Key milestones

2013

Parks Canada shuttle to Moraine Lake begins!

High demand for access to the Moraine Lake area during larch season prompts Parks Canada to provide shuttle services to Moraine Lake over two weekends in the fall.

2016

Lake Louise shuttle route added, roadside parking difficulties

Congestion impedes emergency vehicle access on Lake Louise Drive. Parks Canada expands the shuttle service to Lake Louise over weekends in July and August. Contracted traffic control personnel are present on site daily, throughout summer months. The Moraine Lake parking lot is routinely over capacity and vehicles park along the shoulder for several kilometres.

2017

Lake Louise shuttle route expands to provide daily service, extreme congestion on Lake Louise Drive, trip planning communications take off

Parks Canada expands the Lake Louise shuttle route to 7 days/ week during summer months to address midweek congestion. Moraine Lake shuttle route continues during the fall. To help reduce the number of personal vehicles at Lake Louise, Parks Canada contracts a private, third-party bus service to connect the town of Banff to the Lake Louise area.

During peak periods, traffic is restricted from travelling on Moraine Lake Road when the parking is full. Traffic movement is not restricted on Lake Louise Drive. However, congestion remains high during peak periods and periods of gridlock result in delayed shuttles and impeded access and egress for visitors and emergency services. Congestion also becomes a barrier to wildlife movement.

Parks Canada, Town of Banff, and Banff & Lake Louise Tourism create a joint marketing partnership to encourage visitors to plan ahead and to create awareness of transit options to and within Banff National Park. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take transit, arrive early, visit at non-peak periods, or visit alternate park locations. Communication tactics include live parking updates, trip planning tools, media exposure and advertising tactics including radio, digital and print.

2019

Moraine Lake shuttle expands to daily summer service, visitors face 3-hour lineups, fee introduced for shuttles

From June to October, the Parks Canada shuttle runs daily to each lake, every 15 minutes. Shuttles operate on a paid, first-come, first-served system from the Lake Louise overflow parking lot, 5 km east of Lake Louise on the Trans-Canada Highway. A connector shuttle transports visitors from Upper Lake Louise to Moraine Lake. Lineups to board the shuttles reach 2-3 hours long. There are limited amenities, and parking at the Park and Ride is over capacity, creating concerns around safety on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Upper Lake Louise and Moraine Lake parking lots fill by 7 am and traffic congestion is a regular occurrence. Parks Canada partners with Roam Public Transit to launch routes 8X, 8S and 10. The routes service the Lake Louise area from the town of Banff.

2020

COVID-19 Pandemic and Moraine Lake receives new washrooms

The Parks Canada summer shuttle is cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shuttle resumes service to Moraine Lake in the fall. Parks Canada builds 10 new toilets at Moraine Lake.

2021

Shuttle reservation system introduced, and visitors must pay to park at Upper Lake Louise

The shuttle reservation service spreads visitation throughout the day and reduces lineups for shuttles. Parks Canada significantly increases Moraine Lake shuttle capacity by adding a direct route from the Lake Louise Park and Ride. The connector shuttle between the lakes allows visitors to see both lakes in the same day. Paid parking ($11.70/ day) is in effect in the Upper Lake Louise parking lot during the shuttle season to help incentivise transit use and offset the cost of the shuttle program. However, it remains less expensive for most visitors to park than to ride the shuttle. Visitation is still rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic and shuttles operate below capacity.

2022

Park and Ride relocated, Moraine Lake parking filling by 4 am

The Lake Louise Park and Ride is relocated from the overflow parking area to the Lake Louise Ski Resort. This increases parking space and improves access to and from the Trans-Canada Highway. Whitehorn Road is closed to vehicles overnight to mitigate impacts on the Whitehorn wildlife corridor.

Great Divide parking lot on Lake Louise Drive and key sections of the Bow River Loop Trail are closed seasonally to help condense the human footprint and therefore limit disruptions in the Fairview wildlife corridor. This provides more space for wildlife using critical habitat patches in the Lake Louise area.

