Canmore Nordic Centre

Canmore Nordic Centre – a dream place for cross-country skiing lovers We spent a full week cross-country skiing at Canmore Nordic Centre and stayed in Canmore — this was our second winter trip here, and the main reason we come back again and again. We are recreational cross-country skiers, and this is hands down our favorite place. First of all — the mountains. The scenery is absolutely breathtaking and truly unique. This kind of landscape exists only in the Rocky Mountains, and skiing surrounded by these views is unforgettable. One thing we especially love is the evening skiing: from 5 pm to 9 pm the trails are free, and they are beautifully lit. This is something very special — we’ve never seen illuminated cross-country ski trails like this in Quebec. During the day, the trail pass costs around $20 for adults, plus the park entry fee (about $16), which feels reasonable given the quality. The main lodge where you buy tickets is spacious and welcoming. There’s a café, a fireplace, and a cozy place to relax or have lunch. Since this is also a historic Olympic venue (the 1988 Winter Olympics), there are many exhibits and displays about the history of skiing and its development in Canada — all gathered in one place, which makes it very interesting even beyond skiing. Across from the lodge, there is a great ski shop and rental center, so it’s easy to rent equipment if you don’t have your own. There is also a waxing room a little farther away (still within the parking area), which is very convenient if you bring your own skis and want to prep them before heading out. Parking felt a bit limited, to be honest — we visited on weekdays and it was fine, but I do wonder how it works on busy weekends. Maybe there is additional parking available. For us, the most important thing is the quality of the trails — and they are excellent. Huge thanks to the team who maintains them. We were there from January 11 to 16, during a week with no fresh snow at all, and one day it even rained — yet the trails were still very well prepared. There is also a biathlon stadium (shooting range), where international competitions are held, and it’s impressive to see the scale of it. Add to this the panoramic views over Canmore, the altitude of about 1,300 meters (which felt very comfortable), and the overall atmosphere — and you get a truly special place. If you love cross-country skiing, Canmore Nordic Centre is absolutely worth visiting at least once in your life. Just come and enjoy the skiing.

My party were all newbies at xc skiing. The staff were so helpful, both at the Nordic center and the rental house. The trails were in great shape and there was a variety of trail levels. Majestic views to boot! Great way to spend the afternoon!

A XC skiers paradise. You can ski green for kms at a time or mix it up with blues and blacks to match your skill level. AB resident or tourist, worth a stop for the experience.

Well-kept trails, a great facility, and a nice sledding hill. Home to a Biathlon World Cup. There is also a small café inside.

Cross country ski after almost 13 years for me. It was very well maintained ski hill. Great equipment to rent, helpful staff support to every question about ski, boots and the path. Highly recommended 👌

Amazing variety of mountain bike terrain surrounded by gorgeous views. The day lodge facility is pretty nice with seating, information desk and a cafeteria. I got a flat tire on one of the trails and the staff at the bike shop by the day lodge let me use their tools and stand so I could fix it. There is a lot of construction by the biathlon range (north end of day lodge / parking area complex) which made it a bit disorienting when trying to find some of the trailheads but you forget about that once you're out there.

Trails of all levels that can be done as a loop, out and back, lollipop, or whatever you like. Snow is often man made here so can be harder and icier. There's good fat biking too in the winter. Trail fees in effect for skiers only.

The Nordic Center is awesome! Fun times on good trails all season long. The day lodge has a small cafeteria; WiFi is available and password protected. Check the website before you go to see if there is an event while you're here and if there are any trail closures. Large sections of the park don't have cell service. Download your maps and carry an InReach.

An absolutely wonderful place for XCountry skiing ... very welcoming, well maintained trails and a lovely facility to warm up in, get a snack and relax.

Really enjoyed my first time coming here! After riding a coach bus for 4 hours it was a welcomed place of comfort to relax and stretch out before preparing for the race! The day lodge is a fairly roomy building, lots of seating with bathrooms in one section and shower/change rooms on the other side of the building. The Fresh Trax Cafe was also a welcomed snack/coffee stop for those that needed a little extra boost before & after the race (ps - their yam fries are deliciously crunchy and so tasty!). There's a huge field out back with several different trailheads to choose your own adventure from I was there specifically for a 5 Peaks trail race, to which the trails were awesome! (Regardless of the amount of snow present or not lol). To my surprise there was also 2 sets of paved trails off to one side, which were being used as training laps for cross country skiers (which is pretty handy - not having to practice around sidewalks or traffic!). If you want to take a quick peek at the building and amenities, see here: https://www.albertaparks.ca/media/6492898/canmore-nordic-centre-pp-facilities-guide.pdf ‍

This was just a 5 min drive away from the Worldmark Resort in Canmore so it was a close drive for us, but I would have been fine driving 30 min from Banff just to come here - it was one of the highlights of our week-long Canada trip. There are over 100 km of trails here: in the winter, you can cross-country ski, but as I was here in the summer you can use the trails for mountain biking and skiing. I'd stay in Canmore over Banff if I came here again just to be able to come here. It's amazing if you like to bike/run. You can rent mountain bikes (~$36 for 2 hours, ~$55 for the full day) and they are nice bikes in good condition. Helmets are included but no pads (you don't really need it on the trails here since they are not steep downhill descents). This was my first time mountain biking on trails and it was the perfect kind of terrain for me - rolling hills, a good mix of paved paths, gravel, and dirt trails so that it wasn't boring, and beautiful tree and mountain views. We biked for 2 hours and could have biked even more if we had more time. There are so many different trails here of varying difficulty, we chose the easier ones because it was my first time but they definitely had harder, steeper trails. If you like trail running, biking or doing things outside, this will be like heaven. They also have roller skiing which looks super cool and we want to try it next time we come back. I would definitely stay in Canmore again next time I go to Banff just so I can come here every day.

