Accessibility in the Bow Valley

Their motor coach buses are not wheelchair accessible. Guests with a wheelchair are able to take their services if they are physically able to step up the 3-5 stairs into the bus, or be carried up the steps. They would then store the wheelchair in the storage compartments under the bus. They do not have hydraulic ramps or any way for a guest to roll onto the bus in the wheelchair.

In addition, they have two different types of buses. One holds a larger amount of passengers, with storage compartments underneath the bus. We also have another type of bus, which is smaller and holds a smaller amount of passengers, without storage compartments underneath. In order to confirm accommodation of a wheelchair accessible passenger, they require the guest to book a *minimum* of 24 hours in advance. It’s recommended that the guest call on 1 (866) 319 3691. This way they have direct contact with the customer and can discuss all details.

Their buses are unfortunately not wheelchair accessible. There are 4 steps to access each bus. They are happy to take wheelchairs on board at no extra cost and these would be stored in the luggage space. Banff Airporter staff would not be able to help the individual in a wheelchair board the bus, therefore they recommend travelling with someone who is able to help. Front seats may be reserved for an individual in a wheelchair or who has mobility issues.

Alternatively, Banff Airporter have a private car company that they would look to offer guests in a wheelchair at a price close to the advertised bus rate, as long at the individual could transfer from a wheelchair to car and could travel at the Banff Airporter scheduled times.

Anyone in a wheelchair looking to book with Banff Airporter should give them a call at 1(888) 499 2901.

Sunshine Coach offers a convenient trip from Calgary and Canmore to Sunshine Village. With daily departures from several locations during the ski season the coach will provide you a comfortable and convenient way to get to the resort. There are combined bus & lift ticket rates available as well as discounted bus rates for season pass holders and Sunshine Marmot card holders. Wheelchair users must call in advance to make arrangement and check that buses will be suitable for their needs. For more information on pick up times and locations or to book your seat visit the Sunshine Coach website or call 1-866-666-6Bus or 1(403)241-8314.

This is an on-demand charter service that can certainly accommodate transportation needs provided that the traveler is able to get in/out of the vehicle and the wheelchair is collapsible. They have a variety of options for transfer for 1-2 passengers right up to 30 passengers They service southern Alberta, the BC interior and into northern Montana with licensed professional drivers who are knowledgeable about the area. For more information about affordable services, pricing and links to local shuttles visit their website, or call 403-509-4799.

To pick up your rental car, head to the Rental Car Center. It is located on the Departures level across the roadway from the main terminal building. It can also be accessed by the elevator lobby across the arrivals roadway. The On-Airport Car Rental companies operate out of the Rental Car Centre. Unfortunately, as far as we know there are no accessible vehicles at present.

7 wheelchair accessible buses are available to Sunshine Village. In order to make sure an accessible bus is scheduled to stop at your hotel/stop, please email bookings@rockymountainadaptive.com letting us know the requested stop location, number of guests, and pick up time 48 hours prior to pick up.

The Sunshine Village shuttle bus operates between Banff and Sunshine Village, with various convenient hotel pick-up points (e.g. Rocky Mountain Resort, Inns of Banff, Banff Caribou Lodge, Delta Royal Canadian Lodge High Country Inn, Ptarmigan Inn, Fairmont Banff Springs, Mt Royal Hotel). The morning times vary between those wanting first tracks, and those wanting a sleep in, and return trips to Banff are throughout the afternoon. For holders of a Big 3 tri-area lift ticket, these buses are complimentary.

For those staying in other Banff hotels, you can either head to one of the bus stops or take the local ROAM bus to the nearest hotel with a Sunshine Vilage pick up (various hotels will give guests a free bus pass). Some hotels such as the Rimrock Hotel, Banff, can provide shuttles to connect you to the Sunshine Village bus. The ROAM bus also connects Canmore to Banff.

Hotel Departures

Route 1: Busses pick up at each location every hour and 5 minutes. From 8:15 am till 11:20 Rocky Mountain Resort first pick up at 8:15 Transit stop across from Inns of Banff (located West side of Banff Ave.) first pick up at 8:20 Banff Caribou Lodge first pick up at 8:23 Delta Royal Canadian first pick up at 8:25 Lodge High Country Inn first pick up at 8:28 Ptarmigan Inn first pick up at 8:30 Brewster Bus Depot – (Lynx St.) first pick up at 8:30.

