🌊 Trails Are Flooding

Banff Tourists Moving To...Cochrane?

Author

Bow Valley Insider
May 29, 2026

Good morning, Bow Valley!

As of mid-day yesterday, the Bow Valley got hit with a wave of flood advisories, trail closures, and public safety warnings as rapid snowmelt pushed river levels higher across the region. Officials are warning people to stay well back from rivers and creeks, with water levels expected to keep rising another 30cm through today. Here are all the advisories. Plus, some raw clips we took in Canmore around 5 PM yesterday showing how high the water already is. 

- Fortune Whelan, Ben S., Madalyn Beach

BANFF HOTEL PRICES PUSH MORE ROCKIES TRAVELLERS TOWARD COCHRANE

What’s Happening? Banff and Canmore’s sky-high hotel prices are increasingly pushing Rockies travellers eastward, with Cochrane tourism officials saying more visitors are using the town as a more affordable home base for mountain trips. Think “Banff views, Cochrane invoice.”

Sticker Shock In The Mountains. Accommodation prices across the Bow Valley have remained well above pre-pandemic levels since tourism rebounded after COVID. In 2025, hotel revenue in Alberta’s mountain parks region hit $676.3 million, up from $440.9 million in 2019. Previous Bow Valley Insider reporting found Banff hotel rooms averaged $453 per night last year, with July rates climbing to $729 per night on average.

Some travellers say it’s pricing them out entirely. One frustrated Alberta hiker in a Banff and Canmore Facebook group wrote: “The $250 one is a hostel!! Wasn’t that long ago that we were paying well under $200 for one night in Canmore.”

Cochrane Is Quietly Benefiting. Explore Cochrane, the tourism association for Cochrane and the Ghost Lake region, says international visitor spending in the town jumped 79% between 2022 and 2025, while domestic visitor spending rose 28%. International visitors are also staying longer, with average trip lengths increasing 25% over the past two years.

“Our hotels and tourism operators are reporting visitors choosing Cochrane as a base for trips into Banff and the Rockies,” Explore Cochrane executive director Callandra Caufield told Bow Valley Insider.

The town has increasingly marketed itself as both a destination and a cheaper alternative to staying directly in the Bow Valley.

More Than Just Cheaper Hotels. Caufield said affordability may get visitors through the door initially, but many are also looking for a different type of Rockies experience.

“Cochrane offers visitors something increasingly rare in globally recognized tourism regions,” she said, pointing to the town’s western culture, quieter pace, and access to the mountains without staying directly inside Banff or Canmore.

Short-term rental data also highlights the gap: Canmore Airbnbs average $330 per night versus $170 in Cochrane.

WHAT CAN YOU ACTUALLY GET IN CANMORE RIGHT NOW?

If you’ve been up to check out the new IGA on Three Sisters Drive recently, you’ve probably noticed all the new townhomes and condos going up. That’s Altitude, the new development by Logel Homes.

A lot of people walking through Altitude’s show homes right now aren’t necessarily ready to buy tomorrow.

Some are just trying to answer a simple question: “What can you actually get in Canmore these days?”

And honestly, that’s fair.

Listings move fast, prices swing, and photos online don’t always tell the full story. That’s part of why Altitude’s show homes have been busy since opening. You can now tour 4 different fully built units and compare layouts, finishes, views, and price points side-by-side.

The interesting part is how different they feel.

Some people walk through the more affordable 2-bedroom condos starting in the low $500Ks and realize ownership might actually still be possible. Others quickly figure out they want more space and gravitate toward the larger townhomes.

Either way, it’s easier to make sense of the market when you can physically walk through it instead of staring at floor plans online.

And yes, the more affordable units tend to move first. 20 Altitude homes were sold last month. 

You can book a showing here and tour all 4 show homes for yourself.

*Presented by Logel Homes.

THE DIGEST

  • 🎬 Viral Video Shows Boat Launching Off Alberta Waterfall. This one isn’t Bow Valley-related, but it’s making the rounds across Alberta right now. A viral video shows a motorboat speeding down the Crowsnest River before launching off Lundbreck Falls, a roughly 12-metre waterfall near Crowsnest Pass. The clip has already pulled in more than 1M views, with commenters split between calling it “the best thing they’ve seen in 2026” and “idiotic.” RCMP confirmed they’re now looking into the incident. 

