fishwave

Hi, I will drive to Banff from Calgary in July 1st. Is there anyone can tell me if I have to reseve accommodations in Banff and Jasper.

Judy_in_Calgary

Hello fishwave,

Yes, it would be wise to reserve accommodation in Banff at that time. The mountain resort towns are busy in July and August, and it's prudent to make reservations throughout those months. On top of that, July 1st is the Canada Day public holiday, which makes that weekend even busier than usual.

tom22

I would also recommend a reservation.

I think you will still be able to find something, if you are flexible with your budget and concerning the location.

I have started to search in Feb looking for an accommodation (we are looking for a cabin) in Banff for July and several rooms/cabins were already reservered and not available any longer.

bob_brown

Without a reservation, I doubt if you will spend the night inside in Jasper.
In Banff, there are more motels and hotels, but my guess there is that you will be left out if you don't have one.

Would you go to a resort like Ocean City Maryland or Rehoboth Beach on July 4th without a reservation?

Dorothy01

If you do not make a reservation in advance, you can visit the Tourist Office in Banff and they can provide you with a list of the hotels, motels, cabins, condos, and B&B that do have vacancies. I would make an advance reservation.

We are travelling to Banff and Jasper over Memorial weekend and discovered that many places in Jasper are booked up for this weekend. We were lucky and reserved one of the last cabins at Beckers. We have not reserved a room in Banff for our last night and are planning on using the Tourist Office to get a room. Will report back on our success.

Last year, we used the Banff Tourist Office and booked a room at one of the better hotels and an extremely low rate. We were there in mid-June during a very busy time.

Dorothy01

We just returned from our trip to Jasper and Banff. We stayed at Beckers Chalets in Jasper and totally loved our cabin. We did reserve in advance. We also inquired at Alpine and Jasper Bungalows about availability before we left and were told that they did not have rooms for the two nights that we would be in Jasper. All three places had their vacancy signs lit up the whole time we were there. In fact we saw no "no vacancy" signs in Jasper.

We stopped in at the Banff Tourist Office on Mondau to ask about accomodation recommendations. They were helpful but did not know of any special rates or real bargains. We saw no "no vacancy" signs in Banff; it appeared that every facility had vacancies. We had a one bedroom apartment at Rundle Manor that had two sleeper sofas in the living room, a queen bed in the bedroom, a large bathroom, and a full kitchen. A two bedroom apartment was also available.

If you have a specific place you want to stay and/or have special needs, then you probably should make a reservation in advance.

We were in Banff several summers ago over the Canada Day and 4th of July holidays; there were lots of vacancies. We had pre-booked at a fairly high rate and were locked into it. We did get bumped on our flight from Calgary (the Calgary Stampede had just started) and each received $700 (US) in travel vouchers.

Borealis

Yes - reserve ahead of time if you are travelling in July or August. Those are normally the busiest months of the year in the Rockies. And it's even more busy if the weather is good, when lots of locals (Albertans) decide at the last minute to drive to the mountains for the long weekend (Canada Day on July 1st).

If you were travelling in April-May or November, then you will find lots of available accommodation.

bob_brown

With all due respects to those who find many vacancies in Jasper and Banff in late May, even early June, July brings a different look to the mountain cities.

For one thing, the number of big tour buses increases dramatically. Two big buses, and a place like Beckers or Jasper House Bungalows is full.

If you want to get an idea of how many people visit Lake Louise on a sunny day in early July, stand near the parking lot about 10 am and start counting.

People from all over pour in like the opening of the flood gates on a major dam at peak crest.

Albertans know the summer really gets rolling in late June or early July, and the temperatures rise. Days are long, and the snow is melting at the higher elevations.

Borealis

Actually Bob, your comment about the floodgates opening made me think about the little "game" that my hubby and I play when in the Rockies. We like to see who will first spot the licence plate that has travelled the furthest. The parking lot at Lake Louise is a perfect place for this - so many cars (and so difficult to find a parking space in July-August even when all the parking lots are open!!). I am always amazed at the number of people who DRIVE all the way from Florida, Alabama, Georgia etc., all the way "up here" to see the mountains!!