Biking Banff, Dodging Crowds, and Surviving Four Courses

We’ve officially kicked off another Backroads adventure—this time, we’re biking through the Canadian Rockies, starting in Banff and making our way north toward Jasper. Chad joined Cam and me for this one, and we met up with the group in Canmore. So far, we’ve had two days of absolutely beautiful weather… although the forecast suggests we might be on borrowed time.

We started off in Canmore and rode mostly along bike paths to Banff. It was a stunning ride, and while the route technically ended at the Fairmont Banff Springs (an absolute icon), Backroads had tried to steer us away from the crowds downtown. But I had another plan.

I wanted to visit an art gallery, Canada House, to see if I could find work by Ryan Bavin the Glassblower—Ryan was the guide at CMH who melts glass and makes fish. He told me which gallery carries his pieces, so naturally, I Googled it mid-ride and detoured us into the heart of downtown Banff.

Holy cow. Banff was packed. Wall-to-wall people, souvenir shops bursting, and the general energy of a theme park with more fleece. It felt completely different than it did when I was here 14 years ago—back then, I remember thinking it was bustling. This was Myrtle Beach level.

But it was totally worth it. I found the gallery, walked in still sweaty from the ride, and yes—Ryan’s work was there. I found a gorgeous glass vase with a design that reminded me of mountain ridgelines. It’s being shipped home and will be a keepsake of this trip—and a fragile one, at that.

After that, Chad, Cam, and I biked over to the Fairmont, which was—you guessed it—also crowded. We cleaned up and rejoined the group for more formal introductions and a welcome toast to kick off the week. It’s an interesting mix of travelers: two families and a group of friends from California. It’s a big group—24 of us—but that’s part of the fun. You get to bob and weave through conversations, hear new stories, and make little trail friends along the way.

This morning, we had a lovely breakfast at the Fairmont before hopping back on our bikes for a 28-mile ride from Banff to just east of Lake Louise. At the end of the route, we had a choice: ride another 12 miles directly to the hotel, or hop a shuttle up to Lake Louise for some extra time to explore before heading to our hotel.

I really wanted to get out on Lake Louise in a canoe—something we’d done years ago and one of those postcard-perfect experiences I wanted to repeat. So we chose the lake.

As we were being driven up, we passed parking lot after parking lot—all full. Tour buses everywhere. And sure enough, when we arrived, there was an over two-hour wait to get into a canoe. Also, it was pretty windy, which meant canoeing would be more like cardio. Cam and I looked at each other and made the executive decision to skip it. (Chad had already bailed). 

Cam still wanted to get into the lake so he took his shirt off and walked into the lake. He had the selfie stick with him so we might have some good pictures. 

We decided to walk back down to the hotel, and five of the women from the California group joined us—under the assumption that we (and by we, I mean Chad) knew where we were going. It sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan… until we ran into a trail closed sign. At that point, there was some gentle but pointed questioning of Chad’s mountain-guiding credentials.

Thankfully, he managed to get a signal and pulled up Apple Maps, so we blindly put our faith in technology. We ended up doubling back and walking along the shoulder of a busy road. On gravel. With cars flying by like we were contestants on a low-budget Canadian version of The Amazing Race. Definitely not the peaceful alpine meander I had in mind. But let’s be honest—not everything can be perfect. At least now I have zero guilt about eating everything on this trip.

We’re now checked in at the Post Hotel & Spa, tucked just down from Lake Louise along the Pipestone River. First opened in 1942, it has that Alpine chalet vibe—timber beams, fieldstone fireplaces, cozy everywhere you look. It clearly got a facelift in the 80s (hello, mauve and hunter green), but honestly? It’s charming. It feels like the kind of place where you dry your hiking boots by the fire and drink something warm out of heavy ceramic mugs. 

Cam and I are playing around with some new tech toys on this trip. We both got these Meta glasses that let us take pictures and short videos—hands-free. It’s actually really fun to see what you were seeing in the moment (and slightly terrifying to realize how often I’m pointing my face at snacks). The glasses also double as open-ear headphones, which means I can listen to music while riding without blocking out traffic—so on those long solo stretches, I can fully jam out without getting flattened by a truck.

We also brought along a new 360 camera, which Cam has commandeered like it’s part of a secret mission. I’m excited to see what he captures—hopefully something epic and not just footage of me adjusting my helmet.

So far, I’m loving the glasses. I still get to actually see everything instead of just staring at a screen—and when everything is this beautiful, it’s hard to stop snapping photos.

Postnote:
I’d be remiss if I didn’t tell you about dinner. We ate in the main dining room of the Post Hotel. Now, technically, it was the Backroads menu, but let me be clear—it was FOUR courses. (If you know Chad, you already know this was at least two too many.)

The food was genuinely delicious, but our waiter was really committed to the performance. Every dish came with an elaborate monologue, each ending in, “and of course…” As in: “The risotto has this golden hue, and of course it’s not from saffron—but from a fine purée of carrots.”
Sir, I did not know that. Nor did I ask. I just wanted to eat it.

This culinary soliloquy continued for all four courses. I was especially grateful that Chad had selected the nursing home seating—5:45 p.m.—because even with that head start, we were still sitting there two hours later, full of root vegetable trivia and quietly Googling how to say “check please” in Swiss.