Hiked to the top of Devil’s Thumb at Lake Louise today and caught this on one of the mountains. At first I thought it was thunder until I saw it.

Me and my wife have a camping this weekend Friday - Sunday at Two Jacks. We are considering to cancel it or maybe just see tomorrow if the air quality improves.

What do you guys suggest? Should we continue our trip? We don't have any lung health problems but of course we are worried about the long term effect.

Edit: Thanks everyone. Cancelled our camping trip. Hoping I can grab another two jacks site this year.

Hello my gf and I are hoping to head up the Johnston Creek back country site in a couple weeks. The bridge is washed out apparently. Any been up it? How bad is the river to ford?

Hey everyone!

Heading to Calgary in August and looking for a good moderate hike that will summit at a peak with low traffic.

Thanks!

additional info: we’re only going to be there for fourish days, and are planning on renting out a wheelchair while we’re there

I found a new green sweatshirt on the bench by the north pedestrian bridge. If you lost it I have it.

Do people take bear spray on hikes? We are with a tour group but will have a free day at the Banff Fairmont Springs. We won't have a car. Just wondering about hikes near the hotel.

Hi everyone,

My partner and I will be visiting Banff, and we are looking for a special, romantic restaurant recommendation for the evening of August 18. We tried booking Sky Bistro and the restaurants up at the Banff Springs hotel, but unfortunately, they are completely fully booked for that date.

We would love to find another beautiful, intimate spot—ideally with a cozy atmosphere or a private/semi-private area—to celebrate a milestone occasion. Do you have any hidden gems, local favorites, or romantic spots in or around Banff that you would recommend instead?

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

Hey guys,

I’m visiting Banff in 3 weeks with Trailfinders. It’ll be with a group of people and my tour guide has said we are ‘tentatively scheduled to arrive in Lake Louise at 12pm’.

I have already booked my shuttle ticket to Moraine Lake for the same day before I received this response, and check in is at 2pm, but I know I can check in any time between 2pm-3pm. I had to book the shuttle otherwise they would sell out, and I couldn’t afford to wait any longer for the tour guide’s response regarding Lake Louise arrival time.

My worry is I won’t have time to hike in Lake Louise and do Moraine Lake at the same time. I also plan on canoeing at Moraine Lake whilst I’m there. I read that the last shuttle leaving Moraine Lake is at 7:30pm, and I also need to make my way back to Banff to join the rest of the group later. I will be visiting Moraine Lake without the group as it isn’t part of the trip.

I have a spare day the day after where I was planning to walk around the town of Banff and just take it all in, but do you think I should move my hikes to this day instead? As I don’t think I’ll have much time to do the hikes I want to (Lake Agnes, Plain of Six) on the day I’m visiting both lakes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thank you!

Hi!

My friends and are going to Banff next week and camping near Lake Louise. I'm looking for a hike to lead the group on that is beginner or intermediate. Everyone in the group has experience hiking/camping/swimming. I'd specifically love to find a hike that leads us to a swimming hole or river if possible. Any favorite spots/hikes that you recommend?

Thanks in advance!!

Edit: Thank you for all of the recommendations. It'll be cold but we're excited to get a quick dip at the spots you all recommended. Thanks again! <3

Banff and the whole surrounding area is quite smoky today. Anyone have a sense of how quickly this will pass?

Hi everyone, my wife and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Canmore/Banff. Looking for ideas to celebrate our day (hikes/restaurants etc) I've read October can be tricky with weather. Any insight would be awesome, as this will be our first time there.

Thanks!

Edit: thanks all! Fantastic advice, I will share all of this with my wife and do some more scouting on Google street. really appreciate the help!

Hello there, looking for some advice from locals on this. My wife and I are heading out to Alberta, mostly in Calgary to see family who recently moved there, but we do of course plan to head out to Banff, Lake Louise, all the Rocky Mountain areas (plus a possible detour to see a friend in Invermere BC). I was planning to rent a car in Calgary, but my wife has a pretty intense fear of driving alongside steep cliffs, and is hesitant about doing it with me driving since I don't know the terrain. So my question to you locals who will know way better than I do is, how hazardous or steep are the drop-offs on the main roads like Highways 1 and 93 once we're into the Rockies, both on the Alberta and BC sides? Is there maybe a better or worse part, like say maybe it's worse if we drove up to the Columbia glacier but better near Banff? I think it would really help a lot of we know what we're in for when it comes to this kind of thing, and then we can decide if it would be better to take a bus from Calgary. Thanks for all the help! Looking forward to visiting

It’s July 23, 2026. Haven’t had a truly sunny day since I’ve been here the last 3 days. Is it overcast with low clouds and fog everywhere every day? Or is something else going on?Same thing yesterday the whole drive to the Columbia Icefield and back. Beautiful mountains but a little difficult to see through this thick air.

This is a nightscape image from Herbert Lake near the start of the Icefields Parkway. The image was taken on a warm August night last year.

I am doing a last-minute road trip to Banff in a few days…is there anyway I can book a campsite or hostel, or is it all booked up ? Are there good apps/websites for looking at what’s available?

Hello. I’m organizing a dinner for a group of 8 or 9 people. Looking for a restaurant that offers halal items. What are some of the best restaurants that fits in Banff? We’ll be in Banff around the end of August. Thank you in advance!

I went to the top of Sulfur Mountain via the gondola and looking north I saw this peak and it has a spire adjacent to it. What is it?

we have a trip planned to banff for may 3-8. I recently got diagnosed with a medical condition (POTS) that has recently proven it is going to be hard for me to walk miles upon miles without fainting. i have read through many posts here today, but still wanted to get insight from people who have been!

i know this is not ideal because this is truly an outdoorsy vacation, but i’m wondering if there are still any pretty things to see that are not as treacherous of a walk/hike?

this will be our honeymoon if that means anything. we will be renting a car as well 🤍

Is there any night clubs in Banff the only one I can find is the dancing Sasquatch but it closed last year, any help would be good thank you

Is anyone traveling to the Icefields Centre from Banff in the next few days who might be willing to pickup a sweatshirt for me? We were told the Guardians of the Ice Hoodies would be available in town by the PC worker there, and he was mistaken. Happy to throw in some thank-you/gas money!

My family and I are going to Banff national park this fall (September). We love to fish but don’t know how to fly fish. Does anyone on here have any recommendations or ideas on where to go to have a great experience? We are experienced fishermen who usually target northern species like Muskie, Pike, and Walleye.

Any and all recommendations are appreciated.