took a train there for our Honeymoon...that was a long time ago. Big Country.

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sometimes

Canmore is actually nicer than Banff and only 10 minutes away, less tourists and just more space to move. Lots of options to hike / bike in K country which is on your doorstep. Is there anything specifically that you want to do?

Take a drive down the Cowboy trail through Bragg Creek to Longview, great "big sky" views and some nice places to get coffee / food. Drive the Highwood pass, it's stunningly beautiful. Go to Lake Louise and walk up to the tea house of th e6 glaciers. It's very tourist busy until you get to the end of the lake and then the crowds thin out, a nice hike with great views, food and drinks available at the tea house. The other tea house hike is not as good imho.

Take the drive up the Glacier parkway to Jasper, another stunningly beautiful drive. Drive to Radium hot springs and soak in the hot pool there.

Either way don't waste too much time in Calgary, it's your stereotypical North American city with not much to catch your attention.

I live in the area so if you have any questions let me know.

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Second the vote for Canmore. I stayed there for several days on a two week trip last summer after ITU Multisport Worlds and it was pleasant and way less of a zoo than Banff. Found some really good off the radar lodgings through the Canadian Alpine club.

It is extremely crowded at the major attractions, like Lake Louis and Banff. However, if you want to go out for backpack or do a somewhat difficult hike you can get away from the crowds and get some solitude very easily.

The other posts both mentioned Canmore and Bragg Creek, so you've got that already. You didn't say where you're coming from... Rather than taking the major highways in the Edmonton/Calgary/Banff area, take the secondary highway(s) such as Hwy 22, 2A, 1A, etc. to hit the small towns rather than just the big road that takes you from A to B in the least amount of time. Highway 68 between Calgary and Hwy 40 has great views if you don't mind a gravel road.

If you're looking to do hiking or biking (MTB), review the trail situation on Trailforks. For road riding or gravel, it's worth looking at a Strava segment map in the area(s).

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Less is more.

Good advice given above. Not sure what you specifically want to do, so feel free to PM me for more specific info. I hike and eat a fair bit, so some good ideas in those areas.
-Staying in Canmore is a better option than Banff. The difference in pricing for food and lodging makes it even more appealing. Great dining options are everywhere in both towns.
-You can take bikes by paved pathways or trail between the two towns. It is about a 15km ride.
-Gobs of great hikes acessed by the Smith-Dorian Trail (gravel road) which is right above Canmore. If you want to be around fewer people, hike on weekdays. Often you will see 0-2 groups on a hike during the week. Burstall Pass and Burgess Pass hikes are both impressive
-Banff is nice when quiet, but is pretty crazy on summer weekends. Prices are getting more and more offside. Banff Springs will run you about $500+ a night.
-Staying in Field gives you easy access to Emerald Lake, Lake O'Hara and Takakwa Falls. All nice, but Takakwa can get very busy on weekends with slow access in and out. Field is small, quiet village with not much to do in town.
-Lake Louise is often "full" during summer weekends and you have no option but to park out of town and take a shuttle bus in. Go early and on a weekday for less chance of this. It is worth it to see the lake, hotel and what's left of the glacier. Tea house hike is a great experience. Moraine Lake is a impressive short visit a 15 minute drive from the town site. Can access so great hiking from there.
-There is a Delta hotel in Kananaskis Country near the Highwood Pass on highway 40. Nice place, but not a place to stay for nightlife. Gives you easy access to the hikes around there. Nice spa, pool and hot tubs.
-Depending how far you want to drive Golden, Fernie and Invermere can be good bases as well.

I'm a Calgary local, but have a little better view of it than the poster above. Happy to help with ideas town.

What about Golden? Haven't been there for years so I thought I'd at least suggest it?

Below are all good points, I love the delta in kananaskis ( it is now a Sheraton), but I don't care about night life and grew up hiking and backpacking there so I avoid Banff as much as possible. If you let us know about what you want to do, see and experience we can offer more help. I have tons of good trail recommendations to share I just need a little more information on what you want to do and how capable you are. Also not sure where you are coming from and while we aren't Denver high if you are coming from sea level you will notice it.

Ben

If you are planning on staying in Lake Louise, don't stay at the Chateau. The Post Hotel is the place to stay.

Yoho Nat Park, especially Lake O'Hara.

Plenty of great hiking around Lake Louise too. The longer and higher you go, the fewer people. The loop of Paradise Valley and the Sentinel is wonderful day walk. Also Mt Fairview for views over Lake Louise.

I did some fantastic trail races in the Rockies around that time of year in 2015. Iron Legs 50 Mile, Trailstoke 55 km (have to love aid stations with chocolate covered bacon!), Sufferfest 50 km, Mt Robson 50 km (simply stunning on the Berg Lake trail).

I heard that prices at the Kananaskis lodge have gone up dramatically now that the reno's are finished. Same problem in Banff as well, hard to find a room for under $250 per night there now. We usually go to a VRBO in Canmore which works out to be better value for us.
I was fat biking there yesterday, just stunning.

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I don't know about the summer rates I always stay in the winter as a nice get away and to get 2 days of XC in, this year I have 2 weekends booked at 225 a night which is about what I paid last year I think. Realistically unless you want to do 2 or 3 days of hiking in Kananaskis you are better to stay in Canmore, and yeah I haven't stayed in Banff for a few years because I can never find anything cheap enough.
Canmore is cracking down on VRBO/AirBNB so I would be a bit careful about that one in the future I would hate to get there and find out they have shut down my rental, I think they are just fining owners but that can have an impact on if they stay open after you have booked.

Ben

We went in September 2017, kinda after the peak season and right before winter. Much of the info on this thread is pretty on point. Even though this was the 'less crowded' time of year it was still completely full of people. I can't imagine what the real peak is like.

We did a mix of car camping and hotels every couple of days. Stayed in Kamloops, Valemount, Jasper, Banff, Lake Louise, Canmore, Revelstoke, Penticton, and back home.

National Park campgrounds were cheap, pretty posh and well run, we were plenty comfortable at the several we stayed at. We did many of the usual attractions. Plain of the Six Glaciers at Lake Louise (as well as Lake Moraine) were absolutely stunning. Budget for lunch at the teahouse, it is expensive and worth every single penny to have a hot meal on the side of a mountain when you are soaked and freezing. We camped at Lake Louise and were parked and hiking by 7:30 AM to avoid the bulk of the rush. Even then it was busy. Any later and it's a madhouse.

Despite the crowds, the whole area is stunning and the people are pretty nice. We did not get to enjoy much of the Icefields Parkway due to smoke from forest fires.

Aside from the hiking I had a blast mountain biking in Kamloops, Banff, and Canmore. There is an unending supply of awesome trails to ride, so bring along a fat tire bike if you get a chance. Did some road riding as well but the MTB was definitely way better.

All in all, it was a fantastic trip. Glad we went.

Last recommendation is to get a guide book for the area. I know it sounds old school... my wife grabbed one from the Library and it keyed us into a bunch of off the beaten path attractions that were well worth it.