Banff Canada, A Great Way To Beat The Texas Heat In The Summer!
Lily New is a rising junior at Highland Park High School and has lived in University Park for 13 years. She lives on Stanford. Last summer she went to Banff with her mom, dad, and brother! In this interview, let’s get more details about her trip.
How did you travel to Banff?
We flew into Calgary, then drove to Banff.
Where did you stay?
We stayed in Banff at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.
How long did you stay and when did you go?
We were there for eight days in early August.
How was the weather?
The weather was perfect! Highs ranged in the mid-60s to mid-70s.
What were some of your favorite activities and outings?
The Fairmont has really nice walking trails that wind down to the Bow River where you can see the falls. These trails also lead into downtown Banff. It was not uncommon to see moose! Other activities at the hotel included bike rentals (and E-bikes too!), and Vespa scooter rentals. Golfing and horseback riding are other activities as well. The hotel has an indoor and outdoor pool and a bowling alley!
We did a private bus tour with a small group. We visited all the Lakes — Lake Moraine, Emerald Lake, Takkakaw Falls, and Lake Louise. Traveling this way was a nice way to stop and see all the lakes while avoiding the crowds and issues with parking, as summer can get very busy. They can close lots due to no parking availability. We had a very nice lunch at the Lodge/Hotel at Emerald Lake.
One day we rented Vespa scooters and rode to see all the lakes near the town of Banff. This was so much fun! We visited Lake Minnewaska, where we stopped to have lunch and explored the lake. We also visited the Vermilion Lakes.
We took the Banff gondola up to the top of the mountain and had dinner at Sky Bistro overlooking the entire breathtaking views of Banff.
We also visited Johnston Canyon and hiked through a deep mountain canyon with many beautiful waterfalls along the way.
On our way back to Calgary to fly home, we learned to fly fish by floating in the Bow River outside of Calgary.
How was the food in Banff?
The food was typical of what you would expect from Canada. There weren’t any restaurants we really loved, but the food was still good.
Lily’s family vacation sounds like a great time and a way to get out of the Texas heat for a week!