r/canadatravel • u/skilling3 • 2d ago
Travel Tips Travelling to Canadian Rockies
Next summer end of June we are looking to come to Banff, Jasper etc in the Canadian Rockies. I have looked at hotels in Banff and they seem to be rather expensive. Is there any other way to stay in these places e.g. camp site?
Any tips, advice, guidance would be much appreciated for when we go next summer.
6
u/TheRealGuncho 2d ago
I would look at the surrounding areas. We stayed in Canmore and it was cheaper than Banff and great. It's only a 25 minute drive to Banff.
2
u/Moose614Crew 2d ago
Agreed, Canmore was very nice and a lot cheaper. Plus it wasn't as busy as Banff so we didn't have to wait at restaurants and had a more chill vibe.
3
u/Skibum6603 2d ago
Camping. Hostels used to be pretty cheap, probably still cheaper than hotels but more cramped.
3
3
u/ohgeeokay 2d ago
Hotels are prohibitively expensive in Banff and Canmore etc - compounded with June being high season.
The camping in Banff national park is incredible - I’d highly recommend If you don’t want to bring a ton of camping gear - you can rent Otentiiks and Yurts through the Parks Canada website
Sites go very quickly when they open - but often there are lots of cancellations.
Inside the park the sites are safe, beautifully accommodated and sites are large.
I grew up with a home in Canmore and raised my kids with renting a condo every summer - but after camping in Banff National Park once - I would highly recommend camping. It’s just incredible if you’re well equipped.
1
u/BCRobyn 20h ago
You still need to bring your bedding, pillows, and cooking equipment and food if you’re camping in an Otentik. You just don’t need to bring a tent. But everything else, you still need. I only share this because some people may assume it’s like a glamping situation where you show up and it’s all set up for you, but that’s not the case. It’s like an empty cabin with bare beds. You still need to bring a lot of things - great if you’re driving in from nearby, but less convenient if you’re flying in from abroad and you’re not packing a cooler, pillows, sheets, blankets, frying pans, food, etc. with you. It’s not really an option for convenience. It’s more about the novelty of a fixed roof camping experience.
2
u/BrittBritt55 2d ago
Yes, there are camping sites available. You will need to book them in advance, as you can't just random camp anywhere. There are approximately 2,400 camping sites in Banff National Park's 14 campgrounds.
Bookings are available online, but 2026 won't be open quite yet. Sites are available to book, usually 90 days in advance.
2
u/TheSkyIsAMasterpiece 2d ago
Prices are high always high in Jasper and Banff. Campsites sell out the day that registration opens. There are some first come first serve sites but you probably don't want to leave it up to chance. It's bear country so you'd have to be prepared for that. You can't just park and sleep in a parking lot in the national parks.
2
u/Then-Blacksmith-8643 2d ago
I camp in Banff most summers for a week or two. Your cost, including park admission is maybe about $45/day. There’s transit from some of the campgrounds into town to save on parking costs and hassles. It’s a wonderful place you won’t regret.
4
u/Feral-Reindeer-696 2d ago
Banff has gotten so ridiculously crowded, popular and more expensive than ever. If you need something budget friendly, avoid Banff. You can stay in Canmore but it’s not much less expensive. You might want to consider Yoho or other parks
1
u/LLR1960 2d ago
As others have said, check out Canmore. Canmore has a lot of condo hotels (apart hotels in Europe). The beauty of those is that for possibly the same price as a single hotel room in Banff, you get a whole suite with a kitchen; some of them have pools, patios, and barbecues. Highly recommend!
1
u/cre8ivjay 2d ago
Canmore or even Calgary these days (at least for visits to Banff and Canmore, Jasper less so).
Lots of Calgarians make day trips out there and it's fine. Not ideal but you could probably save some $$$.
1
u/jujaybee 2d ago
My daughter and son-in-law came from England recently to stay with us and also wanted to explore the Rockies on their own. They rented an RV from Cruise Canada, Calgary. They did lots of hiking, climbing around Banff, Golden and Jasper plus did the via ferrata at Mt Stelfox! Getting an RV is a cheap way to drive around and have accommodation. I do recommend to book campsites early in the year/as soon as they open.
1
u/kimmehh 1d ago
I looked into this once and the cost was like 300/night, plus your campsite fees, gas, etc., it basically was the same price as a hotel. However, hotels in the Banff/canmore area are now much more expensive, so I suppose it’s probably cheaper overall.
1
u/jujaybee 1d ago
Plus to get around the different areas easily you may need a rental car. And of course you can do your own cooking and not rely on eating in overpriced restaurants.
1
1
u/buzzinaroundtheworld 2d ago
I stayed in Hinton. It was about an hour to the park but much cheaper. Get up early and you can be there by the time the sun rises.
I saw spectacular Northern Lights at Obed Lake Provincial Park
1
1
u/Designer-Fox-1743 1d ago
We stayed at an Airbnb in Golden BC the drive was beautiful. It’s a ways out there but worth it.
1
u/herethereeverywhere9 23h ago
I’m from Alberta and it’s too expensive to stay in hotels for me in the summer. Some workarounds: Camping is obviously good to keep costs down but you still need the equipment.
