Dont see any recent threads on this only. Just started planning trip, 8-9 days in late August, my wife and I love day hikes, wildlife, avoid places where tour busses go. Thinking 1 day at Banff, 3 days at Lake Louise, 3 days art Jasper, any tips on accommodations would be welcomed. We like quiet fun quirky places, not resort-types. And any other insights would be welcome.

If you want to avoid tour buses then plan to spend a half day at Lake Louise.

Search for previous threads, there are some good recommendations. Favorite hike was at Lake O'Hara (Alpine Circuit) but you need to probably call immediately to see if you can get a reservation on the bus. Some other recommendations:
Moraine Lake Larch Valley (7.2 mi) here
Johnstone Canyon + Inkpots (7.2 mi) here
Lake Louise Plain of Six Glaciers (8.4 mi) here and here and here
Moraine Lake Shoreline & Rockpile
Also recommend Canmore Cave Tour and Ice Walks on the glacier.

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If you want to avoid tour buses then plan to spend a half day at Lake Louise.

Search for previous threads, there are some good recommendations. Favorite hike was at Lake O'Hara (Alpine Circuit) but you need to probably call immediately to see if you can get a reservation on the bus. Some other recommendations:
Moraine Lake Larch Valley (7.2 mi) here
Johnstone Canyon + Inkpots (7.2 mi) here
Lake Louise Plain of Six Glaciers (8.4 mi) here and here and here
Moraine Lake Shoreline & Rockpile
Also recommend Canmore Cave Tour and Ice Walks on the glacier.

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This. Gigantic cluster. Lake Louise is beautiful but there are a million tourists.

My wife and I went for a long weekend last July. We stayed in Banff. We did Lake Moraine one morning (just hiked around the shore) and Lake Louise that afternoon. Spent one day in and around Banff and hiked from the falls up to the base of the gondola, saw the top of the gondola (beautiful, but maybe not worth the cost), did the springs, and then hiked back down to the falls for cocktails on the great pub overlooking the golf course. Went up to the glacier one day. Beautiful drive, but again, a billion tourists. And the cost for the glacier experience was not worth it IMO.

We spent our last afternoon exploring downtown Calgary.

If we were to go back I'd like to just do more hiking. Have a nice hike during the day and some nice beers/dinner in town afterwards.

You can do some nice river rafting on the beautiful Red Deer River in the area. Wet suits year-round I believe but you can jump in during the summer and after the initial shock it is quite pleasant to swim in the river. I have stayed at the Hotel Chateau Lake Louise. Crowded and $$$$. Also stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel and thought it worth the price for a night or two. Architecture and style were really cool IMO and the setting is also magnificent. Spend a decent chunk of time further up the road towards Jasper. Still crowds there but much less so. Enjoy.

We were going to visit Banff morning and noon and lake Louise early afternoon. Still time to make drive up through jasper?

It's been years since I was up there, but remember that you are going to have very long days in Jasper during the summer. The drive time between the two is listed on the interweb as being 3 hours. Assuming you don't have to clean any moose, elk, or bear off of your fender. Enjoy. It's a gorgeous part of the world, and assuming you live in Texas it will really be a nice change of weather for you during the summer.

Skied Banff & Lake Louise in February. Surprisingly not crowded (sarcasm) and in ten days, not once did it get above ten degrees below zero.

Knew it was a bad sign when the plane of Canadians returning home were bragging about 90+ degree hill country temperatures in February.

We drove up from Banff to the Columbia Fields glacier last summer. That's only 70% as far, but I bet it took us all of three hours. Maybe traffic won't be as bad this time of year (we went in July). With it being a windy mountain road, there were a lot of times we were stuck behind someone going 45 miles an hour. There also was some road construction, that maybe they haven't started on this early.

Absolutely one of the 3 most beautiful drives I've ever made though. Every 10 minutes or so I'd point out the window to my wife and say, "THAT is the most beautiful mountain I've ever seen." Then about 10 minutes later I'd have a new most beautiful mountain I'd ever seen. Incredible.

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Skied Banff & Lake Louise in February. Surprisingly not crowded (sarcasm) and in ten days, not once did it get above ten degrees below zero.

Knew it was a bad sign when the plane of Canadians returning home were bragging about 90+ degree hill country temperatures in February.

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That's cold.

How was the skiing? They've been on my ski list destination for years.

Skiing was worth the trip. Mountains make Colorado look like Austin hill country and Moose are huge. At the time we went, the exchange rate was 4/3 in our favor, so we ate and drank well. Cuban cigars were a waste of money, too cold outside and not allowed inside anywhere that we could find. The price of having a Cuban in your party. We filled out a form and got all our lodging taxes refunded. The group blew all that (>$500) on a trip to Wiggy's and had a heck of a party.

I've always wanted to go back in the summer, but don't care for crowds.

What are recommendations for stops in jasper area?

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How was the skiing? They've been on my ski list destination for years.

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I have been there both in the summer and in the winter for skiing. I absolutely love the area in the summer. I didn't think the skiing was anything worth the extra travel, other than that the views are spectacular. It can be brutally cold and the days are very short. Also, they are reliant on the storms coming out of Canada, and some of the storms that come from the Pacific have already dumped snow before they get to the Banff area. Not nearly as reliable in terms of yearly snowfall as Utah.

Nothing compares to Utah, but South Lake Taho is close when you get big snow falls.

the drive from Banff to Jasper sounds incredible. It would be great to be able to travel to a glacier.

If you enjoy day hikes, but want to get to some more remote areas, check out one of the backcountry lodges. My wife and I spent a couple of nights at Brewster's Shadow Lake Lodge, and I can't recommend it highly enough. Hike in during the day, sleep in a cabin, and do day hikes that you'd only be able to get to by backpacking, otherwise. I'd do the hiking in and out a little bit differently if I were to go again, and can be more specific if you'd like.

For the gondola at Banff, if you hike up first thing in the morning, the ride back is free up to a certain time. Can't remember the details, though.

Hiking to the tea houses in Lake Louise was great. We did a loop, hitting both on the same day. On the recommendation from a local staying at Shadow Lake Lodge, go to the Lake Agnes tea house first, as the views coming back from the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house are better.

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What are recommendations for stops in jasper area?

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The brewery in Jasper is worth stopping.

There are also several stops along the way going south out of Jasper that are good stops. Athabasca Falls being one of them.