How can Parks Canada manage exploding visitation rates to Lake Louise?
It’s a question the federal agency is trying to answer with its final public engagement phase for a visitor use management plan in the iconic area.
Among the options being considered are a summertime ban of vehicles, a reservation system, parking time limits and maintaining the status quo of paid parking.
The scenic Lake Louise and Banff National Park have seen overcrowding become normal each year from May to October.
Banff National Park has had a 34 per cent visitation increase since 2010, while Lake Louise had a 70 per cent jump between 2010-19.
The balancing act for the federal agency is maintaining its core mandate of protecting the environment and wildlife, but not sacrificing visitor experience for millions of people.
“We’ve heard loud and clear from Canadians, ecological integrity is a key component of what they’re expecting for Parks Canada to deliver,” said François Masse, superintendent of the Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay field unit.
The spots impacted by any changes would be Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Paradise Valley. All three are swarmed by about 2.6 million people each year.
The first round of public engagement, in 2024, Masse led to prioritizing managing congestion, having more forms of public and active transit and protecting wildlife and the environment, Masse said.
“Parks belong to Canadian people. … This is a place that belongs to all Canadians and we all want to leave it in great shape and even better shape for our children,” Masse said.
Have we reached peak tourism in Banff?
Parks Canada has attempted to bring the overcrowding issue to acceptable levels in recent years.
It halted private vehicle traffic to scenic Moraine Lake in 2023, implemented paid parking in Lake Louise and instituted area closures to lessen impact on wildlife.
While capacity limits are a possibility, Masse said it would be a “last resort” in managing the area.
Jodi Hilty, the president and chief scientist of Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, said the two areas of focus should be maintaining ecological integrity of the national parks as well as equality of access.
She said as visitation numbers continue to rise for Banff National Park and Kananaskis Country, it’s “why we need more parks since humans are craving it.”
Jesse Kitteridge, owner of Moraine Lake Bus Company, said he’s hoping trials for managing the area are explored rather than more restrictive options.
“My main concern is Parks Canada is limiting itself to restrictions because that’s the main tool they have,” he said. “If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Parks Canada is managing extraordinary demand and a budget that’s not increasing at the pace it needs to to handle increased demands, so the only tools they have are restrictive.”
Kitteridge said his company — which employs about 60 people in the summer — would likely benefit if more emphasis was placed on mass transit, but also noted his concerns about equity for Canadians coming to national parks.
“I think a lot of these problems could be solved with more funding to Parks Canada,” Kitteridge said.
Hilty said proactive management is key to solving issues when it comes to overcrowding, but it was necessary that “we’re not pricing people out. … Management through pricing isn’t the answer.”
Parks Canada is also looking at visitor use management in Lake Minnewanka and Jasper National Park.
It released a report on moving people sustainably in the Bow Valley that recommended reducing private vehicle traffic and adding public transit.
Harvey Locke, a Banff resident and conservationist, said he’s encouraged Parks Canada is looking at visitor use management since “we have simply too many people visiting the shore of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.”
He noted it’s impacting the visitor experience and could have negative long-term implications on the environment and wildlife.
Visitor restrictions may be controversial, but Locke said it’s normal to control crowds at sporting events, concerts, national parks and historic sites.
Locke added if the provincial government is going to emphasize tourism growth in Alberta — which would impact Banff National Park — it should promote and protect Bighorn Backcountry near Nordegg as a “relief valve” for regional tourism.
“If the province wants to increase tourism, then increase the capacity of our landscape to protect ecological integrity and provide that experience,” he said.
