Desired conditions and strategies and actions

Parks Canada’s proposed strategies and actions are guided by eight core principles, and a regulatory and policy framework which influences what can and cannot be proposed.

For each of the draft strategies and actions, Parks Canada will evaluate the following:

• Viability: How this strategy would help us resolve key issues and how this strategy would help us meet desired conditions.
• Feasibility: How much would this strategy cost. Are resources required to implement the strategies available or may be secured in the future.
• Desirability: When and where this strategy would be most useful, how much this strategy would improve visitor experience and/or protect ecological integrity, and what are the trade-offs.

Parks Canada will consider public feedback to inform this evaluation process. No single solution will meet all project goals and resolve all issues. Our aim is to manage visitor use in a way that protects nature and history, is safe for visitors and staff alike, and provides positive experiences when visiting. Strategies and actions must align with applicable legislation, policies, and other management direction including the Canada National Parks Act, Parks Canada Mandate and the Lake Louise Area Strategy which is part of the Banff National Park Management Plan.

Some additional considerations may also apply when selection strategies and actions:

• Analysis: Data collection and further study may be required to evaluate and implement some of the strategies and actions.
• Resourcing: Resources will be required to implement some of the strategies and actions.
• Adaptive Management: Ongoing monitoring and adjustments will take place to ensure the strategies and actions are maintaining or achieving the desired conditions.

Managing traffic congestion and crowding was identified as a top priority in previous consultation about desired conditions, with 62% mentioning overcrowding as a barrier to visiting Lake Louise.

To manage congestion and crowding, Parks Canada is proposing the following actions. While reading these actions, please consider their impact on managing congestion and crowding.

Parks Canada is proposing to manage access to the following three key busy locations to adjust volume and smooth out surges during peak periods:

• Moraine Lake
• Paradise Valley
• Upper Lake Louise

Solutions will look different at different locations but could include parking reservations, parking time limits, occupation licences, access permits, seasonal access restrictions, or a combination of these or other tools. To further reduce pressure on busy areas and resources, no new special event proposals will be considered in the Lake Louise area at any time of year. More details, and additional opportunities to provide feedback on strategies and actions specific to each location, are available in the following two surveys.

Establishing a visitor capacity is a strategy of last resort, used when no other combination of actions will achieve the desired conditions. Capacities will be evidence-based, specific, adjustable and will differ by location.

Capacities have not yet been set. Based on best available data and knowledge, we anticipate that, when developed, capacities will

• Moraine Lake – Reduce visitation to meet current site capacity and better time the arrival and volume of visitors to reduce peak period congestion.
• Paradise Valley – Reduce visitation to protect habitat security and wildlife connectivity.
• Upper Lake Louise (lakeshore) - Pause growth and better manage the volume and timing of visitation to reduce peak period congestion and crowding.
• Transportation corridors – Reduce overall vehicle volumes and encourage active transportation. Prioritize the health of wildlife corridors and connectivity.
• Lake Louise Park and Ride – Slow the rate of visitation increase. Allow incremental vehicle growth within the pre-approved footprint expansion.

During previous engagement, Canadians told us that Parks Canada must manage congestion, while welcoming large numbers of visitors using minimal restrictions and that providing lower cost transportation options should remain a priority. Mass and active transportation are essential tools to balance those potentially conflicting objectives.

For the strategy of prioritizing mass and active transportation, 5 actions are being proposed. While reading these actions, please consider their impact on prioritizing mass and active transportation.

1. Leverage public transportation partnerships

• Continue to work closely with local and regional public transportation partners to monitor usage and determine optimal shuttle and transit routes, stop locations, and service frequency throughout the area, with the goal of continuing to improve local and regional connectivity.

2. Ensure affordable options

• Ensure an affordable transportation offer is available to visitors, maintaining public access to key destinations in the Lake Louise area.
• Where private vehicles are prohibited, and commercial shuttles are allowed fees collected from parking and commercial transportation providers will contribute to offset the cost of ensuring an affordable transportation option continues to be available to the public.

