Fall is an incredible time to visit Banff, and there are so many advantages to coming at this time of year. The scenery is more magical than in summer and if you’re lucky enough to visit when the Larch Trees have turned golden you will be in for a treat.

Exactly when you visit in fall will have a big impact on what’s open and accessible for your trip. We’ve visited Banff in the summer and in fall and will compare the two times of year, as well as note where experiences will differ month by month.

We’ve yet to visit outside these seasons so this guide won’t look at fall vs spring or winter.

Here’s everything you need to know to help you plan your trip to Banff during fall.

Pros of visiting Banff in fall

It is far less crowded

In our opinion this is your number one reason to visit Banff in fall rather than in summer. Banff is one of the most magnificent travel destinations for nature lovers we’ve ever been to, but it’s no secret as the whole world knows this too. We visited for several weeks in summer and it was wonderful but boy was it crowded. The kind of crowded that requires significant planning and insider tips to navigate.

Fall is completely different. The only time we still had to get up at sunrise to get a parking spot was when visiting Moraine Lake. Otherwise hiking trails were much quieter, we could park in town (practically unheard of in summer) and get into most restaurants without lengthy queues.

If you love spending time in nature but can’t stand sharing it with too many people, fall could be the right season for you. The later into the season you come the better it gets in terms of crowds but more things will close. You’ll want to come around or after mid September to notice a significant drop off in crowds.

The fall foliage is magical

This would be the second biggest reason to visit in fall. The colours are simply spectacular. In fact, many photographers plan their whole trip around when the Larch Trees will turn golden. The fall foliage season is short, around about the third week of September for just a few short but magical weeks.

Whilst you’ll see some gorgeous fall colours around Canmore and even on the drive from Calgary airport, the most magnificent display in Banff is at the Larch Valley. It requires a bit of hiking to reach but when you get there the reward is on another level.

The whole valley is golden and backed by towering snow-capped mountains. It’s one of the most glorious walks we have ever done and worth visiting Banff in fall for, alone.

We’ve got a whole trail guide dedicated to hiking the Larch Valley in fall.

If you prefer your hikes a bit more off the beaten path try the Pocaterra Ridge hike in Kananaskis Country.

Prices go down considerably

Cost is another great reason to consider making your trip to Banff in fall. Banff is probably one of the most expensive places we’ve ever been to in our entire lives. In fall it doesn’t become cheap but it does become more affordable.

If price is a major factor you might also want to consider staying in nearby Canmore instead of Banff itself, which is also cheaper in fall. We stayed in both places and have written a detailed guide as to which we think is better and why.

You can find accommodation in Banff without pre-booking

When we drove through Banff (many times) in August there was never, ever a vacancy sign in the window of any of the accommodation. In mid to late September almost every single place had a vacancy sign! We couldn’t believe how much it had changed in a month. You could have walked in to almost any hotel along the main street and made a booking there and then.

This increased availability also makes it easier to snag a bargain. When we booked our first trip to Banff in summer, we booked in April and almost all budget accommodation had sold out, in fact most accommodation had sold out full stop. Having access to a full range of options is going to make your trip cheaper and easier.

If you are living in North America and you’re really keen to see the Larch Valley when it is golden, you could leave your booking until the last minute enabling you to check whether the trees have turned (as year by year dates can change slightly).

There will be more snow on the mountain tops

The mountains and glaciers are spectacular at any time of year, there’s no doubt about that, but having seen them in both summer and autumn we have to say autumn wins! There was more snow on all the mountain tops which made already spectacular drives even more special.

The glacier backing Lake Louise was even more dramatic, as were the Ten Peaks at Moraine Lake. You can’t go wrong for scenery in Banff but we will say that fall was on another level. Oh how we’d love to visit in winter one day!

You are less likely to encounter bush fires/smoke

So we booked our first trip to Banff in summer and didn’t do heaps of prior research. Our main goal was to hike and I knew summer was the best time to ensure all hikes would be accessible. It was only after we booked that I began to delve a little deeper and realised that over the last few years Alberta had, had some pretty bad wild fires, or smoke had drifted over from BC and left Alberta with poor visibility and poor air quality.

