cslasor

We池e considering visiting the Banff area in September and I知 reading that the fall foliage is at its best the last 2 weeks of September and first week of October. Would the area be really crowded then? I know New England gets pretty busy in leafpeeping season but I知 not sure how much difference it makes for Banff and the surrounding areas.

Thanks!

sludick

You don't get the sorts of fall color that New England gets - mostly yellows from aspen and larch. We've usually gone in September and early October, and haven't noticed crowds there for fall leaf color. Best color time will vary from year to year and depending on elevation. There are crowds, though they are interested in seeing the mountains and other glorious geography. I'm sure it's not as busy as summer, but we've still found it necessary to time our visits to certain attractions and book lodging well in advance.

AlbertaMamas

Late September is the perfect time to see the larch trees in all their golden copper glory. Generally, you have to hike to see them, and those hikes are busy, especially on weekends. The rest of Banff is pretty quiet at that time of year. If you're concerned about crowds traveling on weekdays when kids are in school (after the first Monday of September until late June) is usually the best time to visit.

The weather can be a bit iffy, ranging from snowstorm (unlikely but possible) to +25C and sunny from September to mid-October. It's most likely to be +5 to 15C as a daytime high. I think it's a great time of year to visit Banff, so long as you can dress for the weather and don't find those temperatures too cold (being cold really can spoil the entire experience, which would be terrible!).

emmamackenzie

I once went late September to early October and the fall leaves were stunning. I didn't know about this before I went, it was just something I happened to time just right. It was busy, but it didn't affect finding a place to stay. I went pre-covid, so I'm not sure if it's changed, but there was great vibe when I went.

BC_Robyn

The Rockies aren't known as a fall foliage destination but late September is when hikers come to do alpine hikes to see the larch trees changing colour high in the alpine. Larch are conifers but the needles turn from green to gold, and then the needles drop shortly after. It's quite the spectacle! But you do have to do some serious cardio climbs to see those larch. Otherwise, I know from locals that September is the third-busiest month in Banff after July and August, and that they're breaking records this year with the number of international tourists. I can't overstate how popular Banff is. It's arguably the number one tourist destination in all of Canada right now and there's more demand on Banff than ever before. Again, it's not because of the fall colours - the forests in the Rockies are mainly evergreen, but simply because Banff is world famous these days, everyone wants to travel after those pandemic years of travel restrictions, and Instagram has made all the turquoise lakes in Banff, like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, famous. So much so, that they've had to mandate crowd control measures to access the lakes - you can no longer just drive up to Moraine Lake, you have to book a shuttle. But Banff has always been a mass tourism destination, built for hundreds of tour buses coming and going and dropping big groups off at scenic lookouts. It can handle the crowds. And the crowds aren't there to hike, but to snap a photo and continue on to the next lookout. But because Banff is a national park, development is restricted, full house/condo rentals are forbidden (so you must only book hotels or campgrounds - you won't find much if anything on AirBnB) and there's only one small town there to service all the millions of tourists, things can book up months in advance. Prices have skyrocketed because of it. It's not a lost cause, but you won't have the place all to yourself. But late September won't be as crazy as July or August. Know that late September's also when the snow starts to hit the higher elevations and some of the seasonal access roads and seasonal tourism activities (like boat tours) begin to close. It doesn't mean it'll be wintery, but that you may get some temporary winter-like conditions periodically, and more frequently, the later in September you go.

emmamackenzie

Wow, sounds like a lot has changed since I went in 2018. This is great information, thank you. I just ran a quick search and you're right, popularity and prices have skyrocketed https://calgary.citynews.ca/2022/05/...vel-inflation/. It sounds like September is still a good time to go. I think I need to go back to get a better sense of what it's like to visit there now.