Living in & Visiting Banff
Straight answers about residency, park fees, the buses and what to do when wildlife turns up.
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Straight answers about residency, park fees, the buses and what to do when wildlife turns up.
Loading the latest information…
Straight answers to the questions people ask about living in and visiting Banff — who can live here, what the park costs, the buses, and what to do when wildlife turns up. Banff is the only town inside a Canadian national park, and a lot of its rules come from that.
Banff has an "eligible residency" rule: to live here you generally have to be tied to the community by work. You qualify if your main job is in the national park, you operate a business that needs you here day to day, you're a full-time student at a school in the park, or you're retired after working in the park for at least five years in a row. Spouses, partners and dependents of an eligible resident also qualify, and there are historical leaseholders from before 1911.
Running a home-based business or a B&B on its own does not make you eligible. The rule exists to keep the limited housing for people who actually live and work here, rather than for second homes.
All the land in the town sits inside the national park and is held under lease from the Crown (through Parks Canada) — there is no private freehold ownership. When you "buy" a home in Banff, you're buying the building and taking over the lease on the land, not buying the land outright.
For anything specific about a lease, the Parks Canada Realty office (403-762-1500) is the place to ask.
Banff can't simply expand. After the 1996 Banff–Bow Valley Study, the federal rules capped the town's permanent population at fewer than 10,000 residents and put a hard limit on how much new commercial floor space can be built. The town is also boxed in physically by the park around it.
That's why housing is so tight and why the "need to reside" rule matters: there's a fixed amount of room, and it's meant for people working in the valley.
Usually yes — everyone in the park needs a valid park pass. In 2026 the daily fee is about $12.25 for an adult, $10.75 for a senior, free for anyone 17 and under, and $24.50 for a group of up to seven in one vehicle. If you visit a few times a year, the annual Discovery Pass (about $83.50 for an adult, $167.50 for a family/group) pays for itself.
One thing to know for this summer: under the Canada Strong Pass, park entry is free for everyone from 19 June to 7 September 2026. Check current fees on the Parks Canada Banff site before you travel.
Give it room and never feed or approach it. Keep at least 100 metres (about ten bus lengths) from bears, wolves, cougars and coyotes, and at least 30 metres (about three bus lengths) from elk, deer, sheep and moose. Elk can be especially aggressive in spring calving (May–June) and fall rut (September).
To report a wildlife encounter, an aggressive animal, or a bear in town, call Banff Dispatch any time on 403-762-1470.
Moraine Lake is closed to personal vehicles year-round — you can only get there by the Parks Canada shuttle, a commercial tour, or by bike. At Lake Louise, the Lakeshore day-use parking is about $42 per vehicle in summer (15 May–12 October) and it's first-come, first-served — it fills early most mornings.
The easiest car-free option is Roam Transit's Moraine Lake Super Pass (about $30 for an adult), which combines the bus to Lake Louise, the connector to Moraine Lake, and unlimited local Banff buses for the day. Book ahead.
Yes. Banff residents ride Roam Transit's local routes fare-free with the Banff Fare-Free Residents Pass — a tap card funded by the town's paid-parking revenue. You can apply online or at the Roam desk in the Banff Visitor Centre.
For visitors, a single local fare is $2 for an adult, $1 for youth and seniors, and free for children 12 and under.
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