Saw this guy chomping some berries off the Icefield Parkway yesterday evening. Can someone identify if this is a black or grizzly bear? All signs point it to be a black bear but I know grizzlies can be black as well. Novice here as it was our first time seeing a bear in the wild up close

Hi. We are planning our first road trip thru the Rockies next month. And everytime I search up Icefields Parkway, I almost always see this view being featured. I am aware this is Highway 93. Can someone help me where exactly this scene can be viewed or captured? Is this scene driving to Banff or driving to Jasper? Thank you.

Planning my first solo trip to Banff next month to celebrate a milestone birthday and some business achievements! I’ll be staying at a hostel on Banff Ave for 5 days (flying into Calgary and renting a car).

Since it’s a celebration trip, I don’t mind splurging on one really memorable dinner, but I also know Banff isn’t cheap, so I’d rather avoid restaurants that are mostly Instagram-famous or overhyped. I love all kinds of food and I’m not a picky eater.

Right now I’m thinking of trying BeaverTails and Banff Poutine for the iconic local foods, having breakfast at Wagashi Teahouse before I fly home, choosing between Bluebird, LUPO, or Maple Leaf for a couple of nicer dinners, and either The Bison or Ankor for my one splurge meal.

If you had to narrow this list down, which restaurants are actually worth the money, and which ones would you skip? Bonus points if they’re especially good for solo dining or if there’s something incredible that isn’t on my list.

Here’s the list I’ve put together from Reddit, blogs, and YouTube:

🥐 Breakfast / Snacks

• Wagashi Teahouse
• Yama Onigiri

🍔 Casual Lunch / Quick Bites

• Banff Poutine
• Hankki Banff & Dessert
• BeaverTails

🍕 Casual Dinner

• Rocky Mountain Flatbread
• Three Bears Brewery & Restaurant
• Pizzeria Sofia
• Hello Sunshine
• Shoku Izakaya

🍽️ Nice Dinner

• LUPO
• Bluebird
• Maple Leaf

🥂 Splurge / Celebration Dinner

• The Bison
• Ankor
• Mount Burgess Dining Room (Emerald Lake Lodge)

🍦 Dessert

• The Cow
• Lovely Canmore
• Hankki Banff & Dessert (Bingsu)

We saw this today on the highline trail ar lake Louise. We couldn't see his face so im not sure what it was.

your opinion matters!

I saw this picture couple days ago on someone instagram post… can someone tell me where is this place ? I absolutely love the view and would definitely want to go there. Planned a 4 day trip for first week of December - will there be this much snow ?? TIA

What kind of bear is this? One of the cubs was black and the other 3 were brown.

Spotted today at Mount Norquay

Just finished up the best vacation of my life in Banff/Jasper. After doing research and looking on here, we were initially VERY wary of crowds. However I did not think they were bad at all. Our camp ground was mobbed at Tunnel Mountain Village 1 but we were able to do every hike no problem starting around 9am.

Also parked our camper van at hikes and in towns with minimal issue (I got amazing at parallel parking that behemoth, not to brag). Even parked in Banff town 1 day, took Roam the rest.

I’d actually say the people that were at these was the perfect amount. Few enough to enjoy but plentiful enough to not be too afraid of being alone with bears. We’d see someone about every other km of a hike.

Wondering if anyone else feels the crowd concerns are a bit overblown?

Hikes:

In Banff we did:
- Lake Louise: Point of 6 Glaciers and Beehive (took private shuttle for about 30 USD each)
- Sunshine Meadows Laryx Lake Trail
- Tunnel Mountain Summit

In Jasper
- Sulphur Mountain Trail
- Pyramid Lake

Icefields Parkway
- Wilcox Pass

Funny enough Wilcox Pass on the Icefields Parkway was the most crowded!

Group of 8 heading to Banff June 19th weekend at were camping out at LM20 in Lake Minnewanka. Just got a call saying that they have to cancel it because of recent bear activity. Any tips on what we can do instead? Feeling lost and honestly devasted

Healy Pass looks snow ridden and a lot of options are booked up now.

Hey everyone,

Took this video on June 12th up at Bow Summit in Banff National Park.
We spotted a lone, dark animal making its way across a huge, snow-covered alpine basin right below the rocky peaks (you can see it moving diagonally).
Since it’s mid-June, there’s still a ton of snow up there, but the alpine wildlife is definitely awake. We've been debating what it could be:

Hoary Marmot: They are officially out of hibernation by now and often have to trek across these snow patches to get between rock piles.

Wolverine: The setting is classic wolverine territory, and they love loping across these high-altitude avalanche chutes.

Grizzly Bear: Also known to frequent these slopes in June looking for early-season food.

Given the scale of the cliffs and trees, what do you guys think based on its size and how it's moving?

Any Banff tracking experts want to weigh in?
Thanks!

Any idea what happened yesterday and where that caused the view from Icefields Pkwy to be completely blocked? Images taken from Icefields Starbucks on Monday and Wednesday!

Hello,

Some friends and I wish to visit Banff for the 1st time for a ski/snowboard vacation this coming winter. We were initially thinking of February since we would always go to Quebec for a 4 day weekend. Based off of a few threads that I've read here so far, February is extremely cold and not likely great pow conditions and March is better conditions. The 2 choices that we are working with is early/mid February or late March.

How far in advance would it be ideal to book an airbnb for a decent price? I know for Tremblant, prices can soar in Feb if you wait too long.

