# Canadian Parks Pass for Banff and Jasper



## geneticblend (Nov 4, 2007)

I have some questions about Banff and Jasper parks that I am hoping some of you can answer. 

I will be going to Banff and Jasper this summer. I will be staying in Banff National Park for 4 days and in Jasper National Park for 3 days. I know you must have a park pass to _enter_ the parks. My question is this...Is your park pass checked _only when you enter _the park gate? 

Here is why I am asking. Once I enter Jasper Park, I will probably not leave until I enter Banff Park. So if I pay for a _one day_ park pass when I enter the park gate at Jasper, will anyone ever check to see if I have a park pass again? If they only check to see if you have a park pass when you are entering the park at the gate, then I should not need to purchase more than one. 

When I leave Jasper, I will have to purchase a park pass for Banff. And most of the time, I will probably stay in Banff Park for my four days there also. So I am wondering the same thing...will I need a pass for everyday, or just for the days I go through the park gate?

Also, I am assuming that the town of Banff is _outside_ the park. Can anyone confirm this? If I decide to go into the town, I would imagine I would be needing a pass to get back into the park. 

Does the park gates close at any particular time?

I will be flying into Calgary. We are staying at Jasper first, then Banff. Is there a route to go where you don't have to drive through Banff Park to get to Jasper?

Also, I know that you can purchase a yearly pass that would include all of the Canadian Parks. And I thought that this was probably what I would have to do. But if I only need a pass to _enter_ the gate, then perhaps I will only need to buy a pass for one day at each park. That would save me some $.

Or, after my summer trip, I might have a park pass up for grabs!


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## geneticblend (Nov 4, 2007)

*Tea Time in Canada*

Here is a stupid question....I've been reading about "tea houses" in Canada. I am not in the least familiar with them, although I've read that they can be expensive. Also, I've read that you can book tea time at the Fairmont Banff Mountain Resort, but you have to reserve this early because it is hugely popular. Please, can someone explain to me what goes on at tea time?

I want to do a hike that goes around Lake Louise, and ends at a tea house, but right now, I don't know if I want to go inside the tea house or not since I am not sure what to expect.


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## Steamboat Bill (Nov 5, 2007)

You are planning a great trip.

Tea time is a very fancy tea can biscuits luncheon that my wife and daughter did in Victoria. It was at least $50 each and in my opinion not worth it. But this is an old fashioned tradition for wealthy families.


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## geneticblend (Nov 5, 2007)

Thanks Bill. Those must be some really delicious biscuits! I keep reading about this nice little tea house that is at the end of a hike around Lake Louise. It seems odd to put an expensive tea house where sweaty hikers would end up. Anyway, now I will know what to expect.

Now if I could just get some answers about the park pass...


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## Dave M (Nov 5, 2007)

The path to the Lake Louise teahouse - it's actually at Lake Agnes - has more than hikers. You can take a horseback ride from Chateau Lake Louise to (and beyond) the teahouse and back. 

As I recall, hiking there takes about three hours round-trip from Lake Louise and includes about 1,000 feet of elevation gain.

For me, the best sight at Lake Louise is to be at the hotel end of the lake at sunrise on a cloudless summer morning. Looking down the lake at the Glacier's varying colors as the early morning sunlight hits the glacier is breathtaking. If you stay at the hotel ($$$$) and have a lake-view room, you can request a "sunrise call". If it's going to be sunny, the hotel staff will give you a wake-up call about 10 minutes before sunrise so that you can enjoy the sunrise glacier view from your room. If it's cloudy, they won't call.


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## eal (Nov 5, 2007)

Hi Geneticblend,
Re your original question about a Park Pass - the pass that you would buy for your trip would cover all of the parks in Alberta and British Columbia.  You leave it on your dashboard and parks staff check parked cars regularly.  It is expensive, an annual pass costs $123.80 for two or more people in a family.  A daily pass is $17 a day so if you are visiting more than a week you are better off with the annual pass.  

Sometimes car rental companies can get you one at a discount; it is worth a call to the car rental office if you will be renting a car.  

Re your second question about high tea:
There are a few hotels in Western Canada, particularly in Victoria and Vancouver, that have an elegant afternoon meal where they charge a lot of money.  However there are also "teahouses" that just serve soup and sandwiches, etc., for more reasonable cost.  For example the last time I was at the Lake Agnes Teahouse I had a peanut butter sandwich and a drink for under $8.00.

There is also a teahouse that you can hike to from the Chateau Lake Louise called the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse.  

Re your question about the "Fairmont Banff Mountain Resort" - I'm not sure if you are referring to a timeshare or a hotel.  Just be sure you aren't mixing up "tea time" with "tee time"!


