• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Must Do Canada

The Best Things to Do in Canada

  • City Guides
      • Calgary
      • Banff
      • Jasper
      • Edmonton
      • Vancouver
      • Kelowna
      • Victoria
      • Tofino
      • Regina
      • Saskatoon
      • Winnipeg
      • Toronto
      • Ottawa
      • Niagara Falls
      • Montreal
      • Halifax
      • St. John’s
  • Where to Go
    • Map of Canada
      • Provinces
          • Alberta
          • British Columbia
          • Manitoba
          • New Brunswick
          • Newfoundland & Labrador
          • Northwest Territories
          • Nova Scotia
          • Nunavut
          • Ontario
          • Prince Edward Island
          • Quebec
          • Saskatchewan
          • Yukon
  • Food and Drink
    • Calgary Restaurants
    • Edmonton Restaurants
    • Banff Restaurants
    • Canmore Restaurants
    • Saskatoon Restaurants
    • Breweries in Calgary
    • Breweries in Edmonton
    • Restaurants in Kelowna
  • What To Do
    • Outdoor Attractions
    • Indoor Attractions
    • History & Culture
    • Food & Drink
    • Festivals & Events
    • Road Trips
  • Articles
  • Facts
    • Facts About Canada
    • Alberta Facts
    • Ontario Facts
    • British Columbia Facts
    • Quebec Facts
    • Nova Scotia Facts
    • Calgary Facts
    • Vancouver Facts
    • Toronto Facts
    • Niagara Falls Facts
    • Canada Flags
    • Canadian Money
    • Canadian Languages
  • About
    • About Us
    • Work With Us
    • Contact

Snowshoeing, Tubing and Magnificent Views at Mount Norquay

By Matthew G. Bailey 6 Comments

Sharing is caring!

95 shares
  • Share95
  • Tweet

Situated in one of the most beautiful national parks in the world is Mount Norquay, an amazing mountain for skiing and snowboarding. Known as one of the mountains where olympians train, it’s also the closest and smallest ski area to the town of Banff.

But when most people think of Mount Norquay or with any of the mountains for that matter, thoughts of skiing and snowboarding are the only things that typically come to mind. That’s the only thing I ever thought about when visiting the area during the winter time…

Not anymore.

snowshoeing in Banff Alberta

Last weekend, Norquay invited me over for some snowshoeing and tubing. I had never been snowshoeing before and I hadn’t been tubing since I was a little kid. Needless to say, I was excited.

We pulled up to the resort around ten in the morning. The sun was already out and the temperature was quite nice. A mild winter day with only a slight breeze. We walked into the office and grabbed our snowshoe rentals. The recommended trail was technically outside of the resort area but offered a beautiful two-hour return hike on a narrow trail surrounded by snow-covered pine trees.

The snowshoes were surprisingly easy to use and didn’t feel much different than a normal hiking boot. The biggest advantage was the metal spikes on the bottom, which helped grip into the snow. After about half an hour of walking through winter wonderland, we made ourselves a seat in the thick snow next to a huge pine tree. We nestled into the powder as if it were a recliner and ate some chocolate we had leftover from our Christmas stockings.

Snowshoeing in Banff Alberta

After a brief break and some much needed chocolate energy, we continued up hill until we finally reached an opening in the forest that exposed a beautiful view of Banff, Alberta. No matter what view you stumble across in this national park, it’s bound to make your jaw drop.

We snapped some pictures and posted them to Instagram before continuing down the trail, past a cliff of mountain rock as we made way to the end of the trail. Before we came to the end, we stumbled upon a little squirrel, munching away on a pine nut of some sort. As animal lovers, we watched him for a little while and then made way back to base. Karla loves the white snow, especially since she grew up without it in Mexico, so we decided to stop when we found fresh powder that we could make some snow angels in.

tubing at mount norquay

It had been a while since I last hiked and my legs were feeling it. Luckily, the next activity was tubing, which didn’t really require any strength. We returned the snowshoes and made way to the tube park where we felt like kids again. Actually, the tubing was incredibly fast and almost scary as your soar down towards the bottom. It’s amazing how fast you really go. For the first couple of runs, we went together by holding onto each others tubes. The tube park staff asked if we wanted to spin, which we thought we’d try out. As they spun us down the hill, we giggled like kids. I thought I was going to lose my sunglasses once the speed picked up. After ten seconds or so, the hill goes up onto a carpet that stops you pretty softly. We went again and again, flying down the mountain around nine or ten times.

Reluctantly, we gave back the tubes and took the advice from some of the staff to take the nearby chairlift up to a lookout point.

What a view it was!

views from Mount Norquay, Banff

One of the tourist draws in the area is the Banff Gondola, which takes visitors up to a platform for amazing 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. This view however was also magnificent and included in the lift ticket. Even if you’re just visiting the tube park, it’s worth it to grab the camera and head up the Norquay chairlift for some incredible views of the surrounding scenery.

All in all, our day was fantastic and I was happy to learn that there were other activities besides skiing and snowboarding. For those visiting the area who don’t ski or board, I highly recommend snowshoeing or flying down the hill on a tube. Both activities are great for people of all ages and finishing it off with an unbelievable view is icing on the cake.

