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ATV Tours
Banff ATV
Tours, is about 1.5 hours outside of Canmore but the drive to
their location is itself part of the fun, through some stunning
mountain scenery. They will pick people up in Canmore as part
of the tour package.
Banff National Park
Rates and other information from the
official website:
http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/tarifs-fees/tarif-fee_E.asp?Park=1
Some
great photos of the park.
Parks Canada, Banff National Park Visitor Page
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/index_E.asp.
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Bicycle / Mountain Biking
(Bike, Extreme Biking)
Trips
The town of Canmore is only 4 km away from the
Nordic Centre. The Nordic Centre hosted the first 1999 World
Solo 24 Hours of Adrenalin
Championship and the Diesel World Cup, winner of the Rainbow Award.
Without a doubt, the most scenic 24 Hours of Adrenalin takes place
at the Nordic Centre. Details on some of the
local trails.
Some
more details on local trails and bike rentals.
Aside from the Nordic Centre,
Banff National Park and the various other parks inside
Kananaskis Country offer their own numerous trails. Plus there
is always the trip from Canmore to Jasper for the serious road biker.
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Bird Watching / Nature
Study
The park systems cover a lot of area (approximately the size of England)
so there is plenty to see. Going to
Banff for bird watching is going to offer a somewhat different experience
than driving to Kananaskis for the Festival of Eagles.
With elk and big horn sheep sightings pretty much
a daily occurrence for those who know where to look. Anyone living
in the area has likely seen bears and cougars to. A decent nature site
to look at is http://www.mountainnature.com/
as it allows you to sort information by birds, animals or plants, offers
sightings and helpful hints.
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Canada Olympic Park
Home of the 1988 Olympic ski jump, bobsled and other events the
Canada Olympic Park is also a place to visit. If you follow
the Trans-Canada Highway from Calgary International
Airport to Canmore you can't miss the park. With events
happening during summer and winter, and a museum there is lots to do
here.
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Canoeing/Kayaking/River
Raft Trips/White Water Rafting
Depending on whether you want to explore things by yourself or go with
one of the
various companies that specializes in these activities. There
are numerous
lakes, and rivers. As hauling around a canoe/kayak/rafts and
equipment any great distance is never fun there are
rentals in the area.
River Ratings:
Bow River Class I - II
Kananaskis River Class I - III
Red Deer River Class I - III+
Elbow River Class II - IV
White Water Rafting
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Cross Country Skiing
From beginner to world class it is right there in Canmore. The
1988 Olympic cross country skiing events were held at the
Canmore Nordic Centre. The Nordic Centre offers over
70 km
of trails but for those who want to check out the scenery a little further
from Canmore there are plenty of
places to go.
There are also numerous tour companies and
tours to choose from. Also, to help you do some more research
as to which parks and trails are in which area you can refer to this
Cross Country Skiing Trail list.
Ski Rental Information
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Dog Sledding & Ski Jouring
My guess is most people would need to hook up with a
guide for these activities. Although you can sit back and
watch the annual Canmore
dogsled races. What is
Ski Jouring you may ask; well you take two dogs and a cross country
skier voila.
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Fall Colours
In the autumn of 2007
Banff was listed by the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA)
as one of the top places in Canada to see fall colours.
Click here for a link to the brief article. The Larch trees
are known for changing Vibrant yellow. You can often get a great
view by taking the gondola from Sunshine Village.
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Fishing & Ice Fishing
With world class
fishing exists all throughout the area.
Various trout, whitefish and artic grayling are the main type of
fish to catch.
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Jasper National Park
It is about 3.5 hours away from Canmore
but if you have the time and don't mind driving this is one of the
better drives on the planet. Here are some
photos of the scenery when you make it to Jasper.
Official Parks Canada information about Jasper
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/index_E.asp
Parks Canada, Jasper National Park Visitor Page
http://www.pc.gc.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper/visit/visit42_E.asp
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Golfing
In 2002 when I created this section the area was rated Best
Canadian Golf Destination by
ScoreGolf readers choice awards.
