Alberta Rockies
Banff and Lake Louise
The national park everyone pictures, in the weeks when you can actually park.
- Mountains
- Wildlife
- Lakes
- Winter
Best in January–February · May–June · September–October
About this place
Banff is Canada’s oldest national park and its busiest. In July the lake shuttles sell out and hotels pass $500 a night. Come in late May, late September or midwinter and the same peaks, the same turquoise water and the same elk are there, with rooms at half the price and room to stand at the shoreline.
Things to do
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake Road is closed to private cars; take the Parks Canada shuttle or Roam bus from the Lake Louise park-and-ride and book the time slot ahead. The road usually opens in early June and closes by mid-October, so time it.
Larch Valley in late September
A 4.3 km climb from Moraine Lake into a bowl of larches that turn gold for about ten days around the last week of September. Weekdays are quiet; weekends need the first shuttle of the day.
Icefields Parkway
230 km from Lake Louise to Jasper past Bow Lake, Peyto Lake and the Athabasca Glacier. There is no fuel between Lake Louise and Saskatchewan Crossing, and the road can close after snow from October.
Johnston Canyon ice walk
From December to March the Lower and Upper Falls freeze into blue pillars. Guided walks supply cleats; you can also do it yourself with your own microspikes.
Wildlife from the road
Elk graze in Banff townsite year-round, bighorn sheep gather at Lake Minnewanka, and bears feed on roadside dandelions in May and June. Stay in the car and keep 100 m away.
Banff Upper Hot Springs
A 40°C outdoor pool at 1,585 m on Sulphur Mountain, best after dark in winter when the steam hides the car park. Towels and swimsuits rent at the door.
When to go
Late May to mid-June
Lake Louise thaws in early June and the waterfalls run hardest. Bears are low in the valleys. Hotel rates are roughly half of July and the shuttle reservations are easy to get.
Late September to early October
Larches, first snow on the peaks, and the summer crowds gone after Labour Day. Nights drop below freezing; days are often clear and 10–15°C.
January to March
Skiing at Lake Louise, Sunshine and Norquay, ice walks in Johnston Canyon, and skating on Lake Louise itself once it freezes solid. Banff town is at its quietest and cheapest outside the Christmas weeks.
Avoid mid-July to August if you can
Parking lotteries, shuttle sell-outs and peak pricing. If summer is your only option, book shuttles the day reservations open and stay in Canmore.
How to get there
Fly to Calgary (YYC)
Year-round nonstops from London Heathrow and Frankfurt; seasonal from Paris, Amsterdam and Tokyo. Banff is 1 h 45 min west on the Trans-Canada Highway.
Shuttle or car
Banff Airporter and Brewster Express run from the airport to Banff and Lake Louise several times a day. In shoulder season a car is still the easiest way to reach the Icefields Parkway and Kananaskis.
Getting around without a car
Roam Transit links Banff, Canmore and Lake Louise. Parks Canada shuttles cover Lake Louise and Moraine Lake from the park-and-ride. A Discovery Pass or day pass is required for the park.
Trips here
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4 packages
FeaturedBanff and Lake Louise6 nightsIcefields Parkway Self-Drive
Six nights Calgary–Banff–Lake Louise–Jasper with a rental car, hand-picked hotels and a Columbia Icefield glacier walk.
- Self drive
- Adventure
From $1,980 per person
approx. £1,052 / €1,228
FeaturedBanff and Lake Louise5 nightsBanff & Jasper Spring Wildlife Safari
Five nights of small-group wildlife tracking on the Bow Valley Parkway and Icefields Parkway when bears and elk are low in the valleys.
- Wildlife
- Guided
From $2,190 per person
approx. £1,164 / €1,358
Banff and Lake Louise3 nightsLake Louise Thaw Photography Retreat
Three nights with a pro photographer capturing the turquoise thaw at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake before the crowds.
- Guided
- Culture
From $1,290 per person
approx. £686 / €800
Banff and Lake Louise7 nightsRockies Rail & Drive
Seven nights combining a scenic train from Vancouver to Banff with a self-drive loop through Yoho and Kootenay.
- Rail
- Self drive
From $3,450 per person
approx. £1,833 / €2,139
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