Tuesday August 18, 2015
Today was a picture perfect day from a weather perspective – sunny skies greeted us this morning and we got the quintessential downtown Banff view of Cascade Mountain looming over the townsite.
The main activity for the day was renting bikes and heading out on the Banff Legacy Trail. This is a paved recreational trail that runs alongside the highway from Banff to Canmore. It is mostly flat, and didn’t give us any trouble. If our non-cycling-loving 8 year old daughter can ride this trail then anyone can!
The trail is about 27 km long in one direction. We took our time with it, stopping for snacks and photos along the way, and eventually pulled into Canmore. We headed for the Grizzly Paw for a late lunch, and did not feel one bit guilty for feasting after our ride!
There is public transit that runs back and forth between Banff and Canmore, and you’re allowed to bring bikes on the bus with you (they actually get stowed in a carrier on the front of the bus). We checked the scheduled departure times in advance and had enough time after lunch to wander through Canmore for a bit before heading to the bus stop for the next pickup.
Back in Banff, we recharged for a bit at the hotel, and then headed out in the late afternoon/early evening to ride the Sulphur Mountain gondola to the top of the mountain. The weather was still clear, and we had great visibility into the valleys below and of the surrounding peaks in the distance.
At the summit there is a herd of bighorn sheep that lurk about, and we saw a few more pikas here, too. We enjoyed strolling along the boardwalks and checking out the various displays before it was time to ride another cable car down and call it a day.
Cook Family Travels 