Everything you need to know BEFORE you go to Banff

Banff National Park is Canada's most popular national park. Here's what you need to know before you go!

Discovery Pass

You need to buy a park pass. This is called the "Discovery Pass". This pass is required to visit all national parks in Canada. I would suggest purchasing it online before you go so you don't need to waste any time purchasing it at the gate. The line ups get very long in the high season so this will save you A LOT of time.

There are 2 options, daily pass or yearly pass. The daily pass is $11 per person, per day. If you are going to be in a national park for 7 days or more, it makes more sense to purchase the yearly pass. The yearly pass is $75.25 if you're just one single person. If you are a couple or family, you can buy the family pass which is good for 7 people for $151.25.

Bear Spray

Unless you only plan on spending time in town during your trip to Banff National Park, you need to carry bear spray with you. You can rent bear spray in town so you don't need to purchase it. Ultimate Sports, Snowtips-Bactrax, and Wilderness Equipment Rentals. Rental costs typically range from $10-$12 per day. Some retailers also offer weekly discounts. 

Weather

The weather in the mountains changes quickly. It can snow or be very cold at any point in time (yes, even in July & August). Make sure to pack layers and bring a range of clothing.

Fires

Unfortunately, Banff and the surrounding areas are prone to forest fires. Always double check the weather and advisories before your trip to ensure no forest fires have broken out. You can still visit if there is a wild fire (depending on how close it is) but know that the air quality will be poor and the views will be impacted. We have been to Lake Louise when there was a forest fire nearby and you couldn't even see the mountains the air was so thick.

Flights

Fly into Calgary airport to visit Banff. It is the closest airport to the park. it is an hour and a half drive to get to the park from Calgary. You could visit Banff without a car but we highly recommend you rent a car so you can explore more of the park. If you want options for visiting without a car, click here.

Closest Airports to the following parks:

Banff - Calgary, AB

Jasper - Calgary, AB or Edmonton, AB

Glacier - Calgary, AB

Mount Revelstoke - Calgary, AB

Waterton - Calgary, AB

Klaune - Whitehorse, Yukon

Cash vs Credit

Credit card is accepted nearly everywhere in Banff so you don't need to worry about bringing cash if you don't want too. The currency for everything is in Canadian dollars. If you try to pay for something with US dollars, it will be accepted but you will be getting an awful exchange rate or no exchange rate at all (face value).

Best time to visit

July & August is "peak" season. Weather is perfect but with good weather comes more crowds. We've been to Banff in every season and our favourite time to go is June or September. In June, you're getting summer-like temperatures without the crowds. The only thing you have to worry about is that temperatures could be colder than usual depending on the year and the high elevation hikes will still have snow on them. September is great because all the kids have gone back to school so no crowds & the temperatures are perfect for hiking. Larch season is in September which we find magical! Larch season is where the trees turn a beautiful golden colour, making hiking even more magical. Late September can get snow so keep that in mind.

Pets in the park

Unlike the US national parks, Canada's national parks are extremely dog-friendly. Almost all hikes are dog-friendly, and the town of Banff is also very dog-friendly. You can go into almost all stores on the main street, and most patios allow dogs. Make sure to always keep pets on a leash.

Mount Revelstoke National Park is one of the least friendly national parks in Canada due to a high volume of bears. Dogs are not allowed on most high elevation hikes or on Meadow in the Sky Parkway.

Wild animals

You will likely see elk, deer and bears during your time in the park. Never approach wildlife. Do not get out of your vehicle for a photo of the animals. Do not disturb the wildlife in any way, shape or form. Please.

Hiking

Always check trail conditions before heading out. Trails are sometimes closed due to bear activity or other reasons. Alltrails & Parks Canada's trail closure website are great resources to check for closures.

Parking

There's paid parking in town of Banff on most of the streets and in a few parking lots. But, theres one FREE parking lot that many don't know about it. Its an 8 minute walk to town from the free parking and its located beside the train station. If you type train station into google maps, when you arrive, you will see a big sign that says free parking with an arrow.

Where to stay

There are plenty of hotels right inside town of Banff and lots of them are right downtown you can park and walk to the shops instead of struggling to find parking.

The only hotel we have stayed at in Banff is Fox Hotel & Suites - we liked that this was close enough to downtown to walk to restaurants but far enough away that it was not loud at night. They also have a really neat underground cave hot tub.

Staying in the park is a lot more expensive so if you want a cheaper option and are ok with staying outside of the park Canmore is only 20 minutes away and will be cheaper.

Another option is Golden, BC. This is an hour from Banff but its only 30 minutes to Yoho National Park and prices here are even lower than Canmore.

Visiting Moraine Lake

Shuttle needs to be booked ahead of time. As soon as you know your dates, check out the travel tips section to see everything you need to know about booking Moraine Lake.