Exploring Banff National Park

If you are thinking of exploring Banff National Park then 2017 is a great year to plan your adventure.  Canada is celebrating it's 150th anniversary and in one of the coolest moves any country has ever made it is giving away free parks passes to everyone!

We visited the park in mid July and the tourism season was in full force.  Here are a few of our tips for getting the most out of your time in the park. 

1.  Reserve your campsite or RV Spot in advance.  We recommend at least a month in advance but if you plan on booking a site last minute online you must reserve your space at least 24 hours in advance to take advantage of the online booking.  If not, each site does have a handful of first-come, first-serve sites set aside.  

2.  Banff (the city) is actually located in the park!  This is a really cool feature that we have not seen in too many others parks.  This means you can get a nice dinner, shop or even hit a brewery all within the park. 

3. Get your day started early.  All of the lakes and trailheads are slammed by 10am and parking can be a pain (especially in a van). So make sure you have your coffee early and hit a few of the hot spots before the rush. 

4.  Stay up late.  We enjoyed finding a quiet parking lot on the side of the road to relax in during the busy part of the day and then went out adventuring again in the evening.  This way we avoided the rush as most people stop touring when they start getting hungry around 5 or 6.  The evening lighting is worth it!

5.  Bring a friend.  Traveling and exploring in the parks is always more fun with a friend or two! Thanks for exploring with us @comeswithaview