CANMORE - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 176

Canmore Nordic Centre hosts a variety of mountain-biking events each summer, high-
lighted by a stop on the 24 Hours of Adrenalin tour (416/391-2651,
www.24hoursofadrenalin.com ), in which 1,500 racers complete as many laps as they can
in a 24-hour period, either in teams or as solo riders. For a full listing of mountain-bike
races, contact the Nordic center (403/678-2400).
On the Heritage Day long weekend, the first weekend of August, Canmore hosts a
Folk Music Festival ( www.canmorefolkfestival.com ), which starts on Saturday and runs
through Monday evening. This event, which attracts more than 14,000 fans, features na-
tional and international acts performing in Centennial Park, musical workshops, and a free
pancake breakfast beside the post office on Heritage Day.
The first Sunday of September is the Canmore Highland Games (403/678-9454,
www.canmorehighlandgames.ca ) , a day of dancing, eating, and caber tossing culminating
in a spectacular and noisy parade of pipe bands throughout the grounds of Centennial Park;
the event attracts more than 10,000 spectators. The grand finale is the ceilidh, a traditional
Scottish celebration involving loud beer-drinking, foot-stomping music, which takes place
under a massive tent set up in the park for the occasion.
Fall
Fall's major gathering is for the Festival of the Eagles ( www.eaglewatch.ca ), held on
the middle weekend of October and coinciding with the southbound migration of golden
eagles. Viewing scopes are set up at the high school grounds off 17th Street while sched-
uled events include talks, slide shows, and field trips.
Accommodations and Camping
Canmore's population boom has been mirrored by the construction of new hotels and mo-
tels. Most of the newer lodgings are on Bow Valley Trail (Highway 1A). As with all resort
towns in the Canadian Rockies, reservations should be made as far in advance as possible
in summer.
More than 40 bed-and-breakfasts operate in Canmore. They are all small, family-run
affairs, with only one or two rooms (a local town bylaw limits the number of guest rooms
in private homes to just two). During summer, they fill every night. For a full list of
B&Bs, check the website of the Canmore/Bow Valley Bed and Breakfast Association
( www.bbcanmore.com ) for one that suits your needs.