Such an amazing experience! Syd and the team showed such hospitality and professionalism on our two…read morehour horse tour. The horses were healthy and happy, the facility charming and location ideal. I love that it is a local family business. they were so sweet to take pictures of us and answer all our questions. Thank you Timberline :)

What an incredible way to explore Lake Louise and make the trek to one of the tea houses! The…read morestable is off the main road going to Lake Louise. The property is a little cluttered but don't let that turn you away. We were initially greeted by several small and excited dogs. The guides then selected the horses for our builds and age. They are knowledgeable and helpful the entire trip. They assign guides and tours based on who is signed up and make the trip especially for your group and other parties interested in the same tour as you. The initial part of the trail is quite muddy with underlying rocks - I was concerned about the horses footing but they did fine. They're quite strong and led us well - they certainly all have their own personalities! We very much enjoyed our time and can't wait to go back and try more of their tours.

Literally no other place I would rather write about for my 100th review of 2022!!! I am so, so…read morefortunate my friend took me to Canadian Off-Road Adventures located in Golden, British Columbia back in June of 2022 for an epic day of riding around on All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). My friend booked a three hour tour with the owner, Che, and we were super excited to have him and Ayden as our guides for the afternoon. In fact, we were actually the only ATV on the tour on this particular rainy day but we did not mind ONE bit!!! My friend and I ended up sharing an ATV due to the rather steep increase in price to have two drivers (drivers are $229 while passengers are $99). While we had planned to take turns driving, my friend was so, so, so kind to let me drive the whole day because I was having the best day EVER!!! Che and Ayden drove us in the company van to the starting point after we were outfitted with our safety gear (helmets, gloves, and handkerchiefs). We practiced driving around a dirt lot for a little while so Che could ensure we were being safe and knew how to operate the ATV. Once we were given the all-clear, it was time to adventure. Seriously, the views were absolutely stunning from mountain views to rivers, streams, and waterfalls! When we got to the top of the vista, the light rain had actually turned into snow and I genuinely felt like we were in a snow globe. It was such an amazing experience from start to finish. We even saw a black bear on our way back. I had never had so much fun on an ATV before but this tour actually led me to book another ATV tour in Big Bend National Park earlier this fall. Che was hands down the best and while our trip to Banff and Jasper was a highlight reel, this ATV tour was my favorite part of the trip. I cannot recommend Canadian Off-Road Adventures enough - it is worth every minute and every penny!!!

Super fun trip! We went on the 20 min tour and were lucky enough to be the only people on our…read moreflight. Since we were a party of 2, we could sit in the front seats which usually requires an additional charge to guarantee those seats. The flight was super smooth and we loved being the co-pilot and see the glaciers from high above. Unfortunately there was a good amount of smoke coming from wildfires up north which led to somewhat poor visibility but we would highly recommend this to anyone. We'll definitely be back to a longer ride the next time we're in the rockies!

For our family vacation in Banff, ten of us took a helicopter ride. It was the first for all of us…read morebut my mom in particular was nervous about it. Naturally, we put her in the co-pilot's seat. Mom is my co-pilot. And she absolutely loved it. We all did! There were some tummy flipping dips as we rode the currents between mountains, but we were in very capable hands with our pilots. I wouldn't say I'm a religious person, but I now understand what they mean by "God's country". Flying around the sun drenched peaks of the Canadian Rockies will make anyone believe in heaven. We saw azure blue mountain lakes, sprawling rivers and miles of blue peaked mountains. It was awe inspiring. After about 20 minutes of flying, our pilots gently touched down next to a mountain stream and led us upstream on a little hike to a beautiful waterfall. Then, just when things couldn't get better, they whipped out the CHAMPAGNE. In real GLASS glasses, which is waaaay better than the plastic ones I take to picnics. We explored the area and chatted with our very interesting and friendly pilots for over an hour. And of course, after several glasses of champs, my sis and I needed to hike to the top of the falls for topless Little Mermaid pix. To say everyone was happy would be an under(wear)statement. All of it was just glorious and I would highly recommend this to anyone! My mom is 80+ and had no problem with the ride or the hike. Just FYI, they do weigh everyone before flight. Our groups were both "a little" over the weight limit. Everything's bigger in Texas! But the pilots oked us to fly. I helpfully suggested if we needed to lighten our load, we should throw out my nephew before we lose the champagne. A girl's gotta have priorities!

I've always dreamed of seeing Lake Louise! We came in early March, so we didn't get to see the…read morebeautiful waters as everything was frozen over, but it was still so pretty! Love how they even cleared out an ice rink and ice bar right on the lake and they were multiple people skating on the rink! I was a bit scared to venture out onto the frozen lake since I've heard horror stories of frozen surfaces breaking and people plunging in...but seeing as they literally had a rink paved out, I felt better safety-wise. There definitely are some small pockets of melted water where the ice is thinner along those edges, so I would just be aware of your surroundings.  Overall, such a beautiful lake and definitely worth visiting! I'll have to come back in the summer to check out its beauty out in a different season. We also didn't get the chance to hike, but I'm sure the trails are stunning as well!