To see more of what Mount Norquay offers, visit their website at banffnorquay.com

**

Does this look fun? Have you been to Banff, Alberta before? Let us know in the comments…

You might also enjoy:

  • Skiing at Sunshine Village
  • Skiing at Lake Louise

 

 

 

About Matthew G. Bailey

Matthew G. Bailey is the founder and editor-in-chief of Must Do Canada. Growing up in Alberta to a mother from Quebec and a father from Newfoundland, Matt spent his childhood playing hockey under the Northern Lights and hanging out in the forest before moving to Calgary and travelling to more than 250 cities spanning 42 countries and 6 continents. He loves travel, learning new things, playing sports, writing, making videos, photography, and scuba diving. You can also find him at LiveLimitless.net.

 

Reader Interactions

Trackbacks

  1. A Magical Time at Lake Louise | Must Do Canada says:
    March 14, 2014 at 12:57 am

    […] Snowshoing at Mount Norquay […]

    Reply
  2. Become a Cowboy or Cowgirl Amidst the Beautiful Backdrop of the Canadian Rockies | Must Do Canada says:
    March 14, 2014 at 2:16 am

    […] not everything, but after living in Calgary for the last 10 years, I’ve had my fair share of Rocky Mountain experiences. I’ve spent a lot of time camping near beautiful mountain lakes, enjoying world-class skiing, […]

    Reply
  3. Helicopter Flight over the Canadian Rocky Mountains | Must Do Canada says:
    September 12, 2014 at 4:45 am

    […] “Look to your right” the Pilot said as we passed some mountain sheep resting high up on the cliff. It was amazing to fly so close to the mountain peak and witness these amazing creatures in their natural habitat. They were basically resting on the peak of a mountain! I fell in love with helicopters as we soared up high and over some of the most magical scenery in the world. […]

    Reply
  4. Fabulous Skiing at Panorama Mountain Village | says:
    October 6, 2014 at 11:28 pm

    […] Snowshoeing at Mount Norquay in Banff, Alberta […]

    Reply
  5. Driving the Icefields Parkway to Jasper | Must Do Canada says:
    October 20, 2016 at 6:20 pm

    […] This is one of the images that makes it into most books/blogs/calendars featuring Jasper and the Canadian Rockies. Next we stopped at Athabasca Falls, which is not only a gorgeous waterfall but also a series of […]

    Reply
  6. 5 Ways to Enjoy Winter Banff National Park | Must Do Canada says:
    February 1, 2018 at 7:19 pm

    […] you’d rather go tubing or if it’s your first time on skis, we can also recommend Mount Norquay, which is the closest ski resort to the town of Banff and offers a hill just for […]

    Reply
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
\n

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

twelve − 11 =

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Search this blog
Disclaimer:

This page and website in general may contain affiliate links. Please review our full Terms and Conditions as well as our Privacy Policy for more information. Note that any pricing, operating hours, or other such information provided on this website may have changed since the initial publication.

Categories
Connect With Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Email Newsletter

Enter your email below and be the first to know about new articles on Must Do Canada as well as exclusive deals, giveaways, and promotions.

Thanks for subscribing. We've sent you a confirmation email. Please check your inbox and hit confirm.

Categories
  • accommodation
  • Alberta
  • Annapolis Valley
  • Banff
  • British Columbia
  • Calgary
  • Camping
  • Canada Road Trips
  • Canmore
  • Cape Breton
  • crowsnest pass
  • Drumheller
  • Edmonton
  • Facts about Canada
  • Fall
  • Festivals and Events
  • Food and Drink
  • Golden
  • Halifax
  • Hiking
  • History and Culture
  • Indigenous Tourism
  • Indoor Attractions
  • Jasper
  • Kootenays
  • Lethbridge
  • Life in Canada
  • Manitoba
  • Montreal
  • National Parks
  • New Brunswick
  • Newfoundland & Labrador
  • Northwest Territories
  • Nova Scotia
  • Nunavut
  • Okanagan
  • Ontario
  • Ottawa
  • Outdoor Attractions
  • Prince Edward Island
  • Products
  • Quebec
  • Quebec City
  • Regina
  • Road to 150
  • Saskatchewan
  • Saskatoon
  • Small Towns
  • Summer
  • Tips
  • Toronto
  • Tours
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel Knowledge
  • Uncategorized
  • Vancouver
  • Vancouver Island
  • Victoria
  • Winnipeg
  • Winter
  • Yukon

Footer

© 2022 Must Do Canada. All Rights Reserved.

Things to Do in Canada

About
  • About
  • Privacy Policy
  • Work With Us
  • Get in Touch
Resources
  • Facts about Canada
  • Canadian Languages
  • Canadian Money
  • Canada Flags
  • Things to Do in Calgary
Tips
  • Best Canada Road Trips
  • Best Road Trip Essentials
  • Fall in Canada
  • Travel Resources
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
x

Travel Across Canada Every Week

Join our weekly newsletter for the latest articles, videos, top photos, and more!

Awesome! Thanks for subscribing. Please check your inbox and confirm :)