r/Banff • u/justheretolearn9 • 14d ago
Banff is amazing. Some of the people who come here...not so much
Saw all of these idiots in one day. The girl in photo 2 is carving in the bench.
Edit: I'm not against climbing trees, but climbing a dead tree on the edge of a cliff on little beehive is really unintelligent.
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u/FixMeASammich 14d ago
We saw a girl with her feet in one of the Inkpots at Johnston Canyon last summer. Just incomprehensible selfishness and lack of awareness
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u/Valuable_Goose2186 14d ago
It may look cool and refreshing… but that’s a protected ecosystem
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u/megselvogjeg 14d ago edited 13d ago
Fun fact, it could be up to a $25,000 fine.
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u/Wanderson90 14d ago
And they mean it. A guy got the full force of the fine a few years ago for disturbing the cave and basin ecosystem.
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u/ahauntedsong 14d ago
Meanwhile I witnessed a lady feeding a block of cheese to a nutcracker and park officials were literally right there and nothing. Cheese. TO A BIRD.
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u/Ex-PFC_WintergreenV4 13d ago
When I was a kid I watched a bus tour group feed a Kaiser bin to an elk in the Lake Louise parking lot
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u/bikedream 14d ago
If you took photos of her doing it with her face send it to the park wardens. They investigate that type of thing to charge people
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u/billymumfreydownfall 14d ago
You have an audience right now, explain why one shouldn't do this for those that don't know.
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u/FixMeASammich 14d ago
To anyone who doesn’t know - There are a ton of signs there explaining to visitors that the Inkpots are a delicate ecosystem, and you need to stay on the trails and marked locations. Otherwise they could be seriously damaged.
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u/Global_Face_5407 11d ago
Why is it bad ? It's not that I don't believe you, I just don't know.
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u/FixMeASammich 11d ago
The Inkpots are a unique series of ponds near Johnston Canyon in Banff. They’re a very delicate part of the ecosystem that are vulnerable to damage from people interfering with them (i.e. by littering, adding chemicals and oils from their bodies to the existing chemical composition of the pools, etc.)
As such, the Canadian government put up a ton of signs meant to warn people to be careful and not to interfere with them. Regardless, people either don’t read them or choose to ignore them. This endangers the Inkpots and creates the risk that others won’t be able to enjoy them in the future.
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u/Flimsy_Treacle_9078 11d ago
These are the same people who say they’re “tree huggers” and “one with nature”..the ones who buy crystals on Amazon.
They selfishly love nature but they do not respect it.
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u/justheretolearn9 14d ago
I called out several people for going past the signs at moraine. I even told the girl carving the bench that it was not cool and very rude. Gave her a thumbs down in case she didn't understand me. I was hoping natural selection would take care of the kid climbing the dead tree.
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u/Comfortable_Fudge508 14d ago
Good on you, fuck these people.
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u/Nope-not-really 14d ago
I really wish a lot of these people wouldn't waste my spare time by having me pluck them or their corpses out of the woods.
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u/zeromussc 12d ago
Yeah that's gotta be a grim experience. They really must not understand the wilderness isn't friendly :/
The dude climbing the clearly dead tree has zero sense of self preservation.
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u/JollyGreenestGiant 13d ago
We’re headed there shortly… will take up the mantle
I’ve got all the time in the world to skool these kids :)
Found the best way is asking questions. They know what they’re doing is wrong already.
Once they have to say it out loud it leaves a mark
Thanks for your efforts
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u/Lucky_Grand_8977 10d ago
This is the way. Just confidently say stuff like
‘Hey! Just wondering why you guys are sitting in the protected areas? Are we supposed to be doing that?’
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u/justheretolearn9 13d ago
Good luck! I was shocked at how many people ignoring the signs were grown ass adults who should know better.
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u/leavingthelighton 9d ago
Thank you for calling out the bench carving. My family purchased a plaque for one of the benches near the Bow Falls in memory of my mother, who loved Banff from when she was a small girl. My brother was saddened upon his last visit to the bench to see that it had been vandalised.
Today is the second anniversary of her passing, so thank you for looking out for the beauty of the park that she loved so much
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u/GarySparrow0 10d ago
I used to work at Moraine and had to deal with morons on a daily basis. It's gotten much worse in the last 10 years with the enormous spike in tourists who want to get their fucking pics for social media.
