With its snow-peaked mountains, sweeping vistas and glacier lakes, walking into Banff is like Dorothy leaving Kansas for technicolor Oz—it is stunning beyond compare. This Canadian mountain town is the sort of place that makes you wonder why you choose to live anywhere else, especially when that place is a city apartment overlooking a concrete alley.
Surrounded by 4,000+ miles of verdant parkland, Banff is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, nature and wildlife lovers. People come here from near and far to ski on the Canadian rockies, go dogsledding, and spot the elk and grizzly bears that call this national park home.
At no more than 1.8 square miles in size, this town is best described as a ski resort town with château-style hotels, souvenir shops, and quaint streets lined by a few women-owned businesses. Supporting female entrepreneurship in this small community is an important ideal. As recently as 2019, the Canadian government unveiled a $2 million fund to support women-owned businesses in media—an announcement made at the Banff World Media Festival. The accelerator aims to help support female entrepreneurship in the region.
Because we believe that travelers are uniquely positioned to support women, no matter where they go, here we spotlight some of our favorite female-owned businesses in Banff. Places like the family-run Banff Boutique Inn, which sits in the heart of the National Forest, to women-run nature walks that celebrate Canada’s indigenous culture.
Whether it’s the nature, the skiing, or the promise of seeing grizzly bears that brings you to this mountain town—use this guide to get a true feel for this Canadian community and how you can support the female entrepreneurs who continue to shape it.
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