Paid parking at Upper Lake Louise is increased to $12.25/ day.

Parks Canada partners with Roam Public Transit to integrate route 8X riders with the Parks Canada shuttle service by allowing Roam Public Transit riders to connect to Moraine Lake on the Parks Canada Lake Connector shuttle.

Parks Canada shuttles sell out most days in July and August. Moraine Lake parking lot routinely fills by 3 am or 4 am. Traffic control personnel are required 24 hours a day to prevent overcapacity issues. An average of 5 000 vehicles per day are turned away from Moraine Lake while only 700 to 900 vehicles per day can park at the parking lot. The unpredictability of the system results in significant visitor frustration. Abuse and violence are frequently directed towards Parks Canada traffic management staff and contractors.

2023

Personal vehicles restricted from Moraine Lake Road

After having had to turn away 85 percent of vehicles attempting to park at the Moraine Lake Road in 2022 because the parking lot was full, Parks Canada restricts personal vehicle access to Moraine Lake. Public access to Moraine Lake is provided by Parks Canada shuttles, Roam Public Transit, and commercial vehicle operators. The Moraine Lake parking lot now operates at or near capacity, with minimal congestion. Commercial buses must have a minimum 11 seats. This is a requirement for guided services, tour buses and third-party shuttles.

Paid parking at Upper Lake Louise increases to $21/ day. This makes the fee slightly higher than the cost for a family to ride the shuttle.

These actions result in a 23 percent reduction in traffic volumes on Lake Louise Drive compared to 2019 levels and a reduction of vehicle traffic on Moraine Lake Road during sensitive wildlife hours. Despite the significant reduction in traffic, the Upper Lake Louise parking lot operates over capacity from 8 am to 6 pm most days during June to September. Congestion on Lake Louise Drive continues. Approximately 1 800 vehicles are turned away from Upper Lake Louise every day during the summer. Parks Canada shuttles run every 15 minutes between 6:30 am and 8 pm and sell out every day from mid-June to mid-September.

A new wildlife underpass on Whitehorn Road funded by the Lake Louise Ski Area in accordance in its Long Range Plan improves the safe passage of wildlife through the Whitehorn wildlife corridor.

2024

Alpine start route added and pay parking increases again

A new alpine start shuttle departing for Moraine Lake at 4 am and 5 am facilitates access for early morning users (e.g. climbers, mountaineers, sunrise seekers). Paid parking at Upper Lake Louse increases to $36.75 per day. This brings it in line with comparable parking fees in the region and creates a clear financial incentive to take the shuttle, as recommended by the Expert Advisory Panel on Moving People Sustainably in the Bow Valley. On-it Regional Transit begins offering a direct route from Calgary to Lake Louise. Lake Louise Drive undergoes a rehabilitation and modernization project. This includes road resurfacing and the redesign of key intersections to improve traffic flow, wayfinding and pedestrian safety.

The current Parks Canada shuttle system has a daily capacity of 2 860 inbound riders per day. Shuttles are expected to sell out during June to September. Roam Transit and private shuttle operators are adding significant additional capacity daily. The parking at the Lake Louise Park and Ride is expected to reach capacity.

2025

Fees are introduced for commercial operators at Moraine Lake / Seasonal restrictions introduced on local trails to protect wildlife

In the Moraine Lake area – where personal vehicles are prohibited, and commercial shuttles are allowed – a fee is introduced for private transportation providers to help offset the cost of ensuring that an affordable public option remains available. Together with paid parking, the fee also supports the financial sustainability of the daily traffic management required to accommodate high volume visitation in the Lake Louise area.

Seasonal hiking restrictions are introduced on the Tramline and Louise Creek trails to provide wildlife with more space to move as Lake Louise Drive becomes busier. Horseback riding is moved to designated horse-use trails to separate horses and hikers on iconic lakeshore trails with very high visitation.