3. Improve active transportation routes

• Continue to improve the Tramline Trail as a safe, scenic and dedicated walking and biking route between the community and Upper Lake Louise (lakeshore). Improve signage, crossings and trip planning tools.
• As infrastructure is updated, explore improvements to connectivity for cyclists between the Lake Louise Park and Ride, Bow Valley Parkway and the community of Lake Louise.

4. Improve accessibility

• Ensure that new infrastructure and services respect current Parks Canada policies, guidelines and standards for accessibility.
• Continue to offer either affordable, accessible transportation, or accessible parking stalls, at both Upper Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
• Ensure that both the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake lakeshores are accessible.

5. Adaptive management of infrastructure

• As more people arrive by mass and active transportation, ensure infrastructure supports these arrival modes. This could include redesigning parking stalls and drop-off zones; or using barriers, signs and curbs to better direct pedestrians, reduce congestion, and improve safety and the visitor experience.

Past survey respondents identified protecting wildlife as the highest priority in the desired conditions with 40% indicating Parks Canada should be doing more to protect natural and cultural resources.

To protect wildlife and ecosystems 3 actions are proposed. These are in addition to potential wildlife crossing structures and fencing already being considered. While reading these actions, please consider their impact on protecting wildlife and ecosystems.

1. Enhance habitat and movement corridors

• Use prescribed fire and forest thinning to increase productive wildlife habitat within wildlife corridors but away from busy areas.
• Remove non-native vegetation and select food sources to decrease wildlife attractants in busy day-use areas and trails throughout the area.

2. Implement seasonal or overnight closures

• Use seasonal or time based road closures or restrictions to allow for safe wildlife movement overnight, at dawn and dusk, or in the spring. This could include closing the Upper Lake Louise parking lot overnight, reducing or eliminating the Alpine Start shuttle, or implementing road closures or a vehicle capacity on Moraine Lake Road during sensitive seasons and hours.
• Continue to work with the guiding and alpinism community to ensure that early alpine starts remain possible to access mountaineering objectives safely.

3. Consolidate trails and improve sightlines

• Seasonally or permanently close trails that are redundant, unofficial or important for wildlife, and restrict off-trail travel. Concentrating visitors on official trails (such as Tramline Trail and Great Divide Trail) reduces human activity in wildlife habitat and movement corridors.
• Improve sightlines on official trails to reduce unexpected wildlife encounters.

Canadians told us clearly that their ideal or desired conditions could not be achieved without greater public education and awareness, enhanced trip planning tools and improved visitor behavior. While reading these actions, please consider their impact on enhancing education and trip planning.

For the strategy of enhancing education and trip planning, 4 potential actions are proposed. While reading these actions, please consider their impact on enhancing education and trip planning.

1. Improve connectivity

• Work with partners to facilitate the delivery of Wi-Fi, improved cellular coverage, and real-time, accessible tools where feasible to improve connectivity, communication and trip planning at destinations.

2. Signage and wayfinding

• Through adaptive management, continue to improve signage to better guide visitors to and around the different nodes in the Lake Louise area and enhance arrival signage at key attractions so visitors have confidence they are where they want to be.

3. Work with partners

• Continue to explore new and innovative ways to share key safety, education, and behaviour messaging with the public before and during visits. Work with partners to reach the right audiences at key times in the planning cycle and ensure information is available where visitors are searching for it.
• Explore options to better integrate Parks Canada shuttle reservations with regional transportation networks and other value-add experiences, while continuing to prioritize a convenient, fair and accessible reservation service.

4. Incorporate Indigenous voices

• Create space for Indigenous people and voices to welcome and educate visitors in the Lake Louise area.

Parks Canada would like your feedback on 4 possible options to manage the volume of vehicles at Upper Lake Louise.

• Scenario A: First-come, first-served paid parking
• Scenario B: Parking reservations with no entry restrictions
• Scenario C: Parking reservations with timed-entry and length of stay
• Scenario D: Personal vehicle restrictions, access by shuttles, transit, and active modes

Some key elements remain the same in all scenarios:

Parking lot size: With visitation anticipated to continue to grow, expanding parking lots is not a sustainable solution to address parking congestion.