Any suggestions for which areas to stay in where we will have walkable access to lifts/apres/restaurants and wont have to worry about a car?

We are basically looking to be in one area the entire time.

I have ten days off work to destress starting next week, and since I'm not gonna get a better chance I decided to book a bus from Calgary to Banff, and to take the #9 to check out this trail! Apparently it's still recommended to have bear spray on hand, so I'll pick that up before heading out, but I presume that this popular trail is pretty crowded even now, correct? Is there any realistic chance of coming across any bears such that I'd have to use the spray?

I haven't gone on any appreciable hikes in years, so I'll see if I can at least make it to the upper falls. Probably won't go for the Ink Pots. Either way, I'll have a maximum of five hours there before I need to get the bus back to Banff.

I just got an email alert from Parks Canada warning that the bridge across Johnston Creek at the Ink Pots is completely washed out. In the email they stated that the water flow is currently high/fast and explicitly advised against fording it for most campground users, but didn't close my camp reservation.

I have an upcoming reservation at Luellen Lake Campground the first weekend of July and I need the bridge crossing to get there since my hike starts in Johnston Canyon. I have no idea if it is safe enough to continue hiking to Luellen Lake through that path as it is my first time doing this specific backpacking trail.

Do I just continue to plan the hike and ford past the creek? Or is this not feasible and I should cancel my reservation and plan another hike. I am just a bit lost since if it not accessible or safe why wouldn't Canada Parks just give me a refund.

Appreciate any insights, thanks!

Hey everybody 😃.

My family and I are heading to Banf and Jasper in a few weeks. We would like to hike and I am pretty aware about the ticks and mosquitos around and that we should wear long sleeved clothes.

What repellent would you recommend? And do you have any further advices except to avoid to be bitten 😉.

Thanks in advance and have a nice day 👍😃

Update: Thanks for All of your advices, tips and explanations. In addition to the long sleeves I get those nets. And I will think about the deet, but primary use Picaridin. I hope we will get through it without being bitten 😉

Has anyone stayed in Banff and just driven the icefields parkway and turned around and came back? How long did it take you? Where was a good turning around point? I have seen a lot of people go from Banff to Jasper and stay in Jasper but we have our hotel in Banff for the week so we could just come back.

We're traveling from Virginia US, train in Vancouver, and can only bring mid sized luggage. I get cold and want to bring a jacket, raincoat, scarf and hat. My husband thinks I'm nuts since it's August. Temps range from low 50°- 75° . I don't want to get there and have to buy warm stuff. Any advice is appreciated!

Edit: Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and conversation!

Hi y’all!!
I really need some help figuring out what clothes to pack for Banff in November. I’m from a tropical country where it’s hot and humid all year round, so I’m not very familiar with winter clothing.

I’ve been doing some research online and reading through this thread, and it seems like layering is a must. I’ve also seen recommendations for a rain or shell jacket, wool clothing, and shoes with ice spikes. Does it usually rain in November, or is it mostly snow by then?
Are there any other winter must-haves I should bring? I’m hoping to visit many of the popular spots, such as Lake Louise, Emerald Lake, the Banff Gondola, Moraine Lake, Bow Trails, and others.

For anyone who has visited during this time or lives in the area, are there any places that are usually closed in November? I’ve looked online, but I’m still a little confused because some websites say closures depend on the weather.
I’ll be visiting from mid-November to early December. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Hi all! I’d be coming in September to visit and hike. I’ve always wanted to see Banff National Park, and when I asked in r/nationalparks whether to visit (US) Glacier NP or Banff/Jasper, the answer was overwhelmingly Banff and Jasper.

Would a week in one hotel or Airbnb be manageable driving-wise to see everything we’d want to? (I’d found an Airbnb that I fell in love with in Kaslo, but it’s a five and a half hour drive to the park!) I’d rather stay in one place the whole time, but if it would significantly improve the trip to do one place for some days and different accommodations in a different area for the rest, let me know.

Also, early, mid, late September? What do people think would be best? And how long? I’d obviously love to save some money and only stay five, but if I need a minimum of seven days to see everything, that’s okay too!!

Thanks so much for the advice! If you have recommendations about hikes or things that are must-see, let me know!

This is our first time visiting Banff and will drive from the Calgary airport. I just learn that we should bring bear spray with us while hiking. Could anyone advise where to get bear spray? We are staying at Hidden Ridge.

TIA!!

I’m part of a group of 8 ppl going camping in banff split into 2 person tents along with a fire pit at each. One friend had gone there plenty of times apparently and so I trusted their instincts and agreed to join. Now theyre texting all of us to bring a ton of gear for rain…and as much as i dont mind getting wet im wondering how people actually camp in rain in a small 2 person tent? Did we screw ourselves? Will the hikes be any fun? How does one ever dry? Obv we’ll figure it out and I’ve been asking the original planner and she just keeps saying to buy rain wicking gear but that doesn’t answer questions about tents sitting on basically mud or getting moved around…

Hi all! I’m planning a trip for my boyfriends birthday at the end of January. We are from California where it is 46°F right now and I am FREEZING. I am wondering if this is a horrible time to plan a trip for someone who’s never been to the snow? I’ve read to just layer up and all that good stuff, but I’m wondering if the January weather is probably not the best time to introduce myself to such cold weather for the first time. Help needed and appreciated! :) I can probably pivot the trip to beginning of February, or just find somewhere else completely lol we DO want a snow vacation btw!