New Parking Fee Coming to Banff’s Sulphur Mountain

Parks Canada will begin charging for parking at the Sulphur Mountain area this summer as part of a three-year pilot program aimed at managing congestion during peak visitation periods in Banff National Park.

The paid parking program will run from May 15 to October 12, 2026, with daily fees of $17.50 per vehicle between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. The fee will apply to both Parks Canada parking lots serving the Sulphur Mountain area, which includes access to the Banff Gondola and Banff Upper Hot Springs.

Parks Canada says the pilot is part of a broader effort to address persistent traffic and parking challenges at some of the park’s most visited sites.

“Parks Canada is committed to managing high visitation in popular areas of Banff National Park,” the agency said in a statement announcing the pilot. Officials say the program is intended to help manage “significant traffic congestion and parking challenges during peak periods.”

Parking will be paid through on-site machines, and drivers who fail to pay may receive a notice of parking violation.

A Push to Reduce Congestion

The move has been welcomed by the Town of Banff, which has spent years trying to reduce vehicle congestion linked to traffic travelling across town toward Sulphur Mountain.

Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno said the pilot aligns with longstanding efforts by the municipality to encourage visitors to leave their vehicles behind and use transit options instead.

“This is great news and we're pleased Parks Canada is moving ahead with trialing pay parking at Sulphur Mountain for the next few summers,” DiManno said in a statement to Bow Valley Insider.

“Every summer we try to mitigate traffic congestion but with more and more vehicles coming into town, it makes our work that much harder. We hope this will be a disincentive for folks who drive their personal vehicles to the Sulphur Mountain attractions and instead, will encourage them to take the more affordable and convenient transit options available in town such as Roam Public Transit or the Banff Gondola shuttles.”

The two public parking lots serving Sulphur Mountain are managed by Parks Canada and sit outside Banff’s municipal boundary. Attractions in the area, including the Banff Gondola, Banff Upper Hot Springs and the Rimrock Resort Hotel, are located within the national park but beyond the town’s jurisdiction.

For several years, DiManno said, Banff Town Council has been urging Parks Canada to explore tools such as paid parking to encourage visitors to use alternatives to personal vehicles.

Traffic Pressure on Banff’s Road Network

Traffic headed toward Sulphur Mountain has historically played a significant role in congestion within Banff’s townsite, particularly during the busy summer months.

“Our data showed that in the past, up to 50% of the vehicles that cross the river and head towards the Sulphur Mountain parking lots in peak periods in summer would be turned around at full parking lots and head down towards downtown,” DiManno said. “They become a traffic jam on Mountain Ave.”

The Bow River Bridge is the only vehicle bridge connecting Banff’s north and south sides, making traffic management particularly challenging when congestion builds.

In recent years, the town has introduced several measures aimed at easing the pressure. These include opening a 500-stall free parking lot near the entrance to town in 2019, constructing a second pedestrian and cycling bridge in 2022, and expanding Roam Public Transit services.

Banff has also added an express bus lane and multi-use trail along Mountain Avenue, designed to give buses and cyclists priority access to the south side of town and reduce traffic delays.

“These investments incentivize the use of transit because all Roam and tour buses, including the gondola’s free shuttles, bypass traffic,” DiManno said.

Gondola Operator Supports Pilot

The operator of the Banff Gondola says efforts to encourage transit use have already begun shifting how visitors reach Sulphur Mountain.

Stuart Back, chief operating officer for Pursuit’s Banff Jasper Collection, said the company has worked with Parks Canada and other partners over the past decade to expand transportation options to the site.

“Parks Canada manages the parking areas at Sulphur Mountain and this pilot program is one of several tools being explored to help address congestion in Banff National Park during peak visitation periods,” Back said.

“We recognize that access to the park and its iconic places is deeply important to Albertans and visitors alike. At the same time, as visitation continues to grow, thoughtful approaches to transportation and visitor flow are increasingly important to protect both the visitor experience and the community that calls Banff home.”

Pursuit has introduced initiatives such as complimentary Roam transit with Banff Gondola tickets and dedicated shuttle services.

Those efforts appear to be changing travel behaviour.

“Even as visitation to Banff has grown over the last decade, traffic volumes on the road to Sulphur Mountain have declined, with roughly 60% of Banff Gondola guests now choosing transit or shuttle options during the summer season,” Back said.

The company says it will continue working with Parks Canada, the Town of Banff and tourism partners to encourage visitors to use transportation options that reduce congestion.

Revenue generated from the parking pilot will help support public transit in the park, according to Parks Canada.

A Broader Transportation Challenge

The pilot program comes as Parks Canada continues studying long-term transportation solutions across Banff National Park.

Reducing traffic in the park is complex, partly because the Trans-Canada Highway runs through Banff and connects Alberta and British Columbia, bringing both tourists and through-traffic into the region.

The town itself functions as a service hub for visitors exploring the park.

At the same time, Sulphur Mountain remains one of the park’s most heavily visited destinations, with thousands of visitors heading toward the gondola and hot springs each day during the summer season.

DiManno said the town will be watching closely to see whether the parking fee changes visitor behaviour.

“Time will tell,” she said. “We look forward to monitoring our vehicle tracking data and transit data.”

The mayor added that the initiative also aligns with broader transportation planning underway in the park, including efforts to manage traffic at other high-pressure areas such as Lake Louise and Lake Minnewanka.

A broader transportation strategy for Banff National Park is expected later this year as part of Parks Canada’s long-term management plan.

For now, the Sulphur Mountain pilot will serve as an early test of whether pricing parking can help reduce traffic and shift more visitors toward transit options.

“We will be watching closely to see if this measure helps reduce traffic jams on our road network,” DiManno said.