I must have googled “temperature in Vancouver in April” rather than in Banff when I went to book a trip to Canada. When we arrived, I wasn’t expecting so much snow and ice, but it was so amazing. I have been to Queenstown NZ a lot in winter but nothing like Banff in spring. The temperature was cool, starting each day at 7 below but as long as you had plenty of layers, it was all good.

We decided to fly to Calgary from Auckland and make our way back to Vancouver by bus and train. We had a night at a hotel in Calgary airport to rest after a long flight then over to Banff for 4 nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

Wow. The hotel was fantastic!

Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is one of Canada’s grand railway hotels built by Canadian Pacific Railway in 1915 and is a short walk down or bus trip to the township of Banff where there were plenty of nice restaurants and shops. The photos below really don’t show how beautiful it was.

We did an evening wildlife tour where we saw plenty of elk and sheep. The bears were just coming out of hibernation, but we were lucky to see one from the train over the coming days. It was amazing to see the frozen lakes and to see a boat ramp going into the ice shown in one of the photos below.

The highlight of our trip to Banff was going to Johnstons Canyon. It was a 5kms round trip walk to the top waterfall. As there was snow and ice everywhere, we needed to use ice cleats on our shoes to stop us from slipping. The iron catwalks are bolted into the canyon walls, and they lead you down paths that are over and under impressive limestone cliffs. The frozen waterfalls and scenery were outstanding to see. I was a little apprehensive about doing the walk because I am not good with heights, but I felt very safe.

Our next adventure was to Lake Louise and to take the train back to Vancouver. The lake was also frozen, and it seemed surreal being able to walk on the lake.

I am so lucky to have visited Banff in spring. Would love to return one day to ski and enjoy all the outdoor adventures it provides.