Banff is a picturesque town in Banff National Park, it's the most famous place in Alberta Canada. If I go abroad and say I live in Calgary, most people don't know where that is, if I say Banff, they nod their head in understanding. It's about a 75 minute drive West of Calgary and no we aren't privileged enough to live there.
Towns aren't popular in Canadian parks but this was the first park in Canada so it's an exception. During the colder months, it's much nicer to walk around the town then to go up in the mountains. We got lucky on this fine evening as there wasn't a cloud in the sky.
The time was around 2 to 4pm on Christmas Eve when these photos were taken. We went to Banff for dinner and took a walk around town to build up an appetite.
There isn't a place in the city with a clear view that you can't see the Rocky Mountains from. In the Winter, Banff is a ski town, they had the downhill events for the 1988 Olympics here. One of these photos is of Mount Norquay which is a ski hill, there are a few others within an hours drive.
Paths surround the town and follow each side of the river. Pedestrian bridges help one get from side A to B. Now the river would be frozen solid so one could walk across it but we had a warm December so going onto the ice would have probably ended our walk.
There's Mount Norquay behind the newest bridge in town. Banff brings in an absolute fortune so they keep the place well maintained.
I was trying to get a background photo with the stones at the bottom of the river but the light wasn't quite right. The angle wasn't either but the Bow River was perfectly clear.
It's interesting how the rapids were frozen but the river was not. One would think that rapidly moving water would take longer to freeze than the rest of the river.
The main part of town is always busy, during the Summer season cars are restricted as people spill into the wide main Avenue. Side streets are named after animals, We are at the corner of Banff Avenue and Caribou street. One often sees Caribou, Deer or Elk in town.
The above photo was taken in the All in the Wild Gallery. And the one below was from the Brandon T. Brown Gallery. Buying a quality camera is less expensive than getting a high quality large photo in a frame so we are going to test our luck. It will take years if a lifetime to get such amazing shots. Maybe one day we can afford to purchase some of these amazing prints.
There are no Polar Bears in Alberta so we have to settle with the Black and Brown ones.
When walking around the town in the winter the main advantage is being able to duck into shops when you're cold. There are so many good restaurants and fancy stores it really is a tourists delight.
Thank you for joining us on this walk through the town of Banff and Happy Valentine's Day.
All photos Taken with an S20 or iPhone 15 Pro and are unfiltered.