I visited Banff, one of Canada's most famous ski towns, during offseason. I loved seeing the Rocky Mountains, but I can't imagine it with more crowds and snow.

Paige DiFioreJul 22, 2023, 19:56 IST

I recently visited Banff, Canada, during one of its less-popular seasons.Paige DiFiore

Banff, Canada, is popular in the summer and winter months but I visited in May, an offseason time.
I found the beautiful mountain town to be crowded but bearable, especially by Lake Louise.

Located in the Rocky Mountains, Banff is a famous Canadian ski town that's home to Banff National Park, one of the most visited national parks in the country.

I stopped by the popular spot in early May during the off-season while on a trip to Alberta, a province about four hours away. I imagine Banff is much trickier to navigate during peak season in the summer (June to August) or winter's ski season (December to March).

But while I was there, I found Banff to be mostly peacefully quiet but with full parking lots and crowds of tourists in some areas. Here's what it was like.

First, we stopped by Lake Louise. A lot of guides I read online warned us to arrive early, and the parking lot was almost full when we got there around 9 a.m. on a Friday.

If we'd arrived later we might have had to park even further away.Paige DiFiore

First, we stopped by Lake Louise. A lot of guides I read online warned us to arrive early, and the parking lot was almost full when we got there around 9 a.m. on a Friday.

We passed many empty spaces where it looked like shuttles should be. Shuttles are popular during peak season because Lake Louise, and especially its parking lot, can get crowded. On our trip, we only saw one.

I guess not many shuttles run in Banff during the off-season.Paige DiFiore

We passed many empty spaces where it looked like shuttles should be. Shuttles are popular during peak season because Lake Louise, and especially its parking lot, can get crowded. On our trip, we only saw one.

There was still snow melting in patches throughout the area even though it hadn't snowed for a few days. We also saw a few construction areas on the way.

I imagine most of the construction is saved for when tourists aren't coming in packs.Paige DiFiore

The path to the lake that we took was clear and lined with puddles and melting snow. The walk was easy, pretty quiet, and took less than 10 minutes.

The walk to Lake Louise wasn't bad in the chilly weather.Paige DiFiore

Although it was pretty warm out, Lake Louise was frozen and looked sort of like an iceberg to me.

I should've known Lake Louise wouldn't look like the photos I saw of it from peak season.Paige DiFiore

Even though it was offseason, I still struggled to take any photos without other tourists in the frame.

I can't imagine how crowded this gets in the summer.Paige DiFiore

I also found a sign warning visitors about the possibility there could be an avalanche, which can occur from November to June. I definitely kept my distance from the lake.

No avalanches occurred while I was there.Paige DiFiore

I also found a sign warning visitors about the possibility there could be an avalanche, which can occur from November to June. I definitely kept my distance from the lake.

The snowy mountain peaks looked beautiful, but I bet this view is even more fantastic in the summer when the ice on the lake melts.

I wished I'd gotten to see the blue water underneath the ice.Paige DiFiore

I noticed a lot of tourists climbing down the rocks at the edge of the icy lake.

I was surprised by how accessible the lake was.Paige DiFiore

It seemed like a bad idea because there were warnings about thin ice right on the rocks.

Fortunately, I didn't see anyone on the ice.Paige DiFiore

We didn't stay at the lake long because it was admittedly a little bit underwhelming during this time of year. We passed a lot of beautiful trees on the short walk back.

I enjoyed how quiet most of our walk was.Paige DiFiore

We didn't stay at the lake long because it was admittedly a little bit underwhelming during this time of year. We passed a lot of beautiful trees on the short walk back.

Eventually, we drove into the actual town of Banff. Finding a parking spot in a nearby lot was easy.

Lots of people were walking around.Paige DiFiore

The streets felt incredibly quiet and peaceful but weren't empty. We came across a lot of people as we walked around.

I overhead accents from around the globe.Paige DiFiore

The shops we stopped in were fairly empty, and it was easy to navigate the town.

Banff was definitely walkable.Paige DiFiore

The town felt super clean and had plenty of garbage cans with mechanisms to prevent bears from getting inside. It took me a second to figure them out.

I liked how pretty the garbage cans looked with the wood design.Paige DiFiore

We also stopped by the Canadian chain BeaverTails. I'd learned about its fried dough strips from TikTok, and a small line started forming when we arrived just before the store opened.

It's never too early for a BeaverTail, apparently.Paige DiFiore

We also stopped by the Canadian chain BeaverTails. I'd learned about its fried dough strips from TikTok, and a small line started forming when we arrived just before the store opened.

