Lovely views here last night.

Was skeptical about the room rate… but I’ve never stayed in such a nice hotel! The staff and facilities were amazing for a family of 4 (kids 5 & 8).

I recognize it’s mid October and not the “busy season,” so we got in on a lower room rate than other times of the year… but it was so worth it (with US exchange rate).

Highly recommend this hotel and Banff in October… weather was chilly, but sunny. We packed warm clothes and didn’t have any crowds around town, on trails or at Lake Louise. The hotel provided plenty of included activities (scavenger hunts, games, family bingo, outdoor heated pools, wildlife tours, and more!). We will be back!

I love this province. I'm not going back to Ontario - you can't make me 😭😭😭

Hi all! My future husband and I will be coming to Banff in late November for our honeymoon. We are looking for recommendations for things to do/hikes/restaurants/local events/etc! We are also traveling from south US and have never experienced snow/icy roads before, so what are some packing essentials we need to bring? We are coming for 5 days! Thanks in advance!

Só queria compartilhar algumas das minhas fotos favoritas da minha viagem às Montanhas Rochosas Canadenses. As paisagens aqui são absolutamente incríveis — facilmente um dos lugares mais bonitos que já fotografei. Espero que gostem! 📸🏔️🇨🇦

If you’d like to see more of my photography, feel free to check out my page @sandrofphoto

First trip to Banff. We traveled the Icefields Parkway up to Athabasca Glacier on October 2 in gloomy weather and were met with this amazing rainbow and break in the clouds when we arrived at Peyto Lake. Truly unforgettable and I can’t wait to go back to the park. Happy to share more if you all like my editing style!

HI all. I’ve asked a few questions regarding my trip coming up from Christmas Day through 12/30 and gotten lots of great input. I’m sure a lot of these questions get repetitive and annoying but I searched and didn’t see a thread like this in the past few months and things can change so fast in the restaurant world.

I’m a career foodservice guy so when I travel picking the right places to eat is very important to me. We like all cuisines so fire away. Just from some research I’ve done here’s a short list of places on my radar:

Waldhaus

GRAPES

Beer Street Tavern

Block Kitchen and Bar

Anejo 

The Eddie l

Toolouslous

Ramen Arashi

Rinse bar

Banff Ave Brewing

Three Bears Brewing

Thoughts on these? What am I missing?

First pic, October 2021. First time at Lake Louise. Taken with a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. Google Photos automatic colour and lighting correction.

Second pic, this morning after a little walk with my Meta Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses 2 😊

Just wondering if anyone has stayed in HI Banff alpine centre before for staff accommodation whilst working for sunshine? What’s the room situation like and will it be shared bathrooms and kitchens etc? Unsure on what to expect

I am going to Banff from American Black Friday to December 1st over the weekend to mostly snowboard. Seems like a decent storm is rolling in this weekend in Banff National Park. Do you all think there will be decent snow coverage by the time or my trip? I’m an intermediate snowboarder so the double black stuff at Banff & lake Louise I’m not really worried about. Anything else I should do while I’m there?

If I’m trying to go to Banff for 5 days mid November or end of November what should my travel look like? As a first time will I be missing out on a lot of things? Should I go during summer instead? And plan for Vancouver during November?

Hi everyone!

I'll be traveling from Montreal to Calgary for work in early November, and I've decided to arrive a few days earliers to visit banff!

Halloween: any good event to go too? Or bar ?

Lake Louise parking: I've read that the parking lot can fill up before sunrise and that taking a shuttle is recommended. Does this still apply in early November?
Would you recommend driving myself from Banff, or should I book a bus? I'll already have a rental car. I would like to visit peyto lake and bow lake the same day. I know that some guided tour proposed to take you to all of them, is it safer than driving myself?

Hiking: I enjoy hiking but would rather do several shorter walks (30–60 minutes) with amazing views than spend hours hiking. I'm open to a 2-hour hike if the view is really worth it. Any recommendations for this time of year?

Weather: How much snow should I realistically expect in late October and early November? I'm comfortable with cold weather, but I don't want to underestimate winter driving conditions.

I'll be visiting solo, so I'd also appreciate any advice about exploring these areas on my own.

Thanks in advance for any tips! I'm really excited to visit the Canadian Rockies for the first time!

I’m sure this has been asked before, but I’m going to Banff in November and would love restaurant recommendations. I’m hoping for lesser known/hole in the wall places if they exist.
Thank you in advance!

Been practicing my photo editing in Lightroom, here's one I captured of Peyto Lake. Captured on S26 Ultra as a RAW image, edited to match how it looks to the eye in person, hopefully not too over processed.

If youre headed out there anytime soon pack ice cleats. You will need them. I saw lots of people falling today trying to make it back to the lake.

I loved every lake that I visited in Banff, but I think the Bow River is overlooked. Such a blessing to have this view in the heart of the city

First thank you to everyone on this thread - sharing stories, suggestions, the wiki etc - it all helped. I had a work trip in Calgary and tacked on a few days in Bannf. We lucked out on weather front but seriously what a blessed experience from the views, the people, the food etc. for those of you lurking and hoping - just book it. Sure I did the expected touristy things - but some of the best moments were off script.

Highlights in particular:
That first view….
Plain of Six Glaciers Hike
Bow Falls Trail
Hard Root Beer at Park Distillery
Randomly popping into Elk and Oarsman on Sunday to a full house of NFL fans watching games and awesome energy and diversity of patrons and staff.

I loved all the lakes that I visited during my stay in Banff, but I think the Bow River in the middle of the city is overlooked. What an amazing place!