After the Ceremony: Celebrating in Canmore and Banff

A Canmore elopement session that starts before sunrise and finishes at the primary location by nine in the morning leaves the entire rest of the day available. The Rockies are exceptionally good for using that time. Banff townsite, the hot springs, Bow Falls, and the Johnston Canyon trail system are all within thirty minutes of Canmore, and the combination of a finished morning ceremony and an unscheduled afternoon in the mountains is one of the better post-elopement experiences I have seen couples have.

Banff Upper Hot Springs

The Banff Upper Hot Springs are ten minutes east of Banff townsite and sit at the base of Sulphur Mountain with the mountain visible above the outdoor pool and the Bow Valley spread below. I send every Canmore couple here after the morning session when the weather allows. The experience of sitting in a thermal pool at 2,000 metres elevation after standing on an alpine ridge at sunrise for a ceremony is specific to the Rockies in a way that nothing else I can recommend matches. The springs open at nine in the morning and the crowd builds through the day, so arriving early in the session’s aftermath gives the best conditions.

Johnston Canyon and Bow Falls

Johnston Canyon is a slot canyon trail that runs along a series of waterfalls inside Banff park, and Bow Falls is a short walk from the Banff townsite centre. I recommend Bow Falls for couples who want a shorter post-ceremony walk, as the falls are accessible in twenty minutes from the Banff Avenue and the setting, the Bow River coming over the lip of a rock shelf with the mountains visible on all sides, is significant without requiring a full hike. Johnston Canyon requires more time but the trail runs through a narrow gorge with catwalks bolted to the canyon walls, and the lower and upper falls are genuinely dramatic. Both locations are inside the park and a day use entry fee applies.