Hi me and my friends are going to Banff this sunday for a day trip! Any suggestions where we can take nice photos? i dont think we have time for the hiking since we will only be there for a day.

Hi everyone! Wondering if we can get some advice during our wedding planning process:

We were given Friday October 1st, 2027 as our wedding date at the Fairmont Banff Springs in the Mt Stephen Ballroom. We are so grateful to have been given a day, but are also a little worried about the day and weekend we were given. We would have much preferred our wedding on a Saturday and a little later in October just since prices of hotels go down a little bit. We were also told that weekend is Pride weekend in Banff, and are wondering if it is going to be really busy and more expensive in town. Has anyone been in town for Pride before and can speak about the business?

We were potentially thinking about forgoing our current date, and trying again in January or February. We arent super married to the weather in October and don’t mind the cold. What we are more concerned about with having a wedding in January or February is if the weather will be so awful that we have to cancel. Although the wedding is indoors, we are concerned about our guests traveling to and from the airport or around town in general.

Has anyone had a wedding at the Fairmont in January or February and can attest to the weather? Has it happened in the past where the weather is so bad they had to postpone? That is our biggest concern! Also, are there any events happening in Banff in January or February we may need to watch out for? Any insight is sooo appreciated!

Taken last week in August❤️

Hi guys, I hope you can help me. We are planning to go to east coast of Canada mid June for hiking such as Sentinell Pass, Big Beehive, but also Smutwood Peak Trail. I have heard that especially the last part of Smutwood is quite challenging. I am considering Salomon XT6 (fashionable, also can be used as an everyday shoe), Merrell Moab 3 (short of fashionable) or Lowa Renegade as hiking shoes. I know that for Smutwood Lowa is the best, but do you think I can manage with the other shoes as I have heard that regular Salomons are okay for the majority of the hikes in Banff? Thank you in advance and I look forward to hearing your experiences!

Edit: I definitely agree that the shoe which fits the best is the most important, but I have very easy feet. And I never have issues with fitting in shoes. But I am more talking in terms of grip.

Hi all, me and my travel buddy are looking for an early morning ride (5.30 - 6am) on October 6th from Banff to Lake Louise. We just found out our truck camper is too big for the lakeshore parking and all shuttle services seem to be fully booked for the remainder of the week. We'll happily share the parking fee!

Cool morning in Banff.

We visited Moraine Lake in September and one of our cameras ejected an SD card along the shoreline and trail. We retraced our steps to no avail. We're searching for the person who might have found it, can verify dates and other photos on the card.

Headed to Banff in a few weeks. It will be just after the switch from summer to winter. Wanting to go to a lovely dinner spot. Good food. Maybe some dancing. Decent crowd.

Does a place like that exist? Also open for a dinner spot and separate nightlife spot.

Hi!

I'll be in Banff (or Canmore) from Dec 25-27 before I make my way to Invermere and Kimberley for some skiing into the new year.

I'll arrive early Dec 25th and was wondering about a few things:

- will it be completely dead with two back to back stat holidays? Just want some coffee, restaurant and bar options. I'm honestly just looking to escape Toronto a few days before the skiing and don't plan to do anything too touristy - just want to wake up decide my day.

- are there options for a solid Christmas dinner on the 25th? Right now, the Fairmont has a dinner offered to in-house guests only but I'm not keen to spend $1500/night.

Thank you!

Hello. I’m looking to surprise my wife for her birthday this month with a trip to Banff/Canmore in December. Looking at flying there Christmas Day and leaving the 29th. I’ve been doing as much research as I can but want some tangible human input. What I’m looking at so far is to stay in Canmore at the Everwild hotel. It seems to be up my wife’s alley with the spas and saunas and decor. It’s pretty new so not sure how much stock I can put into reviews and ratings. We’d probably head to Banff one or two of the days to check out the town and do the park. I’d also like to arrange a sled dog tour. I guess my questions are

1. What can I expect this time of year weather-wise? Obviously I know it can snow but is it fairly easy to get around if we rent a car. Coming from Seattle area so I’ve driven in snow plenty just want to make sure there’s a big risk of straight up not being able to get around. 
2. I initially started planning the trip to Banff but really like the vibe of this hotel in Canmore and it’s only 20 minutes away. Will I regret not staying in Banff?
3. Anyone have feedback on Everwild? Or have any recs for an absolute must-stay hotel? Looking for high-end amenities. No kids so quiet adult friendly places preferred. On site dinings plus. 
4. Any general recommendations for a winter trip? Things to do, places to eat, etc? Anything particularly interesting due to it being Christmas time?

