Banff on a Budget: How Families Can Save Without Missing Out
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All photos in this post were taken by me during our trip. I love capturing real experiences to give you an authentic look at what to expect.
How do you take a once-in-a-lifetime family trip without the once-in-a-lifetime price tag?
We have been traveling as a family on a budget for over a decade, and our recent trip to Banff National Park was no different.
Trip costs can vary wildly depending on if you’re flying or driving, camping or staying in a luxury resort, and how many paid excursions you’re going on. But the average cost for a trip to Banff from the U.S. for a family of 4 is around $8,000.
We did it for much less by using points and miles to cover flight and accommodations costs, traveling during shoulder season, staying outside of the city center, limiting our paid excursions, and not eating out for every meal.
I’ll show you how we visited Banff on a budget without missing the magic, and how your family can too! If you’re a U.S. family dreaming of the snowy Canadian Rockies but stressing about the $8,000 price tag, this is for you.
How Much Does a Family Trip to Banff Really Cost?
A quick internet search will show it costs around $2,000 per person on average for a week in Banff National Park. There are a lot of factors that play into a trip’s total cost – your travel style, how many family members you’re traveling with, and what your itinerary includes.
But let’s say you’re a family of 4 traveling to Banff from the U.S in February, and you’re planning to stay in an affordable hotel and enjoy the local restaurants and activities.
Low fare flights are typically $400 per person, Banff accommodations are usually in the $2,500 – $5,000 depending on the hotel or rental you choose, and restaurants average $15-$30 (or more) per person depending on if you’re at a quick service or sit down place.
You also have to include Park entrance fees, car rentals (we loved the freedom of renting a car in Banff!), fuel, activities, souvenirs, and travel insurance. All of these expenses can add up so quickly and make a family trip to Banff out of reach for most families.
Here’s how our actual budget compares to the average:
We managed to cut nearly every category in half. The activities budget was the exception because we chose to splurge a little, but we still came out ahead. More on that later!
We took advantage of a Delta Skymiles deal and were thrilled at how affordable our flights and our travel insurance were! Travel insurance is often a lot cheaper when you add it with your flights or hotel booking.
We paid $56 out of pocket for travel insurance and ended up using the medical benefits to cover 100% of our post-snowboarding ER visit.
Travel During Shoulder Season to Save Big
One of the ways we were able to save so significantly on accommodations and flights was to travel during shoulder season. If you’re trying to visit Banff on a budget, this is the #1 strategy we used.
Shoulder season in Banff is typically March to early June and Mid-September to early November.
At the beginning of spring shoulder season the ski slopes are often still open, and there’s still snow in higher elevations. Winter excursions, like dog sledding and ice walks, are often still running in March and into early April.
We visited the last week of March and the first week of April and were able to play in the snow, build an igloo (my kid’s first!), go dog sledding, snowboard, do an ice walk, and hike up a snowy mountain.
One of my daughter’s favorite moments from the trip was painting the view at Peyto Lake on the Icefield’s Parkway. We had the entire lookout to ourselves for over an hour – a definite perk to traveling during the low season!
We weren’t able to ice skate on frozen Lake Louise like we planned. The ice had started to melt early, which is one of the downsides to traveling in shoulder season.
Because the weather and conditions can be unpredictable, it’s important to hold your itinerary loosely if you’ve planned snow-dependent adventures.
If you are able to be flexible with your travel dates, visiting during the shoulder months can cut your flight and accommodation costs in half. When planning our trip I found hotel rates for a family suite for $950 as opposed to $3400 for the same room in peak season.
The same holds true for flights as well. My favorite flight search tool, Google Flights, allows you to search open ended dates so you can see which days are the cheapest to fly! Flights in March and April were $200 per person instead of similar flights for $450 in July.
🧳 Wondering what to pack for a snowy spring Banff trip? Grab our free packing list!
Stay in Canmore (Not Banff)
Another strategy we used to make our Banff trip more affordable, and honestly more relaxed, was to stay just outside the city center in Canmore.
Canmore is only a 20 minute drive from downtown Banff, but the hotel rates are significantly lower. A budget-friendly, family hotel in Canmore was $950 when I searched compared to $1550 for a similar option in Banff.
