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Find renewal in this fabled getaway of the Canadian Rockies
Canmore
Our festivities thus accomplished (and son Brian sent back into the working world), we drove south to bustling Canmore. Upscale yet inviting and still affordable, Canmore is located right outside the southern entrance to Banff National Park and dominated by the tripartite majesty of Three Sisters Mountain.
In this veritable town o’ lodges, we opted for the family-friendly, competitively priced Mystic Springs Chalets (140 Kananaskis Way; from $228/night; 403/609-0333, www.mysticsprings.ca), whose multi-bedroom suites seemed perfect for our needs. It proved a convenient base camp for visits to natural wonders and those of the man-made variety, including the renowned 18-hole Silvertip Golf Resort (2000 Silvertip Trail; 403-678-1600, www.silvertipresort.com). Alex played amid thrilling mountain views and unexpected frissons: At one point the video screen on his golf cart warned of a grizzly bear a few holes behind him. We lunched at Rustica, a scenic terrace restaurant overlooking the course, sans bear.
Our favorite casual restaurant in Canmore was the Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company (838 10th St.; pizzas from $7; 403/609-5508, www.rockymountainflatbread.ca), a Vancouver-based mini-chain known for its pizza (the kids’ section includes a toddler pizza oven). The goat cheese lasagna, linguine with red sauce, and hickory barbecued–chicken pizza all tasted quite good (pasta choices change frequently). But be ready to wait patiently since the meals seem to take a bit of time to prepare.
To replenish the calories lost on our hikes and rambles, we also enjoyed Patrino's (1602 Bow Valley Trail; entrées from $6; 403/678-4060), a congenial eatery preferred by locals. There we ate prime rib and marinated chicken souvlaki and topped it all off with strawberry cheesecake and deep-dish pecan flan.
In town, the charming Canmore Centennial Museum and Geoscience Center (902B 7th Ave.; $2.50; 403/678-2462, cmags.org) has interpretive exhibits on the gritty past of this former coal-mining town; rock hounds can pore over a display of the region’s geology.
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