Very badly managed. Parking fill up by 6 AM. You are then sent to Ski resort parking only to learn…read morebus tickets are sold out. Private shuttle companies prey on tourists charging exuberant fees that go up every year. If you get lucky, you will find a spot in a dirt parking lot over a mile away. You'd have to pay $42 to park in the dirt and dust and walk on a road where there are no sidewalks and your option is to take a chance at getting hit by passing RVs and trucks or fall into the valley! Getting to the lake, we were greeted by high dusty wind followed by thunder and rain! Did I mention getting harassed by police on the way who ticketed us $400 for speeding when everyone else was passing us and going faster than us. The gov here will charge you for everything. The people look at you as an ATM machine and will overcharge you for everything from hotel stays to food. On top of that, you are not welcome and they treat you badly. Do yourself a favor and go somewhere else!

After spending time at Lake Louise, our shuttle took us over to Moraine Lake. Seeing both of these…read morebeautiful lakes in person was awesome. Moraine Lake is only open during the summer season and requires a park shuttle to reach. It can get really crowed here. Moraine Lake is at an elevation of 6,181 ft and is situated in the Valley of Ten Peaks. There is an info sign in the front that shows you where the ten peaks are. Moraine Lake has a beautiful torquiest blue color to it. The color comes from the sunlight bouncing off the rock sediment in the lake and the surrounding glaciers. The water comes from the snow that melts in the glaciers. Moraine Lake has no dam and has not been altered by humans. The views of the lake are incredible. Because of the crowds, I hiked up to a higher point on top of a rock pile to get a better view. It was cloudy when I was here and it added to the beauty of the photos that I took. I really enjoyed my brief time at Moraine Lake and hope to come back and explore it a little more next time.

Really great views! About 30min outside of Lake Louise. Go 5-10min up the rockpile hike for the…read morebest views (watch your footing!) or down to the launch dock to put your feet in the water. Really nice gift shop and plenty of washrooms.

Same thought with Peyto Lake; too many tourons that only want an Instagram picture and climbing…read moreover railings and acting a fool. 3rd world country stuff here. If you take the trail off the beaten path, you can hike for miles without another person and get some peace and quiet to yourself! The overlook is a 2/5 for me, the trail is a 5/5!

This is a scenic and attractive lake with an entrancing deep turquoise color. It is conveniently…read morelocated right off of the Icefields Parkway about halfway between Banff and the Columbia Icefield, so there's really no excuse for not stopping for a view. There are actually two parking levels and only tour buses are allowed on the top level closer to the Kodak viewing lookout. Private cars need to park on the lower level and folks need to do a modest hike upward to the lookout. This lake is fed by a receding Peyto glacier that is in view also. We saw quite a few lakes on this trip, but they are all worth seeing and all spectacular in their own individual way, and this one was no different in that regards.

We spent a few days in Banff and Lake Louise on a family vacation (grown kids, so 4 adults total)…read moreand had the absolute pleasure of booking two hiking days with Joel, and the experience was the highlight of our trip. Joel is super knowledgeable about the National Parks and the whole Lake Louise area, and shares engaging information during the hike that we found fascinating. He's great at answering questions, great to chat with, and I never knew what he would pull from his pack next that would help us understand more about the plants or animals or mountains surrounding us. The hikes themselves are tailored to what you share is your fitness level and desired experience, and the natural beauty is incredible. I cannot recommend enough to do a hike, a bird walk, a snowshoe, etc with Great Divide Nature Interpretation. Thank you, Joel, for a truly wonderful experience that we will never forget!

I recently had reason to enquire about hikes based out of Lake Louise; I was thinking of staying at…read morethe Moraine Lake Lodge and on their website is a link to Great Divide Nature Interpretation guides. I was very much impressed by the speediness of reply to my email, the quality of the response -- very detailed, easy to understand, with several links explaining how the specific hike of the day I requested would work, maps re: that hike, and generalities about how hikes from Great Divide Nature Interpretation worked. Very impressive. As it turns out, I won't be able to participate in the hike. I suppose that makes this review perhaps not as complete as it could be, but I was so impressed by the customer service that I thought I should note it here. Here's an example of what they wrote: "A full outline of how our service works (including pricing and cancellation policies) is included at the end of this message. Or, see it all in colour on our website at www.greatdivide.ca. With our service, the first person to book for any given date selects the hike length, difficulty and destination for day. Other people are then invited to join that hike to a maximum of 8. Or, we can take your private booking. On September 5 we have a full day hike with space available for you to join, but it is located between Banff and Lake Louise and is not too long. You could expect to be finished at the trailhead around 3:30 pm. Sept 5 Stanley Glacier Moderate full day hike - moderate rise on a nicely switch-backed trail, one very short steep section. Distance: 8.4 km / 5.5 mi Elevation: 1200 ft / 365 m Time: 6 hours (with drive) Very interesting landscape because of fires both 40 years ago and in 2003. The final third is above the fire and in both old-growth forest and open alpine area with nice views. Marmots and pikas often seen. Stories include: fire ecology, wildflowers, wildlife (including moose, bears, lynx, hare, hummingbirds, and high country specialists) and glaciers. " Fantastic, no? That's just a short section. The email isn't too long, however, it's like Goldilocks. It's just right. If it's any indication of the quality of the hikes themselves, then you're assured of a fantastic time.

