Riding high on adventures in Banff, Alberta

Istep off the train in Banff, after a three-day crosscountry journey — it is May 1983.

Carrying a duffel bag stuffed with horse gear and clothing, I set off in search of work. I plan to reward myself for my recently earned university degree with a summer of adventure in this beautiful mountain town. That summer would stretch to yet another summer, and many others, until one decade later, my time as a working cowboy was completed.

In September 1993, my affections for Banff and a lifestyle were suddenly focused onto family.

I was guiding a six-day pack trip, when I received a message on the camp radio that my wife had gone into labour. This was always meant to be my final ride, but a daughter was on her way, three weeks early, and I faced a busy day — riding 24 kilometres to town — arriving too late to be by my wife’s side.

Now, three decades since family obligations had taken me away, I decided to test the old adage — can you go back? And I had not returned alone, accompanying me is that daughter.

Our group of riders gathered in the morning at Warner’s Stables for a trip with Banff Trail Riders to Sundance Lodge, 16 kilometres southwest of town.

After the gear was packed on mules, we met our guides, Brion Holland and Courtney Gardiner, and our horses; mine was a stout Dun named Trooper (and he would have to be).

We rode westward alongside the Bow River, stopping on its banks to unpack Tanya the lunch mule, boil some cowboy coffee, and grill steaks over the fire.

After lunch, the trail takes us high along the valley wall for splendid views, before dropping back down to Healey Creek. Our sure-footed horses criss-cross the turbulent river, before clamouring up the bank to our destination.

Sundance Lodge was built in 1991 and as a guide, I remember unrolling my bedroll in the saddle shed, which we shared with mice and squirrels.

Conversely, the lodge is luxurious, 10 guest rooms with log beds, hand-made furniture surrounds a fireplace with plenty of hot water in the showers.

Though I miss the camaraderie of the rustic bunky, I decide to suffer in my comfortable lodgings without complaint. We return to town the following day, and in a nice gesture (or was it a test) the guides let me pack the lunch mule.

In the busy summer, Banff’s downtown blocks are closed to vehicular traffic.

An efficient fleet of environmentally-friendly buses shuttle visitors anywhere they want to go. We take advantage of them to enjoy some of the touristy things to do.

On a drizzly morning, we take the Sulphur Mountain gondola through low clouds, taking a chance that we will see anything from the summit. The inclement weather means we have the mountain to ourselves, and when the wispy mist disperses, we are left with dramatic vistas over the townsite.

We tour the Banff Springs Hotel, the Cave and Basin National Historic Site (birthplace of Canada’s national parks) and the wonderful Whyte Museum.

In a pilot project from 2022 to 2024, Parks Canada has closed the Bow Valley Parkway to vehicles in spring and fall.

So, my daughter and I exchanged horses for E-bikes and set off from Banff to Lake Louise.

Without automobiles, the parkway is very wildlife-friendly. We stop to view elk and deer. A black bear and cubs play amongst the sun-bleached stumps, sheep gather where vegetation meets rock, and a young bull moose plods through a marshy section below us.

There is seemingly no end to the outdoor recreation offered in the park, with year-round accessible adventure for all abilities and interests.

You can find a rock climbing course, climb the Mount Norquay, raft the Kananaskis River, join a wildlife safari or experience the Mahikan Trails through a guided medicine walk, where Indigenous guides identify flora and fauna.

I had returned to Banff convinced the town would not have the same adventurous vibe as the era of my youth, but I was wrong.

The townsite might have matured, but Banff still had its magic and allure on full display.

Travel Writers’ Tales is an independent newspaper syndicate. For more, go online to travelwriterstales.com.

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