I was the first person in line, so I only waited a few minutes for a hot BeaverTail with Nutella. It was delicious.

I bet the line gets pretty long during the peak months.Paige DiFiore

We ate lunch at The Grizzly House, a popular fondue spot a local recommended. He'd warned us to make a reservation, but we were able to walk right in without one. Offseason perks!

The food was delicious.Paige DiFiore

We ate lunch at The Grizzly House, a popular fondue spot a local recommended. He'd warned us to make a reservation, but we were able to walk right in without one. Offseason perks!

We also stopped by a mall in Banff but found it looked almost deserted. A lot of shops were closed, and we didn't see too many people walking around.

We bought a few items but didn't stick around long.Paige DiFiore

I appreciated that every view in Banff was beautiful. Even when we cut through an alleyway, we could see mountains in the distance.

Mountains were everywhere, and they were stunning.Paige DiFiore

By the time we left at 3:30 p.m., the three-floor lot we'd parked in was jam-packed. I can't imagine how hard it is to find parking during peak season.

The views were even nice from a parking lot.Paige DiFiore

Overall, Banff is a great place to spend a day and I don't regret going during the offseason. The weather was comfortably brisk and although I'm sure Lake Louise is prettier during peak times, I'm glad we didn't have to deal with even bigger crowds.

Banff is definitely worth a visit.Paige DiFiore

Overall, Banff is a great place to spend a day and I don't regret going during the offseason. The weather was comfortably brisk and although I'm sure Lake Louise is prettier during peak times, I'm glad we didn't have to deal with even bigger crowds.

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I visited Banff, one of Canada's most famous ski towns, during offseason. I loved seeing the Rocky Mountains, but I can't imagine it with more crowds and snow.

First, we stopped by Lake Louise. A lot of guides I read online warned us to arrive early, and the parking lot was almost full when we got there around 9 a.m. on a Friday.

We passed many empty spaces where it looked like shuttles should be. Shuttles are popular during peak season because Lake Louise, and especially its parking lot, can get crowded. On our trip, we only saw one.

There was still snow melting in patches throughout the area even though it hadn't snowed for a few days. We also saw a few construction areas on the way.

The path to the lake that we took was clear and lined with puddles and melting snow. The walk was easy, pretty quiet, and took less than 10 minutes.

Although it was pretty warm out, Lake Louise was frozen and looked sort of like an iceberg to me.

Even though it was offseason, I still struggled to take any photos without other tourists in the frame.

I also found a sign warning visitors about the possibility there could be an avalanche, which can occur from November to June. I definitely kept my distance from the lake.

The snowy mountain peaks looked beautiful, but I bet this view is even more fantastic in the summer when the ice on the lake melts.

I noticed a lot of tourists climbing down the rocks at the edge of the icy lake.

It seemed like a bad idea because there were warnings about thin ice right on the rocks.

We didn't stay at the lake long because it was admittedly a little bit underwhelming during this time of year. We passed a lot of beautiful trees on the short walk back.

Eventually, we drove into the actual town of Banff. Finding a parking spot in a nearby lot was easy.

The streets felt incredibly quiet and peaceful but weren't empty. We came across a lot of people as we walked around.

The shops we stopped in were fairly empty, and it was easy to navigate the town.

The town felt super clean and had plenty of garbage cans with mechanisms to prevent bears from getting inside. It took me a second to figure them out.

We also stopped by the Canadian chain BeaverTails. I'd learned about its fried dough strips from TikTok, and a small line started forming when we arrived just before the store opened.

I was the first person in line, so I only waited a few minutes for a hot BeaverTail with Nutella. It was delicious.

We ate lunch at The Grizzly House, a popular fondue spot a local recommended. He'd warned us to make a reservation, but we were able to walk right in without one. Offseason perks!

We also stopped by a mall in Banff but found it looked almost deserted. A lot of shops were closed, and we didn't see too many people walking around.

I appreciated that every view in Banff was beautiful. Even when we cut through an alleyway, we could see mountains in the distance.

By the time we left at 3:30 p.m., the three-floor lot we'd parked in was jam-packed. I can't imagine how hard it is to find parking during peak season.

Overall, Banff is a great place to spend a day and I don't regret going during the offseason. The weather was comfortably brisk and although I'm sure Lake Louise is prettier during peak times, I'm glad we didn't have to deal with even bigger crowds.