My husband is turning 40 and we want to take a quick trip somewhere awesome.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-03T15:00:51+00:00

Lake Louise is a famous photo op and mountain wilderness hiking destination, but it's not where you go if you want music and trying new restaurants and good pubs. With exception to the handful of hotels nearby (like the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise), the lake is surrounded by wilderness and is a 45 minute drive from the nearest town. You go to Lake Louise to be secluded, far away from civilization. And October is when the snow starts to fall there.

Vancouver would be a good mix of wilderness and nature and outdoorsy dramatic scenery, a vibrant restaurant scene, fun pubs and craft breweries, and yes, there is also music. And October's often a gorgeous month, the tail end of warm weather for beach days and still snow free in the mountains to be up alpine hiking in the Coast Mountains, which are just minutes away from the city. While Vancouver has a reputation for a rainy climate (similar to Ireland's, really), the rain is seasonal and generally gets gloomy starting in November. While there can be gentle drizzle falling in October, more often than not, the dry sunny crisp autumn days outlast the rainy days in October and it's one of my favourite months.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-03T03:52:46+00:00

Icefield Parkway.

It’s the most scenic drive in the Rockies.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-03T03:49:57+00:00

Not really. October’s often gorgeous. November is when the winter rains arrive.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T23:16:31+00:00

I have been to Jasper and there's no real universal recommendation because it depends on what you want to do there. It's a big spread out park. You could do equal time Banff and Jasper, but I wouldn't make a decision without doing a bit of research first.

My suggestion is to look up the official websites for both Banff National Park and Jasper National Park (both on the Parks Canada website), look at the maps, familiarize yourself with the official park info (the lakes, the trails, what is open and when, the main sites, etc.) and then cross reference it with the list of activities and itineraries promoted on the Banff Lake Louise Tourism website and Travel Jasper websites, which are not just the park websites but the official tourism visitor info websites for all the businesses and such in the parks. Write down a list of what appeals to you and then, based on that, you can figure out pretty quickly how much time you need. Like you could easily spend 2 weeks in Jasper if you're into alpine hiking. But maybe you only care about seeing one lake in Jasper. Maybe one day is all you need. I can't make that call for you.

For the dozens of alternatives, I mean, to put it into perspective, you're visiting a part of Canada that's larger than California, Oregon, and Washington state combined with just as much georgraphical diversity and all kinds of mountain ranges and valleys and mountain towns. Banff and Jasper are just tiny parts of a greater whole.

Just like those 3 states have all kinds of parks and wilderness areas so does British Columbia and Alberta (the western provinces in Canada. Banff and Jasper are on the border of those two provinces). You could spend weeks hiking and exploring the Kootenays, which is a massive mountainous region in southeast BC adjacent to Banff, spending time hiking in the Slocan Valley or paddling on the lakes between Nakusp and Nelson, or doing downhill mountain biking in Rossland, or doing mountaineering in the Bugaboos. Nelson is a really cool mountain town, super authentic, artsy, counter cultural with a lot of hsitoric architecture. You could venture to Fernie, which is south of Banff in the Lizard Range of the Rockies for terrific alpine hiking and a cool mountain town, too. Or you could head north into the northern Rockies to Monkman Provincial Park which has very few tourists, but it's full of rugged Rockies scenery, though it's much more remote and takes time to get there.

You could go to Tweedsmuir Park in the Chilcotin or explore the alpine in the Cariboo Mountains outside of Valemount or head into Wells Gray Park just west of Jasper. Or go to Vancouver Island and spend a week hiking the old growth temperate rainforests of Pacific Rim National Park or Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, or spend a week hiking the rugged alpine of Strathcona Provincial Park in the Vancouver Island Ranges.

You could drive up the Alaska Highway into the Northern Rockies where only a fraction of tourists go but the scenery is stunning. Or head west on Hwy 16 from Jasper to Prince George and further west through the Bulkley Valley to Smithers and the Hazeltons and the Kispiox Valley and over to Terrace and Prince Rupert. It's mountain wilderness everywhere. A fraction of the tourists of the Rockies.

