In Winter, Canada's Banff National Park is So Much More Than a Skiers' Paradise

While the park is home to a trio of downhill ski resorts, Jen Murphy finds that other offerings, including new Nordic spas and guided ice hiking, means there is a seasonal adventure for everyone.Ian PattersonMy view from the foot of gleaming Victoria Glacier was straight out of a snow globe. Two shaggy ebony draft horses pulled a vintage sleigh along a powdery path that hugged the shores of frozen Lake Louise. Lycra-clad Nordic skiers glided across the snow-dusted ice, navigating around life-size snowmen. In the far distance a ray of sun glinted off the turret of an ice-sculpted castle, a mini version of the grand Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel, which stands sentinel over this unbelievably pretty patch of wilderness in Banff National Park. A soft gust of wind swirled a flurry of flakes across the scene. The winter wonderland in front of me was magical enough to make even the most die-hard snowbirds reconsider the season.I've always felt winter could be approached in two ways: You could be lazy and binge Netflix for three months, or you could be sporty and get after it in the mountains. But a weeklong trip to the Banff and Lake Louise region of Alberta opened my eyes to a gratifying middle ground. This area is a true winter playground, where you could downhill-ski or engage with the elements in so many other ways: snowshoeing, going for a horse-drawn sleigh ride, or watching the snowflakes fall while you're soaking in an outdoor hot tub. My time ended up being more about appreciating nature than conquering it on the slopes.A seat with a view inside Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Ian PattersonI arrived in early January on the tail of one of the area's snowiest Decembers on record, though you couldn't tell from the landscape around Calgary airport. Umber-hued prairies and agricultural land surround the gateway city, and it wasn't until 40 minutes into my 90-minute drive west on the Trans-Canada Highway that the Great Plains transitioned to the Canadian Rockies and the sky started nuking snow.Home to SkiBig3—a trio of resorts that include Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise Ski Resort, and the mom-and-pop Mount Norquay—Banff National Park was the place to be during a winter in which most of the American West suffered a snow drought. In my 20s I would have driven straight from the airport to the ski slopes. Now in my mid-40s, with an unpredictable knee, back-to-back, bell-to-bell days have lost their appeal. But the childlike joy of playing in the snow has not. And Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise was the perfect base for “soft” winter adventure.The resort's address, in the heart of Banff National Park overlooking glacier-fed Lake Louise, envelops guests in nature. No surprise—Lake Louise was originally developed for outdoor tourism. In 1885, after the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in, future company president William Cornelius Van Horne built hotels along the route. Among the first, the Banff Springs Hotel was designed for horseback sightseeing. The Chalet at Lake Louise, a humble log cabin, was marketed as a destination for fishing, canoeing, and alpinism. Van Horne hired Swiss guides to teach his guests to safely navigate the mountains, and they are partially responsible for introducing locals to the sport of skiing.A horse-drawn sleigh ride around Lake Louise Ian PattersonIn 1925 the original Chalet, which had been damaged in a fire, was reimagined as Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, a grand, Renaissance Revival–style resort with 539 rooms and suites. Today, a century after opening, some characteristics—like its staff dressed in lederhosen-inspired uniforms and its fondue-focused restaurant, Walliser Stube—nod to the original Swiss influence, and the lobby-level Guide's Cabin, decorated with vintage photos and stocked with books on alpine living, continues the property's mountaineering legacy. Through the hotel, guests can sign up for snowshoe hikes or Bavarian curling lessons and rent ice skates and Nordic skis.My first morning, I met guide Kevin Kirkpatrick at the cabin for an activity called Powderfest Snowshoeing. I've long found snowshoeing a little snoozy and worried how we'd fill the allotted three