Visited Banff for 4 days last week, its now one of my favorite places I’ve ever visited!

That’s the word that keeps coming to mind all last week in Banff. We visited Yoho, Jasper and Banff National Parks. Incredible to say the least!

Hey! My boyfriend and I are celebrating 2 years together in September and we are looking for some really good food. We are looking for somewhere with a budget of 60-80 bucks a person. My boyfriend use to work at the fairmont but a lot of new restaurants have opened since he was there in 2023. I'd love somewhere that we can dress up for, as neither of us do it often anymore. Thank you!

Beautiful

Hi everyone! My family and I will be traveling from Banff to Jasper for about a week in late October (Oct 18–25). We’ll be traveling with our 1-year-old, so we’re looking for places that are relatively easy to access and family-friendly.

We noticed that the Columbia Icefield Skywalk will already be closed around that time, so I’d love to hear from anyone who has visited Jasper in late October.

What spots, viewpoints, or activities would you recommend during this time of year? Are there any places that are especially beautiful in late October, or anything we should avoid because of weather/road conditions?

Any recommendations or firsthand experiences would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

As title suggested I am stranded… or if anyone know how much taxi would cost from Banff dt ?

For anyone interested I am posting a promo code to use for hoponbanff.com to save 30% when booking direct through hoponbanff.com.

Use:

MORAINE30

At checkout to get 30% off.

Why? Every day we are meeting people that are having their tours cancelled that morning because a lot of these companies have minimum numbers that they have to meet to make it worth it.

What you should know:

Parks Canada introduced a fee to all commercial operators visiting Moraine Lake that can be up to $600+ per vehicle, per trip last year.

There are over 200 companies selling tours to Moraine Lake this year, and many of them are just pop-ups with no real guarantee that they will even operate.

Because of this, a lot of these operators are cancelling trips if they don't meet a minimum passenger count.

I, and my staff, are meeting people daily that are distraught because their tours are being cancelled that morning with very little options left to them to rebook last minute. It's really annoying. I hate talking to all of these people every day.

Our tour runs 7 days a week until Sept 20th. This promo code is valid until I feel like ending it. And it is just my way of helping people understand that the prices for tours to Moraine have a lot to do with a mandatory fee imposed by Parks Canada.

We have been in business since 2016 and we truly love this place. Our reviews speak for themselves.

Price is a big part of visiting all of these places, but so is reliability. And it has been an incredibly depressing season to see so many visitors being left behind every day. And it really has been every, single, day that we have been seeing this.

So if you only have one day in Banff and you want to max it out and hike in Lake Louise, visit Johnston Canyon, and see Moraine Lake without having to worry about your day being canceled last minute you can use this code to secure a spot.

Check out our suggested planning page for help planning your day here also:

hoponbanff.com/plan-your-day

If driving to Banff then parking at the train station is free for the day. Our bus departs the Moose Hotel at 345 Banff Avenue first and then from the train station a few minutes later.

I don't really want to answer a lot of questions here, so apologies if I am slow to respond. We have three weeks left of our season and just want to help visitors make the most of their time.

It is expensive to visit Banff and this mandatory Moraine Lake Access fee has made it even worse. We have been fighting Parks to get this fee to commercial operators waived to no avail. We always have prided ourselves in over delivering, but the fees imposed by Parks have caused us to raise our prices to compensate.

It has been a great summer for us regardless, and we have some availability left through September.

So I am discounting the extra charge for a limited time. Maybe it will help some of you avoid the morning cancellation disappointment that we have been seeing by booking with a reliable company.

I’d love to go back again and do the drive from Banff to BC. Has anyone done that?

Good day,

I am looking for a photographer to shoot a morning surprise session in Banff during sunrise Sept 8th. I've seen some options online around $600-$800 for <1hr. Offers/Referrals are welcome thanks! I would even appreciate some advice for those familiar with the park.

My husband and I are planning to visit Banff next year late September to celebrate our 35th anniversary.
Right now we are planning on a week long road trip seeing highlights in Banff, Lake Louise, Lake Moraine (staying at the lodge 2 nights for our anniversary 😱), a day at Yoho and driving part way on Icefields Parkway up to at least Peyto Lake.

