Where Magazine, Print and Online – Summer Issue 2017

By Kaitlyn Forde

Don’t have a bucket list for summer in the Canadian Rockies? Borrow ours!

1: Reach new heights: Ride Banff Gondola, Mount Norquay Chairlift, Lake Louise Gondola and Jasper Skytram for easy access to unbeatable views.

2. Snap a selfie at an iconic lake: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Bow Lake and Maligne Lake.

Time to update your profile photo with a glacier-blue background. Photo by Travel Alberta

3. Chill out at the Columbia Icefields: Access via the Icefields Parkway with 100 glaciers flanking its western side.

Go off road and onto a Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery tour. Photo by Brewster

4. Seek out wildlife: Elk, deer and bighorn sheep are common, while mountain goats and bears are occasionally spotted. Learn more about nature during a guided wildlife tour.

5. Redefine high tea at an elevated altitude near Lake Louise: Trek to Lake Agnes Teahouse then walk further to the teahouse at Plain of Six Glaciers.

6. Chase waterfalls: See Banff’s Bow Falls (more of a rapid, really), towering Takakkaw Falls west of Lake Louise, and Jasper’s Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls.

Don’t get swept off your feet by these incredible views! Photo by Canadian Photo Adventures

7. Experience music in the mountains: Sit front row at the Banff Centre outdoor concert series (supporting Canadian talent), and the Canmore Folk Festival.

8. Rise and shine for a hike: Beat the crowds and revel in rare beauty near Banff at Sunshine Meadows or Johnston Canyon, or Maligne Canyon near Jasper. Revel in their beauty before the crowds arrive. In mid to late September, see larch trees blaze gold at Larch Valley near Lake Louise.

9. Take to the water: Rent a canoe. Or take a cruise on Lake Minnewanka near Banff or Jasper’s Maligne Lake. Unwind with a soak in the Banff, Jasper or Radium hot springs. Raft wild rapids on the Kicking Horse River west of lake Louise, or the Sunwapta or Fraser rivers near Jasper.

10. Travel back in time at historic Fairmont hotels: Banff Springs, Chateau Lake Louise and Jasper Park Lodge. Visit their grounds, public spaces, recreation facilities, shops and restaurants.

The Castle in the Rockies sits between mountains and the Bow River. Photo by Fairmont Banff Springs