You’ve seen the social media posts: the towering and rugged peaks, the glossy, glacial lakes, and the lumbering bears disappearing into thick forests. This is Banff National Park, one of the most beautiful—and famous—places on Earth.
According to Banff and Lake Louise Tourism, nearly four million people visited Banff in 2024 alone, and overtourism is a growing concern for Parks Canada. So, right now, it’s an opportune time for travelers to explore alternative mountain towns that offer just as much beauty and adventure as Banff National Park, but without the crowds.
Field: Waterfall wonderland in Yoho National Park
It’s easy to blink and miss Field. Tucked into under-the-radar Yoho National Park, and a mere 20-minute drive from Lake Louise, this small railway town is well worth a visit. The park is a waterfall chaser’s dream with drive-up access to the powerful Takakkaw Falls—one of the tallest waterfalls in Canada—and easy hiking access to Twin Falls and Laughing Falls. The spectacular sights don’t stop there. The 13-mile-long Iceline trail, the premier hiking trail in the park, meanders past rocky ridgelines, turquoise tarns, and promenading glaciers.
Field also offers spectacular views of the Van Horne Mountain range and cozy accommodations at Truffle Pigs Bistro and Lodge. “What attracted me [to Field] was the strength of the community,” said owner Jennifer Coffman, who left Banff in search of a quieter mountain life. With a seasonal menu crafted by a Moroccan head chef, Truffle Pigs is the heart of this tiny town, fueling visitors who fill their days with hiking, climbing, and skiing.
(Related: Mist, Sun, Rain, and Snow: Capturing the Mood Swings of Yoho National Park.)
Beyond Field: Exploring Golden
Stretch your legs while heading west from Field to Golden with a short hike to Wapta Falls, which dazzles in any season. Golden is the perfect place for visitors still looking to explore Yoho easily but with access to the amenities of a larger center that still has a locally driven economy and small-town feel.
“It’s a real authentic town and not one that attracts busloads of tourists,” says Andy Brown, communications manager for Tourism Golden. “For people that are looking for that mountain town that is still a little tucked away, less heard about, a little quieter, there’s no comparison to other more traditionally popular mountain towns.”
Golden is located within a two-hour drive of six national parks, and winter brings some of Canada’s best snow quality at Kicking Horse Mountain Resort. The resort’s busiest days host a fraction of the crowds of some of Canada’s more well-known ski resorts.
The resort is the reason Brown moved to Golden in the first place. “The terrain is unmatched at almost every other North American Resort,” he says. In the spring, visitors can ski in the morning and mountain bike in the afternoon.
The Columbia Valley Wetlands exudes natural beauty especially in the fall. Photograph by Michael Wheatley, Alamy Stock Photo
A female backpacker climbs a ladder up a rock face while hiking into the tranquil Bugaboo Provincial Park in British Columbia. The trail into the Bugaboos is extremely steep, gaining thousands of feet over a short distance. Photograph by Alex Ratson, Getty Images
With the melting snow comes adrenaline-inducing whitewater rafting on the Kicking Horse River, or for people seeking out a gentler adventure, the Columbia Wetlands—the longest protected wetlands in North America—is just south of Golden and offers quieter flat-water canoeing, kayaking, and birdwatching opportunities.
Hiking and mountain biking season peaks in Golden during the fall so book a stay at Cedar House Chalets where multi-room log cabins provide private hot tubs and easy access to the Mountain Shadows Trail Network alongside honeyed autumn colors.
Alternatively, check out the Golden Skybridge—Canada’s highest suspension bridge, spanning a vast canyon with a cascading waterfall—before driving up to Mount Seven to catch the sunset.
(Related: Everything you should know about British Columbia.)
Backcountry adventure at Icefall Lodge
Those looking for a more rugged Alps-inspired adventure should consider heading to the helicopter staging area for Icefall Lodge, located just outside of Golden. It offers some of the most stunning hiking in Western Canada.
“These aren’t manicured Parks Canada trails,” says Sophie Champagne, one of the lodge’s cooks and custodians. “But the fact is that there is no one else here. You get all this without any other people in the comfort of cabins and lodges.”
Their hut-to-hut hiking option is inspired by the European Haute Routes, offering intrepid guests heart-pounding river crossings, a valley of cascading waterfalls, and silty lakes tucked below prominent glaciers.