Which is understandable considering the Kananaskis courses of
Mt Kidd and Lorette have been rated
Best Value in Canada by a number of publishers.
The
Banff Springs was given a gold medal for
Best Scenery (along with Mt Kidd and Lorette received a bronze
medal), a silver medal for
Best Golf Resort and has one of the 18 best holes in the world (Golf
Digest).
Silver Tip, located right in Canmore is also rated as one of the
top 100 courses in Canada.
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Hiking
The
Canmore trails start about a 2 minute walk from the condo and just
keep going. There is a trail guide book in the bookshelf at the
condo to help guests who want to explore. Some of the Canmore
trails connect to
Banff and
Kananaskis trails. There is a good
Kananaskis map which shows trails south of Canmore.
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Horseback Riding &
Pack Trips
There are
numerous outfits that provide trips through the Rockies. Whether
horse back riding or a sled ride through the snow everyone is taken
care of.
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Hot Springs
There are
3 commercial hot springs throughout the southern Rockies.
A hot spring is like a public pool but is fed from the natural
hot springs in the area.
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Hot Tub
There are a few hot tubs located within the Canmore Crossing complex.
For example, in building C at 1120 Railway ave there is a large hot tub
located on the roof with mountain views. Renters get access to the
hot tubs during the hours that the hot tubs are open. Hot tub
towels are provided in the suite.
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Hunting
As numerous parks are near by, a hunter will need to know the
hunting restrictions, and
locations that are okay to hunt in.
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Internet Access
I'm still debating about putting a computer in the unit, there isn't
one there now. However, there are a few different Internet cafes
in Canmore and Banff, The last time I checked Rocky
Mountain Bagel Co., Beamer's Coffee Bar to name just two. Most are
on either Main St, or Bow Valley Trail. I recommend doing
an up to date search.
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Mountain Climbing/Rock
Climbing/Ice Climbing
A good place to start for those expert climbers willing to set out on
their own is the
web site of a local climber. For those needing a little more
guidance (remember gravity works and a fall can kill) there are
plenty of tour companies in the area. In the hub of the most developed
rock climbing area in the Canadian Rockies here are
a few of the climbs.
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Museums
For those willing to travel far and wide there are
museums of every type. The
Royal Tyrrell Museum while just under a 3 hour drive away (from
Canmore, 1.5 hours from Calgary possible trip, with appropriate planning
to or from the Calgary Airport) is a must see for any dinosaur lovers.
Closer to home and on a smaller scale are the
Canmore and
Banff museums.
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Offroading
Choose between
ATVs, LandRovers, or
Hummers. The tour guides will set you on the right
track, however, there is an area in Kananaskis Country, called
McLean Creek Off-Highway
Vehicles area set aside just for off road vehicles.
The
McLean Creek/Sibbald Off-Highway Vehicle & Snowmobile Trails
guide.
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Pool
(Swimming Pool)
There is a state of the art indoor pool complete with a hot tub at the
Canmore Recreation Centre. The Rec Centre is located at 1900 - 8th
Ave. Canmore, Alberta, T1W 1Y2. For more information on hours,
etc., contact the Centre at (403) 678-5597
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Restaurants
Canmore
itself offers plenty of dining opportunities within a 5 minute walk
of the condo. The town of
Banff is just a short drive away and restaurants in both areas are
listed as some of the best places to eat in Alberta. One of the
best rated restaurants will be moving in to the same building as the
condo shortly. With close to 80 places to eat from a short walk
to a 15 minute drive away there is something for everyone.
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Sightseeing
Whether close to
Canmore, off in to the National Parks of
Banff,
Jasper,
Yoho, or
Kootenay there is plenty to see and do. If you have lots of
time and want to see the area from
Edmonton all the way to the border you'll see the plains to the
mountains to the badlands (desert like) surroundings of
Drumheller. For a little diversification take the Trans-Canada
#1 from the airport to Canmore but take the alternate route 1A back.