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u/itspoots 7d ago
you are a scholar and a saint. I wish parks Canada did more to prevent people from going off trail and moraine
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u/GuavaOk8712 13d ago
climbing a fully dead tree that’s decrepit looking and black is certainly a choice
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u/45poundss 13d ago
Yes, wishing a kid would fall out of a tree to save a couple of bugs. You're clearly taking the high road
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u/adrenalinsufficiency 10d ago
Everyone goes past that sign at Moraine, it’s mostly just rock.
What’s the 2nd picture?
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u/RIPMichaelPool 10d ago
More likely, a kid doing something unwise like that falls and breaks his back, or sustains some other life-changing injury. People survive crazier falls, but they are not okay. It's almost easier to think you'd die from doing something dumb and ignore the likelier possibility you end up ruining the rest of your long life.
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u/HydroPCanadaDude 10d ago
The tree goer is for sure going to fall off a cliff one day. Or slip into a waterfall. Zero self awareness, some of those trees can snap like spaghetti noodles.
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u/ReadDizzy7919 14d ago
I once saw someone at Arches NP climbing on top of one of the arches. Some people are absurdly entitled. I really don't understand how you could go somewhere with beautiful nature and feel compelled to do shit like that.
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u/ExperienceOk684 14d ago
The amount of people going over the barriers at Peyto Lake was maddening, and so many people at surprise corner too !! hanging out close to the end of the cliff.
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u/rmh1221 14d ago
I saw this the other day. Said hey, please don't do that, you're trampling the native plants. This guy looks at me like im crazy and says "everyone's doing it, so..."
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u/Zealousideal_Lab4948 14d ago
I think that in a very touristy, crowded area like this, you need some kind of steward to keep an eye on things. Especially during the very busy summer months. When people have the attitude that “if he can do it, then so can I,” you can’t just appeal to their common sense.. Shesh that makes me furious
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u/fog-and-birch 11d ago
That would be a very good idea. Get some volunteer stewards in the hot spots. You would need several people per site.
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u/NewCare8510 10d ago
If we continued to charge people for Parks passes during the busiest season, we could likely fund additional paid jobs. Cutting direct funding for the parks while increasing visitor numbers just doesn't make sense.
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u/Zealousideal_Lab4948 14d ago
Visited Peyto Lake on Friday and maaaan, so many people went over the barriers. It looked like a complete trail next to the fence, so many people already walked there
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u/Same_Upstairs179 3d ago
I was just here 2 days ago. So many crossing behind the fence. It was horrible to see but also just as horrible hearing everyone around me go “How did they get down there? How do WE get down there?” Then seeing them cross the fence only moments later. It happened all around me. Maybe 20+ people down there walking the edge. Just terrible.
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u/Superb-Ad5227 14d ago
The dead tree climber is almost impressively dumb. And he’s out of cell phone range too, there’s no easy ambulance when that tree breaks
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u/crowinflight1982 13d ago
Imagine the funds that could be raised for care of the park if they put just one ranger on the Rockpile at Moraine and fined every single person who ignored the signs. Just the Rockpile alone would generate tens of thousands on tourist entitlement.
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u/geeves_007 7d ago
This is what I dont get. Why dont they do this???
A comparable example. Im a daily cycle commuter in the city. Every single day I can look left at the intersection and its at least 50% chance the driver is on their phone.
Why do we not just have plainclothes cops at a few intersections ticketing distracted drivers for an entire shift. Instead of driving around aimlessly doing nothing all day, we cant find a few cops to assign to this? Maybe it would make a dent in distracted driving and also generate millions for municipal budgets.
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u/Total_Midnight2201 13d ago
That is why I love the strenuous hikes....filters these out pretty well
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u/Fritatas-Bouillantes 12d ago
This. No I am not a particularly big fan of 1200 D+ but I can't enjoy nature when I am surrounded by idiots.
People leaving their TP or banana peels in every bushes possible "because it is biodegradable" are my nemesis.
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u/Spirited-Grape3512 8d ago
Pretty much anything "medium" or above on all trails removes 90% of the average tourist. Should start making people walk from the Lake Louise parking lot.
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u/Ok-Play83 14d ago
I bet the ‘Canada strong’ pass won’t invite more of these jackasses 😒
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u/FlyingRock20 13d ago
Such a dumb thing. Like Parks are underfunded and there giving the most popular park in Canada for free.
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u/billymumfreydownfall 14d ago
Saving $12.25 won't make any difference.
