Canada Nat Parks Permit Question

[TUCQUALA]

Another question, due to the confusion about the fees for the Nat Parks:

If going to the Icefield Parkway from Revelstoke, do you pay for Revelstoke/Glacier Park AND Yoho/Bannf/Jasper?? In other words, 2 day use fees the same day??

Thanks again!!


Gerry

[TUCQUALA]

Did call and ask!! You can purchase pass for Revelstoke/Glacier for one fee, or you can buy a pass for all parks at the higher fee.

Depending on number of days we decide to stay within park boundaries, probably go for the yearly family/group pass.

Thanks again.

[96Brigadier]

paulj wrote:
I may be wrong. I was going by my experience several years back, and they may have changed policies. But there are conflicts on the web sites.

Revelstoke says their annual pass is good for Glacier. Yoho says their day pass is good for Banff, etc and Glacier etc.

I had camped south the Revelstoke (provincial park), and bought a multiday pass at the Park office in town. We then drop up Mt Revelstoke (as far as snow allowed in June) and back, and camped at another PP north of town. Then the next day drove through Glacier, stopping for the self guided hikes along the road. And ended up camping at Lake Louise.

You could ask in Revelstoke about what the passes cover, specifying how much time you plan on spending in Rev/Glacier and then beyond. They should be able to sell you the appropriate passes if they require different ones.

Off hand it looks like the daily group fee is the same - $19.60. In that past the group fee was the same as 2 adult fees.

I answered the question already... a few posts up and a day ago. Phone number is also listed if there is a need to call the experts directly.

[paulj]

I may be wrong. I was going by my experience several years back, and they may have changed policies. But there are conflicts on the web sites.

Revelstoke says their annual pass is good for Glacier. Yoho says their day pass is good for Banff, etc and Glacier etc.

I had camped south the Revelstoke (provincial park), and bought a multiday pass at the Park office in town. We then drop up Mt Revelstoke (as far as snow allowed in June) and back, and camped at another PP north of town. Then the next day drove through Glacier, stopping for the self guided hikes along the road. And ended up camping at Lake Louise.

You could ask in Revelstoke about what the passes cover, specifying how much time you plan on spending in Rev/Glacier and then beyond. They should be able to sell you the appropriate passes if they require different ones.

Off hand it looks like the daily group fee is the same - $19.60. In that past the group fee was the same as 2 adult fees.

[TUCQUALA]

Again, thanks for the comments.

I was aware of the "driving through" exception, but was unsure if the separated parks would be separate fees if "stopping".

On the website, they give different fees for the Revelstoke/Glacier area and the Jasper/Banff/Yoho/Kootenay area, making me wonder if they did charge both if you planned on "using" the parks the same day or days.

[paulj]

You can buy a pass in Revelstoke, and use it for the whole day (or set of days) as you drive through Revelstoke, Glacier, Yoho, Banff and Jasper (and back out Kootenay).

The main sights in Revelstoke are up the mountain, not on the main highway. Glacier has a number of short hikes along the highway, which probably require a pass. The visitor center at Rogers Pass probably does not.

Similarly in the other parks - passing through does not require a pass; stopping to view sights does. In effect the pass is a parking permit.

The Icefields Parkway is not a through highway in the usual sense. People drive it to see the sights, not to get from Calgary to Vancouver. So a pass is required regardless of whether you plan on stopping or not.

If you aren't going to stop until you get to Lake Louise (what a shame) you could put off buying the pass until you enter the parkway.

[96Brigadier]

I just called the Parks Canada info line and asked them for you... short answer, daily pass is good for all of them in the same day. Buy a pass in Yoho and you can also visit Banff/Jasper.

That's what I was told via a live person at this number: 1-888-773-8888.

If you want to call them yourself then use this number:

General Inquiries (International):
819-420-9486

Found here:

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/agen/courriel-email.aspx

[96Brigadier]

TUCQUALA wrote:
Another question, due to the confusion about the fees for the Nat Parks:

If going to the Icefield Parkway from Revelstoke, do you pay for Revelstoke/Glacier Park AND Yoho/Bannf/Jasper?? In other words, 2 day use fees the same day??

Thanks again!!


Gerry

EDIT - Answer below. --snip--

That being said, a couple of points that might be helpful:

If you aren't stopping in a National Park but just driving through then you do not need a park pass with the exception of the Icefields Parkway which requires a pass to drive it regardless of whether you stop or not. i.e. if you're just driving through Yoho/Glacier then get the pass in Banff and you won't have to worry further.

If you are going to be in the National Parks for more than 6 days in a year then buy the yearly Discovery Pass. It costs $136.40 for up to 7 people arriving together in a single vehicle and is good for every National Park in Canada for as many days as you want.

I'll look further and see if I can get more specifics about your question.