11. Nakiska – Best Family Friendly Mountain Ski Resort in Canada
This was our first introduction to the Canadian Rockies and we are happy we made the stop. Many people skip over Nakiska for its bigger and more intimidating counterparts of Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine. While the surrounding region of Kananaskis may not be as world-renowned as Banff, it is every bit as stunning and with far less tourism. To get to Nakiska you will most likely start in Calgary, only an hours drive away.
The drive into Kananaskis Country instantly makes you feel small as the Canadian Rockies making you even forget you were just in a major city. Nakiska was originally built for the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. It’s not a massive resort and is well known to be the local’s mountain for Calgary residents. We got lucky and had two epic powder days at Nakiska on a Monday and Tuesday. There’s nothing better than an empty powder mountain making these days some of our favorites of the whole season.
Reasons we love Nakiska
- Proximity to Calgary
- Fun gladed area
- Super quiet during the week
- Good for families