any suggestions of what to do, anything off the regular path, great places to eat, etc?

thanks a bunch

 

go ski in sunshine mountain!
and remember u must eat at the grizzly house.
and remember to try all the exotic meats. its pricey...but special
u must make reservations!

 

take a glacier walk!

 

Giorgio's is a very fine Italian restaurant on the main drag in Banff. Be sure to try their signature dish. I forget the name of it, but ask the server - it's got lasagna type noodles wrapped around ham IIRC and then baked slightly so it's all crispy. Yum!

Cave and Basin has some unique displays, and you can watch a film about, and then see the actual spot which gave birth to Canada's first national park. Well worth it for someone who's never been. You can ride a gondola for some site seeing, and also bathe in hot springs at the Upper Hot Springs. It's outdoors, and the water's always 40* I think, so it's fun winter or summer.

Driving wise, if you take Highway 1A, the Bow Valley Parkway, instead of Highway 1 between Lake Louise and Banff, you get a nice scenic drive with some sections that have nice curves. Two lanes only, and in the winter it might be a bit dodgy, but it's all weather dependent. Chateau Lake Louise is lovely to look at, and the Lake is beautiful.

Of course, the Banff Springs Hotel is always nice to visit, just to see the architecture. Bow Falls is quite close by too, and is lovely to see winter or summer. The water's probably still frozen at this point though, so I think the hiking paths right next to the Falls are still closed. There's a tea house out in the woods near Bow Falls, but I've never been to it. There are a bunch of restaurants inside Banff Springs too, all are very very good!

Skiing wise, you have a choice between Sunshine, Lake Louise or Norquay. All are good, though I rate Sunshine and Louise over Norquay - but at Norquay you can buy hourly lift tickets if you're short on time.

Canmore's quite lovely too, a bustling small town now. More development there than in Banff because it's just outside the park gate. If you are still looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend Banff Boundary Lodge in Harvey Heights (basically just outside Canmore). About $100 per night gets you a two bedroom condo type unit with kitchen. Quiet, and lots of space. Can't beat that price, for what you get, in Banff or in Canmore. www.banffboundarylodge.com - I always stay there when I go ski. Though my boss just made an offer on a condo in Canmore...have to look into borrowing that from him!

 

lake louise has longer runs over sunshine. goto lake louise, you'll be pleased.