11 Mistakes to Avoid in Banff National Park

Banff National Park is one of my favorite places in the world! There is so much to do here — I’ve visited in both summer and winter — multiple times each — and I still want to keep going back. However, there are some mistakes you can make when visiting Banff National Park that you should be aware of. Here are some of the most common 10 mistakes people make on a trip to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies.

1. Not buying a park pass

National Parks in Canada work a little differently than they do in the USA, especially when you visit Banff. Just like in most US National Parks, you need to buy a park pass in order to visit. However, the actual town of Banff is in the National Park boundaries and if you are even so much as just parking for an hour or so to eat at a Banff townsite restaurant, you need to have a park pass displayed on your vehicle. Or you will get fined — and they do check!

Not only do you need a park pass to visit, you need a valid park pass each day you’re there and for each person. This cost can add up significantly, especially if you’re visiting multiple parks. On my last trip to the Canadian Rockies, I bought the Discover Pass, which works a lot like the America the Beautiful pass in the United States. Check the Parks Canada site for more detailed information.

To make it easier, you can buy a park pass in advance and have it mailed to you. If you already have a park pass, you can zip through the gates that are on the Trans-Canada Highway as you get closer to Banff and be on your way much quicker.

2. Going on the Banff Gondola on a cloudy day

I’ve been to Banff several times now and I have actually never been on the Banff gondola — every time I have the chance to do this, the weather doesn’t cooperate. Riding the Banff gondola is an expensive excursion so you want to make sure you get the most out of it by going on a day where you can actually see something. Fortunately, you have the option to re-schedule your visit for another day but it must be done 48 hours before your scheduled time slot. While that helps, it’s not foolproof. It’s recommended to make reservations in advance but this is such a finicky experience all weather-dependent — and it’s very expensive — that I would just wait and book it closer to the time you want to go and hope for the best.

3. Missing the Red Chairs

While visiting some of the main sights in Banff National Park, you might stumble upon a set of red Adirondack chairs. These chairs are placed in strategic spots in Canada’s national park system, often by a scenic view. Some are placed in easy-to-find locations and some require some hunting. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt game! For more information, check the Parks Canada website.

Over the entire Parks Canada system, there are over 400 of these red Adirondack chairs!

4. Spending too much money on excursions

A huge reason why I’ve been to Banff so many times and have not done the gondola — it’s expensive! A trip to the Canadian Rockies isn’t cheap, especially if you find all of these heavily advertised tourist trap attractions that make it seem like they’re a ‘must do’ — they add up quickly. There is plenty to do for free — scenic drives, tons of hiking, wildlife viewing — that’s all free. You don’t need to spend money on a tour! If you want to the tours – that’s awesome – but don’t feel like you have to do the gondola or the Columbia Icefields glacier / skywalk — I’ve been to Banff many times and have never done these things and I don’t feel any FOMO. Don’t let those flashy “Pursuit” websites suck you in — you don’t need to do all that stuff if you don’t want to – you will still have a great time.

You can bundle these attractions too, making it a little easier on the pocketbook.

5. Not researching enough

If you want to come to Banff National Park in the summer, you’re going to have to do a bit of research to make sure you have the best experience — this is a crowded place (but don’t let that scare you away!) Two of the main attractions of this area are the beautiful glacier-fed lakes of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Everyone else wants to see them too! A shuttle system has been put in place — you can take a shuttle to one or both of these lakes.

Lake Louise doesn’t require a shuttle, but the parking lot is often filled just after sunrise on a daily basis. Plus, they charge a hefty parking fee.

The road to Moraine Lake is closed to personal vehicles and requires shuttle tickets.

Here is a link to getting shuttle tickets – you must have them in advance!

6. Not booking accommodation in advance

Banff is a very busy place in the summer and you can’t wing it here with hotel reservations. You have to have a place to stay before you come! As soon as you know you’re coming here, make those hotel reservations. Remember, you can stay in Canmore too — and you’ll save a little bit of money.

7. This isn’t the USA

I mean, duh, right? It doesn’t seem all that different to an American, but this isn’t the United States. A few things that get first-time visitors hung up are –

• Many places accept USD cash but they’ll give back Canadian dollars — and if you pay for stuff in USD cash, you’re getting a horrible 1:1 exchange rate. You can always use a credit card, but more on that later.
• Remember the exchange rate — it’s in your favor as an American. Think of it as a 20-30% discount off the listed CAD price.
• Prices in Canada are generally higher than the USA. You’ve probably noticed it on printed price tags of international brands, or on books that list a USD and a CAD price. So sometimes, you’re not getting a discount at all.
• Your phone won’t work unless you pay more for an international data plan or have T-Mobile. Of course, this varies from network to network and it seems to change a lot. Just be aware that you might be paying a daily fee to use your phone data — and this can add up big time! And when you use up the data (which isn’t a lot so don’t be playing games on your data plan!), it’s throttled making it absolute worthless.

If you want to exchange cash, you can do that at the Clocktower Village Mall in downtown Banff. We only needed to do that because we needed Canadian quarters to do laundry. Otherwise we never needed cash.

8. Not using a credit card with free foreign transaction fees

Remember, this isn’t the USA. While most places accept credit cards, you might be in for a surprise when you get your credit card statement. Check with your credit card company to see if foreign transaction fees apply before you go. Or sign up for one that has free foreign transaction fees.

If you have an American Express, you’re going to have much more difficulty finding places to accept it. Bring a VISA or Mastercard and save yourself the headache.

9. Going too early in the season

Winter in the Canadian Rockies can linger on far into June! Trails can have snow until July (we wanted to hike a trail at Mt. Edith Cavell in early July and it was still closed for the season!), lakes can still be frozen well into June, etc. If you’re planning major hikes and want to avoid snow or trail closures due to snow, plan your trip for mid July or later. If you want to make sure you see the teal blue colors of Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, you’ll need to wait until late June for your trip — sometimes the road to Moraine Lake doesn’t even open until the last week of June.

10. Skipping the main tourist sites because of crowds

Or skipping them because you have a ‘too cool for school’ attitude. Look, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are crowded, there’s no getting around it. But they are crowded for a reason — they’re AMAZING. You absolutely HAVE to see them in person. They’re popular for a reason — and they’re probably the reason you wanted to go here in the first place. Get your shuttle tickets and go — you won’t regret it.

11. Not Trying the Maple Cookies

OMG. Seriously. These cookies are to-die-for. I can’t get enough of them. Hell, I’d plan a trip to Banff just to get these dang cookies. They’re that good! They’re sold in most gift shops and they’re pretty reasonably priced. We bought boxes upon boxes of them to bring home!

There you have it! These are some of the most common mistakes first-time visitors make when visiting Banff National Park. To help you in your planning, here are some other posts I’ve written on the Canadian Rockies that you might be interested in:

Ink Pots Hike (Johnston Canyon) – Banff, Canada: Review and Guide
Johnston Canyon – The Worst Tourist Attraction in Banff National Park
Peyto Lake in Banff National Park: 10 Things You Need To Know
10 Must-See Stops along the Bow Valley Parkway – Banff National Park
15 Epic Things to do in Banff during Winter