You won’t find a whole lot of mention in the travel books about the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre as it is not really a tourist attraction.  It is more of a place where the locals go to get away from tourists.

As it turns out, there are a lot of reasons to visit the Sally Borden facility.

• Are you looking for less-crowded indoor activities in Banff due to rain or inclement weather?
• Did you go to Banff Upper Hot Springs during peak hours and saw the line and said “what now?”
• Is your hotel pool is too small, too crowded, too noisy, or just plain non-existent?
• Are you looking for indoor rock climbing, yoga classes, a “real” fitness centre or other fun activities away from all the tourists?

If you answered “Yes” to any of the above questions, the Sally Borden Centre is a good option.

Located on the outskirts of the town of Banff, the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre is a fully-equipped exercise and recreation facility.

What I like most is the huge swimming pool.  I think it is Olympic sized or at least close to it.   I thought there was something different about the water too, at least when I was there.  It felt clean and refreshing.  Maybe they use less chemicals than the traditional hotel pool.  The pool is great for doing laps.  And after swimming, there’s a whirlpool and for the kids, a wading pool.

I liked the weightlifting and exercise equipment.  It was what I’d expect from a real fitness center.

Activities

If you are looking to spend a day being active, there’s plenty to do.  Beyond the swimming pool and exercise equipment, there’s a steam room, rock climbing gym, indoor running track, squash court, gymnasium, exercise classes, yoga classes, massage, training sessions and other services.

Getting There

The Centre is easy to go to from the town of Banff.  It took me about 10 minutes to get to from Banff Hot Springs on the other side of town.

The Sally Borden building is in the middle of the Banff Centre, a arts and cultural facility with lots of events.  It feels like you are in a college campus and parking is similar.  If you are lucky, you can park in a small row of parking spots next to the Sally Borden building, then climb the steps up to the Sally Borden building.  Otherwise, there are a few parking lots further away that are a short walk to the Sally Borden building.

Hours and Events

Before going, it is good to check out the hours.  There are classes and events going on so not every activity is open at all times or open to the public.

The best bargain is to get a day pass and go on a day with bad weather and stay several hours trying everything out.  The day pass drop-in rate is very reasonable and you can stay all day and have access to more.

For hours, rules, and a schedule of activities, see the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre website.

And as far as scenic roadways go, the Icefield Parkway is tops.  You’ll never have a long drive that is so enjoyable. Seriously – unless you are afraid of a little bit of heights and a whole lot of snow-covered mountains and magical blue-green lakes and even glaciers and maybe even some wildlife sightings.

I don’t recommend rushing on the Icefield Parkway on the way to or from Jasper or Banff townsites.  The Icefield Parkway is a destination in itself.  It is nice to stop in the rest areas along the way to take in the scenery.  You may even want to make time for the many excellent hikes along the way.

Here’s a few pictures (click to view larger) from along the Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park in the area south of the Jasper National Park border.

Mountains along the Icefield Parkway

Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park

Icefield Parkway in Banff National Park

Related posts:

1. Trekking Poles are the Secret Weapon of Happy Hikers in the Canadian Rockies and Beyond

It is a simple picture showing the grass, trees, mountains and sky.  I have a print of it on my wall and it looks nice.

If it suites your tastes you can use it as a desktop wallpaper.

Just click on the image to view the full size version.  Then, right-click the full size version and amongst the options should be a “set as desktop wallpaper” option.

Banff National Park desktop wallpaper - click image to view full size, then right-click to see option to set as desktop wallpaper

Enjoy.

Related posts:

1. Photo of the Day: Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park
2. Make time for the Icefield Parkway during your Canadian Rockies vacation

Mt Norquay has 28 runs and enough lifts to get you up the mountain fast.  It is also quick to get to from downtown Banff.

For something different, Mt Norquay offers the unique opportunity to do night skiing and tubing on certain Friday’s and Wednesdays January through March (see Mt Norquay’s event calendar).  It looks like a good time.

The ski folks at Mt Norquay Ski Resort just put out a couple of fun videos on YouTube.  Check the videos out:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Check out Mt Norquay’s Facebook fan page too.  Lots of pictures in their photo album.

