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

Alberta has designated Mount Lady MacDonald a resort area, which clears the way for Stone Creek Resorts to file its plan for a year-round gondola above Canmore. The projection is up to 300,000 riders a year, alongside the claim that foot traffic in town won't change much.

Banff, meanwhile, is measurably quieter than it was. Counters at the town entrances logged 112,686 vehicles over the September long weekend, 7 per cent below both 2025 and 2019, and Roam ridership rose 5 per cent. Mountain Avenue, the road up to the hot springs and the gondola, is carrying 27 per cent less traffic than in 2019.

Further west, Radium Hot Springs runs its first Oktoberfest on 3 October: three bands, a stein-holding contest, a yodelling competition, and proceeds to the local Rotary Club.

The Bow River horseback ride is still operating and runs for an hour from near Cave and Basin, needs no riding experience, and has you back in town before dinner

Plan Your Visit To Banff For September | October

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This is the one we send visiting family on when they've only got an afternoon spare. An hour beside the Bow River near Cave and Basin, no riding experience required, and you're back in town in time for dinner.

Still got an afternoon free? This fits it

🚡 Silvertip Gondola Clears First Hurdle. Alberta has designated Mount Lady MacDonald a resort area, letting Stone Creek Resorts file a plan for a year-round gondola. It projects up to 300,000 riders a year and says foot traffic won't change much.

🚆 Train to Banff Still Years Out. Alberta Transportation says detailed planning for the Calgary-Banff line isn't in its three-year plan, and whether it would stop in Canmore is undecided. The $60-billion network currently has $15 million behind it.

⛷️ Ski Season Short of Staff Again. The Job Resource Centre holds a Canmore hiring fair on Tuesday with 201 postings open, 42 per cent of them hospitality. Ottawa offered rural towns a higher foreign-worker cap in March; Alberta declined, BC signed.

🍺 Radium Hosts Its First Oktoberfest. The Radium Hot Springs Centre gets three bands, a stein-holding contest and a yodelling competition on October 3, with proceeds to the local Rotary Club. There's a free shuttle, for reasons that need no explaining.

🚗 Banff Long Weekend Traffic Falls. Counters at the town entrances logged 112,686 vehicles over the September long weekend, 7 per cent below 2025 and 2019, while Roam ridership rose 5 per cent. Mountain Avenue traffic is down 27 per cent from 2019.

🏘️ Silvertip's Cadence Pond Nearly Sold Out. Fewer than six condos remain of 70, priced from the low $600,000s to $2.3 million, with completion due in 2028. Every buyer so far is renting their unit out short-term through the resort.

🏃 Melissa's Road Race Closes Banff Streets. It returns Saturday, September 26, with road closures across town from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Route maps are online; that's eight and a half hours to plan around.

☀️ Sunshine sticks around through the weekend before a cooler midweek dip - Sunday goes fully sunny at 23°C, Monday holds that same warmth, and Tuesday cools slightly to 20°C, still sunny. That warm, clear run keeps going strong before showers creep back in toward Friday. Full Forecast Here

🚴 Bow Valley Parkway Tops World Ranking. A tour operator's eye-tracking study named the Banff to Lake Louise road the world's most beautiful cycling route.

🚗 Staff Leaving Canmore for Calgary. One Canmore retailer lost two employees to cheaper rent in Calgary and a third to a cancelled work permit.

🚲 The Bow Valley Parkway Is Closed to Motor Vehicles. Ride it by e-bike from Banff, then hike to Johnston Canyon's Lower Falls. Rent an e-bike

🌌 Banff Night Sky Tour - The aurora never promises to turn up, which is why this one is built around the dark sky either way. Your guide picks the viewing spot on the night's forecast, then walks you out from Cave and Basin.

🏔️ Moraine Lake Sunrise or Sunset - Everyone else is queuing for the daytime shuttle. This one collects you from your Canmore or Banff hotel and gives you three hours at the lake, plus telescopes after dark on the sunset run.

🧊 Columbia Icefield & Skywalk - The Athabasca Glacier has lost over half its volume in the last 125 years, and this is your chance to stand on what's left. A six-wheeled ice explorer gets you onto the glacier itself, then it's on to the glass-floored Skywalk 280 metres above the valley.

