Five adults, a seven-year-old, a five-year-old and a toddler in one Odyssey. Pick a day below. Forecasts refresh every time the page opens.
Lake Louise shuttle · Sun 9 to 10 amMoraine Lake shuttle · Mon 9 to 10 amPhotoshoot · Sun 12 to 1 pmGrandparents land YYC · Sat about 5:30 pmCheckout · Fri 11 am
Need to know
Shuttle rules (Sun and Mon)
Park and Ride is at the Lake Louise Ski Resort, 1 Whitehorn Road. Parking is free with the reservation. Directions
Check in at the kiosk during your 9 to 10 am window. Screenshot the reservation; Moraine Lake has no cell service.
Return shuttles are first come, first served. Last return from either lake is 7:30 pm. Thanksgiving lines can be long mid-afternoon.
Lake Connector between the two lakes runs every 30 minutes, 7 am to 6 pm, free with your boarding pass. You can go Moraine to Louise and ride home from the Louise lakeshore.
Monday Oct 12 is the last day of the Moraine Lake shuttle season. The road then closes to everyone until spring.
Folded strollers ride in the coach bay. On the trails a carrier is easier than a stroller everywhere except the Lake Louise lakeshore path.
Passes and money
A Parks Canada pass is needed from the Banff East Gate onward, every day except a Canmore-only day. Kids 17 and under are free; one Family/Group daily pass covers everyone in the van. Buy a multi-day pass at the gate on Sunday or online beforehand to use the pass-holder lane. Yoho and the Icefields Parkway use the same pass. Fees
Grassi Lakes and Spray Lakes Road need a separate Kananaskis Conservation Pass per vehicle, bought online. Quarry Lake does not, but its lot is paid parking. K-Country pass
Cave and Basin: adults $10, kids free. Canmore Museum: adults $10, kids 12 and under free. Upper Hot Springs and the Banff Gondola are the pricier add-ons.
Driving
Check 511 Alberta before every mountain drive and DriveBC on the Yoho day.
Icefields Parkway in October: no gas, no services, and the road is not plowed between 3:30 pm and 7 am. Fill up in Canmore or Lake Louise and be back on Highway 1 before dark.
Highway 1 through Yoho is in BC, where winter tires are required from Oct 1. All-season tires marked M+S on the sidewall qualify. Check the Odyssey's tires before Wednesday.
Sunset is about 6:55 pm Sunday and 6:46 pm Friday. Elk and deer are on the roads at dusk; drive the Bow Valley slowly after 6 pm.
Field, BC runs on Mountain Time, so no clock change on the Yoho day.
Kids and cold
Lake Louise and Moraine Lake sit 300 to 350 m above Canmore. Expect -5 to -10 °C at the 9:30 am drop-off on both shuttle days, warming to around 0 to 7 °C by early afternoon.
For the 5 and 7 year olds: base layer, fleece, shell, snow pants, waterproof boots, toque, mitts. Spare mitts and socks in the pack. Sunglasses for snow glare.
Toddler: bunting suit in the carrier plus a blanket over the top. Check hands and cheeks every 20 minutes. Hand warmers in the adults' pockets double as toddler warmers.
Thermos of hot chocolate on both shuttle days. Moraine has pit toilets only: bring a changing mat and a bag for diapers.
Photoshoot outfits need to be warm first and photogenic second. Layer the nice top over a thin base layer and hide hand warmers.
Food plan
Saturday grocery run at Save-On-Foods or Safeway in Canmore: breakfasts, snacks, and packed lunches for Sunday and Monday. Map
Lake Louise: Guide's Pantry inside the Chateau is 24-hour grab-and-go. Sit-down restaurants will be slammed on Thanksgiving Sunday. Laggan's Bakery in the village is 5 minutes from the Park and Ride for cheap sandwiches before boarding.
Moraine Lake: nothing for sale, no water. Everything comes in the pack.
Icefields Parkway: the Lodge at Bow Lake café (9 am to 5 pm, open until mid-October) is the only stop. Otherwise bring a picnic.
Yoho: nothing reliable in October beyond the Emerald Lake Lodge; bring a picnic for the lakeshore lawn.
Emergency and info numbers
Emergency: 911. Banff National Park dispatch: 403-762-1470.
Parks Canada info: Banff 403-762-1550, Lake Louise 403-522-3833.
Canmore General Hospital, 1100 Hospital Place, Canmore. Banff Mineral Springs Hospital, 305 Lynx Street, Banff.