Do you need a Discovery Pass for Banff?

You need a park pass of some kind: daily admission, charged per person with a family or group rate for up to seven people in one vehicle, or the annual Discovery Pass. The Discovery Pass pays for itself in about seven park days, so it wins for any Rockies trip that also touches Jasper, Yoho or Kootenay.

Can you drive to Moraine Lake?

No. The road is permanently closed to personal vehicles. Access is by Parks Canada shuttle, Roam’s Super Pass with the Lake Connector, or a licensed tour, all of which should be booked ahead.

How many days do you need in Banff?

Four is right: two for the Lake Louise and Moraine area, one for the Banff townsite and its gondola and hot springs, and one for the Icefields Parkway.

When are Banff lakes ice free?

Lake Louise typically thaws in late May or June and Moraine Lake, which is higher, usually opens in June. Before that they are frozen and white rather than turquoise.

Is Banff or Jasper better?

Banff has the famous lakes, more services and more people. Jasper is bigger, wilder, quieter and better for wildlife. The Icefields Parkway links them, so most trips do both.

Banff National Park: lakes, shuttles and the crowd problem

On this page

Entrances and getting there
Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
The Icefields Parkway
Beyond the two famous lakes

Banff is Canada's first national park and its busiest, and the specific problem it has is that four million visitors want to photograph the same two lakes. Parks Canada's answer, which works, is to take cars out of the equation. Plan around the shuttles and Banff is wonderful. Ignore them and you will spend your holiday in a parking queue.

Entrances and getting there

Most trips arrive on the Trans-Canada from Calgary, about an hour and a half to the East Park Gate, where day passes and the Discovery Pass are sold. The other ways in are Highway 1 from the west through Yoho and Golden, Highway 93 South through Kootenay to Castle Junction, and the Icefields Parkway down from Jasper. Which pass to buy is arithmetic covered in the Canadian parks guide.

The 3-day plan

Ease in. Town first, then the mountain.

09:00 Banff Avenue Coffee and a slow wander before the crowds arrive.
10:30 Cascade of Time Gardens Free terraced gardens with the best view up Banff Avenue to Cascade Mountain.
12:00 Park Distillery Campfire-cooked lunch. Try the smoked trout.
14:00 Banff Gondola Ride up Sulphur Mountain. The boardwalk to Sanson Peak is worth the extra half hour.
17:30 Bow Falls Viewpoint Quick stop on the way back into town.
19:30 Vermilion Lakes Sunset over Mount Rundle. Bring a tripod.

Start from this plan

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise

Moraine Lake road is closed to personal vehicles. This is permanent, not seasonal congestion management. Access is by Parks Canada shuttle, Roam’s Super Pass (which includes the Parks Canada Lake Connector from Lake Louise), or a licensed commercial operator, and every one of them books out. Roam’s buses do not go to Moraine Lake themselves. Lake Louise has parking but it fills before dawn in summer and carries a fee, so the shuttle from the Lake Louise Park and Ride at the ski resort is usually the saner choice.

Book shuttles on the Parks Canada reservation service as soon as your dates are firm. In 2026, 40% of the season’s seats went on sale at the April 15 launch and the other 60% at 8 am MT, 48 hours before each departure (checked 2 October 2026).

Banff National Park Open the full map

The Icefields Parkway

The 230 kilometre road from Lake Louise to Jasper is one of the great drives anywhere. Allow a full day, not the three hours the map suggests. Stops worth making include Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, the Columbia Icefield and Athabasca Falls. There is no fuel for long stretches, so fill up in Lake Louise before you start.

Beyond the two famous lakes

Johnston Canyon: catwalks bolted into a limestone gorge past two waterfalls. Very busy by ten in the morning, magical at seven.
Lake Minnewanka: the biggest lake in the park, with a boat cruise and easy shoreline walking, and far fewer people.
Sunshine Meadows: alpine wildflower meadows on the continental divide, reached by gondola in summer.
Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain: a boardwalk ridge walk and the full valley panorama.
Plain of Six Glaciers: the hike from Lake Louise that most visitors do not do, ending at a teahouse.
Banff Upper Hot Springs: exactly the right thing after any of the above.

Book it and check it

Common questions

Do you need a Discovery Pass for Banff?: You need a park pass of some kind: daily admission, charged per person with a family or group rate for up to seven people in one vehicle, or the annual Discovery Pass. The Discovery Pass pays for itself in about seven park days, so it wins for any Rockies trip that also touches Jasper, Yoho or Kootenay.
Can you drive to Moraine Lake?: No. The road is permanently closed to personal vehicles. Access is by Parks Canada shuttle, Roam’s Super Pass with the Lake Connector, or a licensed tour, all of which should be booked ahead.
How many days do you need in Banff?: Four is right: two for the Lake Louise and Moraine area, one for the Banff townsite and its gondola and hot springs, and one for the Icefields Parkway.
When are Banff lakes ice free?: Lake Louise typically thaws in late May or June and Moraine Lake, which is higher, usually opens in June. Before that they are frozen and white rather than turquoise.
Is Banff or Jasper better?: Banff has the famous lakes, more services and more people. Jasper is bigger, wilder, quieter and better for wildlife. The Icefields Parkway links them, so most trips do both.

Tip

Banff townsite paid parking and the Roam buses, a couple of dollars a ride in town, make a car close to unnecessary once you are based there. Park it and use the network.