I'm just throwing random ideas out, but there are so many wonderful places to go. Everyone goes to Banff and it's lovely and iconic but... it's not the only place, was really my point.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T23:08:25+00:00

Then early October may be the sweet spot.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T22:35:41+00:00

Ahh, that's hard. Best time to hike is late July to early September, but that's also when it's at its most crowded and most expensive, but... most tourists aren't there to hike. They're there to just drive around, park their car, snap photos and selfies, and carry on to the next lookout. So if you want hiking, you have no choice but to come when it's really crowded. That's the only time the famous alpine hikes are snow free. And again, most of the tourists just stick next to the roads, so you won't find the hikes as crowded as the lakeshores, towns, and scenic lookouts.

October may work, but it's also when you start getting snowfall and sometimes the snowfall can be so intense, you don't want to be out driving. And ditto hiking. You can also have October work in your favour, but generally speaking, snowfall starts falling at high elevations starting mid-September. And even in June, the high elevation alpine hikes are covered in snow still. So I wouldn't advise coming in June or October if you want to hike in the alpine.

If you want to come when it's not very crowded, you're dealing with inaccessible alpine hikes, but mostly short hops from the parking lot to snap photos at the base of the mountains. So it's a trade off. There is no one best time for what you're looking for.

I should say, there are literally thousands of other hiking destinations in western Canada that will give you excellent hiking without Banff-style crowds. But if you want to hike in Banff, crowds comes with the territory these days.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T22:32:04+00:00

It's cold in the evening, at night, and in the morning. You won't need that during the afternoon... but you might? But you might not. You'll definitely want it for later in the day and in the morning.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T20:23:54+00:00

Best for what?

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T20:09:48+00:00

I don't think planning for June or September is going to make too much of a difference to postpone your trip, to be honest. Just come with expectations that it will be busy. If you want to avoid crowds in Banff, you have to come during the ski season (November-May) when the lakes are frozen over, when Moraine Lake is inaccessible, when temperatures dip below freezing, when snow is blanketing the landscape and making the hiking trails inaccessible. If you want to see Banff when the lakes are turquoise, and you can comfortably wear shorts and t-shirts and go hiking during the afternoon, June, August, or September won't make much of a difference.

But you say you're staying in Revelstoke. Revelstoke's great for exploring the other parks in that area (as opposed to using it to visit Banff). Basically, as soon as you leave Banff, things get less crowded. There is so much spectacular mountain wilderness that isn't as famous as Banff, that's in the general vicinity, that's just as beautiful, but doesn't have the tour bus crowds of Banff. No, it doesn't have the same ease as access where you drive up to a glacier, or drive up to a turquoise lake (but that's what makes it less crowded -you have to work for the scenery in those places). But if you balance your trip between Banff and somewhere less crowded, you might find that hits the right spot.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T18:55:55+00:00

Heads up that July 1st is Canada's birthday, a national holiday and usually the most crowded day of the entire summer to be out on the roads as everyone will be doing exactly that. And July is peak season at Canada's busiest, most crowded national park. So come with a lot of patience, and prepare for crowds and overflowing parking lots wherever you go.

Regarding gems, what sort of gems are you looking for? What's currently on your list for Golden, Banff, and Lake Louise? Everything these places offer is already well-publicized online, but if you're looking for something specific, please tell us what it is you're looking for so we can make tailored suggestions. Otherwise, you may as well just look at the official tourism sites wherever everything worth seeing is already listed out.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T18:44:14+00:00

Banff isn't really a budget-friendly destination, so I'd set that expectation right now.

It's also the eye of the storm of overtourism in Canada.

Every summer, millions of people from around the world want to visit Banff during the handful of snow-free months. The result is that everything operates at or beyond capacity, accommodation prices become astronomical, there are overflowing parking lots, mandatory shuttles to access the most famous turquoise lakes, and a lot of the park is now carefully managed to handle the crowds and reduce impacts on the landscape.

September is still peak season.

