Banff National Park pairs short, dramatic walks to lakes, canyons and waterfalls with easy town-based rainy-day options: hot springs, a gondola and small museums. Many headline sights are seasonal or access-controlled, so build days around shuttle reservations and keep one flexible day for weather.
Parent tip: Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles all year; in summer use a Parks Canada shuttle (reservations open in April) or Roam transit, and expect Lake Louise parking to be full from before sunrise.
A gondola up Sulphur Mountain to a summit building with an interpretive centre and a roughly 2 km boardwalk to Sanson's Peak and the historic Cosmic Ray Station. Six mountain ranges are in view on a clear day.
The famous turquoise lake below Victoria Glacier, with a flat lakeshore path that suits strollers and little legs. Canoe rentals and the Fairmont Chateau line the shore.
A glacier-fed lake ringed by the Valley of the Ten Peaks; the short Rockpile walk gives the classic view. Reachable only by shuttle, transit or licensed tour, not by private car.
Catwalks bolted to the canyon wall lead to the Lower Falls and on to the taller Upper Falls. It is one of the best waterfall walks for school-age children.
A Parks Canada hot pool on Sulphur Mountain with mountain views, near the gondola base. A warm reset after a cold hike or on a grey day.
The warm-spring cave where Canada's national parks began, with exhibits and boardwalks over the thermal marsh. Short and interesting for school-age children.
A heated, covered boat cruise on Banff's largest lake with stories about the valley. It is an easy way for young children to get out on the water.
Western Canada's oldest natural history museum, a log building packed with vintage specimens of bears, bighorn sheep and birds. A short, quirky stop downtown.
A downtown museum and gallery about mountain life, art and the people of the Rockies. Suits older children; youth under 17 enter free.
Wide, low falls on the Bow River just below the Fairmont Banff Springs, reached on a short riverside walk from town. Easy with a stroller.