The guides welcomed everyone as if they were family. Tour…read moredetails regarding geologic, native wildlife and human history was great; informative but not overwhelming. Personal family stories bought the area to life. We did the glacier ice field tour package and it was well worth the time. Recommend tour

Randomly found Robbie online Great tour to lake Louise,…read moremorraine lake, bow lake , Peyto lake and the athabasca glacier Highly recommend this tour if you want to pack everything into one day - didn't feel too rushed , probably took hundreds of pictures that day Robbie is honest, accommodating, professional!

Even though my trip to Canada mostly cantered around Banff, my tour bus did take us into Yoho…read moreNational Park for a part of the day. Yoho is the smallest of the four contiguous national parks. The other ones are Jasper, Kootenay and Banff National Parks. Yoho is an interesting name for a National Park and comes from the Cree language. It means "awe and wonder". After a stop at Lake Louise and Moraine, we ended up finishing our day at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. One of the things that I enjoyed about this park and lake was that it was less crowded than Banff and the other two popular lakes. I ended up walking the nature trail around beautiful deep-green Emerald Lake. I enjoyed the views and came across a plaque about the fossil-bearing deposits of the Burgess Shale in the area. Sadly, Emerald Lake was the only area of Yoho National Park that I was able to explore. Hopefully I am able to see other areas like Takakkaw and Wapta Falls, Lake O'Hara and the Natural Bridge next trip.

After spending most of our week stay exploring Banff and Kootenay National Park's, we decided to…read morecheck out Yoho as well. We stayed at a timeshare in Radium Hot Springs, which was a perfect central location for exploring all three! Yoho was less busy than Banff and Kootenay, which we appreciated after almost a week of crowded stops. Our drive up to Golden was gorgeous in the Fall. We then headed over to Field, to visit Takakkaw Falls and Emerald Lake. Both were gorgeous! We even had lunch at The Emerald Lake Lodge during our visit. You can rent canoes on Emerald Lake. It's cheaper and less crowded than the more popular Lake Louise in Banff National Park. We also stopped to visit Natural Bridge. The glacial blue water was absolutely beautiful. My husband enjoyed the Spiral Tunnels stop more than I did. He found all the placards interesting. It would have been cool to see a train enter or exit the tunnel, but it didn't happen during our visit. Overall, we enjoyed our time here. It was much more relaxing than the busier ones. Don't sell this national park short. If you have extra time, it's definitely worth a visit!

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park is a wonderful alternative for canoeing if the boathouses at…read moreLake Louise and Moraine Lake get too busy. What really stands out is the value; the canoe rental rates are significantly more affordable here than at the other major lakes. The staff that operates the boat house and the attached gift shop were wonderful, incredibly friendly, and helpful. While the lake is certainly less crowded than its more famous neighbors, parking can still a challenge. Expect to spend around an extra 20 minutes to park, and be prepared to walk a short distance from your spot to the water's edge. Once you're there, it's well worth the effort. There are also several beautiful, easy-to-moderate trails circling the lake to explore the scenery on foot after your paddle. Cilantro on the Lake restaurant can get busy, but The Window walk up food counter is quick, and perfect for grabbing some food for a picnic in the canoe. Highly recommended for a more relaxed and less crowded scenic mountain experience!

I go to see three beautiful lakes on my first day in Banff National Park. Our last stop was at…read moreEmerald Lake in Yoho National Park. Yoho National Park is one of the four contiguous national parks in Canada's Rocky Mountains. Emerald Lake is a freshwater lake near the town of Golden. The lake has a emerald green color to it and is enclosed by mountains of the President Range. I had a nice time here. I did some of the hiking trials and saw a little bit of wildlife along the way. This lake is less crowed than Louise and Moraine lakes which I enjoyed. I enjoyed the views while hiking and came across a plaque about the fossil-bearing deposits of the Burgess Shale in the area. I grabbed lunch at the Cilantro on the Lake restaurant before heading out. There are canoe rentals at Emerald Lake if you want to get out on the water.