🐻 Who is Split Lip? He is Bear No. 136, a 500-600 pound grizzly in Banff National Park named for a distinctive facial scar earned through years of brutal rivalry - and his full history in the Canadian Rockies is even more extraordinary. See the full guide

🏔️ Where does Roam Transit go in Banff? It covers the main destinations most visitors want, including Banff town, Canmore, Lake Louise, and popular hiking and sightseeing spots.

👨‍👩‍👧 Is Bankhead Ghost Town a good activity for families with young children? It's one of the more family-friendly spots in Banff - flat, short, and full of things to look at, making the Bankhead Ghost Town walk a great choice for kids.

Hundreds of flickering candles will fill St Paul’s Church as a live string quartet performs some of the best-loved songs of Coldplay and Imagine Dragons.

Catch it on 2nd October or 4th December 2026; tickets here.

Yesterday’s Question: Which animal calves are shown in this photo, often seen in the mountain parks?

✅Answer: 3) Elk - 48% Correct

If you spot elk calves like these, it’s important to keep a safe distance - here’s what you need to know about staying safe around elk.

Featured events are listed below. View the FULL EVENT CALENDAR for a complete list.

09:00 | Canmore Terry Fox Run | Canmore Rec Centre | Canmore
11:00 | Local Art Show and Sale | Elevation Place | Canmore
11:00 | Red Zone Sundays | Rose and Crown | Banff
13:30 | Park Distillery Tour | Park Distillery | Banff
15:00 | Live Music Afternoon | Three Bears | Banff
18:00 | Gregg Bolder: Live | Rose and Crown | Canmore
19:30 | Balkan Greek Dinner Show | Balkan Restaurant | Banff
20:30 | Line Dancing | The Dusty Boot | Banff
21:00 | Sunday Funday: Party | High Rollers | Banff
21:00 | Karaoke Night | Beaver Bar | Banff
21:30 | Locals Night with DJ Set | Melissa's Missteak | Banff
22:00 | Sunday Night Karaoke | Banff Sizzlers | Banff
22:00 | Brent Lee | Rose and Crown | Banff
22:00 | DJ Tenax | Rose and Crown | Canmore

11:00 | Local Art Show and Sale | Elevation Place | Canmore
13:30 | Park Distillery Tour | Park Distillery | Banff
20:00 | Monday Trivia | High Rollers | Banff
20:00 | Live Music Night | Three Bears | Banff
21:00 | Open Mic Night | Beaver Bar | Banff
22:00 | Karaoke Night | The Drake | Canmore
22:00 | Brent Lee | Rose and Crown | Banff

13:00 | 2026 Winter Hiring Fair – Canmore | The Malcolm Hotel | Canmore
13:30 | Park Distillery Tour | Park Distillery | Banff
18:30 | Online Misinformation & Disinformation Workshop | Elevation Place | Canmore
19:00 | Trivia Tuesday | Rose and Crown | Canmore
19:00 | The Christophers | artsPlace Canmore | Canmore
19:00 | The Bad Decisions Comedy Tour | The Drake | Canmore
19:00 | Canmore Eagles Ice Hockey | Canmore Rec Centre | Canmore
20:30 | Line Dancing | The Dusty Boot | Banff
21:00 | DJ Styler Nazo | High Rollers | Banff
22:00 | Jesse Peters | Rose and Crown | Banff

10:00 | Banff Farmers Market | Central Park | Banff
13:30 | Park Distillery Tour | Park Distillery | Banff
15:00 | Live Music Afternoon | Three Bears | Banff
18:00 | Mountain Bike Ride | Canmore Brewing Co | Canmore
19:00 | Open Mic Night | The Local | Canmore
19:00 | Open Mic/Jam Night | Rose and Crown | Canmore
19:00 | Trivia Night | The Stand Easy | Jasper
19:00 | Improv! | Elevation Place | Canmore
20:00 | Trivia Night | Beaver Bar | Banff
20:30 | Line Dancing | The Dusty Boot | Banff
22:00 | DJ Bunny Hops | High Rollers | Banff
22:00 | DJ Styler Nazo | Rose and Crown | Banff
22:00 | ELEVATE 360 | Melissa's Missteak | Banff

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