Hotel and restaurant. Great service and the food is five-star. The toilet had broken in our room - we went to the shops and came back in 20 minutes, and it was fixed.

Banff Avenue

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Kootenay follows the Great Divide, west of Banff, bought up for a railway scheme but eventually sold to the government. It's a long winding valley with fine mountains and lots of local as well as backcountry trails.

It's largely ignored compared to Banff and Louise probably because it doesn't have big hotels and tourist infrastructure. But what it does have is fantastic mountain scenery and some quirky sights like the old paint pots, iron laden clays used for dyes, and marble canyon where the river rushes through tight gorges.

The hike up to Stanley glacier is magical, and you'll have plenty of pikas (rock rabbits) whistling you on the way. Kootenay Park Lodge has 10 historic but simple log cabins and good home cooking at affordable rates. Waking up to the sun rising on the mountains here is worth any journey.

Kootenay national park, 2 hours west from Banff, follow the quieter scenic Highway 1a before turning west towards Radium Hot Springs and you're soon in the Park. Lodge details at www.kootenayparklodge.com/

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Lake Louise is stunningly beautiful, if only you can ignore the enormous and ugly Fairmont Chateau hotel and its $65m refurbishment, the car lot the size of several hypermarkets and the crowds. If you walk for an hour or two up one of the well-laid trails you might get some tranquility.

But my tip, if you're still reading, is to stay on Highway 1, just a few more miles over the Great Divide, and visit Yoho Park across the provincial border. If you can get on the parks bus (book in advance) up to Lake O'Hara, or walk the car-free 11km trail in, you will have delightful lakes and mountains to share with a handful of campers and the lucky few at the lodge built by the Canadian Pacific Railway in Swiss chalet style.

There are miles of beautiful trails and more challenging alpine routes, glaciers and waterfalls, and the odd bear. Bliss! And if you've time to spare, Emerald Lake is great too.

Highway 1 from Banff heading west to Lake Louise, good tourist office for advice on everything. But right next door is Yoho and its well worth the few miles extra

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Incredible, inspiring photo on the front page of this site, and loads of information about the Banff townsite, which is the base of operations for most visits to Banff and the surrounding national park, mountains etc.

www.banff.ca

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There is a walkway to a building with change rooms, lockers, a restaurant, and a gift shop. The pool is open both summer and winter, and is a delightful experience when it is snowing outside!

The parking lot is located close to the Sulphur Mountain Gondola tramway, which whisks tourists up the mountain to a viewpoint and teahouse on the peak.

www.pc.gc.ca/regional/sourcesthermales-hotsprings/itm2-/visit4_e.asp

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There is an interpretive trail at the site of the Cave and Basin hot springs where tourists can visit the source of the hot springs, and there are viewing platforms from which one can see the flora and fauna indigenous to the area, including a rare form of tiny snail.

There is also a building which houses the original Cave and Basin hot springs bathing pool (encased in a cave in the rock) which was discovered in Banff over one hundred years ago. Tourists must pay a small admission fee at the entrance.

Banff National Park

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Lake Agnes Teahouse is accessible by one of the most hiked trails in the Rockies. A four-hour, 7 km round trip from the parking lot at the spectacular Lake Louise, the hike is moderate and affords you amazing views and a feel of the Rockies. The trail is busy in tourist season around the lake but the crowds thin out the higher and farther you hike.

And the reward is a splendid cuppa at the Teahouse.

www.banff.com/hiking/lake_agnes.shtml

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It's so beautiful, very peaceful even though there are a lot of people there! Take plenty as film you'll take lots of pictures.

www.banfflakelouise.com;
www.discoverlakelouise.com;
www.skilouise.com

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For people travelling with babies, use a disposable liner in every nappy you use. This means that you can re-use a new nappy immediately soiled with poo by removing pooed-in liner, flushing it and then putting in a new liner. This means that the poo and a fresh nappy won't end up in landfill, you save a nappy and money and the smell of a soiled nappy hanging around in your accommodation if you can't dispose of it immediately.

Disposable nappy liners can be bought in lots of places, including many shops online.

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When Banff National Park was created in 1883, the hot springs were the main attraction. Tired railway workers soothed their limbs in the hot mineral water and a spa was soon built to cater to tourists.

It's a national historic site where you can visit the caves.

www.pc.gc.ca/lhn-nhs/ab/caveandbasin/index_E.asp

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Lake Louise ski resort is perhaps the best known ski area around Banff as it has hosted many World Cups.

And hour and a half from Banff and you're in powder heaven with ultra modern facilities and pistes for every level of ability.

www.skilouise.com/

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I would bet the farm that more postcards have been sold with pictures of Lake Louise than any other destination in Canada. A stunning hotel overlooking the perfect lake.

Rent a canoe or go for a long walk along the path around the lake. Braver souls can hike to the Tea House for a cuppa in nature's proudest surroundings.

And hour and a half from Banff by car. The railroad chugs past if you choose the rail solution between Calgary and Vancouver.

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Nice township with mountain scenery, you can walk up or be lazy and get a gondola, sit in a garden and stroll along the river.

www.HelloBC.com 1-800/663-6000

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Hard to describe this 107-year-old castle-like hotel. It rises majestically above the forest and has hosted kings and stars throughout its history.

815 rooms for a maximum of 2,000 guests when full, the hotel features 12 restaurants and a nightclub and everything is pretty much as it was back in the day.

The jewel in the crown of the Canadian railways hotel chain for a century, the Banff Springs Hotel is a rare experience where old-school luxury takes on new dimensions.

www.banffsprings.com

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One of the Big Three ski resorts in and around Banff, Sunshine Village offers mega snow and dry Canadian powder, legendary for its texture and something so rare in a warming European climate.

The Big Three, including Sunshine Village can be found on:
www.skibanff.com/

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