Managed mass-transit volumes: Public transit and commercial shuttle volumes are managed in every scenario to avoid exceeding site capacity considering parking limits, trail and washrooms capacity, environmental thresholds, public safety and visitor experiences.
Reminder: Establishing a capacity limit is a strategy of last resort, used when no other combination of actions will achieve the desired conditions. No capacity numbers or allocation mechanism have been set at this time. More information is available on the Parks Canada website.

Diverse offer: Allocate commercial shuttle capacities in a fair and transparent manner, ensuring that the market remains competitive and continues to support multiple business models. PCA remains committed to a transportation experience that factors in a variety of arrival modes including both public transit and diverse commercial offers.

Affordability: In all scenarios, Parks Canada will ensure an affordable transportation offer is available to visitors, maintaining public access to key destinations in the Lake Louise area. Fees collected from paid parking and commercial transportation licences will continue to ensure the cost of maintaining public access to the area remains financially sustainable.

Scenario A: First-come, first-served paid parking

How would it work?

Personal vehicles can still drive to Upper Lake Louise and look for parking, but spaces are limited. Parking lots are full 12 hours a day and less than 1 in 4 vehicles arriving to the lakeshore successfully find parking. Once the lot is full, vehicles are turned away until spaces become available, which often means circling the road or leaving the area. Parking fees remain high to help keep shuttles affordable.

To try and get a spot, people continue to arrive earlier or later in the day or to come outside of peak months. This results in more congestion and heightened pressures during dawn and dusk hours which are important for wildlife movement. 24-hour traffic management is required to prevent conflicts between vehicles and manage safety.

What happens to shuttles?

Parks Canada shuttles, Roam Public Transit, and commercial operators continue to service Upper Lake Louise. Arrival by these modes is subject to a capacity and staggered to create less visitation spikes throughout the day. Public transit is prioritized and remains the lowest-cost option.

Scenario B: Parking reservations with no entry restrictions

How would it work?

To drive a personal vehicle to Upper Lake Louise during peak months and hours (June–September, 6:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.), you will need a parking reservation or entry pass. Parking reservations are released before the arrival date. They sell out quickly but guarantee access for visitors who plan ahead. Drivers with a reservation can arrive any time within the restricted access window and stay as long as they like. Those without a reservation will not be allowed to park, they must turn around at a staffed checkpoint or automated gate and leave the area. Dedicated lanes for shuttles, hotel guests and staff access would need to be provided.

Parks Canada uses historical occupancy, visit duration and flow data to set realistic reservation numbers, starting at 70–80% utilization to account for longer stays and occasional overnight parking. Some empty stalls are expected during system optimization. Over time, dynamic adjustments to reservation windows will reflect visitation patterns, seasonality, weather, and events. Congestion and circling are initially still expected on Lake Louise Drive while visitors learn the new system, however vehicle congestion is significantly improved overall and reduces over time. Visitation outside restricted access hours may increase.

What happens to shuttles?

Visitors can also use Parks Canada shuttles, Roam Public Transit, or commercial operators which may see modest capacity increases to offset the reduced public parking.

Scenario C: Parking reservations with timed-entry and fixed length of stay

How would this work?

Timed-entry parking reservations are required during peak months and hours (June–September, 6:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.). Visitors receive and entry time and a fixed length of stay rather than an open-ended stay. These blocks might be either 3, 4 or 5-hours, based on historical length of stay data. Visitors can enjoy the lake or choose a hike within their reservation window but must leave before the window ends.

Grace periods allow for minor delays, while overstays may result in penalties. Drivers without a reservation must turn around at a staffed checkpoint or automated gate, with dedicated lanes for shuttles and hotel guests.

This system helps spread arrivals and departures throughout the day, reducing congestion and crowding. Some empty stalls are expected to account for overstays or no-shows while the system is optimized. Reduced congestion and circling are expected on Lake Louise Drive, though visitation outside reservation hours may increase.

What happens to shuttles?

Visitors needing more time for their stay are encouraged to arrive via alternative methods such as shuttles, transit, active modes, or commercial operators which may see modest capacity increases to offset the reduced public parking.

