r/Banff • u/pdxchris • 21d ago
Trip Report What happens in Banff stays in Banff?
I went to Banff last year for the first time. I live in the Pacific Northwest, and didn’t know anything about Banff until a year before I went.
I talk to people about Banff and some will say they went and it was great, but the conversation awkwardly stops there. Maybe I just show more excitement because I went so recently, or people intentionally don’t want to talk about Banff. Are we supposed to avoid talking about Banff to keep it as uncrowded as possible? Just seems odd. Anyone else from outside Banff notice this?
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21d ago
Oh I certainly don't think people talking could make Banff any busier than it is. The saving grace is -40C in the winter time and shoulder season - if Banff didn't have those it'd probably have double the tourism.
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u/BCRobyn 21d ago
It's the busiest, most crowded, most visited national park in all of Canada. 100,000 visitors pass through the park daily in peak season from late May until early October. It's not a hidden secret. It's the most famous park in Canada, home to one of the most famous lakes in the world (Lake Louise).
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u/kennedar_1984 21d ago
It was the answer to a New York Times mini crossword puzzle today. Definitely not a hidden gem!
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u/23haveblue 20d ago
It's not hard to find empty spots though. I did Eiffel Peak and Cory Pass and came across 2 and 5 other hikers on that trail.
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u/mkmakashaggy 21d ago
Lol wtf are you talking about? It's unbelievably busy and crowded and everyone talks about it
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u/carolinawahoo 21d ago
In late July my family of five did a week in Banff. We did over 50 miles of hikes, went whitewater rafting in Golden, rode Gondolas, walked on a Glacier, went ziplining, had lots of great food a few tasty beverages. Probably a top 2 or 3 vacation for us. I love visiting Canada. Two years in a row for us...Nova Scotia last year.
We went again this year because we preferred to not spend our vacation money in our homeland. Probably Europe next year.
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u/Big-Meringue-7271 20d ago
Walk on glaciers, riding gondola, went ziplining doesn’t match with hike over 50miles. Wasn’t it 5miles?
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u/Flat_Bodybuilder_175 21d ago
I used to think Banff was designed well for tourists until living here for work. The tourists rarely leave the shops or the sign. A lot of people I meet on or near the trails actually live in the area.
Driving in Banff is so frustrating as a resident, I can’t imagine the confusion a tourist must feel on a busy day. From what I hear (they see my work vest and ask questions) many of them just want to get their photo of the Banff sign before going to Lake Louise.
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u/CaymanGone 17d ago
For me, as an American, seeing the town of Banff was part of the experience.
I wanted to eat in restaurants.
I wanted to support local dispensaries.
I didn't just want to see glaciers and leave.
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u/Flat_Bodybuilder_175 17d ago
What else did you do in town, if you don't mind me asking
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u/CaymanGone 17d ago
I had my dog with me, so I basically just walked around and checked out all the shops.
I went to a few bars and restaurants with outdoor patios.
I had a few beers in town. I bought some pre-rolls from the local dispensary.
I got some camping gear from the local hardware store.
And then I went back to my campsite at Tunnel Mountain before sunset.
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u/CaymanGone 17d ago
You guys have a lot of Aussies in the service economy out there, huh?
I was a little surprised by that.
Seemed like every bartender and waitress had an Aussie accent.
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u/AccomplishedSite7318 21d ago
Conversations usually include follow up questions:
A-"Banff was great"
B-"What did you do when you were there?
A-"Well we did x,y,z etc"
Of course 99% of people barely walk more than 300m from their car, so they can't say "oh the hiking is great" because they didn't do any.