The Nordic center is truly an awesome facility. It's open year round for various sports. In the winter go there for country skiing and you can rent fat bikes too. Mountain biking and running trails In the in the summer. I especially love this place because is great for all skill levels. It's absolutely gorgeous and hosts many international sporting events and was even a site during the 1988 Winter Olympics.

Great cross country skiing trails and a nice, clean lodge. I particularly like the historical items displayed in the lodge and the location near the ski rental facility.

We were lucky to be staying right down the road at the Worldmark, so this was just a quick drive over for a few hours of cross country. There was a biathlon taking place on the competitive track when we got there which was awesome to witness! As a first time cross country skier I was nervous that 1) I wouldn't like it and 2) I wouldn't be able to master it. Wrong on both accounts! The trails were amazing/well maintained and with great valley views of the surrounding mountains. If I return to the area I will certainly be sure to devote more time to cross country at the Nordic Centre!

This is a venue that Albertans should be really proud of. I've never actually skied there, as I'm not a cross-country skier, but I spent several days there in Dec. 2012 shooting photos for the Alberta World Cup and in Dec. 2013 for the IPC World Cup. As a spectator, it was great. There is lots of parking, a large, warm day lodge with good food at the concession. All of the staff and friendly and helpful. It sounds like it's pretty great for skiers too. All of the athletes in town for these two events had nothing but praise for the facility - and these are skiers that travel the globe on the World Cup circuit, so I'd take their word for it.

Recently started X Country Skiing so was looking for some where to go that had the Mountain setting and found the Nordic Centre in Canmore, well at first I was so surprised at how big of a place it is, there are approx 65 km of trails all varying in degrees of difficulty, indoor Stadium, public washrooms, lockers and showers. There is an outdoor centre were you can hire equipment (although a little more expensive than U of C), they also arrange lessons for Classic and Skate style skiing, with private lessons and group drop-in lessons. All the trails are designed for Classic and Skate style techniques, some of the trails are illuminated for night skiing which is free after 5pm and closes at 9pm, otherwise trail fees for the day are only $10 a day or $150 for the season. There is something about skiing or in my case trying to ski in the dark on lit trails which are really well lit up and all in the presence of the mountains, its really a great centre with more than enough trails to try of all difficulties. Its situated at the west side of Canmore on the Spray Lakes access Road (Smith Dorrien Spray Trail) just after the first reservoir. Great place to learn and keep in tune, excellent.

The Canmore Nordic Centre is a great stop for information about the trails, the area, and status of wildlife in the parks. It is also a good pit-stop/parking place before you head out on your fun-filled Canmore day! Parking for free all day is just too good to pass up if you'll be out on the trails all day. Trail Sports is also located here and they offer different types of equipment for rent - which is great if you decide on an impromptu bike ride. They were friendly and helpful, but it's good to book ahead during the busy season - which happens to be winter here. The Nordic Centre staff are always helpful and the indoors is clean with washrooms, seating area, and snack bar. Definitely stop by here for all your Canmore trail/hiking/skiing/etc needs!

We stayed in Canmore and visited the Nordic Center three times. First day, we rented road bikes and they hooked us up with a nice pair of Colnagos. Get there early as the rental shop is mountain bike focussed and they were down to their last two road bikes when we got there around 9:30a. $55/Canadian for the day per bike. Well worth it as we rode into Banff (about 25K) and around town once we got there. We were able to hook the public bus back to Canmore ($5) at the end of a wonderful day. The staff was very friendly. The next day we stopped by and rented a can of bear spray as we were planning a hike outside Canmore. $5. And the friendly staff even gave a demo on how to use the spray. Our final stop was at the day lodge. After a day of hiking (after we checked out of our hotel), we were able to shower ($1), change, etc. Great spot to know if you are playing in Canmore!

I love this place. The night skiing is very cool and free which is a great thing in this day and age. It is a great place to learn to ski and the lessons at Trail Sports are very good. We should be proud in Alberta to have such a place.

The Nordic Centre is a wonderful place to bring all ages of people year round. In the summer there is hiking and mountain biking, and in the winter there is cross country skiing. The Centre also has a great view of Canmore and the surrounding mountains. If you need to go to Trail Sports for your mountain biking and cross country ski rentals. A wonderful family business.

I visited the Nordic center this summer, to get some details on trails and maps, I was pleased with the information available there, as well as the paper resources. There was also lots of seating area to relax in the building and a pretty cheap/good cafe. In all a good place to drop by to relax and get some info.