Beautiful Canmore

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Beautiful Canmore

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Local Canmore insiders sharing hiking tips, hidden gems & stunning mountain photography.

We’re a Canmore-based couple (plus one opinionated Pomsky) sharing insider tips, local favourites, and stunning photography of our favourite mountain town. Whether you're planning your first visit or your fifteenth, we’ll help you hike smarter, eat better, and explore like a local.

10/25/2026

I learned a new word today, and I think I’ve found my people. ❤️

Orophile (noun): a person who loves mountains.

Apparently there’s a word for those of us who never get tired of looking at them, photographing them, hiking through them — or stopping whatever we’re doing because the light just changed on a peak. 🏔️

Three years after moving to Canmore, I still look at these mountains and think, I can’t believe I get to live here.

Orophile. Yep. That’ll do. 😊

Anyone else?

10/24/2026

Sometimes the best part of getting up for sunrise isn’t the sunrise.

I drove out early this morning to the Hoodoos Viewpoint in Banff, hoping to photograph the first light over the mountains. Just as I was setting up my camera, I heard it — the haunting ululation (one of my favourite words!) of the Banff wolf pack somewhere in the valley. 🐺

I couldn’t see them, but standing there in the early morning stillness, listening to wolves calling while the sky slowly caught fire over the mountains… what an experience.

And then the sunrise delivered too. ❤️

One of those mornings that reminds me, yet again, why I love living here.

10/23/2026

I always thought an elk herd during the rut meant one bull and his harem. Apparently, it’s a little more complicated than that. 🦌

We came across the Banff herd today — a huge group, with probably only about half of them fitting into this frame. This magnificent bull was lounging right in the middle of a large group of cows, but just across the street was another substantial bull, and Ron spotted a third that I missed.

During the fall rut, a dominant bull will gather and defend a harem, but that doesn’t mean he’s the only bull around. Other bulls may stay nearby while keeping a respectful distance from the dominant male.

Even after seeing elk regularly here, there’s always something new to learn about them.

And this guy certainly looks pretty comfortable surrounded by his ladies. 😉

10/17/2026

Not a bad place to celebrate another trip around the sun. 💙
Blue skies, wispy clouds and a dusting of fresh snow on the mountains — the kind of October view that still makes me stop what I'm doing and look.
Feeling very lucky to call this place home.
This is why we moved here. ❤️

10/16/2026

Not a bad evening for a dog walk. ❤️
Yesterday evening, a walk with Nellie brought us a beautiful deer among the fall colours… and then the sky did this.
For a few magical minutes, the whole Bow Valley seemed to glow. 🔥
You never quite know what an ordinary walk around Canmore is going to bring.

10/12/2026

The girls seem a little more relaxed about the arrival of winter than I am. 😂❄️
Spotted these two resting quietly in the snowy forest while I was out walking Nellie yesterday morning. They looked perfectly content to let the snow fall around them.
These were taken with my phone zoom from a good distance away so we could keep walking without disturbing them — hence they're a little softer than my usual wildlife photos. But sometimes the moment matters more than the perfect photo. ❤️
Just another snowy morning in Canmore. ❄️

10/11/2026

Well, autumn was lovely while it lasted. 😂❄️
Our first snow of the season arrived in the Bow Valley just in time for Thanksgiving — but thankfully, it hasn't quite chased autumn away yet.
I love this brief overlap when the aspens and larches are still glowing gold and everything gets dusted in fresh snow. Autumn colours peeking through a snowy forest might just be one of my favourite combinations.
Happy Thanksgiving from Canmore! 🍂❄️🧡

10/10/2026

Lake Louise really does look like this. 💙

It may be one of the most photographed places in the Canadian Rockies, but there’s a reason for that. The turquoise water, Victoria Glacier and mountains rising around the lake make this one of those places that can still stop you in your tracks — even when you’ve seen the pictures a hundred times.

But there’s much more to Lake Louise than taking the classic photo from in front of the Fairmont.

Walk the lakeshore for changing views of the mountains and glacier, rent a canoe for a completely different perspective, or make Lake Louise the starting point for one of the area’s beautiful hikes. And if you visit in fall, the surrounding trails are also home to some spectacular larch colour.

One thing that does take a little planning: getting here. Parking at Lake Louise is limited and busy, and Parks Canada shuttles are often the easiest option during peak season.

I’ve put together my complete guide to visiting Lake Louise — including what to do, hikes, canoeing, when to visit and how to get there:

👉 https://beautifulcanmore.com/lake-louise/

Have you been to Lake Louise — and did it live up to the photographs?

10/09/2026

🏔️ Canmore or Banff — which mountain town would you choose?

I live in Canmore, so you might think you know my answer. 😉

Over the years, we've had quite a few friends and family come to visit, and many of them have ended up preferring Canmore. They love the quieter downtown, the mountain views, the restaurants and the fact that it feels a little less hectic.

But my friend Lana surprised me on her recent visit.

She really enjoyed downtown Banff.

The bustling streets, the shops, the historic buildings, the mountains looming at the end of Banff Avenue — it was exactly what she'd imagined a Canadian Rockies mountain town would feel like.

And it reminded me that there really isn't one right answer.

Banff has the energy and excitement of an international mountain destination. Canmore has a quieter, more lived-in feel. They're only about 20 minutes apart, but they offer surprisingly different experiences.

If you're trying to decide where to stay, I've compared the two — including scenery, restaurants, things to do, crowds, cost, parking and transportation — in my guide:

👉 Canmore vs. Banff: Which Mountain Town Is Right for You?
https://beautifulcanmore.com/canmore-vs-banff-which-mountain-town-wins/

Now I'm curious: if you've spent time in both, are you Team Canmore or Team Banff? 😄

10/06/2026

💎 Want to see Emerald Lake at its most turquoise? Try getting a little higher.

We discovered a new-to-us viewpoint on our latest visit — and it’s surprisingly easy to miss.

As you walk the lakeshore, look for the signed avalanche zone. Because avalanches prevent mature trees from becoming established here, the open slope provides an unusual opportunity to get above the lake.

In summer, you can walk a short way up the open hillside for a beautiful elevated perspective. One of the bonuses of gaining a little height is that the lake’s turquoise colour becomes much more obvious than it can be from water level, where reflections from the sky and surrounding mountains often dominate the surface.

The view changes remarkably quickly with just a little elevation — and you get a completely different perspective from the familiar views near the bridge.

⚠️ This is a summer-only suggestion — do not enter avalanche terrain when snow is present.

Emerald Lake is gorgeous from the bridge, of course, but one of my favourite things about it is how different it looks once you start exploring beyond that familiar view. If you have time, don't just take the photo and leave — walk at least part of the lakeshore and see what else you find.

Have you ever walked around Emerald Lake, or have you only seen it from the main viewpoint?

Address

Vermillion Lakes Dr
Banff, AB

Website

https://beautifulcanmore.com/

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