Route 2: Busses pick up at each location every hour and 5 minutes. From 8:20 am till 11:25 Fairmont Banff Springs first pick up at 8:20 Town Parking Lot first pick up at 8:25 (located directly behind Mt. Royal Hotel) Banff Park Lodge first pick up at 8:30 Brewster Bus Depot first pick up at 8:35.

Return Shuttles to Banff can be caught out front of the Creekside Lodge. They leave every hour and 15 minutes starting at 2:30 pm till 6:30 pm.

On-It tickets allow complementary travel for on local Roam services! Arrive with Onit and continue on to Lake Minnewanka, Johnson Lake, the Banff Gondola, the Cave and Basin Hot Springs, Banff Upper Hot Springs – complimentary travel to all of Banff’s top local attractions are included with your On-it ticket! Pick up’s are also available at various locations in Calgary.

On-It has various wheelchair accessible buses. They request that those needing a wheelchair friendly bus contact On-It a week prior to travel date, so they can ensure the accessible coach is available.

There are various car rental companies in Banff & Canmore, none of which, however a reported to have wheelchair accessible vehicles. If you have a hire car, the trip to Sunshine Village from Banff is around 25 minutes, depending on road and snow conditions. From Banff, head west on the Trans-Canada Highway 1, and 10km out of Banff turn left at the well signposted turnoff to Sunshine Village. The parking lot is large and there are shuttles to aid the commute to the base of the gondola. On busy weekends, the parking lot fills up, cars have to park up the road, and the wait to get a shuttle may be long. For those in wheelchairs, Sunshine Village do provide accessible parking near the base of the gondola. There is also ramp access to the gondola itself.

All of the routes and services provided by Roam Public Transit use buses that are fully accessible equipped with ramps for use by scooters and wheelchairs. All of the Roam buses also have the ability to kneel which allows persons with mobility challenges the opportunity to board and de-board with ease. All Roam buses have stop announcements, to assist with visual challenges. These services are available on Roam Routes 1 through 9 inclusive, and include service to the towns of Canmore and Banff, the hamlet of Lake Louise, and most of the national parks attractions such as Banff Upper Hot Springs, Cave and Basin and Banff Park Museum National Historic Sites, Lake Minnewanka and area, Johnston Canyon as well as the Lake Louise lakeshore.

On-It, the company that provides the transit service Calgary to Banff is able to provide accessible services by special request.

The Parks Canada shuttles in the local Lake Louise area which service the Lake Louise campground, Village of Lake Louise, lakeshore and Moraine Lake are not wheelchair accessible and can be difficult to access for visitors with mobility issues. Parks Canada staff work hard to ensure that those visitors who are unable to access the shuttles due to mobility issues are accommodated in the Lake Louise and Moraine Lake parking areas. We encourage visitors to speak to Parks Canada staff at shuttle stops in Lake Louise or the Lake Louise Visitor Centre for assistance. Each year, Parks Canada reviews shuttle operations and works to improve the experience for all visitors.

Parks Canada is committed to developing and implementing long term, sustainable transit solutions for Banff National Park.

TransParent Concierge is a family-owned, accredited service provider whose mission is to infuse joy, security and independence into the lives of their clients, while providing support to their loved ones.

Their team of professionals are at your service to deliver compassionate, affordable and personalized transportation & supportive care to seniors & persons with special abilities in Canmore, Banff, Cochrane, Calgary and surrounding areas. They are a team of professionals and caring individuals who are dedicated to providing the most dependable/trusted eldercare services of their kind. Their services are aimed to help support our clients either in their own homes or in care communities. Their drivers are specially-trained to accommodate a variety of needs and their fleet includes a wheelchair-accessible van. Call them at 403 707 8184 or 403 801 9419

AM PM Limo & Party Bus offers an unmatched fleet of luxury vehicles available for transportation from Calgary Airport to Canmore, They  accommodate any event/any number of passengers. Several of their limousines have folding back seats which make it easy to transport folded wheelchairs or other mobility aids.