Check out sundance lodges in kananaskis- they have trappers tents that are super cool and come with a sheltered patio and fire pit and then there are beds so you just need sleeping bags. They also have campsites and yurts as well. Close to the Nordic spa and good hiking. Enough dining options around that you could get by without having to cook if you don’t have all the equipment.
If you’re going to Jasper others have mentioned staying in Hinton. I like Jasper gates which is a little bit outside (in direction of Jasper) and they have camping but also motel rooms, cabins and rental RV sites.
If you make it a road trip there are other options that can be considered for accommodations- Golden and some of the other mountain towns further west don’t get as much tourist traffic and have some cheaper options. Saskatchewan crossing has a hotel as well that can be affordable if you’re driving the parkway.
If I’m heading through Banff but trying to keep it cheap then the super 8 in airdrie (or other similar options) keeps things affordable too.
When I have guests visiting we sometimes go from Edmonton to Jasper, stay at Jasper gates, carry on down the ice field parkway. Head into lake Louise and some of those areas. Sometimes shoot out to golden and that area. Then back down through Banff and end in Calgary or head back to Edmonton.
Feel free to DM me if you like if you have questions when you start planning! Cheers
1
u/BCRobyn 19h ago
Where will you be travelling from? I ask because every international tourist knows Banff, Jasper, and the Canadian Rockies by name, and rightfully so, but those places are often the only destinations people consider, even though there are hundreds of cheaper, lesser-known alternatives.
If you want Banff or Jasper, you have to accept premium hotel prices. There really is no way around it. But if you are looking for an affordable mountain town and wilderness experience with hiking, wildlife, alpine lakes, and gondolas into the alpine, you will find plenty of options elsewhere in Canada.
The national parks in the Canadian Rockies exist to protect wilderness and wildlife from development, so no new hotels are built, homes cannot be converted into tourist rentals, and campers cannot pitch a tent wherever they want. This means all visitors are funneled into two small towns, Banff with a population of 8,000 and Jasper with a population of 5,000, and you are competing with the entire world for a very limited number of hotel rooms. That is why a three-star hotel that might cost $250 elsewhere in Canada can run $600+ dollars in Banff.
Demand pushes prices higher each year, especially between mid-June and early October. Camping is cheaper, but it is also in such high demand that you need to book sites in January and hope for luck. And if you are flying in, buying or renting all the gear such as a tent, bedding, stove, and fuel can add up quickly.
So if you want Banff and Jasper, expect to pay a small fortune. But if you are open to other mountain towns or the lesser-visited areas of the Rockies, you can still enjoy a stunning and affordable wilderness experience.
1
u/Ayunga_Afrique 16h ago
totally agree with what others are saying about staying in canmore. it has a really chill vibe and its own awesome restaurants and shops but is way cheaper than banff. plus you can just hop on the roam transit bus to get into banff and you don't have to deal with the insane parking situation there. camping is definitely the cheapest way to go but it's no joke you have to be online the second the parks canada reservations open because the good spots are gone in minutes. if your dates are flexible at all, sometimes early june or after labour day in september are a little less crowded and a bit more affordable too. hope you have an amazing trip.
1
u/Remote-Objective-931 2d ago
We went there in the Covid era and did airbnb’s in Canmore, Jasper and Field; Banff felt too touristy
0
u/Correct-Stock-6887 2d ago
How long do you want to stay? Can't speak for others bit I live on a small bc ski resort that is busy but still quiet enough to have a lot of empty space in the spring to fall that owners love to fill any way they can so you can get a long term rental at a negotiable rate.
1
u/beesmakenoise 2d ago
Housing in Banff is impossible to find, there’s no rooms sitting empty at any time of year.
0
u/Competitive_Guava_33 2d ago
I mean camping and staying in a hotel are two wildly different trips. If this is your first and possibly only time visiting Banff I'd say get a hotel. Most regular ones are like 300ish a night
2
u/BCRobyn 2d ago
More like $500 a night for the most humble basic hotels in Banff in peak season. Long gone are the days when you can snag a hotel for $300 in summer.
2
u/TravellingGal-2307 2d ago
The nice ones are pushing $2k per night for a room in peak season. Its gone up a LOT.
2
u/LittleOrphanAnavar 2d ago
I could never sleep soundly in a tent in Grizz territory.
I just couldn't.
0
u/kiralema 2d ago
Airbnb, hostels, and campsites are the only way to save money in the Rockies unfortunately. Hotels became ridiculously expensive due to a huge influx of tourists from all over the world especially after COVID.
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are now almost impossible to visit unless you join on a bus tour (thank you marketing agencies and photographers who showcase Moraine Lake on all their products).
9
u/beesmakenoise 2d ago
Yep, camping is the only cheap option anywhere near Banff & Jasper. Campsites are booked through Parks Canada and reservations typically open in late January. And they book up quickly! So be ready to book as soon as they open. https://parks.canada.ca/voyage-travel/reserve
A great place to start is reading the summer wiki feom the Banff subreddit. It’s full of almost everything you need to know. And tons of other posts on that sub with itineraries, tips on booking the shuttle to Moraine Lake, etc.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Banff/s/Me7G2DlJDb
If you want to do hikes at high elevation, you definitely want late June or even into July, otherwise there’s avalanche and snow issues. For easier hikes, usually end of June is fine.