Nearly 92% of Bow Valley Insider Readers Want Smoking and Vaping Banned on Banff Trails

When Bow Valley Insider asked readers whether smoking and vaping should be banned on trails and in backcountry areas of Banff National Park, the result was not particularly close.

Of 924 people who voted, 850, or 91.99 percent, said yes. Just 74 said current rules were enough.

The poll followed our Sept. 6 story about a push by seven national health and environmental organizations asking the federal government to ban smoking and vaping across much of Parks Canada land by 2028.

Readers left hundreds of comments explaining their votes. While the reasons varied, three arguments appeared repeatedly: wildfire risk, cigarette-butt litter and not wanting to breathe smoke while outdoors.

Wildfire was by far the most common concern.

For many readers, the argument was less about whether cigarettes are a major cause of wildfires and more about whether allowing them creates an avoidable risk.

“Any potential lower risk of a wildfire is worth it,” one reader wrote.

Others described seeing cigarette butts discarded on trails, sidewalks and other outdoor areas around the Bow Valley. One Canmore hiker said they have spent years picking up garbage and cigarette butts from local trails and streets, and had previously wondered whether portable ashtrays could be distributed to smokers entering the parks.

Another reader said their dog had burned its paw after stepping on a discarded cigarette butt and described recently camping at Tunnel Mountain, where they said their campsite was covered in butts.

Interestingly, support for a ban wasn't limited to non-smokers.

“I am a smoker, but I properly discard my cigarettes in the garbage bins provided, or I will take it home with me to properly dispose of,” one reader wrote. But because others aren't as careful, the reader said they supported banning smoking and vaping in national parks.

A separate group of readers focused less on fire and more on the experience of being outdoors. They argued that people heading into the mountains for fresh air shouldn't have to encounter cigarette smoke or vapour on trails.

But the overwhelming poll result didn't mean there was agreement on every part of the proposal.

Several readers questioned why vaping should be treated the same as cigarettes, particularly when wildfire risk was being used as a central argument. “I'm not sure about vaping, but smoking is a fire danger,” one wrote.

And one of the most consistent concerns, including among people who supported a ban, was enforcement.

Some questioned whether Parks Canada has enough staff and resources to meaningfully police smoking on a sprawling network of trails and backcountry areas. One reader who supported the idea nevertheless called enforcement the problem, while another said a rule that couldn't realistically be enforced would be “pretty meaningless.”

A smaller group opposed the idea more fundamentally, describing it as government overreach or arguing that responsible smokers shouldn't face additional restrictions because others improperly dispose of cigarettes.

Others suggested a compromise: designated smoking areas away from areas where a discarded cigarette could ignite vegetation, rather than an outright ban.

Still, those objections represented a small minority of the poll.