Banff-Resources

Banff-resources to help you plan your Banff vacation while staying on budget, mostly in the form of websites.

Banff-Resources: Introduction

Banff-resources are provided that can help you plan your Banff National Park vacation. These are mostly in the form of websites. Two websites are central to your planning:

• Parks Canada - Banff National Park of Canada - Home page
• Official Site of Banff Lake Louise Tourism

The first gives you the non-commercial information you will want to know about the park, such as campsites, fees, park activities, etc.

The second gives you the commercial information you will want to know, such as lodging, restaurants, commercial activities, etc.

Both websites are extremely well done and cover the things you want to know better than we can in our website.

So why bother with the Banff-on-a-Budget website. For two reasons:

• Neither of the above websites or their associated help desks can give you any information that would favor one vendor over another. We can share our personal experience and probably help you make more informed decisions.
• Our concentration on saving you money saves you researching this information yourself from hundreds of web pages.

Banff National Park of Canada Website

This Parks Canada Website on Banff National Park of Canada is one of your best resources on Banff and the park. The home page left hand menu gives you a clue of what you will find on the website.

• Welcome
• Planning Your Visit
• Introduction
• What's New
• Visitor Information
• Natural Wonders & Cultural Treasures
• Activities
• Learning Experiences
• Park Management
• Public Safety
• Important Bulletins
• Weather Forecast
• Trail Conditions Report
• Road Conditions Report
• Avalanche Bulletin
• Contact Us

There is a wealth of information under each heading and much more. For example, when you enter the park and pay your entrance fee you will be given several publications. You can download these in printable PDF files from this website ahead of time and use the information in your planning. You can follow the links from this website to make reservations at the many campgrounds. And there is a search box if you want to by-pass the navigation links. Under sections called "related locations" and "related links", you can get to the main official high-quality websites that will inform you about almost anything you want to know about the area.

Official Site of Banff Lake Louise Tourism

The Official Site of Banff Lake Louise website gives you three cuts at navigation, which give a good idea of what is on the website. There is also a search function.

The top horizontal bar's links, which expand to subheadings are:

• Places to Stay
• Things to Do (Dining is one of the subheadings)
• Ski
• Planning a Visit
• What's Happening
• Videos/Web Cams (Check the dates on the Web Cams, they are not always current.)
• Home

A little lower in the page are graphical icons that gives lists of well organized links.

• Cuisine
• Ski
• Outdoor Adventures
• Family Togethering
• Culture & Heritage
• Spa/Luxury

The third cut is focused on the user:

• for Members
• for Media
• for Meetings
• for the Travel Trade

These links take you to varied, up-to-date information on virtually all commercial restaurants, accommodations, and activities in the Banff Townsite and Lake Louise Townsite, and other commercial locations throughout Banff National Park.