Given the cost of the trip and the fact we were going with Joe’s family who had wanted to visit Canada for so long, we were a bit worried. Online forums warned visitors to choose another month (other than August) and knowing what bush fire season can be like in Australia I was beginning to think we might have made a huge mistake.

As it turns out we were lucky and there were no fires whatsoever and the trip was a dream. But given that it can happen, making a trip in fall is going to be a bit safer on the wild fire front.

As always when it comes to weather and things like fires you just never know what will happen so I wouldn’t say it is something to get unduly worried about but I wanted to note it as I didn’t know anything about it before booking.

Cons of visiting Banff in fall

Some things will close

How this affects you will depend on whether you visit closer to the beginning or end of fall and makes planning your Banff itinerary a little more complicated. Certain activities began to close a bit earlier than I thought they would around Banff.

By mid September for example the Sunshine Gondola had stopped running, around mid October the Lake Minnewanka Cruises, the Via Ferrata, The Lake Agnes Teahouse will also close, no doubt there are others but these were some popular ones that sprung to mind.

*The Via Ferrata in Banff - closes around mid-October*

Some hikes become inaccessible

If you’re a hiking fanatic and some of the most famous trails, like the Larch Valley, are on your list you need to come in early fall or the road closes and the area can only be accessed using cross country skis! Lots of the best hikes in Banff are at high elevation and the trails will become icy and snow packed as the season continues, making them unsafe to walk for all but experienced hikers with special equipment. Even if you are experienced there will be avalanche risk.

If October is particularly mild the hiking season might last someway through that month, but there’s no guarantee. To give you some idea of conditions, the Lake Louise ski area usually opens in mid November.

*The Iceline Trail - Closed in mid fall*

If you are planning to use Banff as a base for nearby Yoho National Park, the road to Takakkaw Falls for one of our favourite hikes in Canada - the Iceline Trail - closes after Thanksgiving weekend.

You will be able to do low elevation hikes, such as some trails which begin nearer Banff (Johnston Canyon is a good example) rather than the higher elevations of trails around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.

Overall, if you take a gamble and you get mild weather you’ll get some of the best hikes in the world with very few others around, but if you gamble and lose, many of the best hikes will be closed.

The road to Moraine lake closes in mid October

Update for 2023: You can no longer drive down Moraine Lake Road. Your only access options are now the Parks Canada shuttle, taxis, a tour or cycling. You can still park at Lake Louise and use the shuttle to reach Moraine Lake from there.

The road to Moraine Lake closes after the Thanksgiving weekend (the second Monday in October) so if seeing it is on your bucket list and you don’t own a pair of cross country skis you need to come in early fall.

You can visit Lake Louise year round, although as the season progresses it will freeze over - at that point you can go ice skating!

It’s starts to get really cold!

Whilst September is not too bad, by October the average high is 10C (50F) and by November that’s dropped to 1C (34F). And that’s the high not low! Places like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are at higher elevations and will be a few degrees cooler.

If you have the right gear this is much less of a problem but make sure you come prepared to rug up!

The Lake Louise Gondola closes late September

This might not sound like such a big deal, and it wouldn’t be for us, but for one thing. It is your best chance of safely seeing Grizzly Bears in the wild in Banff! Having the chance to see wild Grizzlies was one of our favourite things to do in Banff and a treasured memory. We saw a mother and two cubs frolicking in the meadows as well as a large adult Black Bear. Although spotting wild animals is never a given, summer is your best chance on the gondola, although September can still be good.

*Two Grizzly Cubs from the Lake Louise Gondola*

As the gondola shuts on September 27th, if you come in October or November you’ll be out of luck. Bears might still be seen in other areas but we loved seeing them from the chairlift where we knew we were completely safe.

We hope this guide helps with your decision on when to visit Banff, feel free to ask any questions if you have any!

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