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

Spring has its own way of announcing itself in Banff, and this year, bears are doing the honours. Parks Canada is expecting temporary trail closures across the park as animals emerge from their dens - the usual advice applies: bear spray within reach, stay on marked trails during daylight, and there is real safety value in numbers on the trail.

The elk herd that once crowded the townsite has thinned considerably since its late-1990s peak, and the data suggest that this has not been a bad thing. Elk turn out to be more confrontational than their reputation implies - the encounter numbers over the past decade or so are higher than any other species in the park.

Bison are the counter-narrative. A small reintroduced herd from 2017 has grown well beyond what anyone might have predicted, and Parks Canada is now working out what to do with the extra room they need. The scale of what was lost historically makes the current numbers feel both encouraging and modest at the same time.

If the wildlife news has you wanting to experience the park from somewhere slightly more civilised, the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise puts you on the lakeshore with the harder logistics already handled.

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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Lake Louise is one of the must-see destinations in Banff National Park, but access isn’t easy. Staying at the Chateau Lake Louise is one of the most straightforward ways to experience Lake Louise without the usual challenges.

The hotel sits directly on the lakeshore, which means you can enjoy early mornings and quieter evenings once the day visitors have left. Many of the area’s best-known hikes, including routes to Lake Agnes and the Plain of Six Glaciers, start right outside the hotel.

It’s also a practical base for visiting Moraine Lake, making it easier to fit in shuttle or guided options without juggling long travel days or early starts from Banff.

Find out more about this iconic hotel

🌨️ Banff is settling in for a full-on wintry stretch - pack the mittens and maybe your patience. Saturday brings clouds and a 30% chance of flurries at 0°C. Sunday turns more committed with a 60% chance of flurries at -1°C. Monday goes all-in with snow and a high of -3°C. Full forecast here.

🎿 Rail Jam at Goats Eye This Saturday. The Cold Steel Rail Jam runs today on Goats Eye Mountain at Banff Sunshine - free to enter, open to skiers and snowboarders of all levels, helmets mandatory.

🐻 Bears Are Active. Adjust Accordingly. Parks Canada is warning that temporary area closures are likely as bears emerge across the park this spring. Make noise on the trail, carry bear spray and keep it accessible, stick to designated trails during daylight, and hike in groups of four or more when you can. Full bear safety tips here.

🅿️ Jasper Parking Rates Go Up. On-street hourly rates jump from $4.50 to $7 starting May 1, with the council targeting $1.8 million in revenue this summer. Banff's peak rate is still $5 higher.

🦌 Fewer Elk, Fewer Problems. Banff's elk herd peaked near 700 near the townsite in the late 1990s before a managed decline ecologists now call healthy. From 2010–24, elk logged more aggressive encounters than any other wildlife in the park - 2,224.

How to stay safe around Elk

🦬 Banff Bison Herd Passes 130. The reintroduced herd has grown from 16 animals in 2017 to more than 130, with Parks Canada now assessing range expansion and provincial collaboration. Plains bison currently occupy less than 0.5% of their historic range.

🏳️‍🌈 Jasper Pride Festival Hits the Slopes. The Jasper Pride & Ski Festival runs April 10 -19, with 10 days of events from a flag parade down Marmot Basin to a Shawnee Kish concert on Connaught Drive.

For a day covering Moraine Lake, Lake Louise, Johnston Canyon, Emerald Lake, and Yoho's Natural Bridge, there is a guided tour that handles all transport and shuttle logistics. With Moraine Lake closed to private vehicles, it is less of a convenience and more of a necessity.

Banff's accommodation game skews heavily towards conventional hotels, which is fine until you're staring at an identical view from your seventh-floor window. These three properties offer something different - canvas, logs, and wilderness, without asking you to pack a sleeping bag.

🏕️ Skyridge Glamping - Purpose-built glamping done properly, with real beds, real warmth, and a level of comfort that makes the word "camping" feel generous. You're in the wilderness without having sacrificed the things that make a holiday actually enjoyable. Read The Reviews And Book

🦌 Mount Engadine Lodge - Tucked away in Kananaskis, this is the option for travellers who want to feel genuinely remote without going off-grid. Wildlife wanders past at breakfast, and you won't hear a tour bus all day - which, after a week in Banff town, is worth more than you'd think. Read The Reviews And Book

🌲 Sundance by Basecamp - The closest of the three to Banff's services, which matters more than it sounds when you're craving a coffee at 7 am. The glamping format means you're waking up in nature without the faff of setting up camp, and you're back on the main road in minutes when you need to be. Read The Reviews And Book

🐻 Who is The Boss in Banff? The Boss is Bear 122, the most famous grizzly in the Rockies - a dominant male whose story is woven into Banff's wildlife history.

🚌 Can you get to Lake Louise without a car? Yes - shuttles, hop-on hop-off buses, guided tours, and public transit all get you to Lake Louise without needing to drive or park.

🌄 What do you actually see at Grassi Lakes? The payoff is two vivid turquoise lakes set beneath limestone cliffs, with sweeping views over the Bow Valley on the way up.

🚠 Jasper SkyTram - Whistlers Mountain - Seven minutes up to 2,263 metres, with views across six mountain ranges and the Athabasca Valley spread out below. Extend it with the summit trail if your legs are up for it.

🌅 Moraine Lake Sunrise & Sunset Tours - Beat the crowds to the Valley of the Ten Peaks at golden hour, with transport from Banff or Canmore included. The Rockpile at dawn - or at dusk with a sky full of stars - is hard to top.

🍂 Larch Valley Guided Hike - Moraine Lake - An 8.8km guided hike into the larches above Moraine Lake, timed for the autumn gold. Transport, lunch, and trekking poles included - and the guide handles the Moraine Lake transportation so you don't have to.

Yesterday’s Question: What is the name of the small group of lakes just west of Banff?

✅Answer: 1) Vermilion Lakes - 70% Correct

If you want to experience alpine scenery around Jasper without committing to a long hike, the Jasper SkyTram is one of the simplest ways to do it. In just 7.5 minutes, the tram lifts you onto Whistler's Mountain, where you can stroll the boardwalk or hike the short Whistler’s Summit Trail.

Book now and enjoy Jasper’s alpine views 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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