hours. The activity's name, it turned out, wasn't a cutesy marketing ploy. The resort has seven snowshoe trails, but because there was a base of 61 inches and another foot of fresh powder, we went “off-roading.”Leaving behind the groomed lakeshore trail, we trekked up the shoulder of Fairview Mountain, and all signs of civilization disappeared as we entered a frosted forest straight out of a Dr. Seuss story. “Really get in there and explore,” he encouraged as we wandered past fir and larch trees bent at cartoonish angles, their limbs heaving with snow. I followed him up a massive mound of powder only to catch the metal cleat of my snowshoe on a branch and topple backward, leaving an imprint like a gigantic snow angel.Time flew as Kirkpatrick shared wisdom on everything from the current weather anomaly to how, in 1882, Edwin Hunter, a member of the Stoney Nakoda, first led a young European wrangler, Tom Wilson, to what the Indigenous people of this area called Ho-run-num-nay (Lake of the Little Fishes). He chose to ignore the name and anointed it Emerald Lake for its jewel-colored waters. Two years later the government changed the moniker to Louise to honor a daughter of Queen Victoria, Princess Louise Caroline Alberta.An ice climber on the Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail Ian PattersonI returned to the hotel thoroughly exhausted from hours of high-stepping and grateful that I was booked for a session at Basin Glacial Waters, Fairmont's new, guests-only thermal bathhouse. Designed by Italian architect Matteo Thun, the building, with floor-to-ceiling windows that frame the lake and towering peaks at every turn, feels like part of the landscape. This is the epitome of nature bathing, I thought as I took in the views from the hot-stone room, silent salt chamber, and indoor-outdoor vitality pool.I didn't think it was possible to distract me from the dramatic vista, but Basin's signature Aufguss sauna ritual, the conclusion to my multisensory journey, was impossible to ignore. This choreographed sauna performance popular across Europe has only recently been introduced to North American spas. For 15 minutes our sauna master, Kyan Van Haasteren, a young, blond Dutchman, theatrically waved a towel over scorching sauna stones to waft steam toward me and 32 other guests. He danced around the 185-degree-Fahrenheit space to an upbeat soundtrack of Luis Fonsi while smashing snowballs scented with aromatic oils over the hot stones to release the fragrance of Siberian fir. It felt more like a Vegas show than a wellness ritual, but the entertainment took my mind off the discomfort of the heat. I exited in a sweaty daze and willed myself to follow Van Haasteren's lead and dunk myself into the outdoor cold plunge. In seconds the tingling numbness gave way to a heady euphoria. I looked up to see the start of a steady snow spiraling down, one that wouldn't let up until late the next day.I may not be a first-to-last-chair skier any longer, but I'm still motivated to score fresh tracks on a powder day. By 8 a.m. the next morning, I was on the complimentary Fairmont shuttle with a throng of stoked skiers for the 10-minute transfer to Lake Louise Ski Resort. With three ways up the front of the mountain, there's rarely a line. And once you're on the mountain, it's easy to spread out. With this season's addition of Richardson's Ridge, 200 acres of beginner- and intermediate-friendly glades and groomers, the resort owns bragging rights as the third biggest ski area in Canada, with 4,200 acres of skiable terrain. Throughout the day I experienced moments that felt more like backcountry than resort riding, especially in the rowdy inbounds steeps of the West Bowl.Gearing up to snowshoe at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Ian PattersonI spent the morning lapping bowl runs off the Summit Chair, but in the afternoon the visibility disappeared, making a drop down black diamond Rodney's Ridge downright vertigo-inducing. I'd gotten my fix of SkiBig3's “Prosecco Powder” (wonderfully light, dry snow), and I won't lie—the other incentive that got me up and out early was the promise of lunch at Whitehorn Bistro. The acclaimed views from this upscale, on-mountain restaurant were obscured, but that didn't damper the deliciousness of its farm-to-table dishes, like pickled beet carpaccio with goat cheese and crispy