It is fun for kids and grown-ups alike to try to guess what animal has which footprint.

Can you guess which is an elk, a bighorn sheep, a wolf or a bear?

Sometimes similar footprints can be spotted while out hiking in Banff National Park and surrounding Canadian Rockies.    When hiking, try to look for tracks in the dirt.  But don’t forget to look up every now and then.  The tracks in the dirt may be from an animal just up ahead.

Animal footprints in the Canadian Rockies display at the Banff National Park Information Centre

Knowing the type of footprint can come in handy.  Seeing fresh bear footprints in the mud could be helpful when trying to avoid face-to-snout encounters.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

Related posts:

1. Make time for the Icefield Parkway during your Canadian Rockies vacation
2. Trekking Poles are the Secret Weapon of Happy Hikers in the Canadian Rockies and Beyond

I was very lucky to spot this character on the Bow Valley Parkway near Banff townsite.

You may think black bears are all tough and scary (and you might be right).  But this one was relaxed and almost amusing with all sorts of leaves in its hair from traipsing through the woods.

This Banff National Park black bear was focused on one thing:  eating plants.  The bear didn’t give much attention to the tourists in their cars taking pictures.

Still, I stayed a safe distance away – for my safety and for the bear’s.  A tame bear must to be retrained, relocated or worse.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

“Seen one tourist with a camera, seen them all,” he seems to be saying to himself.

Black Bear in Banff National Park

Black Bear in Banff National Park

Related posts:

1. Make time for the Icefield Parkway during your Canadian Rockies vacation
2. Photo of the Day: Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park

These 2 elk fellows were walking along the Bow Valley Parkway 1A, a less traveled road that parallels Highway 1 from Banff townsite to Lake Louise Village.

Elk and other animals often use the road to get from place to place.  They’ve learned it can be an easy way to get to their vacation destinations too.

Elk in Banff National Park along Bow Valley Parkway 1A

Just avoid getting too close to the elk. They may look harmless but can be dangerous, especially during rutting season.

Related posts:

1. Make time for the Icefield Parkway during your Canadian Rockies vacation
2. Photo of the Day: Johnston Canyon Trail in Banff National Park

Jasper and Banff National Park each have Canada Day celebrations planned. They have 3 things in common: pancakes, parades and fireworks.

Jasper National Park Canada Day Celebrations

A nice website maintained by the Jasper Canada Day Committee here has everything you need to know about the festivities.  Some of the highlights for 2010 are a pancake breakfast, flag raising ceremony, parade through Jasper townsite, food, beer and music in the afternoon, and fireworks when it gets dark.  View the complete schedule here.

Banff National Park Canada Day Celebrations

The festivities in Banff National Park start with pancakes in the morning, fun activities at Central Park in Banff, a parade in late afternoon and then fireworks at night – and more fun mixed in throughout the day.  Learn more about Banff’s Canada Day activities here on the town of Banff website.

Related posts:

1. A Visit to the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre in Banff National Park

When trying to figure out where to ski in Banff National Park, there are 3 options. In Banff, 3 ski areas operate during the November to May ski season:

1. Lake Louise Ski Area
2. Sunshine Village Ski Area
3. Mt Norquay Ski Area

1. Lake Louise Ski Area

The legendary Lake Louise Ski Area is one of the biggest ski areas in North America. On a clear day, the surrounding Banff National Park scenery on its 4 mountain faces is so spectacular that a skier may have a hard time concentrating on skiing!

Lake Louise Skiing (via Webshots.com - click to view original)

(via Webshots - click to view original)

Lake Louise Ski Area is a place to find top-notch ski instruction. Think about it. If you are a ski instructor, where would you want to work most? Lake Louise is one of the biggest places around and draws top talent.

After a day skiing at the Lake Louise Ski Area, a good skier will need a recharge. Luckily, a day spent skiing can be rewarded with a meal at one of the restaurants. Recharge at the Sawyer’s Nook which serves 12 inch organic pizzas like the Grizzly (pepperoni, mushrooms, red & green peppers & mozzarella). That’s the way to recharge!