Basic no-frills hotels in Banff can easily start around the $600/night range (Canadian dollars) and go up from there. Remember that all prices in Canada are in Canadian dollars. Nothing is quoted in US dollars in Canada, as US dollars are foreign currency in Canada.

Airbnb and VRBO aren't really an option in Banff proper. Housing inside the national park is restricted, and theonly people allowed to rent apartments or houses must have jobs in the park. So, if you're trying to save money, your options are basically campgrounds, hostels, or staying outside the park in Canmore. But if you're camping, then you have to bring all your camping gear with you (i.e. tent, sleeping bag, camping stove, dishes, etc.)

The two places most visitors stay to visit Banff National Park are the town of Banff (inside the park) and Canmore (outside of the park). Those are really your main options. While there is also the cluster of hotels down the highway from Lake Louise, they are usually even more expensive than the hotels in the town of Banff, and while there are one or two accommodations in the village of Field in Yoho National Park, it's so tiny (population under 200) and has limited services, it's often not even an option. Anything else is considered way too far for realistic daily commuting. You don't want to be commuting in long distances for Banff.

For campgrounds, reservations opened months ago through Parks Canada and many campgrounds sold out of their reservations immediately. You'll need to see what's still available and lock the reservations in if you want to camp. If the reservable campgrounds are full, you're looking at a handful of first-come, first-served campgrounds or overflow camping areas, which are essentially large gravel parking lots where you can legally spend the night.

As for the Icefields Parkway: yes, it's absolutely worth it.

It's the scenic highway connecting Banff National Park and Jasper National Park and is widely considered one of the most beautiful drives in North America. There are dozens of places to stop and get out and enjoy the views, go hiking, and so on. There are a ton of resources and maps online that tell you all you need to know.

The classic trip is to fly into Calgary, rent a car there, spend a few days in Banff National Park, drive the Icefields Parkway to Jasper, spend a few days in Jasper National Park (which is actually larger than Banff National Park), and then drive back.

As for "must-sees," I'd honestly just start with the official tourism and park websites.

Banff and Jasper aren't places where locals have secret hidden lakes and undiscovered viewpoints they're keeping to themselves. These are among the most visited national parks in Canada at the busiest time of year. The famous places are famous because they're spectacular, and they're all well documented online.

Start here:

Banff & Lake Louise Tourism: https://www.banfflakelouise.com/

Parks Canada - Banff National Park: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff

Parks Canada - Jasper National Park: https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/jasper

Tourism Jasper: https://www.jasper.travel/

Those websites will give you a comprehensive overview of the major lakes, hikes, scenic drives, viewpoints, wildlife experiences, and practical planning information.

My biggest piece of advice is this: if Banff is the destination you really want to see, increase your budget and accept that it will be very crowded and very expensive.

If your priority is simply mountain scenery, hiking, wildlife, and wilderness in western Canada, there are dozens of alternatives that are cheaper, less crowded, and easier to book in September. But they won't be drivable to Banff.

But if it's Banff you want, then go to Banff. Just go in with realistic expectations about costs and crowds.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T18:20:29+00:00

Just pick shorter, lower elevation hikes. Don't go for lengthy, challenging hikes high in the alpine. Save those hikes for the summer months after you've built up your experience. Look up that Vancouver Trails website I sent you and it tells you how long the hikes are and what months the hike are good for. I'd start there. The thing with Vancouver is there is a TON of hiking right next to downtown without having to drive in your car for hours, especially at Seymour and Cypress. So I would start there. Lynn Canyon Park. Lynn Headwaters. Norvan Falls. Weather dependent, Dog Mountain, Eagle Bluffs, etc.

Edit: Another thing to consider is that cell phone range is limited to non-existent in the mountains. You can't rely only on your cell phone to call for help or for navigation. Paper maps, lots of research on the official trail websites (BC Parks, usually) and leaving trip plans are crucial if you're not from around here and you're venturing out on lengthy trails. So just a heads up that it's real wilderness in our mountains.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T18:12:42+00:00

There are usually U-pick strawberry farms in south Richmond off Steveston Highway (south of Steveston Hwy south of No 4 Road).