The 1A follows the Bow River for a slight change of scenery for those
who have taken the more traveled route.
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Skating
(Ice Skating, Skateboarding)
Indoor Skating at the Canmore Recreation Centre at 1900 - 8th Ave, .
Canmore, Alberta, T1W 1Y2. For more informatoin call (403)
678-5597. There is also a skateboard park here as well.
Outdoor Ice Skating, check out this
website.
Skiing and Snowboarding
Canmore is a great place
as a home base for those wishing to downhill ski or snowboard with
many resorts within 45 minutes of the condo.
More details about resorts, including
drive times. For 3rd party information (from the town of
Canmore) click here for
more details.
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Lake
Louise the largest ski/snowboard resort in the Rockies (at least
until 2007).When Kicking Horse just over the boarder in BC is
set to become the largest ski/boarding resort in the Canadian Rockies.
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Mount
Norquay -- Just minutes from the town of Banff, Mount Norquay
has everything you need for a great day of skiing or riding, no matter
what your ability.
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Nakiska
1988 Olympic downhill events were held here, about 45 minutes south
of Canmore.
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Sunshine Village
Rated as Calgary Herald's Reader's Choice Award, crowned with Edmonton
Journal's "King of the Mountains" award and Ski Magazine Gold medals
for : Terrain, Challenge, Value, and Scenery; Silver medal for Dining
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Wintergreen Slightly smaller and not quite as thrilling as the
other resorts.
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Fortress
Mountain -- Closed for 2005 may not reopen. Fortress mountain is a very unpretentious ski area
that caters to skiers and snowboarders who appreciate powder snow,
affordable prices, no crowds, rugged Rocky Mountain scenery and down
home friendly service.
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Kicking Horse - the furthest resort away at just over a 1.5 hour
drive but well worth it for the serious skier. In 2004 it was
rated the best resort for powder skiing in the world by
CNN and Travel + Leisure Magazine
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Mount Norquay, Sunshine and Lake
Louise offer a
tri-pass for those who want to enjoy all three mountains.
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For the die hard there is
cat skiing, and
heli skiing. For those who wish to go but have never been
you may want to
read up on the activities for helpful tips.
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Canmore
Ski Rental Information
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Snowmobiling
There is a company named
Banff
Snowmobile Tours that is actually located outside of Canmore 1.5
hours but they will pick people up in Canmore as part of their tour
package. It is my understanding that they get most of the business out
of Canmore/Banff Town. The drive from Canmore to their location is
stunning in itself.
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Snowshoeing
A number of the same trails used for hiking and biking in the summer
can be used for Snowshoeing. A good place to start is the
Canmore Nordic Centre. Snowshoes can be rented by the day
for $15.00.
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Trail Running
Plenty of
trails and races to get the blood flowing.
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White Water Rafting
Whether you do a more leisurely float down the Bow River or more full on
white water rafting at Kicking Horse there is something for all levels.
I've tried to stay impartial and offer links to various rafting
companies but many come and go and then my links point to no where.
A company that offers a very good site and who appears to know what they
are doing and has been around for a while is
Canadian Rockies Rafting, another
popular company is the
Canmore Rafting Centre.
Whether you choose to go with another company you find, I would still
recommend visiting one of these sites to find answers to
common questions about rafting in the area.
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Windsurfing
Keep in mind that the water can be cold since it is glacier fed (dry
suit recommended, wet suit at a minimum) but
windsurfing opportunities do exist quite close to Canmore in Lac
Des Arc (by Dead Man's Flats) or Ghost Lake..
A couple of hours drive away in the
Columbia Valley the water is warmer and the winds are also good.
Here is a very good website for
windsurfing in
Alberta
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