Canmore is a small town half an hour's drive east of Banff in Alberta, Canada. It has about 14,000 residents, gorgeous views of the Canadian Rockies, and a charming downtown. If you are trying to go to Banff National Park but avoid massive tourist crowds, you can stay in Canmore instead of Banff. The Banff public shuttle goes to Canmore, and it has just as much charm with maybe a fourth of the crowd.
I was glad we made the decision to stop here. The public library was in a massive and interesting building with a rock climbing gym and a pool with a water slide. I got some work done, then we had a delicious dinner and walked around downtown. Unfortunately, we didn't make it back to the car in time and got stuck in one of the most intense torrential downpours I've ever seen. Here's a before and after of this charming street. Note all the pedestrians, like us, huddled under awnings!
The thing you have to recognize about this rain is that it was ICE COLD. This is glacial rain, friends! I left my mom in a store and sprinted six puddle-littered blocks back to the car. Then I picked her up, and we drove to our campground.
It was still pouring when we arrived, which was especially unfortunate because I opened the back door to find the floor of that first step filled with water. I guess one of the windows in the door was not sealed fully. That was an unfortunate day, but Canmore was nice before it drenched us, and drying off and getting into warm clothes was very satisfying. I've resealed the door, but it hasn't rained again since, so we'll see if it holds!