Banff National Park

Why this park

Banff is Canada's oldest national park and the image most people have of the Canadian Rockies: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in impossible turquoise, glaciers reaching down to the road on the Icefields Parkway, elk wandering through the town of Banff. The park sits an hour and a half west of Calgary in Alberta and borders Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay — together one continuous mountain region with the Trans-Canada Highway running straight through it.

For an RV trip, Banff is almost made too easy. The Parks Canada campgrounds are within walking distance or a short bus ride of town, the Roam buses and Parks Canada shuttles take you to the lakes where parking a large vehicle is no longer an option, and the roads are wide and quiet. With three nights you can do one day around the town of Banff and Lake Minnewanka, one day Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and one day Johnston Canyon and the Bow Valley Parkway — or make a start on the Icefields Parkway towards Jasper.

With kids

Johnston Canyon is Banff's kids' hike: a path with steel catwalks bolted to the canyon wall to the Lower Falls (a good kilometre) and, for those who want, on to the Upper Falls. Around town there are the flat Fenland Trail and the banks of the Bow River, and the Banff Gondola takes you without climbing to the boardwalks on Sulphur Mountain. At Lake Louise the lakeshore trail is flat and stroller-friendly; at Moraine Lake the Rockpile Trail is short and steep but very doable. A boat cruise on Lake Minnewanka and the Banff Upper Hot Springs are rainproof alternatives. Children aged six to eleven pick up the Parks Canada Xplorers booklet at the visitor centre and earn a souvenir by completing activities.

Wildlife is the rule here, not the exception. Elk walk through town and are unpredictable in autumn and spring; stay at least thirty metres from them and a hundred metres from bears. At the campground the Parks Canada bare-campsite rule applies: all food, coolers, rubbish and even the washing-up go into the closed RV whenever you are not right there. Hike as a group, talk loudly and follow Parks Canada's instructions when a trail is closed or open to groups only — that happens in bear season. The weather changes fast: pack rain jackets and warm layers even in August, and allow for the altitude of around 1,400 to 1,700 metres at the town and the lakes.

Camping and reservations

Parks Canada runs all the campgrounds in the park and reservations go through the Parks Canada Reservation Service. For RVs the key ones are: Tunnel Mountain near the town of Banff (Trailer Court with full hookups, Village II with electricity, Village I without), Two Jack Lakeside and Two Jack Main near Lake Minnewanka (no hookups, but the finest views), Johnston Canyon and Castle Mountain along the Bow Valley Parkway, and Lake Louise Campground, where RVs use the hard-sided section — the tent zone has an electric fence against bears. Along the Icefields Parkway there are simple campgrounds such as Mosquito Creek, Waterfowl Lakes and Rampart Creek, mostly first-come, first-served.

Parks Canada announces the reservation launch dates in advance each winter season, per park and usually in January to March; that morning Tunnel Mountain Trailer Court and Two Jack Lakeside are full for the summer within the hour. Create your account in advance, pick out the sites that fit the length of your RV and be ready on time. If you miss it, Canmore, twenty minutes east but just outside the park, is the best alternative with RV parks and the Alberta Parks campgrounds in Bow Valley Provincial Park; Kananaskis Country and, on the west side, Golden and Field (Yoho National Park) are realistic fallbacks too. Check the Parks Canada site for which campgrounds are open this season and when the season starts and ends.

Driving an RV

Driving in Banff is relaxed. The Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) is wide, twin two-lane and free of tunnels or height restrictions for a rental RV; wildlife fencing and overpasses keep the animals off the road. The Bow Valley Parkway (Highway 1A) is the quiet old road with a good chance of wildlife, but has seasonal restrictions — a spring closure to motorised traffic on one section and cyclist-only periods in summer — that you check on the Parks Canada site. The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93 North) is very drivable in an RV, with long climbs to Bow Summit and Sunwapta Pass; between Lake Louise and Jasper the only fuel is at Saskatchewan River Crossing, and even then only in season — leave with a full tank.

At the lakes you leave the RV parked. Moraine Lake Road is closed to private vehicles; you take the Parks Canada shuttle from the Park & Ride at the Lake Louise Ski Resort (reserve in advance, a share is released shortly beforehand) or the Roam bus. The car park at Lake Louise itself is paid, has little room for long vehicles and is full well before sunrise. In the town of Banff there are designated RV parking areas on the edge of the centre; downtown is too tight. To drive in the park you need a valid Parks Canada pass, even if you are only passing through.

Frequently asked questions