The Town of Banff is warning residents and visitors to expect major traffic delays this August long weekend, with daily vehicle counts forecast to easily top the threshold that triggers gridlock in the mountain community. The advisory, posted July 28, 2026 on the town’s road restrictions page, urges anyone heading to Banff between July 31 and August 3 to plan ahead, arrive early or late, and leave the car behind if possible.
Last year, more than 30,000 vehicles entered Banff each day over the August long weekend, well past the 24,000-vehicle mark that town officials say reliably causes backups across the compact townsite. That threshold was hit every single day in July and August of 2024, and every day in June and July 2025. With nearly 7 million vehicles recorded at town entrances in 2025, a 4 percent jump over 2024, the town expects the coming holiday to be no different.
Parking is already scarce this summer. The town has only 600 paid parking stalls and 800 free spaces on the commercial north side, meaning lots are regularly full by 10 a.m., even on weekdays. To nudge drivers toward shorter stays, the town hiked downtown pay-parking rates to $12 per hour, or $6 per 30 minutes. During the long weekend, traffic control personnel will be stationed at major intersections to keep vehicles moving as best they can.
One wrinkle this year is the absence of the On-It Regional Transit service, which normally shuttles passengers between Calgary, Canmore, and Banff. That summer route is suspended for 2026, removing a car-free option for the roughly 70 percent of park visitors who come from the Calgary area. The town is pointing people toward Roam Transit, Alberta’s third-busiest transit system by ridership, which moved more than 3 million riders in 2025, including a record 535,000 in July and August alone.
The traffic pinch is made worse by geography. Since 1990, Banff’s footprint has been locked at less than four square kilometres to protect the surrounding national park, meaning no room to widen roads or add parking. Park visitation is also at an all-time high, with 4.5 million people visiting Banff National Park in the 2025-26 fiscal year, another record.
The town recommends drivers aim to arrive before 9 a.m. or after 5 p.m., park once and walk or cycle around town, and consider taking Roam Transit from Canmore as an easy way to skip the snarls.
