Parks Canada closes Moraine Lake Road in Banff National Park to personal vehicles

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People wanting to access Moraine Lake in 2023 will have to do so by shuttles or commercial buses.

Moraine Lake Road will be closed to personal vehicles year-round due to an unmanageable level of traffic that has been growing over the last several years, Parks Canada announced on Friday afternoon.

Jed Cochrane, a spokesperson for Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay national parks, said 900 vehicles a day were able to park this past summer in the limited lots at the lake, but 5,000 were turned away daily. This led to many verbal and sometimes physical confrontations between frustrated guests and park staff.

“The decision to restrict private vehicles on the road is really about improving visitor experience,” he said. “Being clear to visitors before they come that they won’t be able to take their private vehicle up the road and that they should make alternative transportation arrangements if they want to see Moraine Lake.”

No park employees were injured but Cochrane said RCMP often responded to these situations, sometimes resulting in charges being laid.

Cochrane said this has been a growing issue over the last decade with the popularity of Moraine Lake increasing. Park staff have been managing vehicles on the road since 2016 as traffic volume grew to three or four times capacity.

The park has ramped up efforts in recent years to encourage visitors to use shuttles or buses to access the site and other attractions in the park, including Lake Louise, but now it is a requirement for Moraine Lake. Parks Canada will be adding a few more shuttles but there are other issues of concern at the site including general environmental impacts and infrastructure capacity for washrooms and trailheads.

Officials are considering other options to manage traffic and visitor demand, but Cochrane said the parks agency may not be able to build its way out of the problem. Instead, creative ways are being sought to move people in and out of the area.

Traffic bottlenecks at many popular tourist destinations in Banff National Park

Lake Louise, five minutes past the turnoff to Moraine Lake Road, has similarly struggled with the crush of traffic in recent years with full lots early in the morning and thousands being turned away daily. There are additional complications with that site including the Fairmont Lake Louise hotel located on the lake.

The same kind of personal vehicle ban has yet to be put in place for Lake Louise but officials are looking for solutions to the traffic issues.

Cochrane said Parks Canada needs to change the mindset of visitors who drive to the park, especially from southern Alberta. He noted the majority of the people who currently use shuttles are from out of country, while the vast majority of personal vehicles are from the Calgary region.

Some of this may be addressed if a passenger train rail line is completed between Calgary and Banff, making it easier to get to the park without relying on a car or truck. For now, the best way to get to Moraine Lake this summer is to book a spot in advance on a shuttle or chartered bus service.

Parks Canada is working with other national parks in Canada and the U.S., like Zion and Grand Canyon national parks, on best practices to address the situation.

“People who are coming from places where mass transit is how you go and see busy places are very quick to jump on our buses and use them,” said Cochrane. “It’s more of our regional visitors, the ones coming from Calgary who are coming still with the idea that seeing Lake Louise and Moraine Lake is the same as it was 10 or 15 years ago.”

jaldrich@postmedia.com

Twitter: @JoshAldrich03