realgirl58

I'm planning a trip to the Banff area next summer, primarily for hiking. I was thinking of adding Jasper, but then I read about the horrible forest fires. What other area to explore besides Banff? Yoho? Kootenay?

BC_Robyn

Yes, Yoho and Kootenay are options if you're hiking, but don't just limit yourself to the national parks (parks managed by Parks Canada). Expand beyond to the adjacent provincial parks (operated by BC Parks and Alberta Parks) and then there becomes hundreds of alternatives in the general vicinity.

• Home | BC Parks
• AlbertaParks.ca | Alberta Parks

Look up Kananaskis, south of Banff. Kananaskis is the umbrella term used to describe a vast part of the Rockies just outside of the Banff National Park boundary, and includes a lot of different Alberta parks, including Peter Lougheed Park:

• Nature & Parks | Canmore Kananaskis
• Peter Lougheed PP - Peter Lougheed Provincial Park | Alberta Parks

Look up Fernie in the Lizard range of the Rockies, southwest of Banff, including Island Lake Lodge:

• Hiking Trails in Fernie BC | Tourism Fernie
• Hiking In Fernie BC at Island Lake Lodge

Look up Mount Assiniboine Park, for backcountry hiking:

• Mount Assiniboine Park | BC Parks

West of Jasper is Mount Robson Provincial Park, which is famous for having the tallest peak in the Rockies:

• Mount Robson Park | BC Parks

Look up the Kootenays (the vast mountainous region west of Banff in British Columbia), specifically the Slocan Valley, Rossland, and Nelson:

• Hiking Trails and Groups for Nelson, Kaslo and Area | NKLT
• Hiking | Slocan Valley, British Columbia
• Hiking and Trail Running Archives - Tourism Rossland
• Kootenay Columbia Trails Society - Home

If you're hikers, look up these sites for a taste of the hiking adjacent to Banff:

• Best Summit Hikes in the Kootenays – Kootenay Rockies
• Home - West Kootenay Hiking
• Adventure Meets Nature – Hiking in our National Parks – Kootenay Rockies

I'm not trying to overwhelm you with options, but just painting the picture that you could easily spend a lifetime hiking in this part of the world and never run out of options. Pick a few places this time, come back in the future to hike the others.

p.s. Snow can stay on the high alpine trails until late July, making them inaccessible, so if you're coming to the Rockies specifically to go alpine hiking (and not casual sightseeing steps from your car), make sure you're coming between late July and mid September, no later, no earlier.