10 Most Instagrammable Places in Banff

Lake Louise’s calm, turquoise waters are beautifully framed by magnificent snow-capped and forested peaks, with the elegant Chateau Lake Louise overlooking it. The grand scale of the panorama becomes more apparent as you spot kayakers on the lake that look tiny from far away. It is an irresistibly snap-worthy shot from the lakeside, but you can get higher, grander views on a series of hiking trails. The lake freezes over in winter to become a dreamy ice rink, complete with floodlit ice carvings on the shore.

This group of 3 lakes offers scenic views and fun activities just west of Banff town. Vermillion Lakes is popular for canoeing, with many ramps and jetties jutting into the lake. Its accessibility from Banff’s downtown district also makes it a great option for photographers looking for a quick and easy spot for beautiful mountain and lake shots. As to why the lakes are named ‘Vermillion’, try coming around at dusk, when the lake and the peaks of Mount Rundle take on a bright glow.

A must-do in Alberta’s Rockies is riding the cableway up to the peak of Sulphur Mountain, known as the Banff Gondola. Most visitors’ adorable selfies are taken up in the air here as the steady ride provides you with many breathtaking angles over the forested slopes and hiking trails around Bow Valley, which is ringed by 6 stunning peaks. The rides usually take around 8 minutes. You can find more photo ops from the observation deck at the end of the ride.

Banff Cascades of Time Gardens are at the southern end of Banff Avenue. These well-kept gardens feature contoured pathways, as well as a series of benches, bridges, and pergolas from where you can take in the lovely sections. Besides offering a tranquil break from downtown’s otherwise busy Banff Avenue, the lush alpine trees and blooming flowerbeds with butterflies provide a pleasant change from photographing Banff’s mountain landscapes.

This is where the Banff locals go to take their dogs for a jog, or to simply do some hiking. You can complete the trail to the peak in around 45 minutes, though there is a shortcut near a parking lot where you can cheat your way up. The views get better as you go up, so you need to keep climbing. At the top, your reward is a beautiful panorama, overlooking the town that’s surrounded by the Rockies.

The way up to this peak makes up one of the most scenic drives you can enjoy in Banff. Mount Norquay itself is a popular ski resort, with some epic slopes that make it a skiing playground in the winter. Come the summer, the steep hairpin turns offer stunning alpine views. There are a couple of viewpoints near the top with red benches from where you can pause and take in the view.

Trekking down to the beautiful waterfalls in Johnston Canyon takes around an hour at a leisurely pace, but it’s well worth it for the magnificent scenery. It’s one of the most popular short hikes in Banff National Park. The highlights of the trip are the catwalks that allow you to cross over the canyon and get impressive angles over the waterfalls. The sturdy catwalks line one side of the ravine, and some lower sections of it lead you down and close to the rapids.

This dramatic, glacier lake is around 11 km south of the more popular Lake Louise. It offers stunning views with its turquoise blue and emerald waters, that reflect the surrounding alpine landscapes around it on its smooth, mirror-like surface. Virtually any spot on the rocky boulders around the lake lets you capture the view of the snow-capped peaks afar, with towering pines in the foreground. Wide lenses work best, especially for selfies where you can have the peaks and the lake’s shores in the same frame behind you.

The Bow Falls Viewpoint is an easy, short trip out of Banff town, which you can reach along forested trails. The view comprises the Bow River and its low-lying falls, with the castle-like Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in the background, surrounded by lush forests. You can continue down a lower trail that will lead you to the riverside, from where you can get different perspectives. The water is a deeper blue around the falls, and fades to a soft emerald near the rocky riverbanks.

The peak of Mount Cascade dominates the skyline of Banff town and its main street, Banff Avenue. It’s the tallest of the nearby peaks, and you can see it from almost any brewpub, tavern, and bar in the heart of town. Did you know that, when the town was laid out, the main avenue was deliberately oriented to provide the best possible view of Cascade Mountain? Let’s thank the park’s first superintendent, George Stewart, for this as now we can snap cool shots of the prettiest town in the Canadian Rockies.