A Weekend in Canmore: A Cave, the Nordic Centre and a Nordic Spa

Plan my Canmore weekend · What's on this weekend

Find a place to stay in Canmore

Two days in Canmore fit a bakery breakfast, a creekside walk, the Nordic Centre, a cave tour under Grotto Mountain and a Nordic spa, with a taproom or two in between. Day 1 stays in town and on the trails behind it. Day 2 goes underground and ends in hot water. It suits a quick run out from Calgary.

Start at JK Bakery Cafe on Railway Avenue. The kitchen runs breakfast and lunch beside a counter of pastries, breads and pies, from pumpkin and apple to lemon meringue and strawberry rhubarb.

Walk it off on the Policeman's Creek Boardwalk. It follows the creek from the Big Head sculpture, with several ways on and off, so take as much of it as you like. Benches along the way look out to the Three Sisters, Ha Ling Peak and Mount Rundle, and it is walkable in every season.

Spend the afternoon at the Canmore Nordic Centre, the provincial park on Olympic Way. In winter it is cross-country skiing, biathlon and fat biking. Before the snow, the same trails take walkers and riders, and the Day Lodge is the base for both.

For dinner, head to The Wood Restaurant & Lounge on Main Street. Book a table online for a weekend night.

Finish at Canmore Brewing Company on Railway Avenue. The taproom pours its own beer with wine, cocktails and non-alcoholic options alongside, and the brewhouse hosts live music, ski films and book launches.

Find a place to stay in Canmore

Breakfast is at Harvest Cafe on 10 Street. The menu covers breakfast plates and wraps, the soups and sauces are made in-house and gluten-free, and there are vegan options and samosas to take away.

Then go underground with Canmore Cave Tours. Rat's Nest Cave runs four kilometres under Grotto Mountain and holds a steady 5°C, so tours go out in every season, whatever the weather. The Explorer Tour is the shorter one, and the Adventure Tour adds a rappel. Book online by date and group size, then meet your guide on Bow Meadows Crescent.

Afterwards, Sheepdog Brewing is in the same Bow Meadows Crescent neighbourhood. It pours its own beer, and tickets for its event nights are on its page.

Trade the cold for heat at Everwild Canmore - Nordic Spa & Hotel on Silvertip Trail: hot and cold pools, saunas and steam rooms, with an open-air cold plunge and hot pools facing the mountains. Hotel guests book spa time with their stay, and the site sells day passes. The hotel's restaurant, Rhythm & Howl, takes reservations.

Close the weekend at The Drake Restaurant & Bar on Railway Avenue, a restaurant and brewery in one. The beer is brewed on site, the kitchen turns out pizza, fish and chips and a bison burger, and live music, trivia and karaoke run through the week.

• Canmore is just over an hour's drive west of Calgary, so a Friday night arrival works.
• Vehicles parked at provincial park and public land sites in Kananaskis and the Bow Valley need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass, one per vehicle, sold online. The Canmore townsite is outside the requirement.
• Rat's Nest Cave stays about 5°C all year. Dress for a cold, wet day underground whatever the sky is doing.
• More mountain time? A weekend in Banff is the next town up the valley, and a weekend in Calgary is the way home.

Start from this plan, set your dates and swap any stop you like.

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