Banff National Park Guide: What You Need To Know

Know Before You Go: 'Save' this post for your next trip to Banff National Park

To visit Banff National Park you have to purchase a park pass - whether it's an NP pass or a day pass from @parks.Canada

We use All Trails to figure out which hikes we want to do on what days. My sweet dog has hip dysplasia so we always look at the meters climbed and reviews to figure out whether it's a hike she can do or not.

Best time to visit

You can visit year round, but if you want to visit Moraine Lake and take a canoe out on Lake Louise, we recommend visiting between May and October. Be sure to get there early, especially on the weekends (i.e. try to be there around 7-7:30 a.m. because there are only a set amount of parking spaces. We have gotten there at 7:45 before and haven't been able to get a spot. There is additional parking outside of the town which has buses to take you up, BUT if you have a dog, they are not allowed on the buses, so just be conscious of that!

Hiking Trails to do

Moraine Lake Shoreline Trail

Consolation Lake Trail

Lake Louise Shoreline Trail

Lake Agnes Trail

Where to Stay

Camping

We have camped in Canmore (Wapiti Campground) and Banff. We find camping is the easiest with a trailer. A lot of the campgrounds can be reserved through @parks.canada.

Hotel/AirBnb

We will be staying in an @airbnb in Canmore this spring because we have friends coming to visit so I'll update on that once we do! There are plenty of hotels including @fairmontcll Even dog-friendly ones!