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## Dave M (Nov 5, 2007)

eal said:


> Re your question about the "Fairmont Banff Mountain Resort" - I'm not sure if you are referring to a timeshare or a hotel.  Just be sure you aren't mixing up "tea time" with "tee time"!


Good catch! 

The Fairmont Banff Springs hotel is a luxury (in terms of cost) hotel that does have afternoon tea - at a cost of more than $30 CAD per person!

The Banff Rocky Mountain Resort is a reasonably low-key timeshare property.


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## geneticblend (Nov 5, 2007)

Thank you Dave and eal for your information.

The trail that I am refering to_ is _the one around Lake Louise that goes to the Plain of Six Glaciers. Does anyone know what the tea house at the end of _that _trail is like? We will be traveling with a 9-year-old, and he loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, but I don't know if he would like doing a hike that takes 3 hours and has a 1,000 feet elevation gain. We've been on lots of hikes with him, and when they get greulling, he starts complaining. A complaining child can sure ruin a vacation. 

And to be honest with you, we are not staying in a timeshare. Shhhh... But don't flame me just yet! I tried and tried to trade for anything in Banff and Canmore in the summer for a few years now, and nothing ever became available. So, yes, when I did mention tea time at the Fairmont in Banff, I did mean TEA time, not TEE time. But that was quite funny all the same!:hysterical: 

I kinda figured that we would end up getting an annual park pass. I just wasn't sure if they checked it all that frequently or not. From everything I've been reading, they only mention that they check for the pass at the park gates. 

Dave, it sounds as though you have stayed at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Have you? What was it like?


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## Dave M (Nov 5, 2007)

It's more than 1,000 feet and about 1 1/2 to 2 hours each way. Here is a link with info on the hike. It's not a "tea" that can't be missed. The hike is what it's all about.

Yes, I last stayed at Chateau Lake Louise in 1994. When we checked in, the clerk asked, "How has your day been?" I replied, "It's been wonderful." Back he came with, "It's just about to get a lot better!" We had a lakeside reservation but got upgraded to a two-story, two-bedroom suite with balconies on three sides of the hotel! There are only a few suites in the entire hotel with balconies. 

We stayed for four nights and used it as our base for exploring Banff. We had a marvelous stay in perfect July weather!

That trail to Plain of Six Glaciers was my last ride on a horse. My body just wasn't meant to sit in a saddle! 

While there, I took a photo of Lake Louise from one of the balconies that I had blown up to 18 X 36 and it now hangs in my living room.


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## calgarygary (Nov 5, 2007)

Regarding your park pass question, it is common to have checkpoints at various locations.  You will never see a checkpoint along the Trans Canada as a pass is not required to drive (not allowed to stop) that highway.  You can encounter checkpoints along the Icefields Parkway, entrances into popular tourist spots (parking lot for Chateau Lake Louise) etc.  Although Park Passes are to be displayed at all times, on those few occasions where I have forgotten to put my work permit out while in Banff, I have never received a ticket.  

I didn't notice if anyone corrected your assumption about having to leave the park to go into the Banff townsite.  That is incorrect, Banff and Lake Louise are located within Banff National Park.  I think if you visit Parks Canada you will learn more about your destination.  Should you plan to go into the back country, please remember to check bulletins and weather advisories.

Dave M, congrats on that great room upgrade.  I have experienced the opposite end of the spectrum.  Back when the Chateau was a CP property, I experienced what is up until the present, my worst night ever in a hotel room.  The experience was so bad, that when talking to staff in the dining room and elevator the next morning, I only had to say what room I had been in and they would apologize for my experience.  Didn't even have to go into details, the problem that occurred next to us was the talk of the hotel and just giving your room number brought out sympathy from the staff.


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## geneticblend (Nov 5, 2007)

Calgarygary, thanks to you too for helping clear some things up. I knew that Lake Louise was in the park, but I was not sure about Banff town site. And as far as the park pass goes, I guess if they do have check points, I should purchase that pass for the entire week (or an annual pass). I did look at the Parks Canada site a long time ago, but I will go look again. I purchased a few books about the Canadian Rockies, one is Moon's Handbook of the "Canadian Rockies Including Banff and Jasper National Parks", another is "Don't Waste Your Time in the Canadian Rockies". That one has a subtitle of "The Opinionated Hiking Guide, Boot-tested and written by Kathy and Craig Copeland". And lastly, I also bought "Banff National Park and the Canadian Rockies for Dummies". I've mostly been reading them to find out what _not_ to miss, and good trails to hike. 

That's too bad that you had an awful experience at Chateau Lake Louise, Gary. You would think that whatever it was, if it was bad enough to have the whole staff talking and feeling sympathatic for you, that the establishment would have compensated you in some way.

