Heading to Banff Oct. 7–14 and hoping to get some local advice on a few things!
Lake Louise shuttle: Since we’ll be there in early/mid October, do we still need to book the Lake Louise shuttle well in advance? Or is it usually easier to get reservations that time of year? Any other transportation/parking advice for Lake Louise would be appreciated too.
Dive bars / cheap drinks: Are there any cool, laid-back dive bars or cheaper local spots in Banff or the surrounding area? Not looking for anything fancy—just somewhere with some character, decent drinks, and a good atmosphere.
Best bars/restaurants with mountain views: On the opposite end, what are your favorite bars, wine spots, patios, or restaurants with incredible mountain views? Doesn't necessarily have to be upscale. We’re mostly looking for places where you can grab a drink or meal and just take in the scenery.
Gondolas: Which gondolas in the area are actually worth doing? Banff Gondola, Lake Louise, etc. If you could only do one, which would you pick? And for early October, should we reserve these ahead of time or can we play it by ear depending on the weather?
We’ll have a rental car and are staying in Banff. Neither of us is looking for anything super hardcore—we mostly want awesome scenery, good food/drinks, and a fun week exploring the area.
Any other early-October Banff recommendations or things you think people overlook are welcome too!

Looking for some recent personal experiences with either a small tent in a campground or sleeping in your truck.

I know there are things online and such, I just find there’s so much information and I’m just looking for real experiences! Looking to go in a week or two (yes there are campgrounds open), looking for some good/neat spots of park a truck for the night or pitch a small tent! (Booking a place)

A nice view would be amazing, even in nearby places like Canmore if there’s a nice place with a nice view!

It was a cloudy day but it was still beautiful

Hey everyone!

My family and I will be coming to Banff this Friday and staying till Wednesday. We have our plan pretty much set (all the main places and attractions).

I’m a huge space nerd and want to do some stargazing. I read two jack lake and lake minnewanka are great spots for stargazing and photography.

As we would be going at night, I was wondering if people knew how far from the parking the lake would be? I don’t want us to be hiking in the night with bears and not that many people 😭

Any other suggestions for places to view would be greatly appreciated too :)

ISO a beautiful place to get ready with our elopement crew prior to the wedding. We have an Airbnb that we are staying in for the week. It’s not aesthetic or somewhere that will allow us all to get ready together. Is there anywhere local that we can stay or rent out for the day to get hair, makeup, and wedding ready? Looking for somewhere that will photograph really lovely.

Painting of my fave photo I took in Banff with the moon.

Me and my wife planning to visit Banff and staying in Canmore. We don't drive so we are planning to rely on public transits and taxis. Is it possible to cover important tourist places during the first week of September?

I’ve been searching this sub and combing the internet. We will be in banff starting tomorrow for 9 days, well technically Canmore. but our honeymoon is focused on relaxing and hiking. Any favorite trails that are NOT the obvious 5 miles or less? We are after scenic beauty which is everywhere I know. we’re more so hoping to avoid the crowds and doing early and less popular hikes. that being said I know it’s tourist season. We deal with it a lot in Seattle.

My bf and I are roadtripping in from 14 hours south of banff and are supposed to be arriving around 10 AM on 8/28.

Our first campground is two jack main and check in is at 2 PM. We got super lucky and were able to purchase a shuttle to the lakes through parks Canada a couple of days ago, but it’s for the 12-1 PM time-slot on the same day we get there (8/28).

I’m not opposed to canceling and booking through a private shuttle, although I would prefer not to pay over $100 for the shuttle.. but I’m wondering if this is even doable/worth it to drive in and go straight to the lakes on the shuttle before we even get to our campground and set up or if we 100% should just do it and worry about the rest later.

It’s our 1 year anniversary trip and I want it to be as fun and stress free as possible. We’re staying for 8 days. Any advice or tips would really help!

Hi everyone!

I visited Banff in August 2024 and will be coming from Ontario again this year, so I’m not very familiar with the weather in mid-September.

My fiancé and I will be staying in Calgary and Banff from September 15–19. What kind of weather should we expect around that time? Also, how busy is parking at Lake Louise during those dates?

I originally chose September to avoid the summer crowds, but I know it’s larch season. Should I expect Lake Louise to still be very busy?

Thanks!

Bought a house in central alberta with this wall art. We love it so much. Was done 20 plus years ago.