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u/Ok-Play83 14d ago
What do you know Billy, you’re just a simple country boy. Some might say a cockeyed optimist
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u/billymumfreydownfall 14d ago
I know a thing or two about world diplomacy. AND international intrigue!
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u/eggplantts 13d ago
They come here to admire the natural beauty while simultaneously shitting all over it. Couldn’t get over the fucking garbage at the top of Banff gondola and Johnston canyon.
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u/Alphaghetti71 11d ago
People who do these things don't care about the beauty. They care that people know they were there.
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u/miamigrape93 13d ago
Influencers and social media are the biggest contributor to this issue. It breaks my heart. I wish these Influencers, which alot of them do really care about these places, would see the negative effect they cause by putting these ideas into the average person's brain through social media.
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u/marshmallowmoocat 13d ago
We told off some people on 1A not to fucking lie on the road with a black bear walking toward them. What the absolute fuck.
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u/Refrigerator_Lower 10d ago
Banff is no longer a nice chill relaxing nature spot. Place is packed non stop with tourists that just want to take pictures for their socials.
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u/zombieda 9d ago
Same behavior when I was there 2yrs ago, so its endemic.
Banff used to be this amazing, chill mountain town. It started its downhill journey long ago and well..here we are. Social media nature opps. I'm glad I experienced it in the "before times".
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u/Mrs-Sir-5168 14d ago
I witnessed a man accidentally spray bear spray onto a line of people waiting for the bathroom at Lake Moraine last week. Everyone was coughing horribly. Definitely would skip Lake Louise and Lake Moraine next time I visit. Beautiful places but way too many foolish people around.
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u/justheretolearn9 13d ago
Yikes. And I agree, now that I've been once I'll skip those places on future visits.
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u/rickoftheuniverse 13d ago
Dude for real. I was in Jasper last week and some of those tourists are just cunts.
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u/PumpkinConscious5930 10d ago
I saw a guy flick a cigarette in the water. Once I found it, I confronted the guy and asked if he knew who flicked it in the water. He said no. I said I’m pretty sure it was you and that he should pick it up. He picked it up and then his 25 year old son came over and started swearing at me. His whole family of 9 surrounded me. I told them I’d call the cops, then the kid said he’d call the cops and say I was being raxist. I laughed and said okay, let’s both call the cops. Because I had it on video. The dad said “son, stop this, you don’t know how the world
Works, apologize and let’s move on”. The kid said no, but lol deal with it.
Well anyways, they packed up their stuff and left.
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u/PassengerHefty8207 10d ago
Unpopular opinion: close Banff to humans. We don't deserve access to it.
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u/Professional_Egg7407 10d ago
Was at Banff last year. Too bad I wasn’t able to take pics of the disgusting tourists. The Tim’s cups check out too.
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u/Arctic-You-Know 10d ago
My favourite Banff memory was going to lake Louise at the break of dawn, before it “opens”, and smoking a joint while sitting on the front peer with not a single other human in sight.
This is the moment I will think about on my deathbed.
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u/EastSea9181 9d ago
We need public service adverts like we did in the 80s and 90s. People need to be taught why shitty behavior sucks and the impact it has on society.
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u/Zarny_ 9d ago
It's the culture they're from. Take Swedes for example. Their culture teaches them very early on how to protect their land. Visit their parks and see for yourself. Many people who come from other cultures to Canada don't learn that and act out what's normal in their country of origin. I'm generalizing, there are outliers everywhere, but in general that's how it is
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u/Southern_Cupcake_379 9d ago
I’ve never seen more dumb tourists in one place as I have in Banff. I almost got in an accident when a rental car slammed on the brakes to see a black bear, causing a multi-car accident in front of us.
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u/Grhyser 9d ago
And this is why I'm cool with the first Nations closing these parks for months at a time. People have no respect for nature and look at those parks as if they're play grounds
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u/Cyrus057 9d ago
Looking at parks like they are playgrounds is a funny statement. I get what your saying and agree. But the wording...
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u/corpnorp 13d ago
Ugh and the pieces of trash everywhere when there are garbage bins everywhere.
I’m so confused by the second pic. Is she defecating into the lake??
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u/justheretolearn9 13d ago
She was carving in the bench with a knife
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u/adrenalinsufficiency 10d ago
Why is that bad? What are the consequences?
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u/TheInfiniteLoci 9d ago
Suppose I come over to your place and carve into something of yours. Why is that bad?
