How To Visit The Canadian Rockies On A Budget (Banff & Jasper National Park)

How To Visit The Canadian Rockies On A Budget

If you want to make your trip to the Canadian Rockies cheap and suitable for your budget, I have got some great advice for you! In this post, I let you in on nine tips to visit Banff and Jasper National Parks on a budget.

As soon as you see pictures of Banff and Jasper National Park, it will come as no surprise to you, that they are very popular destinations for travellers. I had the chance to explore the area this summer, and let me tell you: It looks even better than the photos. The unfortunate side to its popularity is that Banff has become one of the most expensive places to visit in Canada… But this shouldn’t stop you from going!

Luckily, there are a lot of different ways you can make your trip to the Canadian Rockies cheaper, so you don’t have to miss out, if your budget is limited! Take a look below:

Stay At Campsites Near Banff & Jasper

Accommodation in Banff and Jasper is by far the biggest expense you will meet, when planning a trip to the Canadian Rockies. When I first started researching for my trip, I was absolutely blown away by the prices of hotels and AirBnBs.

One of the best ways to get around this major expense is to rent an RV or go camping. Luckily, Canadas national parks are very well suited for camping and offers great campsites with all the amenities you need after a long day.

On average, we paid 20-30 CAD per night staying in campsites, which is a lot cheaper than the minimum of 400 CAD for hotels in the high season!

How To Visit Banff On A Budget

Cheap places to camp near Banff

There are a lot of campsites near Banff town with a variety of anemities. We camped at Tunnel Mountain Village II, which had everything we wanted. During the summer, it even has a shuttle bus to down, so you can leave your RV or car on the campsite! There are a lot of others to choose from, some of the most popular being Tunnel Mountain Village I and Two Jack Lakeside – although the latter is further out from Banff. You can see the full overview of campsites and reservation options here.

Cheap places to camp near Jasper

We stayed at Whistlers Campground near Jasper town, which is a huge campground with great amenities and service. During the booking proces you are able to see pictures of individual sites, which makes it easier for you to choose exactly what you want. It is one of the most popular, and I definitely recommend it! Other options close to Jasper are Wapiti and Wabasso, although the latter does not have showers. If you want a full overview, take a look at Parks Canada’s site over campgrounds near Jasper.


Book Far In Advance

Booking your trip to the Canadian Rockies far in advance is one of the greatest budget travel tips there is. Although there are some less expensive hotels in Banff and Jasper town, these often sell out months or even half a year in advance. If you are on a budget, you want to start booking as soon as possible!

Pro Tip: Since Banff and Jasper National Parks have become extremely popular among tourists, Canada Parks has set up reservations for most campsites and activities with a limited amount of tickets. In the spring, the reservations open at certain dates and people sit in lines for hours trying to book a campsite in the summer months! Within hours, everything is sold out.

If you plan on visiting Banff and Jasper National Parks during the summer, you need to be aware of these reservation dates. Being too late in the booking proces might mean there are no campsites left with decent amenities – and even no tickets left for the famous Lake Louise and Lake Morraine! ‘if you want to stay in campsites with certain anemities – or even if you want to ensure you can visit the famous Lake Louise and Lake Morraine! See Canada Park’s site for more information.


Stay Outside of Banff & Jasper

If you want to find cheap hotels near Banff and Jasper town, a great way to do this is to stay outside of the main town. You might want to consider staying 20-30 minutes outside of the town to save thousands of dollars on hotel stays during your trip. For a budget traveller, it will likely be worth it! After all, you will have a car for your trip, and will be able to drive into town to explore and eat!


Do A Quick Trip – Two Days In Banff & Jasper

If you want to visit the Canadian Rockies on a budget, one of the best things you can do is take a shorter trip. Although Banff National Park and Jasper National Park can easily fill up a 7-10 day itinerary, each extra day will add to your expenses in terms of car rental, park passes, food and more.

I recently explored the best of the Canadian Rockies in only two jam-packed days. Take a look at my two day itinerary to find out how much you can see of Banff and Jasper National Parks in only 48 hours!


Visit In The Shoulder Seasons

As with any other place, the prices in Banff and Jasper skyrockets during the summer months! If you want to make your trip to the Canadian Rockies cheaper, you can choose to visit during the shoulder seasons in May, early June, September and October. Most roads and hiking trails will still be open, and there will be less people, which means hotels will lower their prices to tempt you to go!


Visit During Canada Day Weekend For Free Park Entry

This is a little pro tip for budget travelling in Banff and Jasper National Park that I didn’t know, before I found myself with a free ticket on my trip. In 2023, Parks Canada made the entry to all national parks free on Canada Day Weekend – and hopefully they will in the coming years too!

As Canada Day is right in the high season of the Canadian Rockies, this is a great way to save some money. Normally the park pass costs 10,50 CAD daily/person or 72,25 CAD yearly/person – so there are a lot of money to be saved.


Fill Up On Fuel Before Entering The National Parks

Since there is only one fuelling station on The Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper, the prices of fuel in the park is very high. If you want to visit the Canadian Rockies on a budget, be sure to fill up your tank before entering the parks!


Cook Your Own Meals

Another way to visit the Canadian Rockies on a budget is to save money on food. Although Banff and Jasper have a ton of restaurants and cafés in different price ranges, it is definitely still cheaper to cook your own meals!

To save money, why not buy ingrediences in the grocery store for your dinners and make sandwiches and lunch boxes to bring on your days? You can either cook your food on a trangia set, bonfires or common kitchen areas at many of the campsites!


Choose Budgetfriendly And Free Activities

The last tip to visit Banff and Jasper on a budget is to mostly do activities that are completely free. Luckily, the main attraction in the Canadian Rockies is the nature, and besides paying for park passes, the biggest sights are free to visit! Although there are fun activities and tours to join in the national parks, you can definitely get a lot out of your time without paying a penny.

That concludes some of the best ways to visit the Canadian Rockies on a budget. I hope it inspires you to explore Banff and Jasper without spending everything you have!

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