Scenario D: Personal vehicles restricted - access by shuttle, transit, or active modes

How would it work?

From May to October, personal vehicles are no longer permitted on Lake Louise Drive. Visitors must reach Upper Lake Louise using transit or shuttles including Roam Public Transit, Parks Canada shuttles and commercial operators, or by bike, or foot. Exceptions are provided to those with mobility challenges, hotel guests and staff, contractors, and essential service providers if they cannot be accommodated on the shuttle services. Reduced vehicle volume on the road improves conditions for wildlife movement.

Visitors must plan ahead to secure their seat in advance of their trip. If there are no reservations available for their chosen day, they must plan for another day or visit a different location.

What happens to shuttles?

Shuttles, both public and commercial, and transit are the primary arrival modes. They may run more frequently but arrivals are managed to reduce surges and overcrowding. Accessibility is improved and space for gear transportation is considered. Visitors can also use Roam Public Transit, commercial operators or active modes to access this destination. Parking lots are redesigned to favour a drop-off and pick-up model (vs. parking) and provide additional amenities and services with the re-allocated space.

Protecting wildlife, managing traffic congestion and crowding, and providing clean and adequate washrooms were some of the key desired conditions for this area. To achieve desired conditions, Parks Canada will use 5 actions:

Planned actions for Moraine Lake

1. Manage mass-transit volumes

• Reduce daily mass-transit volumes to a level that avoids exceeding site capacity considering parking limits, trail and washrooms capacity, environmental thresholds, public safety and visitor experiences.
  Reminder: Establishing a capacity limit is a strategy of last resort, used when no other combination of actions will achieve the desired conditions. No capacity numbers or allocation mechanism have been set at this time. 
• Use commercial access permits and management tactics to manage visitation and smooth out visitation surges during peak periods. Management tactics could include things like set arrival times or length of stay limitations.
• Uphold Parks Canada’s commitment to provide commercial operators with 18 months lead time before implementing significant changes to access to the area.

2. Support a diverse offer

• PCA remains committed to a transportation experience that factors in a variety of arrival modes including both public transit and diverse commercial offers.

3. Maintain affordability

• In all scenarios, Parks Canada will ensure that an affordable option is available to access Moraine Lake.
• Fees collected from paid parking and commercial transportation licences will continue to ensure the cost of maintaining public access to the area remains financially sustainable.

4. Implement seasonal or overnight closures

• Limit vehicle access to Moraine Lake Road to reduce disturbance for wary carnivores. This could look like reducing or eliminating the Alpine Start shuttle offer and implementing closures or a vehicle capacity on Moraine Lake Road during sensitive seasons and hours.

5. Encourage active transportation

• Continue to prioritize safety between cyclists and vehicles on Moraine Lake Road and explore opportunities for road improvements like cyclist pullouts when infrastructure is updated.

Paradise Valley is a sensitive backcountry area. This location provides important habitat for wary species, such as grizzly bears, between the busy locations of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Lesser visited areas like Paradise Valley provide wildlife with relatively undisturbed and seasonally important habitat away from crowds.

To preserve this unique backcountry location with the intent to prioritize habitat security for wildlife, Parks Canada is proposing 2 actions.

1. Manage mass-transit trailhead access volumes

• Reduce daily volumes of hikers dropped-off and picked-up at the Paradise Valley trailhead by transit, to a level that achieves visitation levels that protect habitat security and wildlife connectivity for this area and protects important grizzly bear habitat.
• Tools such as reservations or permits may be used to help spread visits throughout the day and prevent crowding. Allocation systems like a random draw or lottery may also be considered.

2. Implement seasonal or overnight closures

• Use seasonal closures of the area in spring and early summer so grizzly bears and other wildlife can access seasonally important habitat with minimal human disturbance.
• Camping and bivy permits would continue to be monitored and modified – if required – based on environmental and wildlife conditions. This could include removing the camping offer in this area.

Reminder: Establishing a visitor capacity is a strategy of last resort, used when no other combination of actions will achieve the desired conditions. No capacity numbers or allocation mechanism have been developed. Parks Canada is committed to ensuring that all visitor capacities are allocated in an open, fair and transparent manner.