Beyond the savings, Canmore was peaceful, walkable, and packed with its own family-friendly adventures. It was the perfect home base with less stress, easier parking, and zero downtown crowds to fight through after long days outdoors.
Some of our favorite memories came from things we did right in Canmore, like hiking Grotto Canyon and taking an unforgettable ride with Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours. Our kids are still talking about the puppies.
We batched our long distance adventures to cut down on the driving, like visiting Lake Louise after driving part of the Icefield’s Parkway since it was on our route home.
We rented a spacious house in Canmore with friends, and split the cost. Our rental had queen bunk beds for the kids, and a private hot tub that we all enjoyed.
If you have a rental car and don’t mind a slightly longer drive, Canmore as a home base is absolutely doable for a family.
Smart Food Strategies That Cut Costs
Cooking and eating most meals at home is an excellent way to save on food costs, and a strategy we use often when traveling on a budget. We like to stay at a rental with a full kitchen, or a hotel that includes breakfast or meal vouchers and has an in-room refrigerator!
On our trips we shop at local grocery stores so we can have quick and easy food options for meals and snacks. We always pack snacks and a lunch on hiking days. Restaurant views can’t beat mountain views and snacks keep our kids happy on the trail.
Snacks are our secret weapon. They help us avoid emergency food stops when someone’s on the verge of a hangry meltdown and the only option nearby is a $25 burger.
If you plan to eat at restaurants, try these savings strategies:
- Eat out at lunch when prices are often more affordable
- Have younger kids can split an entree or meal
- Go out for dessert instead of a full meal
- Save left overs for lunch the next day or late night snacks
We ate out at least once per day on our recent spring break trip to Banff. We spent $1400 on groceries and restaurants for our family of 4 for the week, but you can easily cut food costs by limiting your eating out to a handful of meals.
If you’re only going to try a few restaurants in the area, Rocky Mountain Bagel Company for breakfast in Canmore, and Magpie + Stump for lunch tacos in Banff town would be our top picks!
Splurge on One or Two Magical Moments
When you’re planning a family trip to Banff, one of the smartest ways to keep costs in check is to splurge intentionally. Pick one or two big-ticket experiences your family will never forget, and free fun for the rest.
You can absolutely have a magical trip to Banff without splurging on a paid tour or excursion. Some of our favorite memories were the free fun we had like hiking in the snow and sledding down the local sledding hill!
Our typical activity budget is $100-$200 per person for paid fun. For Banff, we raised our activity budget to $300 per person so we could do all 3 of our top excursions.
Because we booked our flights and hotel with points (you can read how we did it here), we were able to intentionally adjust our budget and spend on what we value – unique family experiences!
We always choose our excursions based on the interests of the family at the time of the trip. For Banff, this meant snowboarding for our teenage son and dog sledding for our tween daughter.
The whole family participated in both, and we all thought they were worth the cost. We live in a southern state where we don’t get snow, so choosing very snowy adventures was perfect for us!
Look for Family Deals on Excursions
Several of the big ticket excursions in Banff have family discounts. It’s one of the reasons we think Banff is such a family-friendly destination.
Before you book anything, do a quick search for “[Tour Name] + family discount.” Promotions change seasonally, but they can save you a lot when you’re buying 3–5 tickets at a time.
SkiBig3 Kids Ski Free Promo
We only snowboarded one day at Sunshine Village, but if you’re planning multiple ski days, check for the “Kids Ski Free” promotion that runs at different points in the season. We saw ads for it before our trip, and it would’ve been a great savings if we were skiing more.
Banff Gondola Family Mornings
This was one of our favorite experiences in Banff! They offer a family ticket deal in the morning where kids go free, and we took full advantage of it. We got there early, rode the first gondola up, and had the entire viewing platform nearly to ourselves.
Our kids loved it so much we almost booked a second day. The snow-covered peaks, the open sky, the quiet – it felt like a fairytale morning. Don’t miss the short walk over to the start of the Sulphur Mountain trail. The views were jaw-dropping.
We also ate at Northern Lights Alpine Kitchen, the gondola restaurant. It’s a buffet with amazing views. It was pricey, but fun. If you’re on a tight food budget or only planning a few restaurant meals, I’d skip it in favor of better local eats.
