I recently took a trip with Alex out to the West Coast of Canada to a magical little town called Canmore to scope out and plan her wedding! Canmore is about 45 minutes south of Banff National Park and is smack dab in the middle of the Canadian rockies. If you’re looking for a cute little town with coffee shops a plenty and the most majestic mountain views everywhere you look, Canmore is your town.
In late May when we went, it was a gloriously refreshing 70 degrees during the day but dropped into the lower 50s at night. For this reason I highly encourage you to pack multiple layers. I have a handy dandy medium weight down jacket I bought on Amazon that fits conveniently into the rolled/squished up bag the size of a banh mi sandwich.
Our first trip welcomed us with open arms in the best possible way. Upon pulling into our Airbnb neighborhood, the Mystic Springs Chalets & Hot Pools, we were greeted by bunnies of all shapes, sizes and colors just hopping around the grass in the fading sunlight, chasing each other and elevating Canmore from a beautiful small town to a straight up Disney kingdom.
We got in at the sweet spot of the day where we had enough time to stop in for Happy Hour and grab some drinks and food! Our airbnb is within walking distance of Blake and a few favorite other spots but if you are looking to go into town more frequently, you might want to stay across the tracks. You’ll need to rent a car regardless because the drive from Calgary airport is just over an hour long. I recommend Enterprise and getting a free luxury upgrade. It’s tops.
We went to Blake for happy hour and seeing that everything on the menu looked incredible, we proceeded to order almost one of everything. Highlights included the crispy beets, pork kimchi dumpling, falafel burger & terimayo bao. Also, be sure not to miss out on the crack fries!
I started with the umami caesar. A deliciously savory drink that hit the spot and promptly ordered another one. Our server, Trevor, is an absolute angel so make sure to request him when you go and tip well!
Upon leaving Blake we were greeted outside by the Canadian welcome team, or a small family of large Elk enjoying their own happy hour of fresh grass next to the road. We walked by feet from them as they finished their meal. I also recommended they pop into Blake and try the Umami Ceasar.
The next day we walked over to Blondies, am adorable little cafe decked out in bright teal Adirondack chairs, signage and pillows. You’re greeted at the door by a life-size yeti in a neon green tank top. Your drink comes in a fab little teal campfire mug and the ambience urges you to stay for a chat, work from your laptop or just eat your cowboy breakfast wrap in silence with Sasquatch.
Being the brilliant minds that we are, Alex and I booked massage appointments at Wildflower Massage & Esthetics. I tried cupping for the first time which is where they take silicone cups that apply steady suction/pressure to certain parts of your back for a prolonged period of time. I don’t know if it was the cupping, the massage in general or that fresh Canadian air but I did feel pretty incredible the rest of the trip with none of my typical back pain. I also had a woman who’s dog I was petting compliment me on my cupping marks the next day, which resemble a lost fight with an octopus.
We strolled along 8 St. Which is sort of the unofficial Main Street of Canmore. Popped into Rocky Mountain Soap Co. and snagged a few travel size wellness balms. One of my fave things to keep in my carry on when I need to destress, breathe or just cover up the smell of someones gyro that they inexplicably brought onto the cabin of a plane.
We found ourselves at Mountain Juice cafe and sat outside in the sun with smoothies taking it all in. Afterwards we walked over to the Bow River Bridge, which was the plan A for Alex and Ricks wedding ceremony. The Bow River is basically a canvas where Bob Ross would paint happy little trees onto while encouraging you to believe in yourself, forgive yourself for mistakes and then hand you a baby bunny. We walked the path for a bit and ended up on the opposite side of the bridge, down on the waterfront where a bend in the river exposed lots of beautiful colored smooth river stones. Alex and I plopped ourselves down in the sun and picked our favorites to take home while I built rock towers and the river rushed by us.
We decided to drive up to Banff and stopped into Park Distillery for dinner and drinks. We sat at a communal table next to an older couple who take llamas (LLAMAS!) up one of the mountains to haul their camping gear where they camp…with their llamas.
After having our fill of a fabulous meal, we drove to Banff National Park and hiked along the white water rapids. In several places, the bridges and pathways that jut out over the water some 50 feet up in places, were missing tiles or small sections of footpath adding to the already intense level of anxiety I have from my terrible fear of heights. But to be honest, the sheer beauty, intensity of the rushing water and magic of it all kept me propelled forward.
We got closer to the sound of a small waterfall and snuck through a tiny, dark, slippery entrance that opened up to a little cave that offered front seat view and experience of the intensity of the falls. If you’ve never been up close to a waterfall, it’s hard to explain the sheer power of it, even a small one. Alex and I were yelling at each other standing right next to each other over the incredible roar. Even though we were still probably 20 feet away, we were very quickly covered in a cool layer of mist. We exited the cave wet and laughing just in time to get home and for me to run out and feed a bunny a carrot in someones front yard.
