Family Fun in the Canadian Rockies
The focus of your vacation in the Canadian Rockies should be the outdoors, even with children. Mix up the places you think the children should see with places you know they will enjoy. If you’re traveling to the Canadian Rockies as a family, renting a vehicle will make your holiday more enjoyable—upgrade to a minivan for everyone’s sanity. With those tips in mind, here are some favorite family-friendly places and activities.
Banff National Park
- Banff Park Museum: Learn about local wildlife at this downtown museum
- Louise Lakeshore Trail: A walking path for all ages along one of the world’s most beautiful lakes.
- Lake Agnes Trail: Families with active children can take this hike to a historic teahouse and reward themselves with sweet treats
Canmore
- Elevation Place: This indoor playground for adventurous kids is the perfect place for children to swim and climb
Kananaskis Country
- Mount Lorette Ponds: Try fishing at these shallow ponds, which are stocked with rainbow trout.
Kootenay National Park
- Radium Hot Springs: Take a soak in these outdoor mineral pools.
Golden
- Kicking Horse Mountain Resort: Ride this gondola for sweeping views only mountaineers usually enjoy.
Jasper National Park
- Columbia Icefield: Just riding in an oversized Ice Explorer will excite most children, but the real fun is in bumping along over a glacier.
- Maligne Lake: A safe, enjoyable way to experience this beautiful lake is to jump aboard a tour boat.
Calgary
- Telus Spark Science Centre: It’s easy to spend a full day in this modern kid-oriented facility.
Start planning your family adventure today
- Strategic, flexible itineraries in the national parks, including a two-week Canadian Rockies road trip
- The best hikes in the Canadian Rockies: Find the right trek for you with details on length, elevation gains, difficulty levels, and trailheads
- Can’t-miss outdoor experiences: Hike to incredible vistas and try to spot moose, bighorn sheep, wolves, and black bears. Soak in a natural hot spring after a day on the slopes or wander through meadows of colorful wildflowers. Ride across the Columbia Icefield in an Ice Explorer, float through the sky in a mountain gondola, or white-water raft down rivers of snowmelt. Go horseback riding though the Tonquin Valley or fish for your own fresh dinner and camp under the stars
- Expert insight from Banff local Andrew Hempstead on when to go, where to eat, and where to stay, from campgrounds to luxurious mountain lodges
- Full-color photos, detailed maps of each park, and handy directions, including driving times and mileages, and coverage of gateway towns
- Background information on the landscape, culture, history, wildlife, and environment
- In-depth coverage of Banff National Park, Kootenay National Park, Yoho National Park, Jasper National Park, Waterton Lakes National Park, and nearby cities of Banff, Canmore, Jasper, Calgary, Radium Hot Springs, Golden, and Kananaskis Country
Hitting the road? Try Moon U.S. and Canadian Rockies Road Trip. Focusing on the parks? Check out Moon Best of Glacier, Banff, and Jasper.
About Moon Travel Guides: Moon was founded in 1973 to empower independent, active, and conscious travel. We prioritize local businesses, outdoor recreation, and traveling strategically and sustainably. Moon Travel Guides are written by local, expert authors with great stories to tell—and they can’t wait to share their favorite places with you.
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