National Parks in Canada

Daily admission

In each of the nine parks compared below, a day costs 12.25 CAD per adult, 10.75 CAD for seniors and 24.50 CAD for a family or group of up to seven people in one vehicle. Youth aged 17 and under pay nothing. The fee lists make no distinction for visitors from abroad. In the Rockies parks the current amounts are taken daily from the Parks Canada price list and shown in each park guide.

The Parks Canada Discovery Pass

The Discovery Pass costs 83.50 CAD for one adult, 71.50 CAD for a senior and 167.50 CAD for a family or group in one vehicle. It is valid at over 80 national parks, national marine conservation areas and national historic sites, for a full year until the end of the month in which you buy it. At 12.25 CAD a day, one adult breaks even after seven days in the parks; a family at 24.50 CAD a day after seven days as well. If your road trip takes in Glacier as well as Banff, Jasper or Yoho, the Discovery Pass is the cheapest option.

Passes that cover more than one park

A day pass bought at Mount Revelstoke is valid until 16:00 the following day and in seven other national parks, including Banff, Jasper and Yoho. The annual pass for Mount Revelstoke and Glacier costs 60.50 CAD; Waterton, Pacific Rim and Gros Morne each sell their own annual pass at the same price.

What admission does not cover

• Shuttles: Moraine Lake Road in Banff is closed to private vehicles all year. Parks Canada shuttles need a reservation; extra seats are released at 8:00 MDT two days before departure. The Lake O'Hara shuttle in Yoho costs 25.50 CAD per person, and day-use seats are allocated by lottery.
• Hot springs: Radium Hot Springs in Kootenay, the Banff Upper Hot Springs and Miette Hot Springs in Jasper charge their own admission.
• Boats and tours: the Maligne Lake cruise to Spirit Island in Jasper is run by an operator with its own prices.
• Short beach visits: at Pacific Rim, a four-hour "Beach Walk" rate of 7.75 CAD per adult applies at the Long Beach, Kwisitis, Incinerator and Wickaninnish parking lots.

Driving through without stopping

If you cross Glacier or Mount Revelstoke on the Trans-Canada Highway without stopping, you need no pass. As soon as you stop at a viewpoint, trailhead or picnic area, you do. In Pacific Rim's Long Beach Unit, a pass must be displayed as soon as you park.

Fees as listed by Parks Canada on 20 September 2026. Youth aged 17 and under enter free everywhere. The Discovery Pass is valid in all of these parks.

Rockies and Columbia Mountains: July to mid-September

For hiking in Banff, Parks Canada names July to mid-September as the main season; high passes can be under snow until the end of June. May to September is also the busiest period, so plan the bus or shuttle rather than your own car. In Glacier, valley trails are usually clear from mid-June and backcountry trails from mid to late July; the subalpine flowers bloom in August, and in early October the day-use areas close. At Mount Revelstoke the high trails are usually clear from mid-July, the bloom peaks in August, and the road to the summit closes again in early October.

Waterton: avoid summer weekends

Parks Canada recommends the shoulder season or a weekday for Waterton, because summer weekends are exceptionally busy. The park is open all year, but from November to April most facilities in town are closed.

Pacific coast: two seasons

For the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail, only May to September works; the trail is open for overnight trips from 1 May to 30 September, by reservation only. For storm watching, Parks Canada names November to March as the most dramatic time. Long Beach itself is open all year.

Newfoundland

The Gros Morne Mountain trail is open from 28 June to mid-October. From 1 May to 27 June it is closed to protect young animals, and a reduced winter rate applies from 1 November to 15 May.

The Rockies corridor: Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay

The four Rocky Mountain parks lie along the same corridor and are all part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site. Banff is Canada's first national park, with Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Jasper is the largest, at more than 11,000 km² (4,247 sq mi), and the second-largest dark sky preserve in the world; the 232 km (144 mi) Icefields Parkway links it to Lake Louise, with few facilities and no mobile coverage. Yoho is the smallest of the four and has the oldest fossils, the Burgess Shale. Kootenay runs from grassland to glaciers along Highway 93 South, with Marble Canyon and the Paint Pots as short stops.

West of the Rockies: Glacier and Mount Revelstoke

Glacier at Rogers Pass and Mount Revelstoke lie on the Trans-Canada Highway between Golden and Revelstoke, with one annual pass for both. Note that there is no fuel at Rogers Pass. Glacier National Park in Canada is not the park of the same name in Montana, which lies about 500 km (311 mi) to the south-east.

Prairie meets mountains: Waterton Lakes

Waterton Lakes is where the prairie runs straight into the mountain wall without foothills. It borders Glacier National Park in Montana; the Chief Mountain border crossing, 30 km (19 mi) from town, is open from 15 May to 30 September.

The coasts: Pacific Rim and Gros Morne

Pacific Rim on Vancouver Island is three separate areas: Long Beach, the Broken Group Islands and the West Coast Trail, reached in completely different ways. Gros Morne on Newfoundland's west coast shows rock from the Earth's mantle at the surface in the Tablelands; the fastest way there is a flight to Deer Lake, 35 km (22 mi) from the park.