Home / Trails / Canmore and Banff
Bow Valley · towns and passes
West on Highway 1: Canmore in half an hour, Banff in under an hour
The resort is east of Canmore, not in it. That costs you a drive for dinner and saves you town traffic in the morning. Here is what is within reach, and which pass covers which park.
By my router checks, Canmore's Main Street is 33.0 km from the hotel, about 27 minutes, and Banff Avenue is 56.2 km, about 47 minutes. Lake Louise is 109.7 km. Those are no-traffic figures; on a summer Saturday the run into Banff can take longer than the map says, and I cannot put a number on that.
On the way: Lac des Arcs, Exshaw and Grotto Canyon
| Place | From the hotel | Why go |
|---|---|---|
| Lac des Arcs | 14.5 km · ~13 min | Heart Creek trail nearby: 1.3 km one-way over seven bridges |
| Exshaw | 16.5 km · ~16 min | Hamlet on Highway 1A |
| Grotto Canyon trail | 22.4 km · ~21 min | 2.1 km one-way into a canyon with a waterfall |
| Canmore, Main Street | 33.0 km · ~27 min | Town centre; Grassi Lakes and Ha Ling trailheads above town |
| Banff, Banff Avenue | 56.2 km · ~47 min | National park admission required |
“calc” = my own OSRM router check from the resort’s map pin, 31 October 2026: no traffic, stops or snow.
Canmore's two classic climbs
Grassi Lakes. Alberta Parks lists the trail at 1.9 km with 125 m of gain, with waterfall views and a view over town, and signs telling the story of Lawrence Grassi, who built the original trail. Near the cliffs, trails used by climbers lead to pictographs. The steeper interpretive route closes in winter because water freezes across it; the upper trail stays open but can be icy.
Ha Ling. 3.5 km to the saddle and 3.9 km to the summit, with 810 m of gain. Alberta Parks maintains the trail to the saddle; the final 400 m and 103 m of height to the peak are on unmaintained, loose rock. It is a serious half day, not a stroll.
Which pass, where
- Canmore townsite
- No Kananaskis Conservation Pass needed on municipal land, per Alberta.ca
- Grassi Lakes, Ha Ling, Heart Creek, Grotto Canyon
- Provincial sites: Kananaskis Conservation Pass, $15 per vehicle per day
- Banff National Park
- Parks Canada admission: adult $12.25 a day, youth free, family or group $24.50 (31 Oct 2026)
- Year-round national parks
- Parks Canada Discovery Pass: adult $83.50, family or group $167.50 (31 Oct 2026)
Sources: Alberta.ca and Parks Canada fees for Banff. On 31 October Parks Canada's own pass sales page reported technical difficulties; check before you set off.
Helicopters and rafting from the resort
Two operators run trips from the resort itself. Alpine Helicopters' Stoney Nakoda sightseeing tours leave from a log building with a red roof at the back of the resort parking lot, with flights from 20 to 60 minutes, one of them over Lake Minnewanka; the operator says the tours were designed with local Indigenous culture in mind. Canadian Rockies Rafting has its River Base at the resort, with an optional shuttle from its Canmore office. Both are seasonal; Google Maps showed the helicopter base as temporarily closed on 31 October 2026. Sources: Alpine Helicopters, Travel Alberta.
Staying here versus staying in town
The trade is simple. Here: free parking, a pool with a slide, the Highway 40 corridor ten minutes away. In Canmore or Banff: restaurants and evening streets within walking distance. If your plan is mostly Kananaskis with one Banff day, I would stay here. If it is mostly Banff with one Kananaskis day, I would not. My fuller view is on the verdict page.
Last checked against the linked sources: 31 October 2026.