duck with black cherry jus.With a solid half day of riding under my belt, I left the resort to work off my lunch on the Nordic trails of the Lake Louise campground with Clare McCann, the high-energy owner of Bikescape. Her lighthearted guiding philosophy was an ideal match for my novice cross-country ski skills and the tricky conditions. Heavy wet snow would cement our skis to the ground the minute we stopped propelling forward. “Shimmy, shimmy, shimmy, glide,” she repeated like a mantra as we haltingly made our way around the four-mile Bow River Loop. The trail was so silent that the only sound was my retro SkiBig3 pass flapping on the side of my jacket.When we reached the wood bridge overlooking the river, she handed me a homemade cowboy cookie studded with chocolate chips and pecans and told me about her partnership with Heather Black, a guide from the Kainaiwa Nation, the people who have inhabited this sweep of southern Alberta for more than 10,000 years. Black weaves Indigenous storytelling and a smudge ceremony into the Nordic experience. “Sometimes we get too wrapped up in the adventure—the speed, the adrenaline, the scenery,” she said when we returned to the trailhead. “The real power of being outside is slowing down to listen and learn from a place.”Good Folk’s wild boar chop Ian PattersonElk meatballs at The Fat Ox in Banff Ian PattersonThose words stuck with me as I drove 50 minutes southeast to the town of Banff. Compared with Lake Louise, it's a bustling tourism hub, but thanks to strict design guidelines, the businesses downtown—even the Starbucks and the McDonald's—are housed in intentionally rustic spaces built from local stone and wood. Over the last few years, new businesses have enlivened the downtown area. Some of these arrivals include locavore-focused restaurants Good Folk and Farm & Fire, and the 67-room boutique Kenrick Hotel, a hip remodel of the former High Country Inn that added a third-wave coffee shop, a thermal circuit spa, and a stellar Italian restaurant, The Fat Ox. Even the classic sticky-floored late-night club, the Dusty Boot Saloon & Dance Hall, has been reinvented as Banff's take on Jackson Hole's Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, complete with a shiny, boot-shaped disco ball and a karaoke room.I kept things old-school and checked in to Fairmont Banff Springs, nicknamed the Castle in the Rockies for its Scottish-baronial-style architecture and perch overlooking the town. The hotel was another vision of railway executive Van Horne, who famously said, “If we can't export the scenery, we'll import the tourists.”Today Banff National Park sees more than 4.25 million visitors every year; nearly two thirds come during summer. But a week into my trip, I began to think that winter might be the more enchanting season. On my final day I joined Discover Banff Tours on an excursion to Johnston Canyon for its Icewalk experience. In the parking lot our guide, Jeff Doherty, outfitted our group of six in Yaktrax—ice-gripping cleats that attach to shoes—then had us briskly hike a half mile over slick paths and bridges to the lower falls before the big bus tour groups arrived.The canyon was pure quietude, and we had it to ourselves. When the pace slowed, I was able to admire the feathery moss suspended in frost on the forest floor, the icy old man's beard lichen dangling from the trees, and, most of all, the frozen ribbons of electric blue cascades. About a mile of slippery uphill trail led us to the upper falls, a stream of water plunging behind a veil of ice. I stood in front of Mother Nature's ice sculpture in awe. “It's like seeing the Mona Lisa alone in the Louvre,” said Doherty. “In summer you'd be elbowing iPhones out of the way for a view, let alone a photo.”A few weeks after I'd returned home to Colorado, I read that Alberta had been hit by a warm spell that doused the mountains in rain, turning the slopes into sheets of ice. Some friends had taken their family on a ski trip per my recommendation. When I asked about their vacation, they told me they hadn't skied once, but they had the best time dogsledding, night tubing, and ice-skating. In an age when weather is unforgivingly unpredictable, Banff, with its buffet of activities, might be the closest thing to a guaranteed winter escape, no matter your preferred pace of adventure. My trip showed me that winter isn't just