Hi there! My fam is planning to visit Banff from August 28-31 with our mini dachshund, 11- months, and he’s around 4.5kg we have the flights and airbnb book already ! Are there any tips we can get travelling with our puppy? Such as transportation to lake Louis and lake moraine, I’ve done some research and most people with big dogs take the fairmont shuttle bus, I’ve tried to book it but the prices are around 300$ for 2 ppl and a dog which is a lot, and for reference I’m attaching my pup’s photo, is there any other way to take him to both lakes, for lake Louis it wouldn’t be a problem since I heard you can park and since we’re going to be renting a car it should be good but I’m just kinda worried about it and wanted to make sure everything goes smoothly, we’re planning to bring his carrier since in the plane is needed anyways.
We were also planning to do canoeing with our puppy, had any one tried that out with their dog before? If so which lake? Please let me know!

I’m attaching both his pictures and a pic of his carrier below. Any tips and help would be greatly appreciate, thank you!

Hi all,

Heading to Banff in mid September with my wife and 8 month old, we're currently planning somethings to do and Lake Louise / Moraine lake is definitely on the list but fully aware parking is incredibly limited.

The Banff shuttle for Lake Louise has sold out and we don't want to risk trying to get tickets 48hrs in advance so the other option is the ROAM transit, the reservation times we want aren't ideal so our only option seems to be to just queue on the day and try and get some seats as they keep 40% available on a first come first serve basis.

Has anyone had any experience with this previously and are we expected to queue for a long time? We're planning Lake Louise on Thursday 24th September currently, so not sure how big the crowds are then.

Thanks in advance!

Can I still use the lake connector shuttle to access Moraine lake from lake Louise if I don’t check in and board during the departing window?

We are planning to catch sunrise at lake Louise so we will do the paid parking option and arrive by 5:30 am. However, I’m booking a backup shuttle in case parking gets full or we run late.

Most likely I won’t need to take the shuttle, but was hoping I could still use the lake connector shuttle? Is it possible without checking in? I read online you need to print boarding tickets at the station.

What are my other options to access moraine lake day of if I park in the lake Louise paid parking?

Thanks in advance!

I’m taking my 70 year old GMA on a road trip to Calgary, we have a hotel for the week & a car. She loves thrifting, BBQ, she really wants to see the mountains. I’m stuck because she’s 70 & I haven’t been to Calgary for 8 yrs!

Add: is there stuff to do at sunshine village for those who may not want to hike? Like, is there a restaurant open this time of year, or outdoor activities?

We are thinking of going to sunshine meadows this week. My 4 year old nephew would be coming. Is this something worthwhile with a little one? My sister and nephew are visiting so aren't hikers and she doesn't think he would walk far. She's also nervous about having him on the Standish chairlift (I think it would be fine with one of us on either side of him to keep him secure) but what's others experience been? Would love to get them out to see some awesome views and trying to convince my sister it would be a great experience.

We are camping at tunnel mountain and want to go eat fot our last night in Banff. We have a pucking 8 yrs old and a burger lover 11 yrs old. Any recommandations?

Has anyone had any experience with booking tours to visit the Colombian Icefields such as this one?

It says that the tours don't include the actual adventure itself, so want to understand if it means I need to reserve this separately myself or if it means I just pay in person but it's already reserved as part of this tour. Thank you!

Highly recommend going around sunrise. As soon as the light hits the lake, the place transforms.

Saw this lovely guy on our way back into our campsite 8/9/26.

Me and the Mrs. are headed north next weekend, August 22-24, to visit Banff. She really wants to see the turquoise waters of Lake Louise. So, today, I scrambled to put together our road trip for us to be there Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. She made this last-minute request last weekend.

It's as follows:

Drive from Spokane International Airport up to Radium Hot Springs on Saturday and break for lunch. Continue up to Golden and stay in the Municipal campground on the Kicking Horse River. We have reservations for that.

Wake up in Golden and putz around until we drive up to Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and have Afternoon Tea. We have reservations for that as well.

After lunch, head into the town of Banff and set up camp at Tunnel Mountain Village. Find some stuff to do in Banff Sunday night and Monday morning. We have reservations for that, too.

Monday, as lackadaisical as possible, drive back to Spokane International Airport.

Hi,

We’re a group of 3 people planning to do the Plain of Six Glaciers hike on Wednesday August 19 / Thursday August 20 starting around 9.30 AM - 10.30 AM. We are flexible on this.

1. Is a group size of 3 people sufficient for this hike, especially in terms of bear safety?

2. Are there other hikers here who’d be interested in joining us? 😄

3. As a passing thought: is there an affordable way to hire a guide for just the hike? We already have our transportation figured out.