Dave, I have heard similar stories that people who have booked _directly __through Fairmont_, and not a travel agency or some guide package (like Brewster for example), have been given wonderful upgrades upon arrival. I guess if the hotel is not full, and nicer rooms are available, they give those nicer rooms to those who have booked with them. That seems to be a nice way of doing business if you ask me! And with Fairmont, you can cancel your reservation 48 hours prior to showing up without paying a penalty. So I would imagine that many times they have extra rooms available. At the same time, they can probably ask an arm and a leg if someone calls that day to find out if they have a vacancy at such short notice! They can't lose. 

If anyone has any suggestions on what to see, and what to skip, I would welcome any comments. I have never been to the Canadian Rockies before, and am looking forward to it. Last summer, we went to Montana and stayed on a dude ranch on the Continental Divide, in Galatin Gateway. (Dave, I know what you mean about your body just not being meant to sit in a saddle!) I thought I would see some fabulous mountains in Montana. The mountains were nice, but not what I was expecting. So now I am off to Oh Canada. The dude ranch was fun though. And we went to Yellowstone while we were there too. That was great.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your information! I appreciate it!


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## Liz Wolf-Spada (Nov 5, 2007)

Canada most be very popular with us Tuggers this year. We have a reservation for a week at Fairmont Mountainside. Do you think we should plan on an overnight in the middle of the week for Banff and Lake Louise? Or would a couple day trips work?
Thanks,
Liz


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## JimH (Nov 5, 2007)

One other point on the Lake Agnes and the Plain of Six Glaciers tea houses - bring cash! As of a year or two ago they do not accept debit or credit cards!
Lake Agnes is the easier of the two hikes, Six Glaciers can be very hot if you get a hot day.


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## eal (Nov 6, 2007)

Hi geneticblend,
I laughed when I read that your son loves peanut butter sandwiches.  I was going to say in my last post that I had the best peanut butter and banana sandwich of my entire life at the Lake Agnes teahouse, but I thought everyone would think "...too much information!"

The trails to both teahouses are pretty straightforward, uphill but at a steady pace.  You may find it to be a fun family adventure to go on horseback.  The stables are right at the Chateau.


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## djyamyam (Nov 6, 2007)

*Lots of families*

For the hike up to the teahouse you go around to the far side of Lake Louise, and up the "beehive" trail to the teahouse.  As Eal has mentioned, it's uphill but not crazy and steady. There are a lot of families with kids that do it.  It is a very busy trail during the summer.

Once you get to the teahouse, it's another trail to get to the plain of six glaciers.  There is also steady traffic for that trail, also with a number of kids.  We've taken our dog on that trail with us.  While the beehive trail is easily wide enough for people to pass by each other, the trail past the beehive is a lot more narrow, especially as you get up on the scree edge.  At the very end, it gets almost to a 40 degree incline but most people stop just before that point.  

Your best book is the "Don't Waste Your time...".  It's very accurate.  When you're in such beautiful country and have limited time, you really only want the best hikes that give your maximum views


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## geneticblend (Nov 6, 2007)

Another question...How long of a drive is it from Banff to Jasper? I know this is all relative to they way you drive, if you stop to look at all the sights or if you just keep on going, or how much traffic there is, etc... But how about a ballpark figure...If you are going to get in your car, and drive from Banff to Jasper, not in a rush, but not pulling over at every stop, how long do you think the drive would take?


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## calgarygary (Nov 6, 2007)

geneticblend, if it is your first time driving between Banff & Jasper, I would allow a full day for the drive.  There are just too many sites along the way for someone visiting for the first time to do it any faster.  When driving for work purposes, it takes me 3 hours.  There are several must sees along the route and I would expect you to take at least 6 hours and easily much more.  To be so close to the columbia icefields and not do the tour would be a regret unless you have already been on a glacier.  If you are doing Lake Louise the same day, even without going to the teahouse, you will be up to 
8-10 hours.  

As far as my stay at the Chateau, as I said, it was pre-Fairmont days and I was on a comped stay to begin with.  Unfortunately, all I got was apologies, even with sending a letter.  I don't even have the satisfaction of complaining about the company as CP got out of the hotel business.


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## happymum (Nov 7, 2007)

I would recommend renting a canoe at either Lake Louise or Moraine Lake. we really enjoyed the experience of seeing the views from the incredibly colored water. The Banff Springs Hotel is very pretty and fun to walk around. They offer a lunch buffet for pretty much the same price as their "high tea" and although expensive, far closer to being worth the money. It also included a free hotel tour by a staff member and my kids found that quite fascinating.
have a great trip!
PS the annual park pass is good for up to 13 months I believe (to the end of the month in which purchased and the following 12 months), so you can sometimes get two summer visits out of one pass.


