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Calgary/Banff in October?

Beau Vine

By Beau Vine
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Txzen

Txzen 498

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Fly into Calgary and drive to Banff. Easy.

Not sure what you'll face weather wise there in October. I've been in summer and we had days of 70s and then a front came through with a dusting a snow at elevation. The winters are pretty tough there, but the plus is that the ski season is very long - we just skiied there in late April and it was fantastic. Their ski season is 178 days and is often perfectly skiable into May.

The Banff Springs Hotel is one a kind, and worth a visit/drink. The rooms are pricey and small, from what I hear. Banff is pretty, but it's a ski town so there's 'stuff'. If you want to get away from it, best keep driving. 

Lake Louise gets all the praise, and rightfully so as it's beautiful. The Fairmont has a great location, but with its stucco facade feels more modern  than the Banff Springs. Expensive, but good food (particularly the Walliser Stube). Just down the road, Deer Lodge is a rung or two below but maybe has more rustic charm. 

I've stayed at the Emerald Lake Lodge, and the location is tops as it's harder to get to - they limit the number of cars that can drive up that way. 

The hiking around and above either Lake Louise or Emerald Lake is just incredible. Highly recommended to hike to one of the backcountry 'Tea Huts' for lunch or a mid-day break. The entire area is an outdoor playground, and there are so many beautiful places to hike to - Bow Lake, Plain of Six Glaciers are two which stand out for me. The Kootenay Park has more geothermal activity which is an interesting visit. The Columbia Ice fields are also worth a visit, and even continuing up all the way to Jasper brings you to a different terrain and town vibe. 

The Grizzly activity is no joke. You will see one. Know how to handle yourself in the backcountry and you'll be fine. Frankly, the moose and elk are probably more dangerous, but...

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 53850

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So we leave this week and it's supposed to be 60s in Calgary and high 50 low 30 in Banff.  I suppose we'll get out hiking more than anticipated in that weather, but Jasper is nearly 4 hours past Banff, so not doing that.

Recommendations on where to eat in Banff?

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wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3147

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Headed to Calgary tonight, Banff tomorrow through Monday. First time going and I'm pretty excited.

Hope the weather cooperates for hiking but we have rain gear if needed. I think one of our hikes will be Plain of Six Glaciers. Not sure what else but I guess Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are a given.

Eating at The Maple Leaf tomorrow night.

 

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DDD Dad

DDD Dad 14144

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5 hours ago, Nonbryan said:

Ha!  Rules.

 

Imagine a cross of Courtney Cox, Kristen Davis, and Mary Lou Retton.

So basically she's female and has brown hair.

We're planning on a couples trip to Banff & Jasper this summer as well.  Daughter (I posted pics on TOS) went there last year and raved about it. 

Apparently the Four Seasons in Jasper is all individual cottages/cabins.  Will very likely try to stay there for at least some of the trip.  Will see if I can get suggestions from her to post here.

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futureman

futureman 22382

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2 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Bump

eyeing a trip in August

anything to add?

Canmore has some nice places to stay. not sure if it’s something that matters to you but it’s a little cheaper and quieter, less crowded. it’s a nice place. only about a 20 minute drive to Banff. 

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UTexasFight

UTexasFight 9364

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25 minutes ago, futureman said:

Canmore has some nice places to stay. not sure if it’s something that matters to you but it’s a little cheaper and quieter, less crowded. it’s a nice place. only about a 20 minute drive to Banff. 

Thanks. Yep, that’s why we’re looking there.

