Red chairs on the deck at Lake Minnewanka overlooking the water on a sunny summer dat

The Art of Sitting Still in Banff

A Guide To Banff’s Iconic Red Chairs, And The Landscapes Worth Pausing For

Rimrock Banff

Banff has never struggled to impress people. The mountains handle that almost immediately. Visitors arrive expecting grandeur and are rarely disappointed: glacier-fed lakes glowing almost unnaturally turquoise, wildlife wandering casually through townsites, entire mountain ranges unfolding around every bend in the highway. The Rockies perform constantly here, often with very little warning.

Which makes Parks Canada’s famous red chairs feel oddly brilliant in their simplicity. No signage demanding attention. No dramatic installations. Just two bright red Adirondack chairs quietly positioned in some of the most beautiful places in the country, gently suggesting something increasingly unfamiliar to modern travelers:

Sit down for a minute.

Not every viewpoint in Banff requires an ambitious summit or carefully curated adventure itinerary. Some of the most memorable moments arrive unexpectedly; coffee cooling beside a lakeshore at sunrise, wind moving through pine trees above the Bow Valley, late evening light stretching across Mount Rundle while absolutely nothing productive happens whatsoever. The red chairs understand this instinctively.
Scattered throughout Banff National Park, they mark places worth lingering rather than merely photographing. Some require only a short walk. Others ask for considerably more effort. All of them reward slowness, and in a destination increasingly experienced through checklists and crowded viewpoints, that may be precisely why people love them so much.

Cascade Ponds

FOR SLOW SUMMER AFTERNOONS

Cascade Ponds feels like the version of Banff locals quietly try to keep to themselves. Tucked just outside town beneath Cascade Mountain, the area moves at a softer pace than many of the park’s headline attractions. Families drift between picnic tables while cyclists stop briefly along the Legacy Trail. Children wade through shallow water beside floating paddleboards and half-deflated beach balls. Smoke rises lazily from barbecue pits beneath the trees.
The red chairs sit just beyond the wooden bridge overlooking the ponds, positioned perfectly toward open meadows and layers of surrounding peaks. There is very little urgency here. People arrive intending to stay twenty minutes and somehow remain all afternoon. Shoes come off. Books are opened. Someone
inevitably falls asleep in the sun beside the water while mountain clouds drift overhead with theatrical confidence.
Banff, at its best, often looks exactly like this.

Two red parks canada chairs at Cascade Ponds in Banff overlooking the ponds

A view of Rundle from Cascade ponds in Banff.

There is very little urgency here. People arrive intending to stay twenty minutes and somehow remain all afternoon.

Tunnel Mountain

THE HIKE THAT OVERDELIVERS

Tunnel Mountain has become something of a Banff rite of passage. Not because it is the tallest summit in the park; far from it. But because few hikes deliver such disproportionate reward for relatively civilized effort. The trail climbs steadily above town through pine forest and exposed ridgelines before suddenly revealing the entire Bow Valley below in one dramatic sweep.
At the summit, the red chairs overlook Banff itself; the Bow River curving through town beneath Mount Rundle’s impossibly sharp ridgeline while Cascade Mountain rises behind it all like a painted backdrop. Particularly at sunrise, the atmosphere feels almost cinematic. Locals carrying takeaway coffee pass trail runners already descending before 8 a.m. Visitors sit quietly catching their breath while pretending not to be emotionally affected by the view directly in front of them; few succeed.

Lake Minnewanka

WHERE THE MOUNTAINS SHOW YOU THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lake Minnewanka possesses a different kind of energy than Banff’s more photographed lakes. Less delicate, instead, more expansive. The water stretches endlessly through a long glacial valley framed by steep mountain walls that seem to grow larger as afternoon storms roll through. Wind moves differently here too, sharper and colder across the shoreline, often sending small waves crashing dramatically against the rocks near the red chairs. Which may explain why people linger here longer than expected.
Some arrive after early morning boat tours while others stop briefly before continuing toward Two Jack Lake or the Icefields Parkway. But eventually nearly everyone finds themselves sitting quietly above the shoreline watching sunlight move across the peaks. The scale of the Rockies feels particularly noticeable at Minnewanka. Not merely beautiful; ancient, somehow.