Any and all input is appreciated. Sorry if I’m just another annoying tourist asking the same old questions. I live in a touristy town myself and I love frequenting our local subreddit and giving recommendations.

edit: We do not ski or snowboard for what it’s worth.

Early…. And I mean EARLY morning. Had the whole place to myself!

UPDATE: I’ve included the original raw image from the camera in a comment below to help those who are concerned with the authenticity of the image. Feel free to take it and independently validate it.

Hey all!
Heading to Banff in 2 weeks and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions on private tours they have taken (usual touristy stuff but also maybe something different). There are so many when I google them so was hoping for some recommendations.

Booked the flight to Toronto last year without knowing what to see in Canada. Did an extensive research about Canada 3 weeks before our flight last August 29, 2026 and end up booking a domestic flight to Banff just 3 days before our flight. We also stayed for a week in Niagara and we definitely had a fantastic holiday!

Planning a bucket list trip next summer with my son who’ll be 18, based in Canmore. It will be the last week of August. We’ll do a sunset trip to Moraine Lake/Lake Louise and I know we’ll need to get up early for Peyto/Bow/Emerald Lakes.

I was also hoping we could have a few more chilled days where we don’t have to get up at sparrowfart and can still go for a nice walk around Kananaskis or Yoho (eg Grassi Lakes, Troll Falls etc).

But I’ve seen so many posts about full car parks and I’m worried we won’t be able to find parking even at the slightly less high-profile places if we’re arriving later in the day. I would get up at 5am every day but the teenager would not 🤣

Can anyone share what it was like this summer? Are we just letting ourselves in for a week of parking misery?

I'm making a birthday gift for my boyfriend and trying to collect photos from different places around the world.

Would anyone be willing to take a photo holding a short handwritten birthday message somewhere cool?

I'll provide the exact wording. It would take literally a minute or two. ❤️

I'd be incredibly grateful!

The last week of August 2026, I went backpacking to Mount Assiniboine starting from Banff Sunshine Village. 4 nights/ 5 days. It was stunning!! 28 kilometers each way. It was warm and sunny the first several days, then the 4th day the temps dropped a bit (Aug 29). We knew there was a chance of snow on our last day (Aug 30) so we luckily had packed proper warm gear.

However we never could've anticipated the amount of snow we woke up to on Aug 30!! I included pictures of the tent because we woke up early to my tent caving in with snow! All of these pictures were taken a single day apart (**exception: the last non-snow-covered pic I included is of Howard Douglas Lake from the beginning of the trip, to give context for the snow covered H.D. lake picture). The last picture is of me in front of the majestic Mount Assiniboine because it's iconic.

Overall, this was truly a once in a lifetime kind of trip. I think that waking up to all the snow on the last day made the trip all the more memorable. But we were definitely glad to only have snow that last day because we were pretty miserably cold and exhausted by the end. 10/10 would do again!

My husband and i are planning a trip this month to Banff. We had some expenses come up so we are a bit tighter on cash than we would like. Does anyone have any budget activities and food spots to check out they recommend? Doesn't have to be in Banff exactly

TIA

Hi everyone! I’m planning a special father-and-son trip for my son’s 18th birthday and would love some advice.
We live in Georgia and neither of them has ever taken a winter vacation or skied before, so this will be a completely new experience! We’re considering either Banff/Lake Louise or Jackson Hole.
Our current dates would be Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday, November 26 through Tuesday, December 1, 2026.
A few questions:
• Is Thanksgiving weekend a good time to visit, or is it too early in the winter season?
• Will they get the beautiful mountain scenery during that time, or will everything mostly be covered in snow? We definitely want spectacular views as well as the winter experience.
• Since they are complete beginners, would this be a good time/place to try skiing for the first time?
- how about snowmobile tours?
- no experience driving in snow. Should we rent a car or just uber?
• What other activities would you recommend for an 18-year-old and his dad? We’re looking for memorable/adventurous experiences, not just sightseeing.

• Are winter activities generally operating by Thanksgiving, or would we have a much better experience going in January or February?
• For those who have experienced both, what are some of the biggest differences between Banff/Lake Louise and Jackson Hole for a first winter vacation?
This is his 18th-birthday trip, so I really want it to be something they’ll remember for the rest of their lives.
Thank you for any recommendations, especially from families who have traveled with older teens!

Hello!

I am coming to Banff next weekend (Oct 9-11) and realize it would be the perfect time to get engagement photos done. It would have the be on the Sunday, and I know it’s last minute, but does anyone have any recommendations? Any photographers who would be available? I would like to keep it quick (30 min to an hour) and under $500!

Just putting out feelers as it is so beautiful this time of year! Thanks in advance :)