Banff and the last free parking…
10min read
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The town of Banff is visited by about 43’000 people on average - every day. With an elevation of 1383 meters, Banff is the highest town in Canada (according to Banff.ca). Located inside the Banff National Park, the park was established in 1885 and was the first National Park in Canada. In 1984, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are many things to discover in and around Banff that makes it worth the 134 km (1.5h) trip from the Calgary International Airport.
On a typical day, there are about 9500 inbound vehicles (visitors only) heading to Banff, all competing for a finite number of parking spaces within the townsite. Since May 2021, visitors to the town of Banff have to pay on many streets in and around downtown. However, there is a little known secret among locals, right in the heart of downtown, where you can park for ‘free’ so long as you’re in possession of a Parks Canada Discovery Pass or a day pass, but more on that in a little while. Let’s first see why it’s worth it to visit Banff in the summer time.
Banff sign - one of the busiest places in town… (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)
The hike up Sulphur mountain is always an adventure and an excellent workout. The winding trail is hidden amongst the trees beneath the Banff gondola. It is a 10.9km hike with an elevation gain of 756m on a pathway that closely follows the gondola overhead. From time to time during the ascent, a break in the trees offers picturesque views over the valley below and the surrounding mountains. While the rewards for those who opt to reach the summit by foot are plentiful (just due to the views alone), those who are not physically able (limited mobility, the elderly or families with young children) can share in the scenic wonder by hopping on the gondola for an 8 minute ride to the peak. Once at the top at an elevation of 2282m, you can walk to the Cosmic Ray Station and the old Weather Station, enjoy restaurants, observation decks and interpretive boardwalks.
Along Banff Avenue are many specialty shops and restaurants where you find local and handmade items along with the typical souvenirs of a little resort town - everything from little poopy elk keychains to funny t-shirts and maple syrup. For more serious shopping endeavors, the Town has some big names to offer like Canada Goose, Lulu Lemon, Patagonia, the Hudson’s Bay, Roots and The Body Shop. We can recommend checking out the Spirit of Christmas, a store where you can find all things Christmas - year round.
Sulphur Mountain Gondolas (check out our shop for full resolution posters and canvas prints)
Best places to go in Banff with kids:
For families with kids there are several fun activities:
Horseback riding at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Warner stables by the old hot springs (https://horseback.com). In the summer they offer horseback rides for kids aged 3+. Horseback riding starts in April.
Playgrounds: There is the central park playground (https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/banff-central-park-playground/), the Banff Rotary Playground (https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/banff-rotary-playground/), the Banff Recreation Playground (https://calgaryplaygroundreview.com/banff-rotary-playground/) and the Banff Elementary School Playground. We can recommend the Banff Rotary Playground since it is usually not as busy as the others, has picnic tables and is surrounded by trees which offers some protection from the summer heat.
Hotels and restaurant recommendations in Banff:
Out of the many restaurants in the town of Banff, we can recommend the Old Spaghetti Factory (https://oldspaghettifactory.ca/locations/banff/) - ideal for families of all sizes with reasonable prices and an all inclusive menu (sourdough bread with garlic butter , soup or salad, spumoni ice cream and tea or coffee comes with every meal).
If you are looking for a 4-star accommodation experience, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/) or the Rimrock Resort Hotel (https://www.rimrockresort.com) would be ideal choices. We’ve tried both of them for special occasions and found it to be a very exclusive experience. What we can recommend if you simply want clean and comfortable and don’t want to spend too much is the Fox Hotel and Suites (https://foxhotelandsuites.com) on Banff Avenue, in walking distance to the town centre (9 min).
Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)
The ghosts of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was opened in 1888 and has seen many guests and stories since. No surprise it also has several ghost stories to tell.
The tragedy of the ghost bride took place around 1930 when a bride walked down the stairs, her wedding dress caught fire and she fell and died at the bottom of the stairs. Since then she became the ghost bride who allegedly appears at night, dancing in the ballroom or walking the same staircase down which she fell some 92 years ago.
The Royal Canadian Mint and Canada Post even made a collectors coin and a stamp in honour of the tragedy of the ghost bride.
Sam MacAuley was the head bellman at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel for many years and he liked his work there so much that he would often joke about returning to the hotel after his death. He was forced to retire in 1976 but died before he could collect his last paycheck. Ever since then there are stories of an older bellman floating around, helping people in the hotel as a friendly ghost. Two older ladies who could not enter their room asked the frontdesk for help, but the bellman was busy at the time. By the time he arrived, the two ladies were already inside their room and told him that an older gentlemen in a bellman uniform helped them to open the door, even though there was no one working there at the time matching the description.
