Banff in April

[chellej]

Banff is on my bucket list and just wondering if it is worth going in April. Is it like Yellowstone that a lot of the park roads are closed? We do mostly driving , a few short hilkes but nothing extreme. No skiing for us either.

We do prefer off season with smaller crowds

 

[Tacoma]

I would say wait until May if you can. Hiking trails other than the paths in town will likely be covered in snow. Moraine Lake road is only open from June and the old 1A highway is often closed as well. Other than that most things are open. That said the mountains are prettier when they are snow covered.

 

[sue1947]

We do mostly driving , a few short hilkes but nothing extreme. No skiing for us either.

In April, it would be skiing or snowshoeing. For what you describe, May or very early June would be better. Fall would have more hiking options, but snow can start in late Sept.

I've been there multiple times in May through the first week of June. Sometimes the Chateau Lake Louise was surrounded by snow, and once it was melted out with snow starting partway along the lake. Banff is more likely to have the trails close to town melted out and the trail to Johnston Falls was a conga line since it was one of the few trails hike able. At Yoho, Lake Emerald was either snow or maybe half the trail along the lake melted out. The Icefields Parkway was beautiful, but hikes at various stops were limited by the snow cover. So beautiful driving, though access is limited to the main roads, but limited hiking.
It is a great time for critter viewing with Kootenay NP in the lower river sections especially good for bears etc. The spring trips were mostly utilizing the great deals for the timeshares in eastern BC via AC or the old XYZ program. If you don't mind driving, it's a very doable day trip to do the loop through Kootenay to Lake Louise and out Field. Another trip in early June was a loop through Banff etc and then down to Waterton and then the eastern side of Glacier where we lucked into a room they had just opened for the season; great critter watching at Many glaciers. On that trip, we saw a lot of baby critters of various types.

 

[geist1223]

A couple years ago we went just after Labour Day and everything was open and accessable.

 

[easyrider]

Banff is on my bucket list and just wondering if it is worth going in April

March and April occasionally has Northern Lights flickering in Banff. April 8th is the new moon and dark sky. Lake Louise and some of the other lakes are usually iced over in April so hiking around these areas would be easy. The Northern Lights are the only reason I would head to somewhere cold. Lake Miniwanka is supposedly the place you can watch from your car is what I read. It was on the bucket list but I now have an aversion to cold weather so while it's a maybe. They have a thing called the ice walks that take a route to frozen waterfalls that might be doable in early April. I have thought of driving to Banff in March using bonus time.

Bill

 

[Ski-Dad]

April is too early for hiking. It is a low snow year in Banff, but there will still be snow in the woods. The road through Banff is the Trans Canada highway. It is open year round in contrast to the seasonal road system in Yellowknife.

If hiking is on your list, wait until mid May or into June. The crowds descend in summer.

 

[Thomfam]

We went early May last year. Lake Louise was still iced over and the trails were all closed due to snow or flooded from melted snow. I would wait until mid to late May if you plan to hike. Otherwise roads were all clear and in good condition, lots of wildlife and beautiful scenery. Big plus was it wasn’t too busy.

 

[easyrider]

One thing for sure is it seems like the Banff area and the entire PNW is prone to wildfire smoke in the summer and fall.

Bill

 

[TolmiePeak]

I would skip late Summer due to smoke. April is far better.

 

[tomvc]

Here is a pic of Lake Louise (frozen) from my end of Jan trip.

 

[chellej]

Well I booked an early April Week for next year. I would really have liked late May but had a week in GPX that I need to use and other than California and Hawaii they don't get a lot of other inventory. I will keep watch, I can change in GPX for a $39 fee. Thanks for the help

 

[spirit1]

I am a retired teacher and have been to Banff many times at the end of March/early April. I do not ski yet my husband and I enjoyed a lot of what the mountains have to offer.
Crowds are much smaller...a real plus. There are nice walks if the trails are mostly closed Don't forget Lake Louise. And the Columbia Ice Fields. So so much to do. Gondola to the top of a mountain. Visit to Banff Springs Hotel for a lovely lunch or breakfast. You don't have to stay there but the lobby is spectacular and you can spend a whole morning exploring the high end shops in the mezzanine. There is a great museum and world class restaurants in town. The laid back life is great.

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thebanffblog.com

It is really hard to get into a timeshare in April if you use the typical booking sites. May I suggest kijiji Go to vacations and plug in Banff or Canmore which is a lovely town just outside of the Banff park.. Quite often you can find a nice week for a good price from an owner. Many people in Alberta own timeshare weeks at Banff Rocky Mountain Resort and rent their weeks out on kijiji for a decent price. I have not seen many scammers on that site...but do your due diligence and you should be ok.

If you get a chance to go to Banff....don't pass it up. In the summer it is insanely busy...but....that is part of the attraction. People just love the place. April is accessible. Fall is my favorite time...Weather can be iffy spring or fall though. The mountains do what they do...and we humans NEED to adjust.

 

[Fiona1]

Make sure you get ice cleats (I love Yaktraks) and hiking poles if you are planning to hike in early April. I personally think the mountains are prettier in the winter and spring, but it can definitely be very icy on the trails. The roads are not usually a problem since they maintain them well for the ski resorts and hotels, etc.

This was us hiking 2 weeks ago in Jasper (a few hours north of Banff), and I was there in February as well, although full disclosure… it is an unusually warm winter for us.