Banff parking rates going up during peak season this year
If you plan on parking in downtown Banff at certain points this year, be prepared to cough up some extra coins for your spot.
The Banff townsite is only four square kilometres in area, and it cannot expand into the national park to create more parking. With four million visitors each year, demand for parking has been sky-high. Public parking in Banff’s downtown core was free until late June 2021, while maintaining free parking areas, which created incentives to increase turnover of parking stalls for short-term stays downtown.
“Free parking is intended to motivate people planning a longer stay to park in the parking lots just outside the downtown core,” said Jason Darrah, director of communications and marketing for the Town of Banff.
“However, we have not seen a significant change in parking duration downtown. Many visitors in the paid parking stay for long periods, rather than the intended short stays with frequent stall turnover,” Darrah added.
EB Adventure Photography/Shutterstock
At a regular meeting of Banff Town Council last month, the 2026 Fees and Charges Bylaw was passed with all new rates for 2026.
Council decided to move from $7 per hour year-round at its downtown pay parking spaces to $12 per hour in peak season (May 1 to Oct. 31) and maintain $7 per hour for the remainder of the year.
Pay parking is in effect in Banff’s downtown core only. Pay parking aims to increase the availability of short-term parking in the downtown core. Free nine-hour parking is available at the Train Station Public Parking Lot (a 10-minute walk to downtown), on Bow Avenue, and on the upper floors of the Bear Street Parkade.
The town added that part of the reason for the increase in the parking rates in peak season is to motivate people who want to park longer duration to use the free 500-stall parking lot at the Train Station and in other parking outside the downtown.
Revenue from the paid parking system in downtown Banff must be used to fund costs related to only the following types of programs:
- Transit operations enhancements and infrastructure;
- Roadway and parking improvements;
- Snow clearing enhancements; and
- Cycling or other environmental initiatives.
Pay parking fees make it free for Banff residents to ride Roam Transit, which helps reduce vehicles and parking in town. The fees have helped increase Roam bus service and routes, and increased trail maintenance. It also funds cycling programs and even wildfire risk reduction work.
While we are on the topic of parking, fees to park at Lake Louise will see an increase this year, too.