Banff National Park, AlbertaBy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Banff
Turquoise lakes with one mountain highway strung between them, and the park reads that simply until you try to park at either end of it. Parking is the hard part now, so the shuttle system exists: reserve a seat, skip the pre-dawn fight for a space at Lake Louise, and get your morning back.
- Adventure trips
- Road trips
- Hiking
- Couples
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Banff at a glance
How long do you need? 4 to 6 days is what most people give Banff, and what follows is the four stops worth building a plan around, Lake Louise first among them, plus the three neighborhoods worth comparing before you book a room. All of it turns into a map you can edit.
- How long
- 4–6 days
- When to go
- Late June to September is the window, because that is when the high trails are clear and the lakes have thawed to the color you came for. Larch season, the last two weeks of September, is the best fortnight in the park, though everybody else knows that too. Winter is for skiing, and plenty of roads and trails close.
- Getting around
- Drive in from Calgary, about ninety minutes. After that, hand the lakes over to Roam transit and the Parks Canada shuttles, because your car is useless at Louise and banned at Moraine. A park pass is required, and you can buy it at the gate once you arrive.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Lake Louise
The lot fills before sunrise in summer, so the Parks Canada shuttle is the better move, and it buys you back an hour of sleep.
- 2
Moraine Lake
Closed to personal vehicles all year, which leaves the shuttle, a bus, or a bike as the only ways in, so reserve before you fly.
- 3
Icefields Parkway
A 145-mile drive to Jasper past Peyto Lake and the Columbia Icefield, and once you start stopping it fills a full day in each direction. Don't try to round-trip it.
- 4
Banff Gondola
Up Sulphur Mountain to a ridge boardwalk, and it is the easiest big view in the park, which is the one to save for a cloudy afternoon.
Where to stay in Banff
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- Banff townsite
- Restaurants, outfitters, and shuttle departures all inside one walkable grid, so it is both the convenient base and the busiest of the three. Browse stays in Banff townsite
- Lake Louise village
- Forty minutes north and closest to both famous lakes, so the morning drive is short, and the village goes quiet after dark. Browse stays in Lake Louise village
- Canmore
- Twenty minutes outside the park gate with better value on rooms, and because you are past the boundary you don't need a park pass to sleep there. Browse stays in Canmore
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More itineraries to copy
Each one opens as a map with every stop already placed.
Banff planning questions
- How many days do you need in Banff?
- Most people take 4 to 6 days, and the extra one earns its keep if you dislike rushing. Four days covers Louise, Moraine, one hike, and the town. Six is the version where you drive the Icefields Parkway, stop at Peyto Lake, and still make dinner, so those extra nights earn their keep.
- What is the best time to visit Banff?
- Late June to September is the window, because that is when the high trails are clear and the lakes have thawed to the color you came for. Larch season, the last two weeks of September, is the best fortnight in the park, though everybody else knows that too. Winter is for skiing, and plenty of roads and trails close.
- Where should I stay in Banff?
- Book Banff townsite if you are undecided, because it is the most convenient of the three and the choice you are least likely to regret. Restaurants, outfitters, and shuttle departures all inside one walkable grid, so it is both the convenient base and the busiest of the three. Two others are worth comparing before you commit, and the difference is mostly rate against how far you walk. Lake Louise village: Forty minutes north and closest to both famous lakes, so the morning drive is short, and the village goes quiet after dark. Canmore: Twenty minutes outside the park gate with better value on rooms, and because you are past the boundary you don't need a park pass to sleep there.
- How do you get around Banff?
- Drive in from Calgary, about ninety minutes. After that, hand the lakes over to Roam transit and the Parks Canada shuttles, because your car is useless at Louise and banned at Moraine. A park pass is required, and you can buy it at the gate once you arrive.
- What should I see first in Banff?
- Start with Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Icefields Parkway. Schedule the first of those before anything else, because it is the one that suffers most from a late start. The lot fills before sunrise in summer, so the Parks Canada shuttle is the better move, and it buys you back an hour of sleep.
- Is there a free Banff itinerary I can copy?
- Yes, and you can read it without an account. The Banff itinerary on Arriv puts every stop on a map in a suggested order. Duplicate it and you get an editable copy for your own dates and your own group, so you can cut whatever you would skip.