Hi Everyone! Here's What’s Happening This Week!

Twelve metres of snow sitting on a closed highway. Bears active enough to trigger the season's first campground closure. A gondola experience shutting down for good this weekend. For a Wednesday in late March, the Rockies have been reasonably eventful.

The Lake Louise Trailer Campground is now offering hard-sided units only through December 15, following confirmed bear activity in the area. Tents and soft-sided campers are out, and the fine for non-compliance is up to $25,000 - Parks Canada does not treat this as a suggestion. If you are heading up this spring, check your setup before you book.

The Icefields Parkway remains closed north of Lake Louise after a size 4 avalanche on 21 March deposited 12 metres of snow across 250 metres of highway. There is no reopening date. Parks Canada has released a video of the slide, and it gives a reasonable sense of why no one is in a hurry to dig it out.

This weekend is also the last chance to catch Nightrise at the Banff Gondola - the Stoney Nakoda light and sound experience on Sulphur Mountain closes after 29 March with no second season planned.

The Spirit Island tour at Maligne Lake also gets a look in this issue, for those thinking further ahead.

There is plenty happening this week. Dive into the event listings below, or check out the detailed events page on our website.

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If visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake is high on your list, Paradise Lodge & Bungalows is a very convenient place to stay. The cabins sit about 1 km from Lake Louise, which means you can walk to the lakeshore in around 15–20 minutes instead of worrying about the busy parking lots.

That location also makes visiting Moraine Lake easier. With a Parks Canada shuttle ticket, you can board the Lake Connector shuttle that runs between the two lakes. After a day exploring the trails and viewpoints, returning to a quiet cabin surrounded by trees feels a world away from the crowds

Reserve now to stay close to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

🌨️ Banff digs out from a snowy Wednesday before catching a break - but don't put the shovel away just yet. Thursday stays stubbornly wintry at -3°C with snow, before Friday delivers a much more respectable 5°C with full sunshine. Saturday creeps up to 6°C - though a 30% chance of showers keeps things classically Rockies. Full Forecast Here

🐻 Lake Louise Campground Goes Hard-Sided Only. Parks Canada has closed the Lake Louise Trailer Campground to tents and soft-sided units through December 15 due to bear activity. Ignoring the order carries a fine of up to $25,000.

🏔️ Icefields Parkway Closed Indefinitely. A size 4 avalanche on Mount Hector buried 250 metres of highway under 12 metres of snow on 21 March - the southern section from Lake Louise remains closed with no reopening date set. Twelve metres is roughly the height of a four-storey building. Check out the video.

🛶 Paddlers Push Back on Banff Water Closures. The Alberta Whitewater Association is opposing Parks Canada's decision to ban paddling on Banff's rivers and lakes, arguing that enforcement and cleaning stations should come before outright bans. The Mistaya - a world-renowned whitewater river - is among the closures.

🌙 Sulphur Mountain's Last Night Out. Nightrise at the Banff Gondola - a Stoney Nakoda collaboration of light, sound, and Indigenous storytelling atop Sulphur Mountain - closes for good this weekend, March 27-29. No second season.

🐣 Easter Egg Hunt for Rocky Mountain Adaptive. The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore is hosting a kids' Easter scavenger hunt on 3 April - three time slots, $5 per child, with cookie decorating and prizes. Every dollar goes to Rocky Mountain Adaptive's accessible sport programming.

Fairmont Banff Springs is offering a behind-the-scenes food tour through the hotel - small groups, Alberta-sourced tastings, chef demonstrations, and enough history woven in to make the evening feel like more than dinner.

🥾 What can you actually do in Banff in October? Hiking, scenic drives, wildlife watching, and the gondola are all well worth the trip in autumn - though some roads and facilities close by mid-month.

👻 Does Banff have a haunted history? Surprisingly, yes - the Rockies have a rich history of ghost stories and local legends stretching back over a century.

🌉 What is the Canmore Engine Bridge? It is a historic railway bridge turned pedestrian and cycling route near downtown Canmore, offering mountain views along the Bow River.

🥾 Premium Hiking Tours - Banff Region - Pick your trail - Bow Glacier Falls, Boom Lake, Emerald Basin, or Stanley Glacier - and let a certified guide bring the Rockies to life. Small groups, big landscapes, wilderness without the crowds.

🍽️ Eat the Castle - Fairmont Banff Springs - Five food and drink pairings across the Fairmont's finest venues, woven together with the hotel's history from Victorian railway retreat to Rocky Mountain icon.

🚙 Calgary to Banff & Lake Louise SUV Tour - Skip the coach and do the Rockies properly - a private 8.5-hour run from Calgary through Banff, Bow Falls, Lake Louise, and Canmore, with a guide who actually knows the place.

Getting to the Rockies' most iconic spots requires either extraordinary planning, a 4 am alarm, or a reservation at the right address. These three properties skip the shuttle queue entirely by putting you inside the experience.

🌿 Emerald Lake Lodge - In Yoho National Park, no less - a place most Banff visitors never quite get around to. You're 30 metres from one of the most photographed lakes in Canada, which means you're also 30 metres ahead of every day-tripper currently stuck behind a tractor on the Trans-Canada. The log buildings are properly old, and the evenings are very quiet. Read The Reviews And Book

🏕️ Johnston Canyon Bungalows - The canyon trail is genuinely busy by 8 am in summer, and you're already there, in pyjamas if you choose. Simple, no-frills accommodation that earns its price entirely through location - walk to the lower falls before breakfast while the car parks are still empty. Read The Reviews And Book

🍂 Moraine Lake Lodge - The road to Moraine Lake now requires a shuttle reservation or a bus, which is the park's polite way of admitting it can't cope. Staying here sidesteps that entirely. The lake is steps away at any hour, including the quiet ones that day visitors never see. Worth every dollar of the rate. Read The Reviews And Book

Yesterday’s Question: What is the name of the warm, dry wind that can rapidly raise temperatures around the eastern slopes of the Rockies?

✅Answer: 4) Chinook - 92% Correct

Chinook winds can bring a sudden warm spell, sometimes raising temperatures by 10°C or more in just a few hours.

If you’re hoping to see wildlife and visit Spirit Island, this tour combines both in a single trip. Follow the Maligne Valley, with a stop at Medicine Lake before continuing to Maligne Lake. From there, take a 90-minute cruise to one of the most recognisable views in the Canadian Rockies. All with transport and timing taken care of.

Book now and explore Jasper’s Maligne Valley with ease

📅 Today’s Events are listed below. To view future events, visit our website.

BANFF EVENTS | CANMORE EVENTS | JASPER EVENTS | BANFF HAPPY HOURS | CANMORE HAPPY HOURS |

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