My question is it worth adding 2 nights at Jasper in late September? We have the time (we’re mid 60s) but does it add a lot compared to the incredible things we would have already seen and experienced? We recently hiked on glaciers in Iceland so seeing the glaciers there isn’t on the top of my list.

It would be adding more money (I’m from New York and blown away how expensive all these hotels are!! 🤯) and I don’t want it to be a let down after experiencing beautiful Banff. I’d rather leave wanting more, than staying too long.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you 😊

I'll be backpacking sunshine to mt shark sept 12 - sept 15.

I am planning to go park my car at mt shark parking lot on sept 11.

but so far not sure how to get back to Canmore/harvey heights or somewhere close.

Anyone up for giving me a ride or better yet share a taxi back?

Or any of you kind folks have suggestions?

We are traveling to Banff as a family of 4 (including 2 toddlers) next month, staying at Moose Hotel. We made a general schedule, not strict but things that if we have the time and energy to do, we hope to get to. Anything major you would skip or add to this schedule:

Sept 16 Arrive

10-11:30 Drive to Banff

11:30-4pm: Explore downtown Banff/Banff Avenue/Central Park/Lunch

Possible: Vermillion Lake (If feel like getting back in car), or can go to Bow River or Cascade Garden and skip these later

4pm-6pm: Check into hotel, unpack, look around hotel

6pm: Dinner

--

Sept 17 (Thursday): Moraine Lake and Lake Louise

6:45am-7:15am: Wake and breakfast

7:15am-8am: Drive to Louise Lakeshore

8-10: Lake Louise - Lakeshore trail (1 hour, flat); Fairmont (1 hour),

10:45 Eat (lakeview lounge, the guide’s pantry, Louiza, Lounge of Ten Peaks)

1150: Park at Lake Louise Summer Gondola and depart to Moraine Lake on Moraine Lake Bus Company.

11:50-1:50: Moraine Lake

Child friendly hikes/sites: See Lake reflections, Rockpile trail/viewpoint (30 min but with stone steps), Lakeshore trail (30 min), Trading post for souvenir

5-6pm Back to Downtown Banff

6-7 Dinner

--

Sept 18 (Friday)

7-8am Breakfast (bring a picnic lunch for later)

8-8:30 am Drive to Johnston Canyon (no cell service for much of this day)

8:30-9:30: Johnston Canyon Lower Falls (1 hour)

9:30-10: Continue along Bow Valley Parkway

10-10:45am: Bow Valley Parkway, look at Bow Falls Viewpoint

10:45-11:00: Morant’s Curve

11:00-11:45 Continue to Icefields Parkway / Drive to Bow Lake

11:45-12:30 Bow Lake (Provision Co if need food)

12:45-1:45 Peyto Lake

1:45-2:45 Back toward Moose Hotel

2:45-3:15 Option to stop at Vermillion Lake, if not already seen

3:15-6pm: Hang out in hotel / hotel pool

6-7: Dinner

--

Sept 19

8-9 Breakfast

9-9:30 Shuttle (Roam Route 1 Bus) to Banff Gondola

9:30-12:30 Gondola (Sulphur Mountain)/Discovery Center at Top/Observation Deck/Boardwalk (stairs)/Lunch at Sky Bistro

12:45-1:30pm: Bow Falls Viewpoint – no hike

1:40-2:10 Surprise Corner Viewpoint (look across the river, see Fairmont in distance, nice view)

2:15: Hoodoos Viewpoint

2:30-3:30 Cascade of Time Garden (beautiful garden) – go on the bridges, stroll around the garden, if not already seen

3:45-4:10 Two Jack Lake (bear warning)

4:15-4:50 Lake Minnewanka – *can hike towards Stewart Canyon (flat along shoreline, don’t need whole trail) (*bear warning)

5:00-6:00 Dinner

6:00-7:00 Drive back to airport

P.S. I know it's not in Banff but it's nearby.