Banff + Lake Louise Tours

The half-day tour includes transportation from most hotels in Banff on a guided bus tour to see some of the local highlights such as the iconic Banff Springs Hotel, Bow Falls and Lake Minnewanka. The tour includes several stops, including a brief break with a maple cookie snack and hot chocolate, and hands on interpretive tools.

We pick up from most hotels in Banff, and you can select your preferred pick-up location during the booking process. For drop offs, our guide will ask you on the way back where you would like to be dropped off either in town or at your hotel.

You are welcome to meet us at any of our pick up locations in Banff to join the tour, and a popular central downtown meeting point is the public bus parking area behind the Mt Royal Hotel (the hotel address is 138 Banff Avenue).

Most guests choose to self-drive into Banff, although please note that you will need to find parking in Banff that exceeds the duration of the tour. Please refer to the Town of Banff website for general parking information, or the banffparking.ca website for live parking availability. For guests staying in Canmore, you can also use the Roam bus service and disembark at the Banff High School. The closest pick up point to the Banff High School is across the road at the Elk and Avenue Hotel.

Only half your time is spent on the bus, and at every stop you will have the opportunity to get off the bus and stretch your legs. All of the viewpoints are a short walk.

There is a chance of seeing wildlife on the tour and we often spot animals, however we do not guarantee seeing wildlife on any of our tours. Our guides have a lot of knowledge about the animals within the park and can fill you in about them if you see any wildlife or if you have any questions.

Pick up is between 1:15pm and 1:30pm in Banff and and you will returning to Banff at around 5:30pm. Please allow 4 hours in total for this tour.

This afternoon tour includes transportation from most hotels in Banff on a guided bus tour to Lake Louise along the scenic Bow Valley Parkway. The tour includes hot chocolate, a Canadian maple taffy treat and use of our snowshoes for an easy snowshoe sampler at Lake Louise. Please note that water is not provided and you may wish to bring your own.

This tour includes approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes at Lake Louise, which includes 45 minutes to an hour of snowshoeing.

Snowshoeing is a form of hiking where snowshoes are worn over your boots to distribute your weight over the snow. It’s way more fun and less tiring than walking in regular shoes through deep snow! Our guide will bring snowshoes for you to use and instruct you on how to put them on and use them correctly, before enjoying an easy snowshoe sampler through the woods and ending up on Lake Louise.

We will be snowshoeing for approximately 45 minutes to one hour at Lake Louise. This is a beginner snowshoe, and a great way to try out snowshoeing with no snowshoeing experience is required.

Please be prepared for the mountain weather, it changes quickly and our winter tours run in anything from -27C (-17F) to +10C (+50F). Wind chill can change the temperature dramatically and you will be outside for the majority of your tour.

To ensure that you enjoy the tour, please wear/bring:

• Thermals/base layers/long johns.
• Snow pants are essential as we will be walking in deep snow. Snow pants can be rented from stores in Banff such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A warm shirt or sweater.
• A winter jacket, ideally waterproof. Ski jackets can be rented from stores in Banff such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A hat and mitts.
• A neck warmer or scarf.
• Sturdy waterproof boots, ideally ones that go over the ankle as we will be walking in deep snow. Winter boots like Sorel, Baffin etc are great. No trainers, sneakers, vans, ugg boots, or “dressy” boots. If you do not have waterproof boots, we recommend a rental store such as Snowtips-Bactrax.
• A water bottle.

Please note that safety is our first priority. If the guide thinks your attire or footwear isn’t appropriate and compromises your safety on the tour, you may not be able to participate.

There is a 24 hour cancellation policy, which allows you to change/cancel or refund your booking up to 24 hours outside your booked tour (up to 7 days for group bookings).

Tips are not expected, but are certainly appreciated. If you think your guide did a wonderful job and would like to indicate that with a tip, it will be graciously accepted.