Lake Louise Summit (via Flickr by Soobee - click to view original)

Lake Louise Ski Area terrain

The Lake Louise Ski Area’s website boasts that the famous Banff ski area has “more terrain than can be skied in a week.” That’s a lot of terrain. More specifically, there are 139 named runs on 4200 skiable acres.

• Beginner: 25%
• Intermediate: 45%
• Advanced: 30%

Lake Louise Ski Area resources

• Ski Lake Louise website
• Lake Louise ski trail maps
• Web cam
• Recent photos – fun to look through

2. Sunshine Village Skiing in Banff

The Sunshine Village in Banff National Park has 12 lifts covering 3 mountains (Goat’s Eye, Standish and Lookout). Getting on top of the world is only 20 minutes from the town of Banff. The season runs from mid-November to the end of May – depending on the weather. The resort offers a variety of certified ski instruction options.

Continental Divide, Sunshine Village (via Webshots - click for original)

Sunshine Village, Alberta (via Webshots - click for original)

Sunshine Village terrain

Sunshine Village ski center in Banff has 107 named runs.

• 20% Beginner
• 55% Intermediate
• 25% Expert

Sunshine Ski Village resources

• See the Sunshine village website for the latest rates and hours.
• View live webcams of Sunshine Village here.
• Interactive Sunshine Village Ski Trail Map
• Follow Sunshine Village on Twitter. I do.
• Sunshine events – always lots going on

Sunshine Daylodge at Sunshine Ski Resort (via Webshots - click for original)

3. Skiing on Mt Norquay in Banff

Mt Norquay’s tagline is “Banff’s Best Family Resort” and is a mere 6 km from downtown Banff. For those who want to learn to ski or learn to be a better skier, Norquay offers certified ski instruction for all levels. Offering skiing, snowboarding and tubing means Mt Norquay is fun for everyone.

The season is a little shorter (early December to mid-April) than the other 2 Banff ski areas but Norquay can boast the only night time skiing (Fridays only 5:00pm to 10:00pm Jan 6th to March 31st) in the area. Skiing on Mt Norquay at night is a fun way to spend the evening if you just cannot get enough of it.

Night Skiiing at Norquay (via Webshots - click for original)

Mt Norquay terrain

Mt Norquay has a good mix of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain, and even some expert terrain.

Norquay Ski Resort (via Webshots - click for original)

Mt Norquay resources

• The Mt Norquay website has the latest information on rates.
• Mt Norquay Ski Trail Map
• Mt Norquay Facebook page

Videos of Banff Skiing

There are several good homemade videos on YouTube showing Banff skiing. I like the ones with helmet and hand-held video cameras showing what it is really like going downhill and the real Banff skiing experience. These are such videos of skiing at the Banff ski centers:

Question: Where is the best place to ski in Banff National Park?

Answer: As can be seen from the videos, the answer to “where is the best place to ski in Banff National Park?” is an easy one. If you are in Banff and you are skiing, you are in the best place to ski. No matter you skill level, you can go to any of these places to have a great time. You just need to get there!

Any traveler trying to stretch a travel budget to get the most out of the Canadian Rockies just needs to do some homework online to find the best deals and itineraries.

You’ll find tips about saving money in Jasper here on Jasper National Park Journal (for instance: how to stay in a private home instead of a hotel to save money).

But when it comes to Banff National Park on a budget, there’s another good website that can point travelers in the right direction for saving money on Banff.

Jerry Foutz put together a helpful website about visiting Banff National Park on a budget.  Visit banff-on-a-budget.com for many great tips about dining, lodging and activities and how to make the most out of a trip to Banff National Park without spending a fortune.

Jerry spends a couple of weeks in Banff every year and knows the in and outs.  His favorite restaurant in Banff is Rose & Crown where he gets a great meal for about $10 a person and doesn’t pay a cent for the amazing scenery.

Another way Jerry recommends to save money on food in Banff National Park is to do a picnic.  I’ve done picnics too in Jasper National Park, Yellowstone National Park and many other places.  Picnics are fun, easy and less money than restaurants.  Just pick up some food from a grocery store or deli in the morning and enjoy the day.  Instead of scheduling your day around being near a restaurant at lunch time and dinner, a picnic allows you to eat when you want and where you want – at your complete convenience.