Trip Banff Canada

[anita.gugulski]

Hello All,

I am planning a trip to Banff, Canada for late August and I was hoping to get some advice about the must-see spots and best hikes of a moderate difficulty.

I would also love to learn about less crowded / visited trails that may be overlooked.

Thank you so much for your help!

 

[jholmes01]

Thanks for posing this question Anita. I'm going to be in Banff/Canmore starting on Saturday and have the same questions.

Gillean Daffern's "Kananaskis Country Trail Guide" was highly recommended, so I picked up a copy but haven't had time to dive into it yet. I'll try to post some details/impressions once I'm back, in late July.

 

[angeedraper]

Hello All,

I am planning a trip to Banff, Canada for late August and I was hoping to get some advice about the must-see spots and best hikes of a moderate difficulty.

I would also love to learn about less crowded / visited trails that may be overlooked.

Thank you so much for your help!

When I went 6 years ago, one of my favorite hikes was Sentinel Pass from Moraine Lake. I'm not sure what the logistics are now to park there but the hike was fantastic. Worth the effort (and it was a long hike with elevation). We wanted to add on Eiffel Lake but thunder and lightning rushed us off the mountain. I thought Johnston Canyon was over-rated but at the same time I was glad we stopped so I could say I've done it . We hit it in the afternoon since parking there is also a problem. We hiked down to the shore of Peyto Lake that was in one of my guide books and that was nice to miss some of the crowds. It wasn't a marked trailhead.

 

[canadug]

National Parks in Canada will be the most crowded they have ever been this summer. The government has made it free for all people to enter the parks and friends that have gone said it is a full on zoo of people. Also, for obvious reasons Canadians are boycotting the USA en masse and staying in their own country to vacation so us Canucks are exploring Canada full on. Euros and everyone else are also coming to Canada.

Make sure you have reservations or you will likely be out of luck. The parks are beautiful but will be very very busy!