Banff National Park Travel Forum

My boyfriend and I are planning a road trip from Sacramento to Banff and Jasper at the end of May (~May 23rd-June 6th). My main concern is that we will be too early for the outdoor activities we are interested in (mainly hiking, and maybe some kayaking). Can someone tell me what activities we can expect to be available during this time? I have two tentative itineraries I'm working on. I can probably push the trip out to 15 days, so both itineraries have a few days to add in somewhere along the way.
Itinerary 1:
Day 1: Drive from Sacramento to somewhere in Nevada, probably near Wells
Day 2: Drive to Butte, Montana
Day 3: Drive to Glacier National Park, Montana
Day 4: Full day in Glacier National Park
Day 5: Drive to Banff
Day 6: Full day in Banff, Lake Louis area
Day 7: Drive to Jasper
Day 8/9: Full days in Jasper
Day 10: Drive to Kanloops
Day 11: Drive to Seattle to visit friends
Day 12: Drive to Bend, Oregon to visit family
Day 13: Drive to Sacramento
Itinerary 2:
Day 1: Drive from Sacramento to Mnt Shasta area
Day 2: Drive to Bend to visit family
Day 3: Drive to Spokane, Washington
Day 4: Drive to Banff
Day 5: Full day in Banff, Lake Louis area
Day 6: Drive to Jasper
Day 7/8: Full days in Jasper
Day 9: Drive to Kanloops
Day 10: Drive to Seattle to visit friends
Day 11: Back down to Mnt Shasta
Day 12 Drive home
If anyone has any input, comments, or suggestions, that would be great!

Mountain weather is always a gamble, in any of the 12 months. If you own enough outdoor clothing that can be layered, you will be comfortable in the outdoors.
Higher altitude hiking will likely offer snow/ice, but the lower areas and valleys will be at least warm if not dry. I can't offer much info about kayaking, but my feeling is that the rivers will still be fast from the spring melt, so that may be a consideration if you are a novice.
You have given yourself ample driving time. The Icefields Parkway (between Jasper and Lake Louise/Banff is one of the most beautiful drives on Earth, so allow a full day with plenty of stops.
Enjoy!!

I would try and squeeze in at least one more full day for the Banff area, one day isn't enough time to see Banff and Lake Louise. Under ideal conditions, I would suggest at least 3 days for this area. But at the very least, allow yourself 2 days for this area, you won't regret it.

As mentioned, hiking trails at higher elevations will still likely have snow on them, but lower elevation trails will be open. One trail I would recommend at that time of year would be Johnston Canyon. You can expect the mountain lakes to still be partially frozen as well, so you won't be able to see the beautiful turquoise colours that they are so famous for. Seasons for both rafting and kayaking tend to run from mid-May through September, so both of these could be an option for you. You can definitely expect fast running water in May.

There are businesses that rent mountain bikes and this would be another activity option for you. Other options would be rock climbing, horseback riding and spelunking. There are 2 companies based out of Canmore (just outside the Banff park gates) that can take you spelunking, if interested. One other more spendy activity would be to take a helicopter tour.

Feel free to check out my travel pages for pictures and suggestions for your vacation.