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## geneticblend (Nov 7, 2007)

happymum, the canoe trip sounds nice. I think we will probably try to do that. We will be going in late August, so we won't get too much extra mileage for the park pass...but at least since it is annual, we could still use it in June, July or early August of 2009! I probably wouldn't have even thought much about that. Thanks.


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## npvacation (Nov 8, 2007)

Could someone recommend some less-expensive lodging
for family of 4 ( 2 adults, 2kids) at Jasper?


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## calgarygary (Nov 9, 2007)

If you are looking for hotel style accomodations, the Sawridge has some reasonable rates.


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## geneticblend (Nov 9, 2007)

I am thinking about doing the Columbia Icefields tour through Brewster while we are there. Do you think we should do this while staying at Lake Louise or at Jasper? 

Also, we would like to try to see Lake O'Hara. I understand that you have to catch a shuttle and there is limited seating on the shuttle. Reservations must be made in advance, etc., etc... What I need to know is again related to location. We are staying 3 days in Jasper, and 2 each in Banff and Lake Louise. From which of these three places would be the best place to make the trip to Lake O'Hara?

I also understand that there are several different gondola rides. Is there one that is more scenic than the others? And is there one that is less crowded? (I would imagine that the Banff Gondola is probably the most crowded, but who knows?)

I am starting to think that perhaps a week will not be enough time to see all that I want to see!

Again, any advice would be appreciated! Thanks.


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## Laurie (Nov 10, 2007)

geneticblend said:


> I am thinking about doing the Columbia Icefields tour through Brewster while we are there. Do you think we should do this while staying at Lake Louise or at Jasper?


You can take the snocat tour on your way driving between Banff and Jasper, or vice versa. You'd still have time for your drive with plenty of stops, if you allow a full day.


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## calgarygary (Nov 10, 2007)

I agree with Laurie as far as the Brewster tour, do it while travelling up or down from Jasper. Lake O'hara is close to Lake Louise so I definitely would tie that into your stay while at Lake Louise.  Jasper gets my vote for the gondola ride.  Your right about the week comment, there is a lot to take in for a one week stay.  Hopefully you're not golfers because that could easily be a week by itself - some great mountain courses out here.  I can't remember if you have talked about dining but if there was one meal that I would suggest you do - Sunday Brunch at the Banff Springs.


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## geneticblend (Nov 11, 2007)

We are not golfers. Well, my husband golfs a little, but without a partner to go out on the course with, I don't think he will want to go at all. We are staying at the Fairmont Banff Springs, and we have breakfast included with our stay, so I don't think we will be doing brunch, but we may do a dinner there. 

I "whispered" about the Banff Springs because as you know, it is not a timeshare. I mentioned somewhere else that we have tried for years to trade for something in the summer in Banff or Canmore, but had no luck at all. So we decided that we would just save up our money and make an extra special vacation to the Canadian Rockies this summer.


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## rcshelton (Nov 11, 2007)

The daily park pass is good for the day purchased and until 4 PM the next day (for any park).  So you are in effect getting two days out of each days pass unless you need to enter a park after 4 PM on the second day.


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## oldee (Jan 26, 2008)

We spent a week in Banff/Canmore last September and did get our pass checked several times as we were driving a car from Oregon so it was harder to hide the fact that we were not tourists. 

One day we did Lake Louise, Emerald Lake, Field and the Horseshoe tunnels. Another full day in Banff. A full day on the way to Jasper and the sights of the Icefield Highway. Shopped in Jasper and  spent the night at Meitte Hot Springs some 30+ miles beyound Jasper.   Another day from Jasper back to Canmore and another day doing the Kananaski Loop out of Canmore. And then off to Radium Hot  Springs and home by way of Spokane.


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## talkamotta (Feb 2, 2008)

geneticblend said:


> I am starting to think that perhaps a week will not be enough time to see all that I want to see!.



Ive been to Banff and Jasper 2x.   You will never have enough time to see everything you would want to see. It can be overwhelming.  This summer we will be spending 2 weeks. One in Fairmont and the other in Banff.    Im still trying to plan what we want to see and what we will pass on.  That area has so much to offer,  would a month be long enough? 

You can always go back.   

Thanks for this post.  Ive been taking lots of notes.


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## geneticblend (Feb 2, 2008)

npvacation said:


> Could someone recommend some less-expensive lodging
> for family of 4 ( 2 adults, 2kids) at Jasper?



Hello! I have been doing so much web surfing on the Canadian Rockies, I know I have come across a lot of accomodation information for Jasper. But I really have not been paying attention since we have already booked our stay. But I _did_ bookmark this site, which might be helpful since you are traveling with children:

http://www.canadianrockies.net/familytravel/

It lists a lot of good information, including different types of accomodiations. I hope it helps! When are you going?


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