It Now Costs Up to $50 a Day to Park at Tunnel Mountain Trailhead

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity has begun charging visitors to park at the Tunnel Mountain Summit trailhead, the first stage of a new paid parking system that will expand across its campus next week.

The change took effect Aug. 12 at the trailhead lot, a popular starting point for hikers climbing Tunnel Mountain. Paid parking will expand Aug. 19 to the rest of the Banff Centre campus, including its parkade, surface parking areas and St. Julien Road parking.

The initial rates are $12 for one hour, $30 for three hours and $50 for the day, with separate flat rates available for some events through the HONK parking app.

But Banff Centre says those prices should not necessarily be viewed as permanent.

“We are in an early phase of rolling out paid parking at Banff Centre, and will be implementing learnings as we go,” said Carly Maga, director of communications for Banff Centre. “This includes finding rates that suit the many different uses of the Banff Centre campus.”

Rates may eventually vary depending on demand and events, she said.

The new system represents another expansion of paid parking in Banff, where governments and institutions have increasingly turned to parking fees as both a source of revenue and a tool to manage the large number of vehicles moving through the national park.

For Banff Centre, Maga said the decision came after months of internal discussion about how parking should work on a campus that serves everyone from students and artists to fitness centre members, restaurant customers, hikers and tourists.

“This new system was not a decision made lightly at Banff Centre,” Maga said. “Many departments have been weighing in on the important logistics and scenarios that we know will impact our communities for several months.”

One factor, she said, was that free parking at Banff Centre increasingly stood apart from parking policies elsewhere in Banff.

“We noticed that unpaid parking on campus was out of step with other parking rules across the Park, and we wanted to align with Town of Banff and Park efforts to reduce car traffic both in the Park and on campus.”

A $50 Day at the Trailhead

Perhaps the most noticeable change for people who do not regularly visit Banff Centre itself is at the Tunnel Mountain Summit trailhead.

The parking lot is commonly associated with the hiking trail, but it is located on Banff Centre property. Maga confirmed it is the only trailhead parking area affected by the institution's new system.

Under the initial rates, someone parking there for the day would pay $50.

Maga said Banff Centre included the trailhead because it wanted a consistent system across its property rather than leaving one free lot that could absorb vehicles displaced from elsewhere on campus.

“We want to have a unified approach to parking across our lots, so we don’t potentially overload any particular area,” she said.

Revenue collected there will go back to Banff Centre, even when the person paying has no intention of visiting the institution.

“Though not everyone who uses the trail will come to campus or even know of the trailhead’s connection to campus, it may be nice to know that their hike is also helping provide life-changing programs in arts, leadership, Indigenous culture, and mountain culture,” Maga said.

Not Everyone Will Pay

The headline rates also do not apply equally to everyone using the campus.

Banff Centre staff, faculty and program participants are among the groups that will not be required to pay. Visitors to several public facilities can also have up to three hours of parking validated.

That includes members and visitors at Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation, diners at Banff Centre food and beverage locations such as Maclab Bistro, and visitors to the Walter Phillips Gallery.

Banff Centre said it wants to see how the system affects people's decisions before determining what adjustments may be needed.

“This is a learning phase where we are open to feedback from the community and would very much like to know how this is impacting residents’ choices to visit us or not,” Maga said.

Where the Money Will Go

Banff Centre is not releasing an estimate for how much money it expects the parking program to generate.

Maga said revenue will instead flow into the institution's overall operations, which include its arts and leadership programs, public facilities, campus, events and festivals. Transportation initiatives could also be among the priorities supported by parking revenue.

“As a non-profit, this change is not about driving a surplus of revenue for Banff Centre or any group of individuals,” Maga said. “Any revenue we earn goes directly back into the organization and our mission.”

The institution describes itself as a non-profit, charitable post-secondary institution. Maga said parking revenue could support everything from maintaining the mountain campus to bringing artists and performances to the Bow Valley.

A Parallel Push Toward Transit

The parking changes arrive as Banff Centre is also putting money into making it easier to reach campus without a car.

Earlier this year, Banff council approved expanded transit service that includes a winter route connecting the Banff Centre, downtown transit hub, Banff train station and Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. Banff Centre contributed $38,000 in 2026 toward development of the service.

Maga said the transit investment and paid parking program were not directly dependent on one another, but they are intended to accomplish some of the same things.

“Our support of a Roam Transit connection to campus is part of our overall intention to increase access to campus, decrease car traffic at Banff Centre and in the Park in general, and is part of our environmental efforts in encouraging alternative eco-friendly methods of transportation,” she said.

“Our Roam Transit support did not directly cause our paid parking implementation, however they do stem from shared goals.”

Maga said Banff Centre had heard from both its audiences and staff that a public transit connection was wanted, and that a trial during the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival saw high usage. Route 7 service to the campus is scheduled to resume in October.

Until then, Banff Centre is encouraging visitors to walk or cycle where possible. Maga said the campus has bike parking and is roughly a 10-to-15-minute walk from downtown Banff.

Part of a Bigger Shift in Banff

Banff Centre's move does not stand alone.

Paid parking has increasingly become part of how different organizations in Banff are attempting to manage vehicles in one of Canada's busiest tourism destinations.

The Town of Banff increased its peak-season downtown parking rate from $7 to $12 per hour this year, with the higher rate applying from May 1 through Oct. 31. During the off-season, from Nov. 1 through April 30, the rate remains $7 per hour.

Parks Canada has also introduced seasonal paid parking at Sulphur Mountain as part of a three-year pilot. From May 15 through Oct. 12, drivers using the Parks Canada lots serving the Banff Gondola and Banff Upper Hot Springs are charged $17.50 per vehicle per day between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m.

That pilot was explicitly introduced as a way to manage traffic and parking pressure, with revenue helping support public transit.

Banff Centre says it has been discussing its own approach with both the municipality and Parks Canada.

“We have been working closely with our colleagues in the Town of Banff and Parks Canada to align with our parking strategies,” Maga said. “It’s clear that parking and vehicle management is a major priority for this area.”

The institution acknowledges that adding another parking fee in Banff is likely to draw attention, particularly as residents and visitors face a growing patchwork of paid parking areas.

“We know that parking is a hot topic and understand any concern about implementing new fees anywhere in Town,” Maga said.

But she said Banff Centre is trying to balance several objectives: reducing vehicle traffic, keeping the campus accessible to the public and finding additional ways to support the institution's operations.

“There will be a period of finding a balance that achieves all of these outcomes,” Maga said, “and we welcome feedback from the community as we begin this program.”