The 10 Best Things to Do in Canmore

Canmore, Alberta. Perfectly located on the edge of the Canadian Rockies, it is one of our favourite places in Canada. Favourite places anywhere, really. It just has so many of the things we love – amazing scenery, terrific natural surroundings, excellent hiking, a wealth of pubs, the list goes on. So we know that anytime we decide to include it in one of our many trips to the mountains, we know there are more than enough things to do in Canmore to keep us busy, whether for a short stop or longer stay.

Plus, it’s just such an active, outdoorsy city. It seems that everyone here – both residents and visitors – are constantly up to something physical, be it hiking, biking, climbing, golfing, or even just chasing some of the rabbits around that have taken over the joint since some soft-hearted soul decided to bestow glorious freedom on their pets back a decade or so ago.

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With so much to do, and such easy access from home (roughly a 7-hr drive from Saskatoon), we have visited Canmore many times, from short camping visits to 1-month apartment stays. These days we lean more toward longer stays in fewer destinations, giving us a chance to explore more thoroughly, familiarize ourselves and, of course, not have a long, tiring travel day twice a week.

The 10 Best Things to Do in Canmore

No matter how much time you have to spend in Canomre, though, you should be able to make use of our list of the best things to do in Canmore. Not surprisingly, considering the fabulous mountain setting, the list starts off with hiking. Between Canmore, Kananaskis, Banff, Lake Louise and even Kootenay and Yoho, the hard part isn’t finding a great trail, it’s narrowing down the list.

Over the years, we’ve spent our time in Canmore frantically tackling as many of the top hikes as possible, each one seemingly leading us to another idea or recommendation. Tough problem to have, I know.

1. Go for an Easy Hike or Stroll

There are many choices for an easy walk or stroll in the town of Canmore and you can read about them in much more details on our list of Best Easy Hikes Near Canmore, but our three favourites in town are the following:

Policeman Creek Boardwalk

It’s in the middle of the town of Canmore but is surprisingly scenic and peaceful. Anyone in Canmore should take the time to wander down this trail.

Bow River West Path to Three Sisters Pathway

This path starts in Canmore and follows along the Bow River on the west side. You can go all the way to the end of the Three Sisters Pathway. River and mountain views are the main features of this flat walk.

Grassi Lakes

The Grassi Lakes trail is very popular due to both its close proximity to Canmore and the view of the startingly coloured lakes. It is 4 km and can be made into a loop.

Canmore Hoodoos Trail

Located just over on the east side of the highway, this easy and scenic little trail takes you up, over and past a set of fascinating hoodoos with great views of the city and the mountains looming behind.

2. See Sunrise at the Three Sisters Viewpoint

The Three Sisters mountains are include 3 individual mountains – Faith, Hope, and Charity. This viewpoint is a good place to get an iconic photo from Canmore. It rated highly on Laynni’s list of best photo spots around Canmore where she describes how to find this spot. It’s best to get here for sunrise as it is more serene and increases the chance of the river being calm for capturing the reflection.

3. Tackle One of the Epic Day Hikes Near Canmore

Canmore is a hiking wonderland, surrounded by world class day hikes due to its central location in the Canadian Rockies. It is within an hour or two of the best hikes in Banff National Park, Yoho National Park and Kananaskis Country. We went into depth on our favourite hikes in the area in our Best Hikes Near Canmore, but these are our top choices:

Smutwood Peak

Even with less than ideal weather the tremendous Smutwood Peak hike made it to the top of our list. The views after the pass of the two alpine lakes and surrounding mountains are spectacular and only get better as you climb higher.

Tent Ridge Horseshoe Hike

The Tent Ridge Horseshoe hike is different than most in the area as it doesn’t require at least an hour of steady uphill hiking to get past the treeline and into the view stage of the hike. After a short hike in and a scramble up the views continue for hours as you traverse up and down the narrow horseshoe shaped ridge. The views of the reflections in Spray Lakes can be particularly impressive.

Devil’s Thumb in Lake Louise

This hike starts on Lake Louise then follows the popular path to Lake Agnes and its classic teahouse, up the switchbacks to the Big Beehive viewpoint over Lake Louise and finally another 200 meters of elevation gain up to Devil’s Thumb. This hike gives the best viewpoint of any hike in the Lake Louise area as it looks over the amazing blue of Lake Louise and Lake Agnes at the same time.

