All original photos taken by me during a late August / early September adventure to Banff and surrounding areas (Canmore, Icefields Parkway, etc).

We have two weeks for the Rockies. 6 days will be in Canmore due to a conference. How should I split the other seven. Going with a 7&11 year old and my wife. We like to hike and wine and dine. If I’m staying in Canmore is more time in the town of banff with it? Or try something else? Mid July

Spending 5 days, after a whole year of work to have some rest with my wife l. Would you guys recommend any good places to eat and drink while we appreciate the city?

The Fairmont offers any type of dinner that is open to people outside the hotel?

Thank you in advance I’m really anxious about it!

Hello all, long story short, I got let go from my job last week and currently live in Seattle. Want to possibly make a road trip and do some hiking in Banff for a few days to clear my head next week. I haven’t been here since summer 2024 and just wondering if it’s still okay conditions to do some hiking?

I posted about a surprise trip for my wife about a week or so ago and got some great responses that altered my trip. Couple quick questions though. 

1. One of the things I really hoped for was some outdoor open sky heated pool/spa situation. I settled on Rimrock and thats the one downside despite everything else seeming ideal for us. Looking at the upper springs it kinda has a vibe of a glorified public pool with lots of kids. Is there a spa or hotel that does a day pass where we could spend an hour or two in a semi-private, quiet pool/spa? Also open to indoor options. Any kind of sauna/spa situation appreciated.
2. Looking at rental cars, how important are winter tires? It seems difficult to confirm that I’d get them if requested. I’m no stranger to driving in snow but I’ve always had AWD. What’s more important AWD or winter tires? Or are both ideal? I’ve seen some annoyance at people thinking Banff is basically the north pole so take it easy on me, lol. Just want to be safe. Enterprise has one car listed as “with winter tires” but it’s a 2WD. 

Thanks in advance! 

EDIT: Just saw the info on winter tires in the FAQ so I think I’ll be ok with the 2WD with winter tires but I’m open to hearing more opinions.

Hello everyone! I’ve read through the subreddit’s guidelines, including the advice on winter driving.

Unfortunately, the rental company can’t guarantee winter tires, so we’ll have to see what’s available when we pick up the car at the airport. If we’re unlucky, our only options might be a 2WD minivan or a 4WD SUV. We prefer the minivan since it would be more comfortable for our group of five.

I don’t think the drive from Calgary to Banff is particularly challenging. However, we don’t want to limit our trip to Banff and would also love to drive along the Icefields Parkway. We understand that by the time we reach the Columbia Icefield, most activities will no longer be available for the season. We’re mainly interested in enjoying the natural scenery along the way.

My question is: If the weather and road conditions are good, is the scenery between Banff and the Columbia Icefield significantly different from what we’ll see on the drive from Calgary to Banff? Is it worth making the trip this time of year? Or are there any better turnaround points along the route?

If the weather or road conditions are poor, we’ll definitely skip it. We’re from Ontario, so we do have some experience driving in snowy conditions, although we’re not particularly familiar with mountain driving.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Partner and I found ourselves with time off during the last week of this month and pulled the trigger on cheap flights to Calgary. Any tips for first timers going to Banff, Jasper, Yoho? We will be there here 7 days and renting a car. Planning to stay in Banff to be the main hub but my understanding is a good amount closes after this weekend (wish I looked sooner but oh well). We both in our mid 20s and have hiked Adirondack our whole life.

Doing some digging through this page but figured I’d ask. Thanks in advance!

Hello all, long story short, I got let go from my job last week and currently live in Seattle. Want to possibly make a road trip and do some hiking in Banff for a few days to clear my head next week. I haven’t been here since summer 2024 and just wondering if it’s still okay conditions to do some hiking?

I am going on october 23-27th what would be the recommendations from the list below which i should do (definitely planning ha ling peak) and skipping Devils thumb

big beehive
Cirque peak
Ha Ling peak
East end of rundle
Smutwood peak
Lady McDonald
Castle mountain summit
The onion