I have read that in order to park in the lot by Lake Louise you need to arrive before 7:00 am in order to get a parking spot. Or it was recommended to make a reservation with Park and Ride from Lake Louise Village for a certain time. Has anyone recently used Park and Ride? Where is it located this year? Also we originally planned to stay overnight in Banff for a few nights but now are considering changing one night to stay at Lake Louise Village to make this easier. is there a local bus that will take you into the Lake Louise Park area? Which parking option have you used, and what would you recommend?
Posted by
OP
464 posts
We plan to go the end of August, 2022.
Posted by
1583 posts
The park and ride is currently located at the Lake Louise ski area at the end of Whitehorn Rd. This recent blog post gives you info on different ways to get to Lake Louise, https://thebanffblog.com/lake-louise-parking/, including how to get there from Banff.
Posted by
OP
464 posts
Thank you Periscope and Trotter. This is very helpful information.
Posted by
Pennsylvania
280 posts
Hello!
we used the Hop on Hop Off bus from Banff in 2018, and it was a good experience back then (I know it’s been several years). Looks like they’re still in business though, here’s the link
https://www.hoponbanff.com/
We had also heard about the tight parking situation at places like Lake Louise, and this bus took the stress out of the day. We used it to get to Johnston Canyon, Moraine Lake, and Lake Louise. It was a full day, and we felt like we had ample time at each spot. It was nice to park the car for the day on a road trip with lots of driving. There is a schedule for the pickups, so it wasn’t like some hop on hop off tours in cities where you spend a lot of time waiting for the bus. You can pick and choose which stops you want to make. Might be worth a look, depending on what you’d like to see and how much time you’re planning to spend at Lake Louise.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4580 posts
If you're going in the summer, do follow the recommendatione to book your parking and shuttle to Lake Louise. https://www.pc.gc.ca/en/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/parkbus/louise. Non reserved spots are limited. From this shuttle you can also use the bus to get to Moraine Lake that leaves from the Lake Louise parking lot. Moraine Lake's parking is even worse than Lake Louise. The shuttle parking lot is east of Lake Louise Village just off the south side of the highway.
There is a bus service between Banff and Lake Louise, but the drive to Lake Louise is more convenient with a car. https://www.banfflakelouise.com/explorethepark/transit-and-shuttles
Posted by
OP
464 posts
Thank you! It sounds like reserving seats on the Park and Ride shuttle going from Lake Louise is the way to go! I appreciate all of your replies!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
You can lots of help with a trip to Banff and Lake Louise on the TripAdvisor Canadian Rockies forum.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g154910-i220-Banff_National_Park_Alberta.html
Are you driving your own car, or flying to Calgary and getting a rental car? If the latter, have you already reserved the car? If not, you may be a bit shocked at the price—they are very scarce this summer, and the ones that are available are expensive, like $2000 CDN for a 6-day rental.
Lodging prices are way up as well, and some places have 2-or 3-night minimums. Not to discourage you from going, but just so you are prepared for sticker shock and/or lack of reasonable accommodation.
Posted by
OP
464 posts
Hi Lola, We booked our hotel accommodations 11 months ago and our car rental 8 months ago, so we have really reasonable rates. I love Trip Advisor. We are now fine tuning our trip and looking forward to it. So glad we do not have to test for Covid before we return to the United States.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17417 posts
Excellent. I am so glad you got it all booked early! Such a beautiful place.