4. Go See the Larches

Larch season is a pretty big deal, let me tell you, and only lasts for about 2 weeks from mid-September to early October. A larch is a tree in the tamarack family with needles that turn yellow and fall off like leaves and we have spent the better part of two fall visits now searching out our next “great larch hike”.

It also means that the whole area gets very busy and almost festive in the fall, teeming with eager hikers flocking out to enjoy the larches – seeing them, photographing them, touching them (the needles are surprisingly soft, like cat fur or a really old banana), smelling them (although they don’t smell like much of anything). So, rather than a quiet, end of season wind-down feel, you can expect to see a lot more people on the trails and occasionally full parking lots at trailheads.

We were also pleasantly excited to discover “Larch Island” on Google Maps, located, as luck would have it, right in Canmore, and only about a 15-minute walk from our door. Ideal! Except for the fact that, as far as we can tell, it contains not a single larch. Other than that, it’s pretty cool. But there are other larches in the town of Canmore so a long hike is not necessary to see them.

5. Go for a Bike Ride

Of course, one of the great advantages of doing a trip close to home is having our own vehicle, meaning freedom of movement and, even better, freedom to pack a lot more than we can fit in a 45L backpack. Which means, occasionally, golf clubs and bikes. Neither of which particularly interest Laynni, although she occasionally will overcome her wariness to join me for a mountain bike journey.

Legacy Trail

The Banff Legacy Trail is a classic Rockies activity. It is an easy (we still disagree over this description) 20 km paved path between Banff and Canmore. If you don’t have bikes there are places in both Canmore and Banff to rent them and helmets. Our friends used Snowtips-Bactrax in Banff which had a better rate than the ones we checked out in Canmore.

You can cycle the trail both ways for a total of 40 km or use two vehicles to ferry the bikes/people as needed. The trail has more overall downhill when going from Banff to Canmore if that helps make your decision – it certainly helped Laynni. Another option is to rent the bike in Banff, bike to Canmore and take the bus back (they will transport bikes on a rack on the front). The trail goes mostly along the highway but is still very scenic with a rest stop in the middle.

Goat Creek Trail

You can also tackle the rougher, rockier Goat Creek Trail from the hills above Canmore all the way down to Banff, then back on the much simpler Legacy Trail. Fun, scenic, and informative in that I learned no matter how much we hike, 45 km on bike is more than enough to completely rubberize my legs and turn me into one big, waddling ache the next day.

5. Visit Johnston Canyon

One of the most popular sites in the area, this beautiful, narrow canyon features several amazing waterfalls that can be reached via a smooth trail with a very gradual incline. The river has carved this amazing canyon out of the limestone over the course of many millennia and now, with wonderful rapids, spectacular waterfalls, narrow rock walls and terrific pools, Johnston Canyon is a true delight.

Oh yeah, did I mention the whole thing takes place in a lush, green forest? There is a reason it was one of the choices on our favourite 15 Easy Hikes Near Canmore. To top it all off, you can actually visit Johnston Canyon year-round – the frozen winter waterfalls offer an entirely different and memorable.

6. Drive the Smith Dorrien Trail

This dirt road goes out the back of Canmore past Grassi Lakes. The Smith Dorrien Trail starts winding up to a pass between the Lawrence Grass and Rundle mountains and there are great views back over Canmore along the way. This part of the road is particularly narrow and you might get stuck behind someone who is not used to driving on gravel roads but after the pass the road gets wider. Although you will encounter rough washboarding occasionally along the entire road.

Some of the best hikes near Canmore are along this road including many of our favourites – Smutwood Peak, Tent Ridge and Chester Lake. Even if you don’t want to hike, the drive is still worth it as the views, mountains, lakes and reflections are spectacular.

7. Play a World-Class Golf Course

Stewart Creek is one of the top-ranked courses in the country and it fully lives up to the billing, even if the weather didn’t really cooperate the day I played it. It’s never great when the starter’s first tee briefing includes the phrase, “I’ve been here 6 years now and I’ve never seen wind like this”.

Throw in a bit of occasional rain and a few more beer than is ideal from an athletic standpoint and we were fully prepared to be terrible, even by our standards, but it actually went pretty well. I mean, not great, but we didn’t run out of balls or anything. I have also played several rounds at Kananaskis Golf Course, which has two sets of 18 holes and is often named “favourite course in the Rockies” by avid golfers in the area.