  • 🐻 Bear Warning Issued After Hiker Followed Near Boom Lake. Parks Canada has issued a bear warning for the Boom Lake, Arnica Lake, and Twin Lakes trail network after a cinnamon-coloured black bear reportedly approached and followed a solo hiker near Banff (see map). Officials described the behaviour as “concerning” but stopped short of closing the area. The warning also covers the Twin Lakes Campground near Storm Mountain Lodge. The warning comes as Alberta Parks has also issued a separate bear advisory for the Bill Benson Trail and Lower Lake Trail in Kananaskis.

  • 🏘️ Banff Borrows Millions for Staff Housing. Banff council has approved borrowing up to $6.46 million for the new 30-unit staff housing project on Squirrel Street, developed alongside Parks Canada. Town officials say the debt will be repaid through rental income rather than local taxes, though the loan is still technically backed by the Town itself. The project comes as housing pressure intensifies across the Bow Valley, especially after Canmore recently stopped allowing Banff municipal employees to purchase homes there through a Town housing incentive program.  Construction is expected to begin in fall 2026, with move-ins targeted for spring 2028. 

  • 🔎 Pig Cadavers Will Be Released Into Bow River For Research Study. Researchers working with Calgary Police are placing pig cadavers fitted with GPS trackers into the Bow River to study how submerged remains move through the waterway. The project, led by researchers from the University of Saskatchewan and University of Windsor, aims to improve future search and recovery efforts for missing persons cases. Police say pig cadavers are commonly used as a scientific stand-in for human bodies. Once the cadavers become buoyant, trained teams will carry out controlled recoveries while researchers track where and when they surface. 

What Happens After Someone Sees Your Ad?

Do they:

A) Click
B) Buy
C) Forget you existed 3 seconds later

Most businesses don’t know.

We do.

We track leads and actual customers.

Because “awareness” doesn’t pay the bills.

BODY RECOVERED NEARLY FOUR WEEKS AFTER JOHNSTON CANYON DROWNING

What’s Happening? The body of a 25-year-old man who disappeared in Johnston Canyon earlier this month has been recovered nearly four weeks after witnesses saw him jump into the Lower Falls pool and vanish beneath the water.

Dangerous Spring Conditions Delayed Recovery. Pavlo Shemchuk, an Arizona resident originally from Ukraine, disappeared May 1 after witnesses saw him enter the water near the Lower Falls.

“We had witnesses who saw the person enter the pool, go beneath the surface, and fail to resurface,” Banff RCMP detachment commander Sgt. Mike Buxton-Carr said earlier this month.

Search efforts involving Parks Canada visitor safety teams were suspended days later because dangerous spring runoff conditions inside the canyon made recovery efforts too hazardous. Officials cited the fast-moving water, steep rock walls, and confined canyon environment.

Family Continued Searching. In the weeks following the suspension of official recovery operations, Shemchuk’s family continued searching alongside volunteer recovery diver Juan Heredia, who travelled from California to assist.

Heredia told Bow Valley Insider that Canadian authorities granted him a temporary overnight permit to search the pools.

“For miles we walked next to the river searching for Pavlo,” Heredia later wrote on Facebook. “Every rock, every turn of the water, every shadow in the current gave them hope for one more moment.”

Body Recovered May 26. Banff RCMP said Shemchuk’s body was reported the morning of May 26 in Johnston Creek downstream from the Lower Falls area. Heredia later told Bow Valley Insider the body was ultimately spotted by a tourist.

Parks Canada temporarily closed the Johnston Canyon Trail and day-use area during the recovery operation before reopening later that day. A fundraiser supporting Shemchuk’s family had raised more than $27,000 as of publication.

THINGS TO DO

Friday

  • Macrame Earrings Workshop. Learn how to make your own pair of micro-macrame earrings in this beginner-friendly workshop. Participants will choose a colour scheme, follow step-by-step instructions, and leave with a finished pair plus a take-home kit for a second set. 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM. artsPlace, Canmore. $52, materials included.*

  • Scale of Change Film Tour. Three Canadian documentaries focused on rivers, conservation, and mountain communities, including a short film on longtime Canmore resident Gerry Stephenson. The night also includes a panel with filmmakers and local conservationists. 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Canmore Brewing Company. By donation at the door.*

Saturday

  • Blow Out in the Park. Jazz and concert bands from the Valley Winds Music Association take over the Stan Rogers Stage for an afternoon of outdoor live music. Bring a lawn chair. Bratwurst and refreshments available for purchase. Cash only. 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Centennial Park, Canmore. Free to attend.*

