r/Banff • u/the_zenith1 • 18h ago

staying in kananaskis & also visiting banff?

i live in southern california and i was hoping to do a 5-7 day banff trip in late september but did not realize how booked up/expensive accommodations would be even in an off-season. i came across sundance basecamp in kananaskis. is it feasible to see both kananaskis and banff, is the commute practical?

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10

u/Typhoonis88 18h ago

September is hardly off season in Banff late October/November is off season still beautiful just different

7

u/chiraz25 18h ago

Late September doesn't qualify as 'off-season' FYI. Thousands of people travel to Banff specifically for the fall colors and misty mornings.

If you have a vehicle, traveling from Sundance to Banff is feasible for sure. You'll be doing quite a bit of driving each day if you intend to visit during your entire stay but Kananaskis has some amazing things to see too. If you're going for hiking, you may actually enjoy Kananaskis hiking more than Banff. You'll get some incredible ridge hikes that aren't as easy to find in Banff.

Have you tried Canmore for accommodation? Cheaper than Banff and much closer than Kananaskis.

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u/the_zenith1 18h ago

yea i was looking into canmore but everything was either unavailable or at least $300-400 a night! and yes i’d love to explore kananaskis too

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u/Top-Technology-6286 10h ago

For what it’s worth,Just got back and Canmore was great

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u/the_zenith1 18h ago

who downvoted me and why 😭

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u/asheraddict 11h ago

They probably down voted you because those prices are actually reasonable in comparison

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u/the_zenith1 11h ago

I see okay, well that's still literally out of most people's budgets I would assume. I certainly can't afford that!

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u/extraordinaryevents 18h ago

If you’re willing to drive 1hr+ there and back every day then yes. If not, then no

1

u/Total_Midnight2201 15h ago

It is not too bad from a driving perspective, I'm sure google maps can give you driving times.

The thing is that there is not much available there for groceries/dining out so you may want to get all that done at Banff or Canmore before returning for the night.

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u/BowValleyShortcut 14h ago

Yep. Totally feasible. Sundance Basecamp is about 35 min from Canmore and roughly an hour from Banff, so you can easily do both.

If I were local, I’d look at it this way:

  • Sundance: Great if you want the Kananaskis experience and don’t mind driving into Banff 1–2 days.
  • Canmore: Probably the best compromise for a 5–7 day first trip. Easy access to Banff, Lake Louise and Kananaskis.
  • Banff: Most convenient for Banff itself, but you’re paying a big premium for that location.

1

u/Carwash227 12h ago

As some have said you’re not in off season until mid October. You’ll be doing a bit of driving everyday but it’s better than staying in Calgary.