I’ve never played Silvertip but it is also considered one of the best courses in Alberta, while Canmore Golf and Curling Club is less famous but still very impressive.

8. Have a Drink on one of Canmore’s Decks

There are a lot of choices of outdoor decks on which to have a beverage after enjoying any of the other things to do in Canmore. Among our favourites are The Grizzly Paw, The Wood, the Drake and, up on the hill for the best view of the options, Iron Goat Pub. But any of the many pubs and decks will do in a pinch.

9. Go Horseback Riding

There are great horseback riding opportunities in the Kananaskis Valley, a short drive from Canmore. Boundary Ranch is a good choice offering a range of choices from 1 hour up to a full day’s ride. Riding through the spectacular natural beauty of the area is an opportunity that should not be missed.

10. Have Breakfast Out

Canmore has a lot of options for breakfast but our top recommendation to start your day out right is the Summit Cafe. It specializes in Mexican style breakfasts, baked goods and free trade coffee. If you want breakfast-to-go, a good choice is the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company. It’s very popular and often lined up down the street.

Where to Stay in Canmore

A benefit of slow travel and staying for a month is that we can also rent a fully-equipped apartment, get a monthly rate and have plenty of space and all the comforts of home. We stayed at the Canadian Rockies Chalets and it was excellent – well-equipped, roomy and walking distance to grocery stores and downtown. A couple other good choices are Base Camp Chalets (next door) and the Lamphouse Inn, which is right downtown.

Mount Kidd RV Park is one of the best campgrounds in the Rockies and a great place to base yourself close to all the best Kananaskis hikes.

Other Canmore Lists

Now, back to hiking, our main focus during our time here, which has been one endless string of awesome viewpoints, spectacular lakes and grandiose valleys. Each and every one seemingly starting off with a couple hours trudging steeply uphill through the trees before reaching the good stuff. At least pee spots are easy to come by.

Anyway, for those interested in reading more about all the different hikes we’ve tackled in the area, we have grouped them into a series of separate posts with maps, descriptions, distances, times, difficulty and GPS links. And photos, lots of photos.

Best Hikes Near Canmore

Not surprisingly, the most impressive hikes we found were all relatively difficult (i.e. 4+ hours). I guess great views and hike difficulty go hand in hand. Nobody wants to do a 15 km hike with 800 metres of elevation gain unless there is a pretty good payoff at the end. Well, except fitness freaks, of which there are many around here. But I assure you that all the hikes on this list are well worth the burning thighs, aching feet and stale trail-side sandwiches.

Best Easy Hikes Near Canmore

One word can change everything, can’t it? Since we know that there are a lot of people out there who aren’t interested in spending a whole day climbing a mountain, here is a list of shorter, more manageable hikes that still provide great scenery and mountain adventure without necessarily requiring you to sweat completely through your favourite pair of trip underwear. Excellent reward to effort ratios, all around.

Best Larch Hikes

Larch Season, baby, it’s quite a phenomenon. And for good reason, getting out onto the trails when the larches are at their brightest yellow, contrasting nicely with all the green firs and pines and the luminescent blue of the mountain lakes, well, it’s easy to see why people flock out here in late September like teachers to the free samples in Costco.

Best Photo Spots Near Canmore

Laynni’s latest photographic obsession, she has dedicated herself to finding all the places where gorgeous mountain scenery is reflected off the glassy surface of a peaceful alpine lake or river like a too-good-to-be-true 2 for 1 pizza deal. Needless to say, I have to tread very lightly around her on windy days.

Places to See Around Canmore

Lake O’Hara: Your Complete Hiking and Camping Guide

Elbow Lake and Rae Glacier Hike

Drumheller: The Ultimate Guide to Alberta’s Dinosaur Capital

7 Reasons to Visit Drumheller’s Royal Tyrrell Museum

Or if your next stop is on the other side of the border:

Floe Lake – Numa Creek Loop: An Epic Backcountry Adventure

Things to Do in Invermere That Will Keep You Busy Year Round

5 BC Hot Springs Near Invermere

Summary

Canmore is a terrific city surrounded by incredible mountains and enough opportunities for outdoor adventure to last a lifetime. If you’re into hiking, biking and other active pursuits, Canmore is an ideal destination for you, but even if you lean towards more relaxing activies, Canmore has plenty to keep you occupied. You don’t want to miss it!

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