Anyone who enjoys mountains, lakes and the outdoors will fall in love with Banff National Park. Whenever I am asked to recommend a place to visit, Banff is usually the first place out of my mouth (Yosemite is second). The lakes are pristine and easily accessible and the hiking trails are plentiful. Many of the hikes originate in the town of Banff like the Hoodoo Trail.
The Hoodoo Trail offers some of the best views of the Bow River, Mount Rundle, the Bow Valley and the renowned Banff Springs Hotel. This is a relatively easy trail that makes it very popular and is even paved in parts. Depending on the season and time of day, it can be very crowded. The Hoodoos themselves were formed by erosion made of rock and sand and are great to see, but it is scenes like this one that make this a great hike.