This past week, I had friends — old friends, we go back to grade school — from Michigan, visiting Alberta..And, of course, their focus was Banff, Lake Louise, the Icefields and Jasper..They had never been to the Canadian Rockies, so they were really excited to check everything out..I had not been to Banff in ages, but back in the day, I often visited with my family..My daughter, Rica, learned how to climb at just age three on the boulders and the limestone slab by the Banff Springs Golf Course..So, I joined my friends in Canmore, where they found a good hotel, although a pricey one, and headed to Banff..To my shock, hotel prices in this region have literally ballooned. Skyrocketed. Exploded. .Seriously, I had no idea..Banff, IMO, has become a tourist nightmare, a money trap, a rip-off, and let me tell you why..The gouge starts at the park gates, where entry/daily fees are much, much higher than US National Parks..And it doesn’t matter if you’re staying a day or a week, you must pay for every day you are there..OK, I understand that — as long as that money goes to wildlife management, then fine. That’s a good thing..Next, a hotel. You will need a place to stay..A quick look at Banff hotels on any hotel website, will bring up hotels that are $400 to $600 a night. .And if you want to stay at the Banff Springs Hotel, or the Chateau Lake Louise, it starts at about $650 and rises rapidly — the Chateau, by the way, is pretty much booked for the summer..And the number of hotels, barring the Y, that are cheaper, are few and far between..As far as I’m concerned, that is a total gouge and a ripoff, and I can’t believe the Government of Alberta is allowing that to happen..Personally, there isn’t a person I know in Calgary, or Alberta (other than an oilpatch millionaire buddy), who can afford to pay $600 a night for a hotel..Even the once popular Rimrock Hotel is nearly $1,000. I can barely afford to have a drink there now. The food is quite good, though..I remember taking my young bride there, in the 1980s, for $70..Take note, I have travelled all over the US southwest, and I always found reasonable hotel rates, no matter where we were or what the attraction was..Even Paris. Yes, Paris, has a good selection of hotels, in all the popular districts..There was always a good selection of from affordable to expensive. In Banff, you are snookered, pal. You are going to pay through the nose, and like it..I honestly don’t know how visiting families can do it, I really don’t..Oh, and need a place to park? Forget it. The place is overrun now..I have a couple secret spots, that never fail, but I’m keeping that to myself. And I think the pay lots are about $10 an hour. Again, a bit pricey..And then there is the downtown area, Banff Avenue, which has been turned into a big mall. This has forced traffic onto the side streets..Jamming areas not normally jammed..I suspect it’s because it concentrates the visitor population into the commercial area of town, where all the touristy stores are..Ka-ching folks! It’s all about the money, right? Keep those dollars coming in. More is better..Maybe it’s because of the post-COVID-19 travel era, but to me the mall seemed like one big tourist zoo. A complete nightmare..The Banff I knew through the years is now gone. The magic too, is gone..Anything and everything is expensive. Everything has become a hassle..To the point where, I don’t want to go back. I don’t..If not for the great food, drink and service at the Distillery, I probably wouldn’t..However, in saying all this, my friends from Michigan absolutely loved their visit..They even rented a canoe for an hour, at Lake Louise. Another pricey, but fun option..I just can’t help thinking, though, that Banff and Lake Louise, are now only for the rich. Not for regular Joes like me and you..In the summer of 1976, me and my friend, Whitey, didn’t want to pay for a hotel in Banff, so, we just found a remote road outside of town, parked our 1965 Comet and slept in the car. Nobody hassled us..Total cost? Zero dollars. Just a sore neck from a bad sleeping position..Now, you have to literally print money to stay in Banff, which I think is really unfortunate.