  • Mountain Film Night. Another night of mountain films from the Serac program, featuring skiing, mountain biking, downhill skateboarding, ski patrol stories, and more from places like Mount Robson, Nepal, and the Swiss Alps. 7:00 PM. artsPlace, Canmore. $30.*

Sunday

  • Disc Golf Tournament. Disc golfers return to the Canmore Nordic Centre for the 26th annual Big Bear Classic, a PDGA-sanctioned tournament running May 30-31. Spectators will need a Kananaskis Conservation Pass. 7:30 AM - 11:00 AM. Canmore Nordic Centre. Free to watch.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

  • 🌺 Wendy’s Garden Centre Is Back For The Season. In Canmore, there are a few signs summer is finally here: packed patios, bikes everywhere, and Wendy’s Garden Centre reopening for the season. Wendy is now set up across from Elevation Place in the old car dealership parking lot (map), loaded with lush hanging baskets, vibrant flowers, shrubs, veggie starts, and trees. Fun fact: she’s also the reason so many of Canmore’s storefronts and restaurant patios look so good every summer. Open daily 9AM-6PM (5PM Sundays), rain or shine.*

  • 🌭 Banff Rooftop Hot Dog Eating Contest. This is not a drill: Rose & Crown is hosting a rooftop hot dog eating contest. Contestants get 10 minutes to eat as many hot dogs as possible, with water, ketchup, and dignity management provided. It runs June 4, with a $25 entry fee and 18+ age limit. The winner gets bragging rights, gift cards, merch, and free Monday hot dogs from now until October. We’ll also feature you in Bow Valley Insider. Sign up here.*

  • 👋 Pine Tree Players Hosting “Meet the Director” Night for Ride the Cyclone. Thinking about auditioning for Pine Tree Players’ upcoming production of Ride the Cyclone? The local theatre group is hosting a casual “Meet the Director” night on June 3 at the Canmore Miners’ Union Hall. Attendees can meet director Ally Schuurman, learn more about the Canadian musical, ask questions about auditions, and chat with the production team over tea and cookies.*

  • ⛑️ Wildlife Safety Training for Bow Valley Groups. The Biosphere Institute is offering Living Wild training for staff teams, volunteers, hiking clubs, biking groups, and others who spend time in Bow Valley wildlife country. The 1.5-hour session covers local ecology, preventing wildlife encounters, and responding safely if one happens. Participants also handle wildlife artifacts and practice deploying inert bear spray. Email [email protected] for details and to book.*

  • 📀 Canmore Band Releases New Song About Banff Bison. Canmore-based alt-folk band Twonees has released its second single, “Bison,” ahead of the upcoming album 40 Years of Childhood. The track is described as spaghetti-western cinematic folk rock, told from the perspective of Banff’s bison herd returning to the land with the memory of near extinction.

CIVIC NEWS

  • More Than Half of Some Canmore Property Tax Bills Now Go to the Province. A typical detached home in Canmore assessed around $1.7 million will pay roughly $7,800 in property taxes this year, and about $4,400 of that now goes to Alberta’s education tax rather than the Town itself. Local leaders in Canmore, Banff, and the MD of Bighorn are raising concerns as soaring mountain property values continue driving provincial education levies higher. Banff says its provincial education tax has jumped 52% since 2024, while the MD of Bighorn is seeing a 21% increase this year alone. 

LIVE MUSIC

  • Friday, May 29, 2026, 5:00 PM: DJ Tenax.  Location: Rose and Crown, Banff. No Cover.

  • Friday, May 29, 2026, 7:30 PM: Motown 6.  Location: artsPlace, Canmore. $15-$30.

SPORTS

  • Banff Aussie Rules Teams Go Undefeated Amid Tournament Drama. The Banff Bisons and Bilbys swept every game at the annual Bow Valley 10s Australian rules football tournament in Banff last weekend, but the day ended with some unexpected off-field tension. The Calgary Kangaroos left before the tournament wrapped up and reportedly took the championship trophy back to Calgary before the closing presentation. The club later issued a public apology. 

That’s all, folks!

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We’ll see you back here on Monday, same time, same place! 

Heads Up: We sometimes feature paid promotion from local businesses and organizations we trust. When you see a little asterisk (*), that means it’s a sponsored post. We only work with partners we think our readers will actually care about.

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