Arranging a trailhead Drop-off in Banff/Lake Louise/Moraine Lake Road 6/29

[SteelToe]

I've been out of the game for a little while, but am diving back in with a week long whirlwind through the Banff area. Most of the hikes are pretty straightforward in/out or loop hikes that don't require much transportation strategy, except for one. I'll be doing a day hike from the Paradise Valley Trailhead along the Moraine Lake road, and jumping over the southern wall of the valley through Sentinel Pass down to the Moraine Lake Lodge to end the hike, and pick up the car/leave.*

This brilliant plan seems to have two possible complications, however, which is where ya'll's advice may prove helpful.

First, I understand the lodge road is so badly overcrowded it gets shut down for a large portion of the day, only usable during morning and later hours. How plausible, or how early, is arrival at the Lodge in the morning to park the car? Do they typically close this road overnight during summer months or can we drive up at 4am if need be to score a parking space?

Second, is the dropoff at the trailhead; we're a party of four, so hitchhiking may not practical/reliable, and I believe the shuttles start late enough in the day to take a large bite out of prime hiking daylight. Does Uber or a similar taxi/rideshare service operate out here that we could call upon? It sounds like most hikers do this trail the opposite direction, arranging a ride to the Lodge at the end of the day; as a devotee of the Law of Murphy, I don't want to be chasing a hard deadline at the end of a 14 mile hike in order to get back to the car/hotel easily if I can help it.

Any advice from folks who are familiar with this area or these trails is welcome!

Giant Steps.jpg

*possibly grabbing a nice dinner at the Lodge if it is worthwhile vs. other locations reachable by car at the end of the day

TCB

[SteelToe]

I suppose I'll broaden my question a bit further; how are other folks hiking in the Banff area going about arranging two-point hike transport (assuming they don't have local contacts or multiple vehicles already)?

As a worst-case fallback, I'm sure a hike in/out from the lodge over Sentinel Pass would still be quite stunning, but I think Paradise Valley is worth being a bit greedy

TCB

[Niagara]

Sorry nobody has kicked in a good reply. I used to live in edmonton but not anymore. Texas and Alberta share almost the same land size but such a huge population difference. That and the trees are too far apart or too close together out there.
Niagara