r/Banff • u/Alternative_Rule563 • 1d ago
Father/Daughter Trip in October
My Dad and I are doing a father/daughter trip in October. We fly into Calgary, rented a car and our destination is Cranbrook (where my sister and her family live), but we’re going to do a day/night in Banff. My Dad has always been very active, but a couple years ago he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of multiple myeloma, he did a tandem stem cell transplant and is now in remission, and there are no words for how special this trip is.
After battling cancer, and the drugs he takes to keep his cancer at bay, he is not the energetic, active man he used to be. While he can do some walking/light hikes, I don’t see us tackling any mountains together (and that’s okay!) I’m looking for some suggestions of activities that he and I can do while we’re there that wouldn’t be too taxing on his body, but would still let him experience the beauty that Banff and the Rockies have to offer.
Appreciate any and all suggestions!
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u/sanctifiedspace 1d ago edited 1d ago
On your way to Cranbrook the drive through Kootenay is beautiful. Marble Canyon is a short and easy trail around a beautiful canyon of chutes and falls with surrounding mountain views. Olive Lake is another nice & easy stop at a small, greeny blue lake. Definitely stop at the Radium canyon roadside to do a little walkabout there.
In Banff (Lake Louise to be exact, but not at the lake itself) the Bow River trail is very picturesque. Lake Louise will be less crowded but parking may still be a challenge depending on when exactly in October you’re visiting, but that lakeshore trail is a nice stop. You could head north up the Icefields for a very scenic drive and stop at the Crowfoot Glacier, and Bow Lake (park at the lodge for a lakeside stroll and views of the Bow Glacier). Peyto Lake is another short walk but depending on conditions the trail could be snowy - there is an accessible trail but again if it’s snowy I don’t know that that portion is maintained either (but not much further north from Bow Lake to suss out). Enjoy 🖤
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u/Alternative_Rule563 1d ago
Oh those are great suggestions! We won’t be in a rush, so we’ll enjoy checking out those stops. Thank you!
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u/NoodleKaboods 1d ago
There was construction at the Radium canyon last week when I drove through, no walking for the time being but I’m unsure when they’re done.
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u/Dull-Can3885 1d ago
Perhaps you guys could hike Tunnel Mountain?? It’s a ‘peak’ (technically) but it only takes about ~40 minutes to walk up (all switchbacks - nothing is steep or remotely technical) and has an amazing view of Banff/the bow valley. It’s right in town, so very accessible and maybe it’ll be a fun and special thing for the two of you to do!
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u/Alternative_Rule563 1d ago
I’ll check it out and see if my Dad is up for it ☺️ I’m letting him set the pace!
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u/YYCpops 1d ago edited 1d ago
Tunnel Mountain is not a 'light walk', it's quite steep and exhausting on some spots.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/canada/alberta/tunnel-mountain-summit
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u/Alternative_Rule563 1d ago
Good to know! I’m collecting options for now and will do a deep dive on all the options :)
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u/YYCpops 1d ago edited 22h ago
When I had a surgery 2 years ago, we went to Banff and did "window sightseeing" and short stops to the beautiful spots that the town of Banff has to offer. All without efforts.
Johnson Lake, Two Jack Lake, Minnewanka Lake, all beside the road.
Bow Falls by the Fairmont, Vermillion Lakes at sunset.
Park and walk along the river.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/D4qny7jJTVtxG83H8
Visit Cave and Basin, the birthplace of Banff
Drive to the Surprise Corner viewpoint, and further up Hoodoos Viewpoint.
Stroll through Cascade of Time Garden...
Drive up Mt. Norquay Road up to the bigger pullout in a curb, with the view down to Banff.
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u/sarahafskoven 1d ago
If he’s able, you can see fossils on the northeast end of Tunnel. There’s an exposed area of rock close to where the Rundle Mountain viewpoint is where, if you look closely, you can see exposed sea fossils from when the kind that has now become that ridge was below the Pacific.
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u/acidic_talk 1d ago
Vermillion Lake road is an easy very flat walk. Just go as far as you like and turn back. It’s close to the Tim Hortons if you need a little break afterwards.
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u/CoolDimension10 1d ago
We just got back from Banff. There are so many great views without long/hard hikes. My recos are moraine lake, lake Louise, Takakkaw falls, peyto lake, emerald lake, marble canyon..all easy and not long.
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u/NoodleKaboods 1d ago
What about e-bikes? Biking around the Vermillion lakes and onto the Bow Valley Parkway is super fun when its dry! The Parkway (highway 1A) is closed to cars until Oct 6th, you could make it all the way to Johnston canyon if you’re ambitious, or just find a nice spot to picnic along the way.
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u/Alternative_Rule563 1d ago
That’s a great suggestion, my dad was an avid cyclist, but unfortunately the cancer treatment has left him with neuropathy in his feet, so he hasn’t been as comfortable cycling.
Thank you though!
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u/NoodleKaboods 1d ago
Sorry to hear that. Banff being Banff, there might be some electric tandems for rent if that’s an option?
