllTrails and it showed us all of the trails in the areas we were in. We decided on a 20km bike route that left from the lodge. We saw people biking on paths everywhere on our drive between Banff and Kananaskis. This is a great way to see a lot!

Next time, we really want to do some white water rafting!

This trip was special. We felt connected to nature, we felt fit and we felt well fed. We cannot wait to return as a family. 

A note on packing…I overpacked by 14 articles of clothing. That is to say that I did not wear, even once, 14 of the things I was sure I was going to need. I will be relying on Marie Kondo packing method next time! 

I know so many of you have so much more to share on what to do while visiting Canada’s West Coast. Please share your must-see places and things to do.