You live in the United States and want to visit Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. How to get there, you might wonder. In this post, you’ll learn about the different ways to get to the park.
If you’re from the US, you’ll be used to driving for hours to get to your destination. Or take a domestic flight. In other words: it’s probably not a big deal for you to go long distances.
If you’re from the United States and want to spend some time in Banff, you might want to take a plane. Others, on the other hand, might want to drive, especially if they live in a western state that borders British Columbia or Alberta in Canada.
You can also travel by touring car if you don’t have a lot of money to spend or if you like the adventure of a long bus ride. Let’s have a look at the possibilities.
Flying to Calgary
Alright, first off, let’s talk about your trip to the Rockies. You might wonder what airport to fly to when going to Banff. Usually, you would fly to Calgary International Airport. From Calgary, it’s an easy and beautiful 138 km (86 mi) drive that takes about 90 minutes without stopping.
You can choose from many direct flights to Calgary in the United States. From the following cities, you can catch one:
- Atlanta
- Boston (seasonal)
- Chicago O’Hare
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Denver
- Fort Lauderdale (seasonal)
- Honolulu (seasonal)
- Houston Intercontinental
- Kailua-Kona
- Kahului (seasonal)
- Las Vegas
- Lihue
- Nashville (seasonal)
- New York-JFK
- Minneapolis/St Paul
- Newark
- Orange County
- Orlando
- Palm Springs
- Phoenix-Sky Harbor
- Phoenix-Mesa (seasonal)
- Portland (Oregon)
- Salt Lake City
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle-Tacoma
Once you’ve arrived at Calgary International Airport you might want to know how you can get to Banff. Read the Ultimate Guide to the Town of Banff to find out!
Flying to Vancouver
The best way to get to Calgary is to fly there, but you could also fly to Vancouver, rent a car, and drive to Banff to see the western part of Canada. If that’s you, you might want to look at the list below, which shows all US airports that have direct flights to Vancouver.
From Vancouver International Airport, Banff is another 859 km (534 mi) away by car. Without stopping, the trip will take about 9 hours and 24 minutes. This way is the quickest.
There’s another, very scenic route along Highway 3, but this one is 1,133 km (704 mi) long and takes about 12 hours and 44 minutes without stops.
Anyway. There are a lot of direct flights from the United States to Vancouver. From these cities, you can catch one:
- Anchorage
- Austin
- Boston
- Burbank
- Chicago
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Denver
- Honolulu
- Houston
- Kahului
- Kailua-Kona
- Las Vegas
- Lihue-Kauai
- Los Angeles
- Miami
- Minneapolis
- New York (EWR)
- New York (JFK)
- Orlando
- Palm Springs
- Phoenix (PHX)
- Phoenix (AZA)
- Portland
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Santa Ana
- Seattle
Travel to Banff by Car
If you live in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming in the northwestern United States, you might want to think about driving to Banff. I’ve written down how far away the five largest cities in these states are.
WASHINGTON
| CITY | DISTANCE | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 957 km (595 mi) | 10h22 |
| Spokane | 581 km (361 mi) | 6h33 |
| Tacoma | 1010 km (628 mi) | 10h49 |
| Vancouver | 1142 km (710 mi) | 12h07 |
| Bellevue | 957 km (595 mi) | 10h24 |
OREGON
| CITY | DISTANCE | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Portland | 1138 km (707 mi) | 12h04 |
| Hillsboro | 1168 km (726 mi) | 12h29 |
| Salem | 1210 km (752 mi) | 12h50 |
| Eugene | 1313 km (816 mi) | 13h43 |
| Gresham | 1120 km (696 mi) | 11h56 |
IDAHO
| CITY | DISTANCE | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Boise | 1138 km (707 mi) | 13h01 |
| Meridian | 1141 km (709 mi) | 13h02 |
| Nampa | 1221 km (759 mi) | 12h58 |
| Idaho Falls | 1160 km (721 mi) | 11h30 |
| Caldwell | 1207 km (750 mi) | 12h48 |
MONTANA
| CITY | DISTANCE | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Billings | 980 km (609 mi) | 10h |
| Missoula | 666 km (414 mi) | 7h20 |
| Great Falls | 626 km (389 mi) | 6h12 |
| Bozeman | 882 km (548 mi) | 9h |
| Butte-Silver | 833 km (518 mi) | 8h23 |
WYOMING
| CITY | DISTANCE | DURATION |
|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne | 1709 km (1,062 mi) | 16h12 |
| Casper | 1426 km (886 mi) | 14h02 |
| Laramie | 1660 km (1,032 mi) | 16h02 |
| Gillette | 1352 km (840 mi) | 13h20 |
| Rock Springs | 1451 km (902 mi) | 15h |
Based on the above distances, Spokane, Washington, is the closest US city to Banff at 581 km (361 mi).
Travel to Banff by Train
This option is challenging because there aren’t too many commuter trains in the US, especially in the central and western parts of the country. To get to Canada by train, you have to go to Seattle.
Amtrak has the only train that goes from the northwest part of the US to Canada. The train from King Street Station in Seattle goes to Vancouver Pacific Central Station.
Once you are in Canada, the Rocky Mountaineer is the only train you can take to get to Banff. This very fancy and expensive train ride takes you through the heart of British Columbia’s interior to the Rocky Mountains in Alberta.
Along the way, you’ll see some of the most beautiful scenery you’ve ever seen. You’ll stop at Lake Louise in Banff National Park before you get to your final destination, the town of Banff.
In Vancouver, the Rocky Mountaineer has its own station at 1755 Cottrell Street, which is 1.3 km (0.81 mi) from the Vancouver Pacific Station.
Please note that you need to plan this trip ahead of time.
Take a Plane to Canada, then a Train
You can also fly to Canada and then take a train to Banff. In this case, you can take the Rocky Mountaineer in Vancouver, which I told you about above.
If you decide to do so, make sure your arrival time at Vancouver Airport and the departure time of the Rocky Mountaineer align.
Strangely enough, there’s no way to take a train from Calgary (although there are talks on the subject).
Travel to Banff by (Night) Bus
This is not the easiest choice. But if you’re on a tight budget, the cheapest way to get to Banff is by bus. It’s also probably the most exciting since you’ll likely meet many interesting people. Just remember that traveling by bus takes a long time and a lot of patience.
Anywhere in the United States, you can get on a bus and find a connection to Banff.
Several bus routes go to Canada. There are four cities in Canada that you can travel to by bus.
- Toronto
- Ottawa
- Montreal
- Vancouver
Depending on where you are in the US will tell you which Canadian station is best for you.
Once you are in Canada, you can take a bus, a plane, a train, or a combination of these to get to Banff.