This was our one non-planned day, and it ended up being awesome. We woke up in Calgary after flying in late the night before and picked up our standup paddle boards first thing. We got an insider tip to rent SUPs outside of Banff to save money, and could not recommend more. The kayak rentals at Lake Louise run about $135 (CAD)/30 minutes or $145 (CAD)/hour if you’re not staying at the hotel. We got two, four day SUP rentals from Sports Rent for $300 (CAD) total, and spent at least 4 hours on the lakes throughout he weekend. Bow Valley SUP & Surf in Canmore is another option running ~$45 (CAD) /day.

After our pickup, we headed west to Grassi Lakes Trail, which was a recommended pit stop in Canmore. It was a fairly easy ~2 mile hike that broke up the drive. Post-hike, we explored the downtown area and stumbled upon Communitea Café for lunch (great salad/wrap options). Order the huevo burrito…DOUBLE chili dip, you won’t regret it.

Next stop was Lake Louise. First order of business was to test out the SUPs given the incredible weather. We were told by a local bus driver that that day was one of the BEST looking days of the summer. We made it to the opposite end of the lake and were even feeling brave enough for a dip. It truly was the ULTIMATE COLD PLUNGE.

We rounded out the day driving to Peyto Lake Viewpoint for the most breathtaking sunset. The viewpoint is a short walk from the parking lot, and surprisingly wasn’t overly packed. Pro tip: If you have time to plan ahead, bring a blanket and picnic! These were some of our favorite views of the weekend.