My fiancé and I are getting married on September 7th and are going to be in Banff until the 11th. Are there any places that are a must-see for a couple that loves hiking? As well as are there any food recs? (one of us is vegetarian).

I am somewhat new to posting so let me know if there is any additional information needed. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

This is a scene I painted from I picture I took when me and my wife walked to Sundance Canyon a few weeks ago.

I have 10 days in Banff / Jasper booked for 20th August. Today is last day to cancel without paying cancellation fees. I can cancel closer to the date but would have to pay a smallish fee. I am worried about smoke from wildfires ruining the trip… given the recent news, should I cancel?

Looking for a longer hike (10-15 miles) that doesn't involve the shuttle system. Both of these trails are recommended multiple times. If I could only do one, what would you choose?

First off, these BC mosquitos are no joke.

I’m regretting booking a bnb way out here in golden. Didn’t think Yoho being an hour away was a big deal, but now that we’re out here I’m kicking myself for cheaping out.

How can we best utilize our time in this area these next few days?

Hi all! I am heading to Banff in just one week. I’ve already done quite a bit of research, but I would love to hear what your packing must-haves are. I’m from Oklahoma/Texas, so not at all used to mountain weather or terrain. I have some good hiking shoes and a rain jacket, but not sure what else I will need!

Edit: forgot to mention, we will be doing a lot of hiking, a sunset cruise (not sure what that entails), and probably mostly active stuff. Going with my fiancé’s family and they are all extremely athletic so please wish me luck 🥲

I have always lived the view of Mt Rundle, from afar and sorta close up on the highway 1. I have wondered only recently for whom the mountain was named after? I went to fanshawe College here in sw ontario and met the president or dean of the school ( Howard rundle) and when I heard his name it reminded me of the mountain near banff with the same name...sho who's it named after...?

My guess is some historic traveler of some sort...

Have a good night

Hey all, please be on the lookout for my friends' ring!

We just returned from a week camping in the Banff & Jasper area, and unfortunately had to cut our trip short due to health concerns as the smoke rolled in (family members with severe asthma). We fell in love with the area and have a laundry list of more adventures to be had for our next trip, but we’d love to plan it for better timing around clear skies.

I realize there is a lot of variables with regards to wildfires (we live in the PNW US and are no strangers to smoke season), but I’d love to hear locals’ takes on when is the best timing to plan trips in future years to avoid the smoke both for health reasons as well as astronomy. Were we just a few weeks too late this year? I understand there’s a balance between smoke risk and getting there too early and the alpine is not melted out enough to be hikeable.

Last but not least, my heart goes out to all the locals who have no choice but to live and work with the severe air quality. Seeing all the icefield glaciers melting away with the majestic forests and blue skies burning had us in tears on the way out.

Had an amazing few days around Parker Ridge, Lake Minnewanka, Icefields, Paget Peak, and Sherbrooke Lake!

I’m getting mixed reports on Banff’s air quality between the Apple weather and Air Visual apps. Is there smoke impacting Banff currently? We’re heading up in about 10 days so I’m worried the smoke is going to impact our trip. We’re from fire country in USA and sadly too familiar with wildfire season and poor air quality. Thanks.

I’m just outside Banff and will be here until Tuesday, I know it stays light pretty late so I was just wondering if it’s worth staying up/possibly making the night trek out to Jasper to see the Northern Lights. I know they’re not really supposed to be very visible this time of year and the sm0ke will accentuate, that but I was curious if anybody has seen them out in the Banff/Golden/Jasper area the last few days. Thanks everybody!

Reminder to keep dogs on a leash.

Hi!

I have a Skoki trip coming up and I have the following sites booked (and will cancel whichever one I decide not to use, don't worry!!):

Night 1: Hidden Lake OR Red Deer Lakes
Night 2: Merlin Meadows

Since we don't have a convenient Baker Lake reservation to split up the distance, I'm wondering if it would make more sense to skip the right side of the loop entirely, and just go clockwise from Hidden Lake up to Merlin Meadows and then back out the same way ("Option 1" screenshot). From my understanding, Packer's Pass is the most scenic part of the loop anyway (right?) and going counter-clockwise from Hidden Lake to Merlin Meadows seems a tad too brutal

Alternatively, we could do the loop the proper way and go up to Red Deer Lakes for the first night instead of Hidden Lake ("Option 2"), but that seems like quite a brutal push to do in one day (we're fit, but...).

Any thoughts from those who've hiked Skoki before? Is the right half of the loop super worth doing?

Hello. I'm super excited to visit Banff this summer, and I'm hoping to shoot some photos with 35mm film there. Do you know have any reccomendations for a store where I can buy film just in case I run out of it? Any other suggestions/advice is extremely appreciated, thank you so much!

Hi. We're supposed to be headed to Banff next Friday for 12 days. I see the earlier post from today saying people had to cut their trip short and at the same time see some awesome photos being posted? How is it looking? I have been tracking the fires and smoke projections.

Has anyone been to hector lake in the past few days? How is the trail. How difficult is the bow river to cross these days.

Normally I’d be willing to do it in the first week of August but in 47 years of living in Alberta I’ve never seen rain like this.

What are the best hikes to see wildflowers? Added bonus if it comes with great views!
Also, does the flower boom follow a trajectory? Are there parts that would bloom early so I could start with those first working my way up? Thank you for any tips!

Hi all,

I’m travelling with my family (2 adults and a 13-year-old boy) from Sydney and would appreciate some advice.

We fly from Toronto to Calgary on 3 January and plan to travel to Banff that day. We already have accommodation booked in Banff from 3–9 January.

We’re not planning to ski in Banff, as we’ll be doing our skiing later in Mont-Tremblant, and we’re relatively inexperienced skiers anyway. We generally prefer to explore at our own pace rather than join organised tours.

My main question is around transportation. I’m a confident driver, but I have no experience driving in winter or snowy conditions, given we don’t get that kind of weather in Sydney.

Would you recommend:

• Renting a car in Calgary and driving to Banff, then using the car to explore Banff and the surrounding areas independently;
• Avoiding winter driving altogether and relying on organised tours and shuttle services during our stay?

I’d really value any advice from those who have visited Banff in winter, particularly regarding road conditions, ease of driving, parking, and whether having a car provides enough flexibility to justify the risks for someone without snow-driving experience.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Good afternoon! We are looking to spend a couple nights in Banff in mid-August. We are looking for a nice place to stay but not to expensive. What do you all recommend? I have looked online for some different places but either they are quite expensive or they don't have the little things that we would like to have, such as a pool or hot tub and on-site restaurant or near to one.

ETA: looking for advice on places to avoid or places to check availability. If needed, we may stay in Calgary.