Just minutes from the entrance to Banff National Park.

My wife, Kay, and I have lived in Calgary for ~50 years and have a deep love of the Banff/Canmore area. We have two children and six grand-children, all of whom are under the age of 6 and also live in Calgary. I am originally from Toronto and Kay from the Maritimes. Over the years, we've enjoyed Canmore for the wonderful skiing, golfing, cycling and hiking as well as for the abundant shopping and dining out and for exploring the magnificent Canadian Rockies.

From the Grand Canadian, it's a short drive to so much that's fun, beautiful and interesting in the Canadian Rockies. That includes four world class ski resorts in winter - those being Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay, Lake Louise and Nakiska, and four world class golf resorts in summer - those being Silver Tip, Stuart Creek Golf & Country Club, The Banff Springs Golf Course and Kananaskis Country Golf Course. There's also an abundance of bicycling to be had, ranging from the not too challenging cycling path between Canmore and Banff, to highways with splendidly broad, paved shoulders all the way from the British Columbia boundary to Calgary and beyond. The surrounding forests are beautiful and, without exaggeration, a mountain bikers paradise. For those who are more sedentary, there's a short walk to Indian petroglyphs reported to be hundreds of years old at Grotto Canyon and lovely walks to discover throughout the park and Banff townsite.

Canmore and Banff take you back to a by-gone world of natural beauty. It's not unusual to see wildlife, including deer and Big Horn Sheep, wandering the streets of Banff and even wolves and grizzly bears on the Evening Wildlife Safari. The Banff Hot Springs is both world famous and a wonderful place for a good soaking and massage followed by a lovely dinner at the palatial Banff Springs Hotel or any of the other wonderful restaurants in the area. The atmosphere in Alberta is always down-home friendly and the locals are always welcoming.