Bring Your Own Gear to Cut Rental Costs
One of the easiest ways to save on a Banff family trip is by bringing your own gear, especially cold-weather essentials you probably already own.
We packed all our warm, waterproof layers, snow gloves, wool hats, and hiking boots. Instead of waiting until we got there to figure out what we needed (and paying specialty store prices), we used our family packing checklist to plan ahead, and it paid off.
The only winter gear purchase we had to make was a pair of ski gloves for our daughter because they were left behind, and some snow boots for our son because his broke while we were there. Sometimes even planning ahead isn’t enough!
Another way we saved was to price the difference between booking a paid tour and purchasing our own gear. We wanted to do an ice hike at Johnston Canyon and another at Grotto Canyon. Guided ice walk tours were over $100 per person, but a pair of quality ice spikes cost us only $25 each on Amazon.
We saved over $300 ($600 if we would have booked both tours!) for our family of four by purchasing the gear instead of booking a single tour. Some hikes require a guide to be safe, so be sure to research ahead of time.
Having our own ice spikes gave us the freedom to hike whenever we had the energy. No schedule, no guide, just snowy trails and frozen waterfalls on our time.
If you’re planning Banff on a budget, bringing your own gear is one of the easiest wins. It takes a little more prep upfront, but it’ll save you hundreds and give your family flexibility on your adventure.
🧳 Wondering what else to pack for a snowy spring Banff trip? Grab our free packing list built from our exact family adventure.
Free & Low-Cost Things to Do in Banff With Kids
Some of our favorite moments in Banff didn’t cost a thing. There’s something about being in the mountains with your kids, away from screens and schedules, that makes even the simplest moments feel magical.
We spent entire days just exploring. Bundling up, packing snacks, and heading wherever the road (or trail) led us. Banff is full of breathtaking free things to do, and with a little planning, they can be just as memorable as the pricier excursions.
Here are a few of our favorite free or low-cost adventures:
- Hike snowy trails like Grotto Canyon or Tunnel Mountain
- Picnic at Lake Louise – bring a thermos of hot chocolate and sit by the frozen lake
- Drive the Icefields Parkway and stop whenever something catches your eye (frozen waterfalls! wildlife!)
- Stroll through downtown Banff or Canmore and grab a treat or wander the shops
- Sled at the local Canmore sledding hill for unforgettable mountain views
- Catch the Northern Lights at Vermillion Lakes
One of our absolute favorite memories was sledding at the community hill in Canmore as the sun set behind the Three Sisters. The whole sky turned pink, the mountain views were incredible, and our kids were belly-laughing as they raced us down the hill.
We took turns with the plastic sled we found at Canadian Tire. It cost us practically nothing, and it’s still one of their favorite moments from the trip. We spent hours laughing and sledding together, and even went back several nights.
If you’re planning a budget trip to Banff, don’t overlook these free experiences. They’re not just the filler between excursions, they’re often the moments your kids will remember most.
Book Flights + Hotels with Points and Miles
The biggest way we saved on our Banff trip was by using points and miles to cover our flights and hotel stays. With a little flexibility and some planning a few months ahead, we were able to bring our $8,700 trip down to just $4,700 without giving up the things we were most excited about.
This trip was booked almost entirely on points: our flights, our rental car, and most of our accommodations were paid for using rewards we’d built up from everyday spending. It took a little research and some date-flexibility, but the payoff was huge.
If you’re new to booking travel with points and miles, don’t worry! I’ve broken down our full strategy in the next post. It walks you through how we did it, which cards we used, and how we found deals that worked for our family’s schedule.
You Can Do Banff on a Budget Too!
You don’t have to skip the magic to save money. We made this trip work by planning ahead, getting creative, and saying yes to the things that mattered most. And now, our kids are still talking about the snow, the mountains, the dogsled ride, and sledding at sunset.
If you’ve been dreaming of Banff but feeling like it’s out of reach, I promise, it’s not. You can do this, too! Your family can absolutely have adventures like this, and you don’t need an $8,000 budget to make them happen.
✈️ Ready to plan your Banff adventure using points + miles like we did?
[Read: How Our Family Booked Banff with Points + Miles →]