What to Do in the Mountains in November

Eat at Banff restaurants during Taste for Adventure

When: On now until November 6

The food festival that celebrates the chefs and dishes of the Banff National Park region has returned to showcase 24 restaurants this year. Try exclusive menus like The Balkan Mediterranean Restaurant’s three-course Greek menu with vegetarian and halal meat options, or head to Good Folk for a three-course meal featuring optional wine pairings and dishes like roasted wild boar porchetta or green lentil stuffed portobello mushroom.

Various locations, banfflakelouise.com

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival

When: November 1 to 9

The annual Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. The festival includes film screenings, guest speakers, a marketplace and more. New this year for the anniversary is the Fire and Ice Symposium, a public symposium featuring speakers who will chat about how storytelling can create positive action. Online films will also be available after the festival from November 12 to 23. If you’re interested in seeing a local story, catch a screening of Trailblazing: The Matt Hadley Story at the festival on November 1. The award-winning short film spotlights the journey of Matt Hadley — a Canmore resident, former elite mountain biker, and an adaptive athlete — while also celebrating resilience, adaptability and community.

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, 107 Tunnel Mountain Dr., Banff, 403-762-6100, banffcentre.ca

See two art new exhibits that explore mountain identities at Banff’s Whyte Museum

When: November 1, 2025 to April 12, 2026

Two new exhibits are opening at the Whyte Museum this month. In the solo exhibit, Elise Rasmussen: An Alpine Trilogy, multidisciplinary artist Rasmussen presents three interconnected works that examine and recast the history and nature of traditional narratives in the French and Swiss Alps. Th other new exhibit, Second Take: Histories of Film in the Rockies, explores how the Canadian Rockies have been used in films, and uses Whyte Museum archives and special collections to examine the evolution of Canadian identity and stereotypes in film history.

The Whyte Museum, ​​111 Bear Street, Banff, 403-762-2291, whyte.org

Attend the Fernie Ski & Board Film Festival

When: November 8

Watch movies and win prizes at this kick-off to the snow season in Fernie. See thrilling movies like Pressure Drop, a film focused on freeride athletes, and After the Snowfall, a visual tribute to skiing and mountain communities worldwide. All proceeds from the festival support the Fernie Volunteer Ski Patrol.

Knox on 2nd, 201, 2 Avenue, Fernie, eventbrite.ca

Sip a warm drink during Banff’s Hot Chocolate Trail event

When: November 13, 2025 to February 8, 2026

Warm up during the annual Hot Chocolate Trail event by trying a hot drink from a participating restaurant or café in Banff. There are more than 25 participating venues offering decadent hot chocolates for this year’s Hot Chocolate Trail. Try a velvet chai hot chocolate from Wild Flour Artisan Bakery, the Valrhona dark hot chocolate with haskap berry whipped cream from Stock Food & Drink and more.

Various locations, banfflakelouise.com

Relax at the new Everwild Nordic Spa in Canmore

When: Spa opens November 20

Everwild Nordic Spa and Hotel is a new wellness destination in Canmore by Basecamp Resorts. The Nordic-inspired spa is the latest addition to the property, which is also home to Everwild Hotel (formerly called MTN House). Everwild Spa access includes thermotherapy circuits of hot pools and cold plunges, saunas, steam rooms and relaxation spaces. There are also daily guided wellness rituals in the lounge, and seasonal rituals and custom body treatments are also available.

1 Silvertip Trail, Canmore, 403-609-4422, stayeverwild.com

The post What to Do in the Mountains in November appeared first on Avenue Calgary.