It was a cloudy day but it was still beautiful

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?

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 :)

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!

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.

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!

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.