Canmore Travel Guide

The Canmore Travel Guide covers the town of Canmore, a mountain resort between Banff and Calgary renowned for its mountain scenery and outdoor recreation.

The town of Canmore lies in the Bow Valley, 103 kilometres (64 miles) west of Calgary, 28 kilometres (17 miles) southeast of Banff, and on the northern edge of Kananaskis Country. Long perceived as a gateway to the mountain national parks, the town is very much a destination in itself. Its ideal mountain location and the freedom it enjoys from the strict development restrictions that apply in the nearby parks have made Canmore one of the fastest-growing towns in Canada, with the population having tripled in the last 30 years. The population is 14,000, with around one-third of this number nonpermanent residents (folks who own a home in town but whose permanent address is elsewhere).

The surrounding mountains provide Canmore’s best recreation opportunities. Hiking is excellent on trails that lace the valley and mountainside slopes, with many high viewpoints easily reached. Flowing through town, the Bow River offers great fishing, kayaking, and rafting; golfers flock to three scenic courses; and nearby Mount Yamnuska is the most developed rock-climbing site in the Canadian Rockies. Canmore also hosted the Nordic events of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and is the home of the Alpine Club of Canada.