I can live with 20 minutes from Banff if it means ~$100-$200 cheaper per night 

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Beantown Express 2.0

Beantown Express 2.0 6531

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I have been to Banff many times and it’s my wife’s favorite place to go to.  I think she would move there if we could.  We stayed in Canmore once at a hotel/condo type place and it was really nice and quiet.  Have stayed at the Fairmont in Banff for work trips a few times and its the best but that is also on my companies expense account.  Definitely rent a car and head towards Lake Louise.  Next to Lake Louise is Moraine Lake which in my opinion is one of the best views in the world if you go to the left when you get there and walk up the rock formation about 5 minutes.  We have taken the gondolas at Lake Louise up to the top to check out bears and have lunch on the outside deck which is great (although the wife and kid were disgusted at me when I ordered the lunch special of rabbit stew which was fantastic).  I would also check out Emerald Lake and Peyto Lake.  For waterfalls we went to Takakkaw Falls which is great and we also enjoyed the hike at Johnston Canyon Upper and Lower Falls and the road that takes you there is known for a good chance to see wild animals.  We have seen Grizzly bears and moose on that highway.  We have also driven farther north to the ice fields to walk on the glacier.  My kid enjoyed that a ton.  I honestly can’t remember the restaurants we have eaten out (some high end in Banff and some cheaper places) but they have all been pretty good.  Across from the Fairmont in Banff you can take a gondola up to the top of the mountain ridge and walk on a wooden path that takes you to a ranger station that is pretty cool.  Also attached to the Fairmont is a bowling place with 5 pin bowling with a little ball (like a bocci ball) that is a bunch of fun for kids and adults.  If you are a golfer, the golf course in Banff Springs is spectacular with Elk roaming around the greens and whatnot.  Hope that helps.

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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On 5/18/2022 at 7:29 PM, Beantown Express 2.0 said:

I have been to Banff many times and it’s my wife’s favorite place to go to.  I think she would move there if we could.  We stayed in Canmore once at a hotel/condo type place and it was really nice and quiet.  Have stayed at the Fairmont in Banff for work trips a few times and its the best but that is also on my companies expense account.  Definitely rent a car and head towards Lake Louise.  Next to Lake Louise is Moraine Lake which in my opinion is one of the best views in the world if you go to the left when you get there and walk up the rock formation about 5 minutes.  We have taken the gondolas at Lake Louise up to the top to check out bears and have lunch on the outside deck which is great (although the wife and kid were disgusted at me when I ordered the lunch special of rabbit stew which was fantastic).  I would also check out Emerald Lake and Peyto Lake.  For waterfalls we went to Takakkaw Falls which is great and we also enjoyed the hike at Johnston Canyon Upper and Lower Falls and the road that takes you there is known for a good chance to see wild animals.  We have seen Grizzly bears and moose on that highway.  We have also driven farther north to the ice fields to walk on the glacier.  My kid enjoyed that a ton.  I honestly can’t remember the restaurants we have eaten out (some high end in Banff and some cheaper places) but they have all been pretty good.  Across from the Fairmont in Banff you can take a gondola up to the top of the mountain ridge and walk on a wooden path that takes you to a ranger station that is pretty cool.  Also attached to the Fairmont is a bowling place with 5 pin bowling with a little ball (like a bocci ball) that is a bunch of fun for kids and adults.  If you are a golfer, the golf course in Banff Springs is spectacular with Elk roaming around the greens and whatnot.  Hope that helps.

All of this is accurate.  I did an identical trip in 2017. Down to the lakes and waterfalls even. The drive from Banff to Jasper is known as the Icefields Parkway and is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. 
 

Download this app and it makes the experience so much better. Uses GPS and tells you all the history and facts about everything as you drive. 
 

https://gypsyguide.com/tour/canadian-rockies/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gypsy-guide/id1460032075

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UTexasFight

UTexasFight 9364

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On 5/21/2022 at 12:09 AM, Biff Tannen said:

All of this is accurate.  I did an identical trip in 2017. Down to the lakes and waterfalls even. The drive from Banff to Jasper is known as the Icefields Parkway and is considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. 
 

Download this app and it makes the experience so much better. Uses GPS and tells you all the history and facts about everything as you drive. 
 

https://gypsyguide.com/tour/canadian-rockies/

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gypsy-guide/id1460032075

Oh excellent.

Gypsy guide is great. Have done several of the theirs but didn’t realize they had one for that part of Canada 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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8 hours ago, UTexasFight said:

Oh excellent.

Gypsy guide is great. Have done several of the theirs but didn’t realize they had one for that part of Canada 

Yep, anytime I drive to a national park or similar I look to see if Gypsy has a guide.  It's a game changer.