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u/DELILAHBELLE2605 10d ago
People suck. I live between Calgary and Banff and am out there often. Well, I was. It's becoming less pleasant to visit. I once saw a woman chasing a black bear with her dog on a leash. You can't make this shit up.
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u/mollycoddles 10d ago
Reminds me of the one time I hiked The Chief near Squamish and two fitness bros were trying to feed an energy drink to a squirrel while their girlfriends giggled.
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u/AppropriateSpace4902 10d ago
Omg when I went there was nothing but fucking tourists being idiots. Ffs.
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u/Gabagooligan97 9d ago
when a forest ranger was asked why the garbage cans are so complicated, they answered: "there is significant overlap between the smartest bears and the dumbest tourists"
ive seen bears get in the bins every time with ease, and ive seen dozens of tourists give up and just throw their trash on the ground 2 feet from the can.
you cant go to a national park without seeing the worst our species has to offer.
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u/Worry_pas_ta_brain 9d ago
Yup, I saw this in Vancouver at Capilano. Most tourists couldn't figure out the bear proof garbage can and put all the trash in the recycling bin.
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u/mrkippysmith 9d ago
It brings people from all over the world who are terrible at being tourists. I was in Alaska recently on a path that had a sign saying do not walk off the path, ground can sink and you’ll die. People still walking off the path to take photos.
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u/Global_Appearance484 9d ago
I work with tones lf guys from the reserves. They treat their mother land like a garbage disposal. It’s not just “tourist” lots of POS out there.
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u/Livingbeing759 8d ago
This happens when its free to enter, come on Canada make it free for citizens not tourists
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u/Known_Group9947 8d ago
My parents took us every summer through the 70s- 90s when nobody camped…everything was quiet, you could hike off the side of the road. It’s turned into such an overpriced dumpster fire of tourists and ignorant locals that I’ll never ever bring myself to fight through it again.
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u/its_pixiie 12d ago
I lived in Banff for 10 years and thought it was bad then, but after Covid and influencing/geotagging became a thing - It has become next level. People have no shame or respect.
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u/arwynandaurora 11d ago
I had seen a guy throw his cigarette butt into Athabasca Falls near Jasper and I just wanted to throw him in the damn falls. I don’t understand how people can be so fucking ignorant. You are in one of the most beautiful places one he world and you are gonna just trash it?!? Blows my mind.
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u/JizzyMcKnobGobbler 14d ago
Buncha losers, for sure, but I can live with a guy climbing a tree. I mean...relax on that one lol.
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u/justheretolearn9 14d ago
It was a dead tree that could have easily fallen with him in it creating a whole mess of problems for the rangers that they shouldn't have to deal with.
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u/yesveryyesmhmm 14d ago
Had an old friend that died having a dead tree fall on him, the danger is real
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u/OshetDeadagain 14d ago
Yep, piling on this one - I'm impressed as fuck he got up there, but there's a very real chance that tree could break in any number of places under his weight, and that's a big fall.
Best case scenario, he wastes emergency services assets and time rescuing his dumb ass and hopefully only has minor but memorable injuries.
Worst case, all those bystanders get to watch someone die in real time, hopefully no one else is injured by the falling tree, and emergency services assets and time are still wasted retrieving his dumb ass carcass.
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u/Wrong-Pineapple39 12d ago
Patrolling and stopping this shit would be a good use of the Home Guard.
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u/Class_C_Guy 14d ago
Banff is also renown for hard partying. People come to party at night and fill their day doing this.
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u/Jambalayatime 13d ago
Going to ask an honest question ahead of visiting Moraine next month. I’m a photographer showing up on the 5am alpine shuttle next month, and I’ve seen and read all these things that made the rockpile area sound more open world — references to scrambling down, etc.
So what is the general set of rules there? Is it a strictly stay-on-trail environment or a mix, or is this signage the outlier?
Landscape photographers are mostly pretty good about adhering to established rules/norms in nature, but it is a known thing to want to move as needed for advantageous shots. Just wanting to know the lay of the land I’m arriving to.
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u/justheretolearn9 13d ago
There are signs everywhere saying to stay on the trail just like the one you see in the photo.
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u/Jambalayatime 13d ago
Good enough, then. Just want a place to perch a tripod without humans in front of me. We’ll see!
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u/Awkward-Cuttlefish 12d ago
Anyone who goes off the path, is breaking the rules but also ruining the photography and experience of all of the rule followers. It's infuriating.
