Banff--All accommodation prices listed are for high season, normally mid-May to mid-October; nearly all hotels have discounts for late fall, holidays, winter, late winter, and spring lodging. If you're having trouble finding affordable lodgings in Banff, try properties in Canmore, located 20 minutes away.
If you want to camp, Banff National Park offers hundreds of campsites within easy distance of Banff. The closest are the three Tunnel Mountain campgrounds, just past the youth hostel west of town. Two of the campgrounds are for RVs only and have both partial and full hookups (C$33/US$26); the third has showers and is usually reserved for tenters (C$24/US$19). For more information, call the park's visitor center (tel. 403/762-1500). Campsites within the park cannot be reserved in advance.
Lake Louise--Lake Louise is an expensive place to spend the night -- let's face it: It's costly to run a hotel within view of the Continental Divide. A lesser-priced option is the Lake Louise Hostel, on Village Road, Box 115, Lake Louise, Alberta T0L 1E0 (tel. 866/762-4122 or 403/522-2202; www.hihostels.ca). Jointly owned by Hostelling International and the Alpine Club of Canada, the hostel offers guide-led hikes daily. Linens are included in the rates: C$34/C$38 (US$27/US$30) member/nonmember for dorm rooms, C$99/C$112 (US$79/US$90) for private rooms.
Icefields Parkway--Facilities are few along the parkway. Hikers and bikers will be pleased to know that there are rustic hostels at Mosquito Creek, Rampart Creek, Hilda Creek, Beauty Creek, Athabasca Falls, and Mount Edith Cavell. Reservations for all Icefields Parkway hostels can be made by calling tel. 866/762-4122. A shuttle runs between the Calgary International Hostel and hostels in Banff, Lake Louise, and along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. You must have reservations at the destination hostel to use the service. Call tel. 403/283-5551 for more information.