Radium: Hot springs and wildlife
When visiting Radium, travelers can’t pass up the opportunity to visit this hot springs swimming pool on the edge of Kootenay National Park in British Columbia, Canada. Photograph by Michael Wheatley, Alamy Stock Photo
Further south, in the tiny hamlet of Radium, the only traffic jams involve flocks of Bighorn sheep. The natural spring-fed hot springs are the main draw of the area and are located on the edge of Kootenay National Park, one of Western Canada’s less trafficked national parks. However, other recreational opportunities in the area should not be discounted.
Winter visitors have access to groomed fat biking, snowshoeing, and Nordic ski trails at nearby Nipika Mountain Resort. They also have easy access to both Kicking Horse and Panorama Mountain Resort, as well as the world’s longest skating trail that links the nearby towns of Invermere and Windemere.
(Related: Canada’s best wildlife encounters on a small-ship cruise of British Columbia.)
Kimberley: A Bavarian-inspired outdoor haven
Leave the crowds of sheep behind and continue south to the charming Bavarian-inspired town of Kimberley. While the allure of pristine powder at Kimberley Alpine Resort is certainly enticing, a summer stay is worthwhile for the area’s world-class and impeccably maintained mountain biking trails.
Kimberley is blazing trails with the implementation of the innovative “Electrify the Mountain” project, which is focused on testing remote charging stations for e-bikes and developing e-bike-specific trails and adaptive riding trails for the disabled community.
“All abilities, all types of riding are now available on the Kimberley trails,” says Matt Mosteller, the senior vice president of marketing for Resorts of the Canadian Rockies.
Another goal of the project is to provide remote backcountry access to e-bikers. “We’re working on a couple hundred-kilometer route where we’ll have a [remote] charging station. It will be a gravel mountain route where e-bikers could leave the Kimberley community, go up to [Gray Creek Pass], get charged up overnight, and then ride back,” he says.
(Related: Meet the Canadian filmmaker who conquered the world’s longest hiking trail.)
Fernie: A mountain biking and hiking paradise
Nearby Fernie—home to the hallowed snow slopes of Fernie Alpine Resort—also boasts a strong mountain biking culture and hiking community. For the first time this September, the resort will open the Timber lift for fall-access hiking, ensuring that the alpine bowls and ridgeline trails are more accessible than ever before during that coveted autumnal glow.
Eager hikers should also spend time exploring the rugged landscape at Island Lake Lodge, an off-the-grid, road-accessed wilderness lodge with ample hiking opportunities. The lodge also rents canoes to guests looking to get out for a paddle in the shade of the Lizard Mountain Range, while a wide variety of storied mountain bike trails in the area will tempt avid cyclists.
Fernie boasts a strong mountain biking culture and hiking community. The city is home to the first mountain bike trail operator in the world. Photograph by Dirk Kruell, laif/Redux
On a scorching hot summer day, a young man cliff jumps near the city of Fernie, British Columbia. Photograph by All Canada Photos, Alamy Stock Photo
“Fernie and North Vancouver were where big mountain-style biking began,” says Mosteller. “Fernie had the first mountain bike trail operator in the world (30 years ago) … so that really put emphasis on the fact that we’re a trail community. This matters to us, we love riding bikes, and we hike too.”
One of the few remaining inland temperate rainforests this far east is also found within the vicinity of the lodge, where hikers can wander amongst ancient cedar trees on the easily accessible Old Growth Trail.
(Related: 9 ways to explore Canada’s natural beauty.)
Waterton: Where the mountains meet the sky
Head east from Fernie to the secluded townsite of Waterton. If you don’t mind the occasional gust of wild wind and are a fan of The Last of Us—part of season one was filmed here—this National Park, which receives a fraction of visitors to neighboring Glacier National Park, should be a destination on your radar.
Waterton is one of the most southern towns where the Aurora Borealis appears on a regular basis and the internet is buzzing that 2025 will be an even better year for spotting the Aurora.
“We see the Northern Lights approximately three times a week during winter,” says Keith Robinson, president and co-founder of Dark Sky Guides, a local tour company. Even without the aurora, Waterton is Canada’s newest International Dark Sky Park and the first trans-border Dark Sky Park in the world. It’s the perfect place to leave the city lights behind and peep the unpolluted night sky.
Summer and winter activities abound, from hiking and paddling to wild ice skating and cross-country skiing. If the weather turns cold, visitors can explore the newly opened Waterton Planetarium to learn about Indigenous constellations. For a comfortable stay, the historic Prince of Wales Hotel offers sprawling views of the surrounding lakes and mountains.
(Related: 7 of the best places to stay in Canada.)
