Canmore

Grassi Lakes, the old NWMP barracks and the Spray Lakes road in a day

Canmore's best short outings fit into one full day. Hike to Grassi Lakes early, about an hour up past a waterfall and old pictographs to two clear green pools, swim or picnic at Quarry Lake on the way down, spend midday on Main Street and at its historic barracks, and drive the Spray Lakes road in the afternoon.

Begin early at the Grassi Lakes trailhead on the Spray Lakes road above town. The upper path climbs past a waterfall and a set of old pictographs to two small pools of startlingly clear green water under limestone walls, about an hour's walk up. On the way down, stop at Quarry Lake for a swim if the day is warm, or for a picnic on the shore with the Three Sisters behind.

Spend the afternoon in town. Walk Main Street, look into the restored North-West Mounted Police barracks from the 1890s, and drop into the Canmore Museum for the coal-mining story that built the town. Cross the Engine Bridge, a converted railway trestle over the Bow River, and follow the river path south as the light softens on the peaks. Dinner and a pint at the Grizzly Paw on Main Street round off the day.

On day two, drive up the gravel Smith-Dorrien road past the Spray Lakes into Kananaskis Country. Strong hikers can climb Ha Ling Peak on the way, a steep half-day ascent with a view straight down on town. Others can continue to Peter Lougheed Provincial Park for the lake trails around Upper and Lower Kananaskis lakes. Back in Canmore, finish with a quiet walk to the Bow River at dusk to watch the Three Sisters turn pink.

In winter, swap the hikes for a morning of cross-country skiing at the Canmore Nordic Centre and an afternoon at Norquay or Sunshine Village.

Grizzly Paw pints and early bakeries on Canmore's Main Street

Eat on Main Street, officially 8th Street, where most of Canmore's restaurants, bakeries and bagel shops sit a short walk apart. Breakfast matters in a town of early hikers, so bakeries open early and make trail sandwiches, and the Grizzly Paw brewpub is the classic stop for a local pint and dinner.

Breakfast is serious business in a town of early hikers: the bagel shops and bakeries open early, and a queue on a summer Saturday morning tells you where the locals go. Pick up sandwiches for the trail when you get your coffee.

The Grizzly Paw is the town's best-known brewpub, brewing its own beer and running a separate brewery on the edge of town, with burgers, wings and bison dishes on the menu. The Iron Goat on Benchlands Trail has a big patio facing the Three Sisters, good for a long summer evening. For something more British, the Miner's Lamp pub at the Georgetown Inn on Bow Valley Trail serves fish and chips and Yorkshire pudding, a fair fit for an old coal town where a hot pub meal ended the shift.

Steak is the Alberta default for a big night out. Rustica on Silvertip Trail serves it with valley views, and several Main Street dining rooms put Alberta beef and game at the centre of their menus. Murrieta's and the Rose and Crown are reliable for a drink.

Prices are noticeably lower than in Banff.

Folk festival weekends, summer trails and Nordic Centre winters

Visit Canmore from late June to September for snow-free trails, lake swims and Main Street patios, or in winter for cross-country skiing at the Canmore Nordic Centre. Summer weekends bring Calgary day-trippers, so the Grassi Lakes and Ha Ling trailheads fill before mid-morning, and the Folk Music Festival and Highland Games fill the calendar.

From late June to September the trails are clear of snow, the lakes warm up enough for a quick swim, and Main Street's patios stay busy until late. That is also when Calgarians pour into the valley at weekends, so the big trailheads at Grassi Lakes and Ha Ling fill before mid-morning. Go early or midweek.

Two festivals bracket the summer. The Canmore Folk Music Festival, held over the August long weekend in Centennial Park, is the longest-running folk festival in Alberta and fills every room in town. On the Labour Day weekend at the start of September, the Canmore Highland Games bring pipe bands, heavy events and dancing to town, a nod to the town's Scottish name.

September is many locals' favourite month, with golden aspens in the valley and cooler, steadier weather for long hikes, though snow can dust the high ridges by the end of the month.

Winter turns the Canmore Nordic Centre into the main attraction. Built for the 1988 Calgary Olympics, it grooms cross-country trails, with some lit for night skiing, and hosts international races. Downhill skiers base themselves here for Norquay and Sunshine Village, and the spring shoulder months of April and May are quiet, with mud on the trails and snow on the peaks.