Two Jack Lake

THE VIEW PEOPLE ACCIDENTALLY STAY FOR

There are prettier lakes in Banff, technically speaking. Two Jack Lake simply understands atmosphere better than most of them. Especially in the early morning, when the water becomes almost perfectly still beneath Mount Rundle and the surrounding forest remains silent except for distant loon calls echoing
across the shoreline. Canoes drift slowly through thin layers of mist while coffee steams from travel mugs balanced precariously beside the red chairs.
Nothing dramatic happens here. That is largely the point. The chairs themselves sit close to the water near the day-use area, positioned toward one of the park’s most quietly iconic mountain reflections. Visitors often stop for photographs before realizing they are suddenly in no particular rush to leave anymore. Banff has a habit of doing this to people.

Tranquil landscape with Mt Rundle reflecting in Two Jack Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta Canada on a sunny morning.

Sulphur Mountain

ABOVE THE ENTIRE BOW VALLEY

High above Rimrock, Sulphur Mountain offers the kind of perspective that rearranges one’s understanding of scale entirely. The ascent itself already feels memorable, whether by gondola floating silently above the forest canopy or via switchbacks climbing steadily through alpine terrain. But the summit is where the full geography of Banff National Park finally reveals itself. Mountain ranges layer endlessly toward the horizon. The Bow Valley narrows and widens below like a moving landscape painting. Tiny roads thread through forests impossibly far beneath the boardwalk. Somewhere below, Rimrock appears tucked discreetly into the mountainside.
The red chairs sit farther along the summit boardwalk beyond the main viewing areas, where crowds begin thinning and the atmosphere softens slightly. Wind rushes across the ridgeline while ravens glide effortlessly through rising alpine currents nearby. People speak more quietly up here. Perhaps because the mountains suddenly feel much larger than expected.

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A Different Way of Experiencing Banff

The red chairs endure because they capture something essential about Banff itself.
Not simply the scenery, though certainly that too. But the increasingly rare experience of allowing yourself to pause long enough to properly absorb it. To sit quietly beside a lake without immediately moving toward the next viewpoint. To watch weather shifting across Mount Rundle. To finish a coffee while the morning fog lifts slowly from the valley floor. To experience the Rockies without constantly trying to optimize the experience of them.
Banff offers endless adventure. Hiking trails, canoe routes, summits, glaciers, winding highways disappearing endlessly into the mountains.
The red chairs suggest something slightly different. That perhaps the best way to experience the Rockies, occasionally, is to simply sit still long enough to let them come to you.

The beauty of Banff reveals itself differently when you have time to linger. From sunrise coffee beside a lake to evenings spent watching alpenglow settle across the peaks, the most meaningful experiences are often the ones that aren’t rushed.

Explore our latest offers and discover a stay that invites you to experience the Canadian Rockies at a more thoughtful pace.

Getting to Banff National Park

NEAREST CITY & AIRPORT

Your mountain journey begins the moment you leave Calgary International Airport. Just 1.5 to 2 hours from the airport, Rimrock Banff is easily reached by rental car, private transfer, or scheduled shuttle service. The drive west along the Trans-Canada Highway offers a beautiful introduction to the Canadian Rockies, with sweeping mountain views welcoming you to Banff National Park.

AVAILABLE TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARK

Guests have several convenient transportation options when travelling from Calgary International Airport to Rimrock Banff. Rental cars are available directly at the airport for those wishing to explore the region independently, while the Banff Airporter provides comfortable scheduled shuttle service between Calgary and Banff. Once in town, guests can take advantage of the complimentary ROAM transit or the Rimrock Shuttle, offering easy access between the hotel and downtown Banff throughout their stay.

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The Art of Sitting Still in Banff

A Guide To Banff’s Iconic Red Chairs, And The Landscapes Worth Pausing For

Rimrock Banff

Cascade Ponds

FOR SLOW SUMMER AFTERNOONS

Tunnel Mountain

THE HIKE THAT OVERDELIVERS

Lake Minnewanka

WHERE THE MOUNTAINS SHOW YOU THE BIGGER PICTURE

Two Jack Lake

THE VIEW PEOPLE ACCIDENTALLY STAY FOR

Sulphur Mountain

ABOVE THE ENTIRE BOW VALLEY

A Different Way of Experiencing Banff

Getting to Banff National Park

NEAREST CITY & AIRPORT

AVAILABLE TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARK

PARK PASS

Hike Little Beehive at Sunrise

The New Banff Summer

Rimrock Banff to join Emblems Collection: A New Era of Mountain Luxury in North America

Loyalty Program