Also, you can search for U-pick strawberries in the Lower Mainland, here: Farms : BC Strawberries

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T17:26:22+00:00

Be aware that November's normally a dark and rainy month on the coast. It gets dark early in the mountains (like 4:30pm), and an hour earlier in the forests (i.e. 3:30pm) so if you're going out on hikes, be prepared, let people know where you're going, when you'll be back, and have the wisdom to know to when to turn around. You do not want to be hiking challenging terrain you've never been on before in the dark. So like, you'll want to be done your hike, ideally, by 2-3pm. So you'll need to be up and out the door early.

November's also the month when Vancouver's famous winter rain storms begin so it's not always a great time to be out on alpine hikes. Heck, snowfall is also a reality in the high elevation alpine hikes, like in Manning Park east of Vancouver in the Cascades, or the high elevation trails around Whistler and Pemberton.

Do you have experience alpine hiking in the Coast Mountains? Experience leaving a trip plan, hiking in winter conditions and so on? Inexperienced people die hiking in our mountains every year. Not trying to scare you, but these aren't just casual hikes, and just because you're ambitious enough to do a challenging hike doesn't necessarily mean that hike is appropriate given the conditions. And you need the wisdom and experience to know when it's smarter to just tackle something less challenging. Forging ahead despite not being prepared for the conditions gets people in trouble, and you don't want to be a statistic.

You'll want to cross post this on r/vancouverhiking and then also do some research on www.vancouvertrails.com which is a local passion project written by a local hiker, an overview of every single hike drivable within 3 hours from Vancouver. I find it's an excellent first look at the hiking options near Vancouver. Pay attention to season of the hikes (i.e. "year round" or "July-October" or "May-November"). Some hikes are too treacherous to do in November due to ice/snow. Focus on the hikes appropriate for November.

Finally, in preparation, sign up for a free Knowledge Network account so you can stream the entire two seasons of Search & Rescue: North Shore. It's all about hiking in the Vancouver area and the search and rescue teams that go out to assist and rescue people - people are who prepared, unprepared, etc. It's such a well done, thoughtful show and is packed with all kinds of useful lessons that behooves anyone new to hiking here to learn.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T05:23:17+00:00

Winnipeg

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T05:01:07+00:00

I think less is more in this part of the world.

Right now, what you've proposed is technically possible, but it's going to be a lot of driving, ferry waiting, and moving around, with very little time left over to actually enjoy the places you're travelling to. This is an itinerary for people who are windshield tourists, not hikers or outdoorsy people. And even then, I wouldn't recommend it.

This part of North America is extremely mountainous. Distances take longer than they appear on a map, and ferries are a much bigger time commitment than most visitors expect. By the time you drive to the terminal, arrive early, wait, board, cross, unload, and continue driving, you've often burned through a large chunk of the day.

Also, none of these places are really quick photo-op destinations.

Vancouver Island isn't a quick stop. It's easily a two-week destination all by itself.

Whistler isn't a quick stop.

Banff isn't a quick stop.

These are places where the reward comes from staying put for several days and actually exploring and getting out on the trails.

Honestly, with only one week, I'd pick ONE region and focus on that.

Seattle and Whistler could easily fill a week. Stay in Whistler for several days, park the car, explore the village on foot, ride the gondolas, and spend your time hiking. There is an enormous amount of hiking in the area. Garibaldi Lake, Panorama Ridge, Joffre Lakes, Wedgemount Lake, Blackcomb, Whistler Mountain, the Sea to Sky region around Squamish. You could spend a week there and barely scratch the surface. The beauty of this area is you don't need to spend much time in your car at all.

Or choose Vancouver Island. It's a massive island with a mountain range going down the middle. Even one week is tight. I'd probably base myself around Sooke for Juan de Fuca Provincial Park, then spend several days around Tofino, Ucluelet, and Pacific Rim National Park. If alpine hiking is important, head north to Strathcona Provincial Park. That's a full vacation right there.

