I've been there before when they close access to the town at the highway. Traffic coming off the highway, without proof of a reservation, is directed right back on the highway. I think it was 2018 when I first encountered that on a busy weekend. This weekend, the August long holiday weekend, is the single busiest weekend of the entire year in Banff National Park. I timed my visit so that I was out of there ahead of that.

Instagram is killing the place. So many people showing up and crowding the shoreline and posing for photos. Fortunately, you can get away from the crowds by going on a hike, since the vast, vast majority of the visitors are just windshield tourists that don't stay long, and don't go far from the parking lot. But it sure crowds the roads and parking lots.