The ACC and Moraine Lake Road
Parks Canada has announced that beginning in 2023, the road to Moraine Lake in Banff National Park will be closed to personal vehicles year round. This is a significant development for users of the area and for ACC members and the mountaineering community. The ACC has been included in discussions on this matter and while the club was not a part of the decision making process, we do support Parks Canada’s decision.
Overwhelming visitor numbers
The past few years have seen very significant growth of visitors to the Mountain Parks and nowhere is that more evident than at Moraine Lake. The lake is the site of a luxury lodge and canoe rentals as well as being the trailhead for many popular hikes. The larches are a big draw, particularly in the fall, and in recent years the famous views have made it an Instagram destination.
“People who arrive to a full parking lot don’t simply drive the 14 km back to Lake Louise and make other plans – they circle the lot waiting for a spot to open up as more cars continue to arrive.”
For climbers, it’s the starting point for mountaineering routes on Mt. Temple and most of the peaks in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, as well as the rock climbing on the Tower of Babel and the Grand Sentinel. It’s also the access point for the approach to the ACC’s Neil Colgan Hut. All of this activity has put unsustainable pressure on the limited parking at the lake and pressed Parks Canada to implement changes.
As Parks Canada explains on their website demand for access to the area far exceeds the capacity of the parking lot. Last summer, the demand was so high that the parking lot remained full nearly 24 hours a day. The traffic required flag persons who were deployed day and night in the peak of the summer.
Photo: Parks Canada
The demand for parking at the lake has also created its own problems. People who arrive to a full parking lot don’t simply drive the 14 km back to Lake Louise and make other plans – they circle the lot waiting for a spot to open up as more cars continue to arrive. The result has been all-day-long idling, traffic jams and ultimately disappointed people - what Parks refers to as a “degradation of the visitor experience.”
Climbers and hikers who have been using this area for many years will remember a time when it was possible to drive the road to Moraine Lake and get a parking spot whenever they wanted. It’s clear that, as much as we would like to return to that convenience, the present level of users in the area make that unrealistic.
Benefits of the new plan
Parks has identified three main benefits of closing the road to personal vehicles:
Predictability for visitors. Uncertainty and frustration will be reduced by not having to guess what time to arrive to hopefully get a parking spot.
Improved wildlife movement. Fewer vehicles on the road will reduce stress on the wildlife in the Fairview corridor.
Reduced emissions. Eliminating 900 cars will equate to a reduction of more than four tonnes of CO2 emissions per day.
New Moraine Lake access options
Beginning in June of this year, there will be four ways for the climbing community to access Moraine Lake:
Parks will be operating a dedicated shuttle bus to the lake. Service will be every 15 minutes from 6:30 am to 6:00 pm and will cost $8.
Roam public transit will have service to the lake from Banff.
Taxis and other commercial operators will be permitted on the road to service the area.
Bikes and e-bikes are permitted on the road. Parks will be adding additional bike racks at the lake.
Photo: Gavin Boutet, Neil Colgan Hut.
Alpine starts and access to the Neil Colgan Hut
Parks has advised the ACC that concessions will be made for guests with reservations at the Neil Colgan Hut. These guests will be required to pay for the bus, but not be required to make an advance booking and will be given spaces of passengers that are no-shows for their reservation. They estimate that wait times should be no more than 15 to 30 minutes.
We recognize that the published times for shuttles will not work for those making alpine starts on climbs, scrambles and hut trips and that these visitors will likely opt for taxi rides from Lake Louise town site. Again, this is less convenient than in years past when we could park whenever we wanted, but it will be a significant improvement on the overcrowded parking lot of the past few summers.
Supporting our mountaineering community
Fay Glacier.
The ACC advocates for access for climbers to the mountains as well as for preservation of our alpine environment. It is our view that this closure of Moraine Lake Road to private vehicles is necessary and is in the interest of the environment as well as all users of the area. It may require us to make an adjustment, but in the long run it will provide better access overall.