Going to try to fly to Calgary and go to a day of the rodeo. Any do/donts for the rodeo?? We will be in Calgary likely 2 nights and then plan on driving to wards Banff and Glacier and getting air bnb for rest of the time. Does anyone have a good 3 day timeline or must-see things? We do hike, but prefer less strenuous hikes. Any must eat/drink spots would also be welcome. Thanks in advance.

Been way too long (20 years) to remember any recs, but man I had a great time there. Worked in Calgary for a summer, and my wife would fly up instead of the company flying me back- then we'd head up to Banf for the weekends.

Gorgeous place. I recommend fly fishing those braided rivers - good outfitters are easy to find, so it requires zero skills.


I also loved Helo-hiking, where they'll take you up into the Rockies in the morning and come back and get you before sunset. I saw packs of wild rams, brown bears and fresh mountain lion kill all in the same day.


And bonus fun: wait to eat dinner in Calgary until right before sunset, then get a patio spot and watch the inexperienced johns try to muster up the courage to pick up the ladies of the evening. My wife and I laughed our ass off at how many times some guys would walk by the same girl before finally stopping to talk. Sort of strange and very sad - but also a little funny to watch.

It's a great time of year to go up there. About where is your Air BnB as that will dictate some recommendations. In Calgary, be sure to walk around Prince's Island Park and the River Cafe is great for dinner…great wild game but a bit pricey. The Stampede is fun as it's a quality rodeo. Stampede used to be known as a wild and crazy time back when the energy industry was going strong due to all the side parties. Last time I was there a few years ago it had calmed down a lot, but still a fun time. Lot's to do up there and you will have a great time.

Not quite sure where we will stay. There will be 4 of us. My wife was looking at one in a town named Cochrane? But not sure if thats too far out of the way.

Cochrane is a small town on the outskirts of Calgary. Personally I don't see the benefit of staying there as you are way out of Calgary so you can't walk around to see places. And you are still an hour plus drive to Banff, Lake Louise and all the hiking. For an AirBnB I would stay in Calgary proper as close to Prince's Island as you can, or stay in an hotel downtown. And for Banff stay in the town of Banff or Canmore. For dinner in the park near places to hike (and also great places to stay much closer to the hiking) check out:

Cathedral Mountain Lodge, Emerald Lake Lodge, Storm Mountain Lodge and Baker Creek Mountain resort

Also in Banff you can't miss the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel and eat breakfast at Melissa's Missteaks.

Some great easy hikes / viewpoints: Emerald Lake, Takakkaw Falls, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Lake Moraine, Johnston Canyon

Calgary Zoo is worth the trip. Especially if you've got kids.

I lived in Calgary for almost two years, and its great.
Stay close to town during stampede as there will be a lot going on and its a very walkable city plus the trains in town are great. If you like zoos I agree the zoo is a nice one to go to.

Banff is fantastic in the summer, but it will be crowded. In recent years they have changed some of the rules about places you can park vs have to ride a shuttle to so read up on where you want to go if you plan to do much hiking.

The scenery all around the mounts there is breathtaking, Stampede is a rowdy good time, overall I'm jealous youre making the trip!

OilManAg91 said:

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Cochrane is a small town on the outskirts of Calgary. Personally I don't see the benefit of staying there as you are way out of Calgary so you can't walk around to see places. And you are still an hour plus drive to Banff, Lake Louise and all the hiking. For an AirBnB I would stay in Calgary proper as close to Prince's Island as you can, or stay in an hotel downtown. And for Banff stay in the town of Banff or Canmore. For dinner in the park near places to hike (and also great places to stay much closer to the hiking) check out:

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Agree on all of this as well.
In town Prince's island is a nice area ( I lived about 300-400 yards from there) and the island itself has nice paths to walk.

You dont have to go all the way to Lake Louise or even Banff for hiking. Canmore has some nice hikes too, but Cochrane kind of puts you in the middle.


Banff in town will have lots of walking around with little shops and restaurants on the main few streets. Lots of places to stay up in the mountains if you want something more scenic and remote

Reel Aggies said:

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Going to try to fly to Calgary and go to a day of the rodeo. Any do/donts for the rodeo?? We will be in Calgary likely 2 nights and then plan on driving to wards Banff and Glacier and getting air bnb for rest of the time. Does anyone have a good 3 day timeline or must-see things? We do hike, but prefer less strenuous hikes. Any must eat/drink spots would also be welcome. Thanks in advance.

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When I get a few minutes to type it out, I will answer the Stampede questions. What days are you going to be there?

My guess is around the 6th or 7th of July.

Have nothing to add on Calgary.

My family was in Banff in June of 2017. Highlights include....

1. Johnston Canyon - Nice hikes next to beautiful canyon (reasonable hikes for most)
2. Lake Louise (of course) - The hike to the cabin for tea at the top is incredible but it is somewhat strenuous (totally worth it). Still this is a beautiful place. Get there early!
3. We rafted the Kicking Horse river. INCREDIBLE experience! We went with Alpine Rafting out of Golden BC. Not that far from Lake Louise
4. We stayed at Baker Creek listed above. This was a wonderful place to stay that I highly recommend.
5. Moraine Lake is also beautiful but you better get there early.

Have fun! One of the most beautiful places we have ever been. If you can, add 4 more days and go to Jaspar!

Wes '87

Reel Aggies said:

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Going to try to fly to Calgary and go to a day of the rodeo. Any do/donts for the rodeo?? We will be in Calgary likely 2 nights and then plan on driving to wards Banff and Glacier and getting air bnb for rest of the time. Does anyone have a good 3 day timeline or must-see things? We do hike, but prefer less strenuous hikes. Any must eat/drink spots would also be welcome. Thanks in advance.

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Do yourself a favor and make a trip to Jasper. Lots of short beautiful hikes between those two.

So now planning the Lake Louise and Moreaine lake trips from Banff, is there a step-by-step to figure this out? It's confusing as hell. I assume you park at the long term parking in Banff and catch a shuttle, but there seem to be multiple different companies. Anyone have a dummy proof way to set up the correct shuttles?

Fairview Limousine

They were recommended on another tread. I used them last year, more costly, but I would 100% use them again.

It's a shuttle van, not a limo…

You would drive to lake Louise "town" they have specific parking and you go from there. I suggest going as early as possible.

Thank you! I will take a look now.

Any recs for going to the Stampede itself? Planning on going next year

Will let you know, headed there in 2.5 weeks