Banff in May is one of those months that catches people off guard in the best way possible. It's not quite winter, not quite summer, but it offers a unique mix of quiet trails, snowy peaks, and early spring energy. In this episode, I'll reveal why you might actually love visiting Banff in May, even if it's not my personal favorite. Welcome to the Banff Travel Podcast. on frozen lakes. Banff National Park. founder of Banff Travel Planning. and our two kids. I know what it takes Stress-free.
full of those wow moments. And today we're diving into one of the most confusing months of the year for Banff travel, May. It's not the month I recommend for everyone but depending on your travel style it might just be the right month for you. May in Banff is a bit of a seasonal identity crisis. The town feels like spring. Bikes are out. The pathways are full of people. Patios start opening. But 10 minutes up the road, you'll still find frozen lakes and snow-covered trails.
That said, there's something special about this shoulder season. You get the mountain peaks still capped with snow, but the valleys are waking up, trails begin to clear, the prices are lower, crowds are thinner, and you can do a surprising number of activities if you know where to look. for me it's not always my favorite month only because it's not really the best time for those big long hikes
I kind of have to wait for the trails to dry out for mountain biking. Those trails can still be quite muddy, sometimes icy, sometimes a little bit of snow. Avalanche danger is still a very real possibility. But for people who like to sightsee, go for scenic drives and have fewer people around, it's honestly kind of perfect. Now when you come to Banff in May, you might find that while most things are open, there still are some things that are not. So here's the real breakdown of May inbound.
The things that are open or accessible in May are Lake Louise. Lake Louise is accessible year round. You can drive to it and park year round though you'll have much more difficulty getting parking after May long weekend and throughout the summer. The shuttles to Lake Louise start May 16th of this year, typically around that same time around our May long weekend.
If you come to Lake Louise in May, there's a chance you're still going to see it frozen. If you're early May, it may still be snow covered. As we get further into the month of May and towards the later part, it will be thawed and starting to get that beautiful color. Canoeing on Lake Louise doesn't typically start until later in the month of May.
In the town of Banff, the Banff Gondola operates all year long, so that's a great activity for me. Most of the town attractions are all open. You can visit Bow Falls, you can go to the Cave and Basin, you can go to all of the stunning viewpoints. Lower elevation hikes like Tunnel Mountain, Johnston Canyon, even the Fenland Loop just outside the town of Banff are great options for this time of year.
Johnson Lake and Two Jack Lake are often thawed by mid-month. You'll have to wait a little bit longer for Lake Minnewonka to be completely thawed. May is a great time for biking in the Bow Valley. The Bow Valley Parkway, starting in May until June 25th, will be car free for the eastern section between Banff and Johnston Canyon. So that's an incredible cycling opportunity that if you come at this time is well worth doing.
The Legacy Trail is a paved pathway that's between the town of Canmore and the town of Banff is another great cycling opportunity for this time and throughout the summer for that one. Wildlife viewing is great in May. This is prime bear season. They're all out and coming to the valley bottom looking for food. Scenic drives like the Icefields Parkway and the Minnawonka Loop at this time is fully open are well worth doing. And always keep an eye out for some wildlife while you're doing that.
now don't worry about the bow valley parkway it's only the eastern section that's closed you can still drive to johnson canyon and you can still do a scenic drive along it on the section between johnson canyon and lake louise So what's not quite ready yet come May, Moraine Lake Road is still closed to vehicles. So if you're visiting in May, the opportunity to visit Moraine Lake just isn't there.
If you're coming... say the last week of may there's a chance that the road will be cleared by that time and that you could rent an e-bike and ride up the road and still visit marine lake higher elevation hikes are kind of a no-go it's still pretty snowy and have avalanche danger
Again, I mentioned Lake Louise canoeing which doesn't start until late May. The Yoho Valley Road to Takaka Falls stays closed typically until mid-June. It can open a little bit earlier but again that's not something you're going to be able to visit in May. And then as far as getting around, Rome Transit hasn't quite moved to their summer schedules yet. Those don't always kick in until mid to late May.
will still be on a winter schedule like Johnson Canyon which only operates on weekends in the winter. Once we get past middle of May and they move to the summer schedule then it will be daily out to Johnson Canyon. Similarly, the route to Lake Minnawanca, Rome Route 6, won't start until May, and some of the other routes around the town of Banff.
So it's important to know that if you plan on visiting without a car and getting around. Now every year I hear from people who are disappointed that they didn't get to see the turquoise lakes in early May or they didn't realize they couldn't visit Moraine Lake.
and you know what the truth of it is it's just not the month for it the lakes haven't thawed completely so you're not going to get that brilliant blue or turquoise color but you do have the trade-off of fewer people and you do have those incredible wildlife sites If I were building a May itinerary for you and giving you that full Banff experience without having summer weather, here's what I would include.
I would include riding up the Banff gondola. It's warm enough you can enjoy the boardwalks up there and it's not going to be crowded. There's incredible easy walks like along the Bow River, Fenland Loop, even up to Surprise Corner in Banff. You could hike Tunnel Mountain or go hike at Johnson Lake which has some incredible mountain views.
You could visit Johnston Canyon. Either you could ride the Bow Valley Parkway and do it as a combo activity or you could just drive there. Now I recommend if you're going to do Johnston Canyon to do it early in the morning and on a weekday. That's when you'll enjoy it the most. Again, that Bow Valley Parkway cycling experience is well worth it. Or do a ride between the town of Banff and the town of Cadmore and find a great restaurant to stop for lunch.