Vermillion Lakes is worth the drive either way, same for Johnston canyon and the whole 93 down to Radium/Invermere!
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u/NoodleKaboods 1d ago
Cave and Basin was also a surprisingly fun visit when I went a couple years ago with my folks.
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u/driedbanana1 1d ago
This is going way off topic, but I have myeloma too. I was prescribed vitamin B6 for neuropathy in my feet. I take 100mg a day. It started working after about a week.
All the best to you and your dad!
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u/Alternative_Rule563 1d ago
Thanks! My Dad is on it (and other things to treat it), and he actually just had an extended break off of his meds, but it’s been a very persistent symptom for him, especially after the tandem transplant. He has a gene mutation that makes his cancer aggressive, so his drug regime is normally pretty heavy.
I appreciate the suggestion, and hope you’re doing well in your treatment. 🫶🏻
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u/PNW_MYOG 19h ago
Drive kanaskis route. Bring a picnic lunch.
Have a fancy dinner or brinch in canmore or lake louise
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u/aloealoealoha 18h ago edited 17h ago
In the banff area, cascade ponds is a nice picnic area, it gets very busy but i think it should be pretty quiet in the fall/winter, i think there's fire pits if you do want to have a campfire. The walk over from casade of time gardens (if it is open) over to bow falls in town is also nice, it's about 30 minute walk if it's not too far (otherwise there is parking at both spots). In town there's also the gondola, some nordic spas or the upper hot springs?. The scenic drive around lake minnewanka is also very nice. There are also gondolas up around the ski resorts like banff sunshine you could do instead - sunshine is beautiful. Johnson canyon to lower falls only, vista lake, marble canyon should all be pretty short if he's able to do a few kms. There are also some flatter paved trails if he is in a wheelchair like sundance canyon, the lake louise shoreline, etc if that's an option! I think you could check out "accessible vacation" "banff" or something like that for ideas. maybe check out 'day use areas' and shoreline trails since htey tend to be fairly flat and easier to access.
If you have the time, I always suggest a trip up to the ice fields parkway, even if it's just up to bow lake or saskatchewn river crossing - seeing the glaciers is just something else and it's far less crowded than lake louise/moraine. There are tons of stops along the highway, some of them (peyto, mistaya etc) require a very short walk in, while others are literally pull ins from the highways - they are all incredible, you are not missing anything by skipping some and choosing others. The lakes might be frozen over/snow overed, you can check the lake louise webcam for an idea of what it'll be like. Even if it is covered it's my favourite. i know you're asking about banff but calgary itself is also a nice city if you have a day or two to check out museums, riverside parks, etc. if you want a scenic drive, the highwood pass is also nice, the road does close in winter tho so just need to check winter closure dates.
If you do stop a lot at random spots to do picnics, it might be nice to bring an insulating foam pad to sit on (or like an inflatable camp sleeping pad), some extra blankets, and a camp stove to make hot drinks, hot food, etc!
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u/vinsdelamaison 9h ago
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/driving/winter/pdfs/sirmap.pdf
Make sure your rental meets the law. You need to meet the requirements for October 1 driving to Cranbrook.
Winter tires
7.162 (1)
A winter tire under section 208 of the Act must have at least 3.5 mm of tread depth.
(2)
A winter tire under section 208 of the Act must
(a)
when tested in accordance with section 5 (4) (a) of the Motor Vehicle Tire Safety Regulations (Canada) meet or exceed the traction index prescribed by that section, or
(b)
meet the specifications adopted by the Rubber Manufacturers Association to be labelled on a sidewall with the letters "M" and "S".
(3)
A winter tire under section 208 of the Act must be labelled on a sidewall by the manufacturer with either of the following:
(a)
the 3-peaked mountain and snowflake symbol as shown below:

(b)
the letters "M" and "S".
[en. B.C. Reg. 177/2015, App., s. 3.]
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u/Alternative_Rule563 9h ago
Yes, my sister lives in the area and informed us. The rental car has winter tires.
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u/Lifenonmagnetic 1d ago
second time in 2 days, but sunshine Meadows
You can take a gondola about 2/3 of the way up to the mountain and then a chair lift to the summit. at that point there are multiple paths that you can choose to walk downhill back to the little resort town that they have where there is a couple of places for food.
The downhills are all very low grade enough to make walking easy. not so steep that it's tough on your knees and the trails are all covered in in fine ground crusher run stone.
I did this trip 2 years ago with small children and it was great.
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u/sanctifiedspace 1d ago
Sunshine Meadows is unfortunately only open until September 20th - they’re already getting snow.
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u/sarahafskoven 1d ago
Two Jack and Minnewanka lakes are both great options for low-elevation walks with vistas that give you incredible views of the mountains. Now that it’s open again, Grassi Lakes is an easy hike in Canmore that puts you between two of the longest mountains in the region. Johnston Canyon and Marble Canyon are both interesting, low-effort walks that showcase the ways water has sculpted the Rockies.