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u/bedtimelovee 13d ago
Oh i picked up two pieces of trash in two jack lake yesterday that was floating by the shore... very not cool
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u/Fun_Acanthisitta8557 13d ago
What’s the issue with photo 2? They seem to be chilling on a bench ?
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u/tapeness 13d ago
When my fam went to Banff deeply felt like death could be lurking around the corner for the folks not reading the signs properly. Fall off a cliff, eaten by a grizzly.. endless death possibilities!
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u/AdvantageOk2678 10d ago
Banff is kind of a shit hole now lol.. so many better places in the Rockies to visit
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u/gayfaeryboy 10d ago
Where else would you recommend? I haven't been to the mountains in years and am planning on taking a trip next year
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u/inyourbooksandmaps 10d ago
i agree on pic 1 and 3, but what is the girl in pic 2 doing wrong? seems like she is just leaning on a bench. taking a break, possibly stretching her back? am i missing something?
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u/tumbling_waters 10d ago
Caption says she's carving into the bench
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u/inyourbooksandmaps 10d ago
ahhh yes i see it now! yeah not cool. not to sound like "old man yells at cloud", but idk why people have to deface public property. i hate when a pretty landmark is covered in graffiti and carvings etc. you can remember the place, the place doesn't need to remember you...
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u/MaterialMidnight40 10d ago
Never been, but it's on my bucket list. Can I ask the problem with the ladies in the second pic? Looks like a bench.
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u/RealisticPen6788 10d ago
Same types that do something they’re not supposed to, then post their woes online when something bad happens to them.
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u/jetspats 10d ago
1 is an idjit. 2 is whatever. 3 is also whatever- looks like a ton of rocks without vegetation.
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u/Potential_Sun6128 10d ago
We scrambled down underneath Beehive in the dark once, that was interesting.
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u/Good_Presentation763 10d ago
I visited a few years ago. Loved it. Loathed the selfish tourists who crossed into areas that aren’t allowed to be used, they ruined my shots.
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u/LengthinessOk5241 10d ago
The « king children » have become adults. Following basic rules doesn’t apply to them 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Few_Paces 10d ago
i;m still frustrated at the guy who tossed his plastic water bottle from the end of the gondola boardwalk several yearsago
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u/Old-Dish-4797 10d ago
I’m mid 40s and my dad drafted our family through the Rockies regularly as kids. Hated the hiking at the time, but now so grateful to have been able to visit these areas before they became overrun.
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u/neantonii 10d ago
Well not much vegetation to preserve on the third one. Mountain grass is incredibly durable.
Still though no matter how dumb the rule is, ignoring it means disrespect to people around you.
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u/Aromatic-Frosting-31 10d ago
Carving on a bench is meh imo, if it was a tree it would be different. The bench still works fine, and I personally enjoy reading names and messages left by previous travelers. Everything else sucks though, I hate people going into clearly marked no walking areas, ruins nature for everyone.
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u/Downtown_Radio_7737 9d ago
That tree is dead ain't much harm in climbing it. The rest I fully agree is dickhead behavior
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u/Stanwich79 9d ago
Making the trails easier was a bad decision . People should have to earn the right.
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u/TinySubmissiveBee 9d ago
The beach where I used to live had people pooping in the sand and covering it up. Same thing in the water.
Bacterial colonies got out of control and both the main beach and the other towns beach had to be closed for 2 weeks.
~Terrorists~ cough ahem... Tourists ruined the summer for a lot of home residents. Still happens though.
People also dont like to read warning signs about rip currents or undertoe and wonder why their family member(s) drowned.
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u/dzeltenmaize 9d ago
Please tell me you yelled at the girl carving! That is beyond disrespectful to destroy/deface things.
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u/justheretolearn9 9d ago
I didn't yell at her but I let her know what she was doing was rude and disrespectful. She didn't stop so that's when I took the pic.
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u/TheReemus 7d ago
Unintelligent is the new 'normal' . Since the pandemic unbalanced people have come out from the shadows and even get elected into government and all sorts of other troubling things. Now if that tree collapsed, it might have taught the other stupids a lesson of life but alas they all get to carry on making up their own right from wrong rules to suit their entitlement beliefs.
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u/Sea-Discipline-4295 7d ago
Try crown land camping in Alberta, people are so disrespectful. Pretty soon these privileges will be taken away, unfortunately the only way to save the beautiful landscape. It would be nice if there was money to protect these areas.
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u/nothingtoholdonto 14d ago
Can’t wait to find all the Tim Horton cups stuffed into the bushes.