You can find more stories about the ghosts of the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel in the links below:
https://www.avenuecalgary.com/city-life/the-ghosts-of-fairmont-banff-springs/
https://royalalbertamuseumblog.tumblr.com/post/179628580328/the-mystery-of-the-ghost-bride
http://banffspringsproject.weebly.com/sam-the-belllman.html
Activities and ways to explore Banff:
You can explore the Bow river around Banff by canoe or kayak from the Banff Canoe Club. They resume operations in May after the long winter and charge $50 for the first hour. They also have stand up paddle boards (SUPS) for $30/hour and cruise bikes. The Banff Canoe Club is located at the corner of Bow Ave and Wolf Street.
A great way to explore Banff is by bicycle. There are several places in Banff where you can rent mountain bikes, cruiser bikes or e-bikes:
https://www.banffadventures.com/Things-To-Do/Summer-Activities/Bike-Rentals
https://www.skibig3.com/blog/banff-bike-rentals-and-cycle-trails/
https://ultimatebanff.com/summer/
For golf fanatics there is the world famous Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course (18 holes, par 71, 6938 yards) open from June to October:
https://www.fairmont.com/banff-springs/golf/the-fairmont-banff-springs-golf/
There are many other summer activities you can do in and around Banff like:
Whitewater rafting
Wildlife tours
Helicopter flights
Sightseeing tours
Hiking tours
ATV tours
Cave tours
Zipline tour
Fishing tours
Horseback riding tours
Other places we can recommend visiting in Banff:
Bow Falls viewpoint (right by the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel)
Surprise Corner viewpoint
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Banff pedestrian bridge (and a walk along the Bow River to the Bow Falls)
Banff Bow Falls (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)
How to get to Banff and where to park
The fastest way to reach Banff from the Calgary International Airport is via Highway 1, taking approximately 1.5h. If you are planning on using a rental car, it is highly recommended to book in advance since rental companies in Calgary are often booked out during peak season (see Turo peer to peer car rental below for other rental options).
There are several public parking area available in Banff where you can still park for free, but as mentioned at the beginning, on most streets in and around town you will have to pay for parking above and beyond the cost of the park pass. The biggest free outdoor parking is located by the Railway station (Train Station Public Parking, 500 stalls) which is signalled when you exit the Highway (2nd exit into Banff when you come from Calgary) and on busy days in the summer you will be directed there. There is also a shuttlebus from the parking to the town centre, but you can easily make it there in 10min by foot.
The second largest parking is the Bow Avenue Parking on Bow Avenue along the Bow River (94 stalls). From there it is a 5min walk to Banff Avenue.
There is one more free parking which is hidden in the Bear Street Parkade above the ground floor paid parking. Levels 2-4 of the Bear St Parkade are free for 9 hours and offers parking availability for 187 vehicles (a hidden gem unknown to most visitors). These three levels are the only free parkings in a parkade in Banff and is located directly behind Banff Avenue, in the middle of the town. Just make sure you arrive there early, as by lunch time the parking is usually completely full.
As for paid parking, there are 7 parking areas in the Town of Banff where you can park your car for $3/hour in the summer ($2/hour in the winter). There are pay station machines where you can use coins, credit or debit cards, or you can use the Blinkay app for iPhone or Android. Information about parking in Banff can be found here: https://banff.ca/93/Parking
You will need a Park Pass for your stay in Banff with the car. When you drive to Banff on the highway there are toll booths where you can buy a day pass for $10.50 CAD per Adult (Youth are free) or a Discovery Pass for the whole family for $145.25 CAD.
You can find all the Tarifs and Fees including Camping and Fishing permits here:
https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/tarifs-fees
Town of Banff and Buffalo Mountain aka Tunnel Mountain (check out our shop for full resolution pictures and canvas prints)
Turo peer to peer car rental
If you can’t find a car from a rental company we recommend using the peer-to-peer platform Turo (https://turo.com). Here, you will most certainly find a car. Many hosts offer an early bird discount and discounts for bookings over 3 days.
We list our cars also on Turo. Most of them have been to Banff many times and know the way. We offer a 5% early bird discount for bookings 7 or more days in advance, a 5% discount for any bookings longer than 3 days, and a 10% discount for bookings longer than 7 days.
When booking one of our cars we will plant a tree in North America and issue you a Tree Gift Certificate (see here for more information)
2017 BMW X1 xDrive28i AWD (Midsize SUV, 5 Seats)
https://turo.com/ca/en/suv-rental/canada/calgary-ab/bmw/x1/1465539
2021 Toyota Highlander Hybrid AWD (SUV, 7 Seats)
https://turo.com/ca/en/suv-rental/canada/calgary-ab/toyota/highlander-hybrid/1291151
2020 Toyota RAV4 Hybrid AWD (SUV, 5 Seats)