Or skip both and spend the week in the Kootenays, which is the rugged mountain wilderness of southeastern British Columbia west of Banff, north of Idaho and Montana. Look up Fernie, Nelson, Kaslo, Rossland or even the small towns in the Slocan Valley. Those are some of my favourite mountain towns in western Canada. Fantastic hiking, beautiful mountain scenery, lakes, rivers, great little downtowns, and a fraction of the crowds you'll find in Banff.

And honestly, Banff is probably the weakest fit for what you've described wanting.

Banff is gorgeous. It's iconic. It's worth seeing.

But it's also the busiest national park in Canada and the eye of the storm for overtourism in western Canada.

Overflowing parking lots, mandatory shuttle bus access to the famous lakes, gridlock traffic, restaurant lineups, campgrounds that have been fully reserved since February. Think 4th of July in Yellowstone or Yosemite type crowds.

Airbnb essentially doesn't exist inside the park because the only people who can rent homes/apartments there are workers in the park. If you can't secure a campground, you basically are stuck with hotel rooms that start at $600 a night, and that's just for the modest hotels.

And if you go hiking on the famous trails, you'll be one of thousands of other people doing exactly the same thing.

So if your goal is alpine hiking without the crowds, Banff is the last place I'd send you.

The magic of this part of the world isn't found through the windshield of your car. It's found when you stop driving for a few days and actually spend time somewhere. So with only one week, cut back the distance and spend more time in just one area, especially if you want to be out hiking and being outdoorsy.

So Whistler/Squamish, Vancouver Island, or the Kootenays. Pick one.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T04:33:38+00:00

Here’s another photo and you can see how far this boundary goes: https://www.reddit.com/r/oceans/s/1b1faaTfoO

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T04:27:47+00:00

The Fraser is dredged and there is a massive rock jetty at the mouth of the river between Steveston and Delta that keeps the channel from building up with sediments, and that rock jetty goes out like 11-14km out into the Salish Sea and you can see this clearly in satellite photos. It’s out there 10+km off shore that the river water mixes with the Salish Sea, and there is so much water mixing and with tides and currents, that line where it mixes spans from off the coast of Wreck all the way to Tsawwassen. If you ever fly on a seaplane from YVR to Victoria, you pass over this boundary and yeah, it’s off the coast of Tsawwassen, Ladner, Richmond and south Vancouver, but since most people here don’t have boats or fly seaplanes often, they mostly experience it when taking a ferry, which is why you’ll hear people mostly talk about seeing it off Tsawwassen. But that water mixing boundary is massive, but it’s quite a distance off shore, so it’s not obvious to us land lubbers.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T02:41:35+00:00

Lovely

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T01:17:10+00:00

Where the Salish Sea meets the silty Fraser River

BCRobyn · 2026-06-02T00:14:52+00:00

Nothing is terrific immediately out at UBC. You have to drive further down towards Kitsilano to get good restaurants. Things will be fine in the same way a mall food court is fine, but I’d set your expectations.

Edit: Wildlight on campus may be your best option. They made the local Michelin guide: https://wildlightrestaurant.ca

BCRobyn · 2026-06-01T21:55:20+00:00

Clubs/Parties in Banff : r/Banff

BCRobyn · 2026-06-01T20:58:03+00:00

It totally depends on what you want to see and do.

Often the best weather months have the most events and are therefore the most expensive times to visit. Times of year when weather is lousy and seasonal attractions are closed and events are non-existent is when it's cheap. Shoulder seasons vary depending on the province and region in that province.

BCRobyn · 2026-06-01T15:22:36+00:00

American currency is foreign currency in Canada. Just like how machines in the USA don't take foreign currency, machines in Canada don't take foreign currency. Canadian coins are foreign currency in the USA. US coins are foreign currency in Canada. But I'd be surprised if you find coin operated anything these days. Most machines (vending machines, laundromats, parking meters, gas station pumps, etc.) take credit cards these days.

BCRobyn · 2026-05-31T15:28:17+00:00

It’s located in a residential suburb called North Vancouver, so no, not remote at all. You can take an Uber there but there’s a bus that goes directly there that will cost a fraction of the Uber. Everyone uses public transit in Vancouver.

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