Receive a 15% discount when booking through Rocky Mountain Adaptive., subject to availability. To receive this discount, please contact us prior to booking your stay at the lodge. This hotel has 2 wheelchair accessible rooms. Both of these rooms have a seat in the shower.

The Banff Park Lodge are able to offer 4 accessible rooms. All of their standard guest rooms are quite large, 390 square feet. The hotel lobby entrance is at grade; their indoor parking has elevator access to all levels of the hotel. No applicable discount available at this time.

The Banff Lodging Company manage the following resorts. Fully accessible rooms are available at the Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa, Moose Hotels and Suites, Inns of Banff, and Fox Hotels and Suites.

• Banff Caribou Lodge & Spa – fully accessible rooms (4)
• Moose Hotel & Suites – fully accessible rooms (6)
• Inns of Banff – fully accessible room (1), and ‘accessible friendly’ for guests with limited accessible needs
• Banff Ptarmigan Inn – meets minimum accessible requirements
• Fox Hotel & Suites – meets minimum accessible requirements
• Tunnel Mountain Resort – meets minimum accessible requirements
• Bumper’s Inn – meets minimum accessible requirements
• Hidden Ridge Resort – lots of stairs, not entirely accessible friendly
• Banff Rocky Mountain Resort – lots of stairs, not entirely accessible friendly

The Coast Hotel in Canmore provide 2 accessible rooms for guests. No applicable discount available at this time.

The New Super 8 Hotel in Canmore provide rooms that are wheel chair accessible, featuring bathroom rails and shower bars. This hotel offers free breakfast, mini-refrigerator, microwave, coffee/tea maker, high-speed Wi-Fi/Wired internet, cable TV, air conditioning, in-room safe, iron/ironing board, and hairdryer to ensure comfort throughout your stay. No applicable discount available at this time.

This hostel occupies the the second floor of one of the building at The Shops of Canmore, which is conveniently located between 2 major bus stops. We have an accessible ramp that leads to our elevator to the 2nd floor. They offer 14 rooms in total, (one of which is accessible) and 9 dorms (5 with shared bathroom and 4 with private bathroom).

The accessible room (room S) has a bunk bed to provide more space for a guest in wheelchair to manoeuvre. The bathroom is fully accessible. One dorm room (Dorm K) has a full bathroom, rather than
a toilet room and a separate shower room.

In the lobby they offer a spacious lounge with tables, impressive views,
couch, bean bags, tv, game boards, free Wifi and everything you need to spend time with our without company. There are also many coffee shops and restaurants just around the corner.

They offer 15% discount to their regular prices when RMA guests book 7 days or more of continuous accommodation.

William Watson Lodge (WWL) provides year-round, barrier-free, wilderness lodging for persons with disabilities, seniors and their families. It’s situated in beautiful Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, overlooking Lower Kananaskis Lake. The goal of this facility is to connect people of all abilities, all ages and all cultures to recreational opportunities in nature.

WWL offers:

• 22 accessible cabins
• 11 accessible RV (full-service) campsites
• 1 comfort parks trailer
• 1 accessible comfort camping hut
• Accessible picnic sites
• More than 20 kms of accessible trails
• Equipment rentals

A combination of paved pathway and parkway spans 22.3 km from the Banff Park East Gate to the Bow Valley Parkway. Breath taking views, covered picnic areas, the Banff townsite, and a variety of rest spots along the way.

This is a pleasant walk that is easily accessed from downtown. It follows along the picturesque setting of the Bow River and offers views of the surrounding mountain peaks, including the famous Three Sisters.

This is a short and easy level walk right in the town of Canmore. The trail is 1km long and then connects to a 700 meter wooden boardwalk.

A 1 km loop trail near Municipal District of Bighorn No. 8, Alberta. This is a popular trail for hiking, paddle sports, and running, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day.

The 1 km loop is a mix of paved and gravel, easily accessible for both strollers and wheelchair users. This is a popular camping area so the parking lot usually fills up quickly. The scenery is lovely and this spot is great for the whole family!

A range of paved and gravel trails are located in and around the Peter Lougheed Discovery Centre. Trails range in length and difficulty.