about high-voltage powder days at the ski resort. It can be enjoyed at a slower pace. I was even inspired to buy a pair of my own snowshoes.Get thereDirect flights to Calgary International Airport are available from more than a dozen major US hubs. Banff National Park is an easy 90-minute drive west on the Trans-Canada Highway.Where to stayLakefront grande dame Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise offers every imaginable snowy activity, from horse-drawn sleigh rides to curling. In winter an outdoor bar built from 240 blocks of ice serves mulled wine and spiked cocoa. Only hotel guests have access to Basin Glacial Waters, a sprawling thermal bathhouse. Don't miss the excellent hotel bookshop, curated with out-of-print editions on the area's mountaineering history.One of the park's first hotels, Fairmont Banff Springs, recently added a new wing of larger, family-friendly suites with bunk beds and adjoining rooms. An on-site skating rink has a pop-up sugar shack that serves maple treats, and the adventure center rents fat-tire bikes and arranges guided evening snowshoe tours. Of the 13 dining venues, 1888 Chophouse, known for its Alberta Wagyu, is a standout.A refreshing boutique alternative to Banff's palatial resorts, the reimagined Kenrick Hotel has an outpost of Calgary's Analog Coffee, a guests-only hydrotherapy spa that stays open until midnight, and one of the town's top tables, Alpine Italian–inspired Fat Ox.Tucked away on Sulphur Mountain, 320-room resort Rimrock Banff, Emblems Collection debuted a sleek makeover last summer. The first property in Accor's new über-luxe Emblems Collection features a bathhouse of saunas, glacial plunges, and infinity pools, plus a cocktail-forward vinyl listening room and in-house guides who can take guests on glacier treks and ice canyon walks.Where to eat and drinkReservations are a must at white-tablecloth Dining Room at the Post Hotel and Spa, known for its 25,000-plus-bottle wine cellar and European-inspired menu of dishes like roasted chateaubriand and Dover sole with saffron beurre blanc.The house-made sourdough alone makes it worth pausing on a powder day for lunch at ski-in, ski-out restaurant Whitehorn Bistro off the Grizzly Gondola of Lake Louise Ski Resort. On a bluebird day request a patio seat.The Dusty Boot Saloon and Dance Hall was recently spiffed up and turned into an Old West saloon with a stage for live music and a menu of excellent cocktails, like the Cattleman's Old Fashioned, and elevated bar food, including addictive popcorn chicken and shrimp spiked with wasabi peas.At Good Folk, hearty breakfast dishes like banana caramel French toast will fuel your day's adventure. In the evening the menu showcases the local bounty in dishes like Alberta wild boar chop and a decadent bison burger topped with smoked cheddar and pepper bacon.Where to play and relaxJohnston Canyon, a labyrinth of limestone rocks and cascades, sees a fraction of the visitors in winter than in summer. But to make sure you have the frozen falls to yourself, book the morning Icewalk experience with Discover Banff Tours.Local outfitter Bikescape runs beginner-friendly Nordic ski tours on the trails within Banff National Park as well as electric fat-tire bike tours that include a backcountry lunch.Sit back and enjoy the views of Lake Louise from the seat of a horse-drawn sled. Brewsters Lake Louise Stables runs hour-long trips that follow the lake path; evening tours under the stars are extra special.SkiBig3's resorts offer something for everyone. Family-friendly Mount Norquay has night skiing and a thrilling tubing park. Every chairlift on the front side of Lake Louise Ski Resort has both an easy (green) and challenging (black) way down. Sunshine Mountain Lodge at Banff Sunshine Village has the area's only ski-in, ski-out lodging, and its big alpine views make you feel like you're downhilling in Europe.For the perfect detour en route to Calgary International Airport, Everwild Canmore, a new Nordic spa at the Everwild hotel in the town of Canmore, features a DIY outdoor thermal circuit as well as five-elements rituals, ranging from an herbal steam cleanse to an Aufguss ceremony. The spa lounge serves a shareable charcuterie and cheese board for two along with cocktails.This article appeared in the December 2026 issue of Condé Nast Traveler. Subscribe to the magazine here.