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Beantown Express 2.0

Beantown Express 2.0 6531

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6 hours ago, KingBobo81 said:

I'm heading to Banff in about three weeks - first time up there. Staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Thinking it is not going to suck. I'm doing the Via Ferrata at Mt. Norquay. Has anybody here done that/have a review?

The rosemary old fashioned at the Fairmont in Banff is quite tasty.  

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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On 5/26/2022 at 3:55 PM, KingBobo81 said:

I'm heading to Banff in about three weeks - first time up there. Staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Thinking it is not going to suck. I'm doing the Via Ferrata at Mt. Norquay. Has anybody here done that/have a review?

Haven't done the Via Ferrata, but the Fairmont is legit.

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Beantown Express 2.0

Beantown Express 2.0 6531

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On 6/20/2022 at 7:41 AM, KingBobo81 said:

d31aa042a96c627bdc3319b1b4a5d4e4.jpgAfter numerous flight cancellations or delays, finally made it to the Fairmont Banff Springs last night - not a bad view to wake up to today.


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The Rosemary Old Fashioned is pretty tasty at the Fairmont Banff Springs.  Go bowling across the street for some fun.

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futureman

futureman 22382

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On 6/20/2022 at 7:41 AM, KingBobo81 said:

d31aa042a96c627bdc3319b1b4a5d4e4.jpgAfter numerous flight cancellations or delays, finally made it to the Fairmont Banff Springs last night - not a bad view to wake up to today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

ugh, that looks rough. sorry man. 

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Chewbacca

Chewbacca 7667

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On 6/20/2022 at 6:41 AM, KingBobo81 said:

d31aa042a96c627bdc3319b1b4a5d4e4.jpgAfter numerous flight cancellations or delays, finally made it to the Fairmont Banff Springs last night - not a bad view to wake up to today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Air Canada fucked you, too, eh?

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KingBobo81

KingBobo81 525

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Some trip highlights from the first couple days - great weather at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake today. It wasn’t super crowded, but I was thankful we took the Roam public transit from Banff to Lake Louise and connector shuttles to Moraine so we didn’t have to worry about parking. Canoeing line was short when it opened and there was no wait to eat at the Fairmont Lakeview Lounge.

The last photo is what appeared as soon as i sat down for lunch at Sky Bistro (Banff Gondola restaurant that was surprisingly good) on Monday.

I’m using the Gypsy app and doing the Icefields Parkway tomorrow, or at least as much as I can get done in a day trip.



a89ba6bbf6387895d599d2a8c81ac401.jpg
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1f22b33bacd9994642e1d93d59df9ccc.jpg


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Nonbryan

Nonbryan 173

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On 6/20/2022 at 7:41 AM, KingBobo81 said:

d31aa042a96c627bdc3319b1b4a5d4e4.jpgAfter numerous flight cancellations or delays, finally made it to the Fairmont Banff Springs last night - not a bad view to wake up to today.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Had the EXACT same travel experience and the EXACT same view when we woke up in our hotel.  F*^K Crowdstrike!  But the Fairmont and it's staff were world class!!!!  I HIGHLY suggest a trip to Banff if you are an outdoor enthusiast.  I told my wife it was Disney World for anyone that likes the outdoors!

 

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45439

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4 hours ago, Nonbryan said:

Had the EXACT same travel experience and the EXACT same view when we woke up in our hotel.  F*^K Crowdstrike!  But the Fairmont and it's staff were world class!!!!  I HIGHLY suggest a trip to Banff if you are an outdoor enthusiast.  I told my wife it was Disney World for anyone that likes the outdoors!

 

Stayed here too and yep. Fucking SUCKS what’s happening to Jasper further north. That town was great and I’m seeing that at least half of it is burned to the ground. 

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Nonbryan

Nonbryan 173

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10 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Stayed here too and yep. Fucking SUCKS what’s happening to Jasper further north. That town was great and I’m seeing that at least half of it is burned to the ground. 

There was a thick layer of smoke in the air during our trip.  We were constantly reminded that destruction was nearby.

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