How to Enjoy the Fall Colors in Banff Without Hiking

Usually, around the third week of September every year, the fall colors around the Canadian Rockies are popping. It’s a time when most people head to the mountains to enjoy all the fabulous larch hikes.

However, if you’re not much of a hiker, do not worry; there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the fall colors in Banff, Canmore, and Kananaskis. Grab a thermos and a fleece, and enjoy the yellow larch and aspen trees without clocking the kilometers on foot.

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See the Fall Colors in Banff (Without Hiking)

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Go For A Drive

Just taking a drive in the Canadian Rockies will showcase the fall colors quite well. You’ll be able to see plenty of fall colors in Banff and even some yellow larches on the Icefields Parkway; however, we have found the best area for larch trees from the road in Kananaskis Country.

Just take a drive down Highway 40, and you’ll see a full-on autumn spectacle. You’ll see the colors as soon as you get to Barrier Lake, but for an absolute explosion of color, it’s best to keep driving to Highwood Pass Day Use Area.

When driving down the Trans Canada from Banff to Lake Louise, keep your eyes peeled and look up. We often see plenty of yellow larch trees around the Mount Temple Area.

*Notice: Alberta Parks is asking hikers to avoid stopping around the Highwood Pass area of Kananaskis during the 2024 fall season. Ongoing construction there will result in very limited parking and intermittent closures. Roadside parking is not allowed. This includes the Highwoods Meadow Interpretive Trail, and the popular Pocaterra Cirque and Ridge Routes, Arethusa Cirque, and Ptarmigan Cirque.*

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Helicopter Tour

Rockies Heli Tours Canada near Nordegg and Alpine Helicopters (book their Mt Assiniboine & Glaciers Tour!) in Canmore offer helicopter tours that will give an incredibly unique perspective of the fall colors.

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Lake Louise Gondola

The Lake Louise Gondola runs through peak larch season (until October 14th, 2024). Take the chairlift or gondola up and walk onto the Lake Louise viewing platform to get a great view of Lake Louise in front of you.

From here, you’ll also get views across the valley of Little Temple, Mount Fairview, and the larches along Saddleback Pass. The Lake Louise Gondola also provides access to a few easy hiking trails, like the Pika to Ptarmigan Viewpoint Trail, which will have you walking through beautiful yellow trees.

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Horseback Ride

Banff in the fall is magnificent, and one of the best ways to enjoy the larches without hiking is by hopping on a horse. Brewster Adventures offers various day trips to areas around Lake Louise. Take the Lake Agnes Trail and enjoy a three-hour horseback tour (departure times: 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.).

If that doesn’t sound like enough for you, you can book a full-day tour with Brewster. They will take you along the east side of Mount Fairview on the stunning Paradise Valley Trail. This is a 7-hour tour ($395), during which you’ll get up close to Temple Mountain, have lunch at Lake Annette, and then continue to the Giant Steps Waterfall before heading back.

For something truly epic and off the beaten path, book a tour back to Skoki Lodge with Timberline Tours. Skoki is one of my favorite areas in Banff to see the larch trees in the fall. You usually have to hike at least 20km to see these stunning landscapes, but the horse does all the work on a tour like this!

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Walk the Bow River

You can really get some fantastic views and see fall foliage just by going for a walk. We love to walk along the Bow River in Canmore, where larches, aspens, and shrubs dot the shoreline. You can also see the orange and yellow hues around Quarry Lake in Canmore.

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Cascade Ponds

We love heading to Cascade Ponds to see the aspen turning yellow in the fall. Here, there are some nice picnic tables and BBQ pits where you can have a fall cookout. Please remember to pick up all your trash and LNT.

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Go For a Bike Ride

You don’t have to hike to see the fall colors in Banff, instead opt for power by two wheels. One of the best ways to view the spectacular colors in the valley is by going for a bike ride. Our favorite bike rides are Star Wars in Banff, the Odyssey Trail in Canmore, or go for an extra long ride and bike the Legacy Trail from Banff to Canmore.

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Hikes in the Rockies

We’re big hikers, and during the few short weeks when the larches turn yellow we try to get out as much as possible. There are plenty of hikes around Kananaskis and Banff to enjoy the colors. A few of our favorites are Burstall Pass, Pocaterra Ridge, Arethusa Cirque, Taylor Lake, and Arnica Lake. If you’re looking for the best hikes to enjoy in the fall, see our guides below.