You can't catch that sunrise at Moraine Lake, unfortunately, but you know you can catch sunrises at many of the other beautiful spots around the town of Banff. Vermillion Lakes right outside is a perfect opportunity for that. If you end up having a rainy or cool day you could visit some of the Banff Museums or even the Cave and Basin which is the birthplace of the Canadian National Park System. Now if you visit the Cave and Basin
I highly recommend checking out the wooden boardwalks behind and below it as well which are well worth it. Take a day trip out to Emerald Lake and Natural Bridge and enjoy those two beautiful spots without the crowd.
Make sure you're looking for wildlife. Bears, elk, bighorn sheep are all active at this time on all of your drives, especially your scenic drives on the Icefields Parkway or the Bow Valley Parkway. If you're looking to... splurge a little bit on your holiday why not book a helicopter tour it's going to be absolutely stunning in may with those snow-capped mountains
spend a little bit of time in canmore canmore has some great walking trails the pathways to the engine bridge along the bow river you can hike at grassy lake There's so many great options for incredible mountain scenery in Canmore as well as in Banff on easy walks and easy Why not also add a little bit of fun and create a self-guided tour and search out all the Parks Canada red chairs? I guarantee you're going to love the views at every single set of those red chairs that you find.
So as you can see, you can easily fill your itinerary with incredible things to do around Banff in May. Obviously the Bow Valley Parkway which I have mentioned several times is one of my favorite things to do in May and even adding that Johnson Canyon hike along with it if you're up for it and the trail conditions are good you can go all the way up to the ink pots as well making it a perfect spring day activity.
Now what about the weather in May? We haven't quite talked about that yet. I'd say the weather in May is, we'll call it mood. The highs can be between 10 and 18 degrees Celsius. Some days can be much warmer than that. But we can still get snow. But it's very typical for us to get a big snowstorm in May still. The snow doesn't stick around, but it definitely can still snow. And you know what? Those days of snowstorms and sunny days can even happen back to back.
Sometimes you can get what feels like four seasons in one day. So how do you pack for that? Your best bet is really to pack for everything always recommend having a packable down jacket something that can keep you a little bit warm and then adding on some type of waterproof shell or rain jacket on top of it in case you encounter any rain during your trip
warm hat and gloves I would definitely still throw those in the pack not only are the mornings and evenings going to be quite chilly but if it gets cool and windy and that you know it's a cloudy day you're definitely gonna be happy that you have those as for footwear Waterproof hiking shoes or boots are really your best bet. That way if you encounter any rain, you're not dealing with wet feet.
they're great for those muddy icy trails. Traction devices like micro spikes are still a really good idea. A lot of the trails especially the ones that are shaded can be quite icy. Trust me. It's not fun to hike on ice hoping that you're not going to fall with every step Make sure you have your sunglasses and your sunscreen and then That bear spray, it's got to go with you on all of those hikes and you want to know how to use it.
and making sure you're making lots of noise on those trails i know i've said it multiple times but it's just really important to know those hiking trails can definitely still be muddy icy or dry or all of the above in the same hiking trail temperatures drop quickly, especially when that sun dips down behind the mountain. So don't underestimate how chilly it can still feel in May.
My final tips for visiting Banff in May. It's a great time to be flexible with your plans. If you don't have to worry so much about crowds, you can choose what you want to do each day. Make sure you check the trail and road conditions before you head out. If you're coming after the middle of May, make sure you have that Lake Louise shuttle booked unless you're planning on going there very early in the morning. You don't want to miss out because you can't get parking there.
Again, bring your bear spray. The bears are definitely out. And if you're visiting without a car, just know earlier in the month may be a little bit more difficult to get around without all of the bus schedules having moved to the summer schedule. But you know what? It's a great time to ride a bike, rent an e-bike and get around that way too.
I'm going to link my full blog post on what to expect in Banff in May in the show notes. And it's packed with even more trail suggestions, packing tips, things to do. All right, let's get into this week's listener question. Do I need a park pass to visit Banff and what kind should I get?
Yes, if you're visiting Baff National Park or Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, any of those, you absolutely need a National Park Pass. It's required for everyone visiting the National Parks, whether you're driving in it, doing a scenic drive, parking at a viewpoint or doing a hike now you can get them for individuals or you can get a group family pass for the car up to seven people so there's two types that you can get you can get the daily pass which is valid for the day
or you can get the annual discovery pass. The annual discovery pass actually ends up being the best value if you're visiting for seven or more days in the national park. You can get these online ahead of time or at the park gates or at the visitor centers and then you'll just display it on your dash in your vehicle.
Now, if you're also planning on visiting Canmore or Kananaskis, you need to get the Kananaskis Conservation Pass. Now, you don't need it for the town of Canmore, but you will need it for any of the hikes or even the Canmore Nordic Centre. The hikes around Canmore like Holling Peak or Grassy Lakes, all of those will require the Kananaskis Conservation Pass as well as if you go into Kananaskis and visit places like Troll Falls or Upper Kananaskis Lake. or any of those areas.
So the Kananaskis Conservation Pass is specific to the Alberta Provincial Parks within Kananaskis. It's not included in the Parks Canada Pass. It's a separate pass and you will need your license plate to get that pass. So I just recommend that once you have your rental car, you go online and just get it for the day on the day that you're actually going to need it.
Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the BAMP Travel Podcast. If you found it helpful, I'd love if you hit subscribe and left a quick review. It really helps other travelers find the show. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future episode, head to banftravelplanning.com forward slash podcast and send it in.
You can find more planning tips, tools, and free resources on both of my sites, TravelBanfCanada.com and BanffTravelPlanning.com. Until next time, happy trip planning and I'll see you out on the trails.