What time of year to go to Banff?

[darcy]

I would like to schedule a week in the Banff area sometime in the next couple of years. I assume the best temps (and the most people) are during the June/July/August timeframe. But it will be easier for me to get there in September...will all of the park features and area attractions still be open? How early does snow arrive at that latitude and elevation? We will want to do lots of outdoor/active stuff, so I don't want to be too limited if we can help it.

Thanks!
Megan

 

[eal]

September is beautiful in the Canadian Rockies. Of course at high elevations you can get snow at any time of the year but the cold weather usually stays away until mid-November.

The only thing with September is that there is a big road race on the last weekend of the month that fills up all the hotels and restaurants.

 

[darcy]

Thanks for the September info. The currently available dates do span the last weekend of the month, I think. I won't rule it out, but how does mid-May compare with respect to the typical weather?

Megan

 

[darcy]

Following up to say that the rafting companies seem to run mid-May to mid-September, so that gives me a good idea of when I want to go.

 

[Kauai Kid]

Thanks for the September info. The currently available dates do span the last weekend of the month, I think. I won't rule it out, but how does mid-May compare with respect to the typical weather?

Megan

The first week of June in Yellowstone Country at 6000 feet this year gave us 70 degrees and clear, 33 degrees, windy, rain, sleet, & snow. Weather changed within just a few hours some days. I'd think Banff would be similar if not a little colder in May.

Sterling
Cedar Park

 

[Art]

Megan

We did some white water rafting on the Kicking Horse River when we were in Canmore the second week of July. Apparently, there was a lot of snow last winter so there was a very high run-off this year. As a result, not that it bothered us rookie rafters, the most extreme set of rapids was not yet open. Our guide also implied that even the section we did had very high water just a few weeks previously. Because of the glacial source of the water, we wore wet suits even though the air temperature was around 85 F.

I guess you should take this as a heads up that the September end of the season might be a better bet than the May end.

In terms of availability, the Sunset Resort in Canmore seems to show up in II 18 to 24 months ahead of check-in so now is the time to start watching for a 2009 week. FWIW, we got our July week via an on-line search in February of 2006.

Art