BANFF NATIONAL PARK - Canadian Rockies: Including Banff and Jasper National Parks - page 75

Greens fees (including cart and driving range privileges) are $225, discounted to $135
in May and late September-early October. The Tunnel 9 offers the same spectacular chal-
lenges as Thompson's original layout but lacks the history; nine holes cost $80. Free
shuttle buses run from the Fairmont Banff Springs to the clubhouse. (The original 1911
clubhouse still stands, but it has been replaced by a modern, circular building in the heart
of the course.) There you'll find club rentals ($50-65), putting greens, a driving range, a
pro shop, two chipping greens (one hidden up in the trees with surrounding bunkers), and
a restaurant with a stunning wraparound deck. Booking tee times well in advance is essen-
tial; call 403/762-2211.
TOURS
Brewster (403/762-6767 or 800/760-6934, www.brewster.ca ) is the dominant tour com-
pany in the area. The three-hour Discover Banff bus tour takes in downtown Banff, Tunnel
Mountain Drive, the hoodoos, the Cave and Basin, and Banff Gondola (gondola fare in-
cluded). This tour runs in summer only and departs from the bus depot at 8:30am daily;
call for hotel pickup times. Adult fare is $86, children half price. Brewster also runs sev-
eral other tours. A four-hour tour to Lake Louise departs select Banff hotels daily; $75. In
winter this tour departs Tuesday and Friday mornings, runs five hours, and includes Ban-
ff sights; $75. During summer, the company also offers tours from Banff to Lake Minne-
wanka ($76; includes boat cruise) and the Columbia Icefield ($164).
Discover Banff Tours (Sundance Mall, 215 Banff Ave., 403/760-5007 or 877/
565-9372, www.banfftours.com ) is a smaller company, with smaller buses and more per-
sonalized service. Its tour routes are similar to Brewster's: A three-hour Discover Banff
tour visits Lake Minnewanka, the Cave and Basin, the Fairmont Banff Springs, and the
hoodoos for adult $62, child $38; and a two-hour Evening Wildlife Safari is adult $42,
child $25. This company offers a good selection of other tours throughout the year, includ-
ing a wintertime ice walk in frozen Johnston Canyon (adult $66, child $40).
WINTER RECREATION
From November till May, the entire park transforms itself into a winter playground
covered in a blanket of snow. Of Alberta's six world-class winter resorts, three are in Banff
National Park. Ski Norquay is a small but steep hill overlooking the town of Banff; Sun-
shine Village perches high in the mountains on the Continental Divide, catching more than
its share of fluffy white powder; and Lake Louise, Canada's second-largest winter resort,
spreads over four distinct mountain faces. Apart from an abundance of snow, the resorts