Bow Valley visitors can expect heavy traffic volumes both on the Trans-Canada Highway, Highway 1A and in Banff and Canmore throughout the Heritage Day long weekend.
On the Trans-Canada east of the Bow Valley, paving crews are at work and sections of road with reduced speed limits will be in place.
According to Alberta Transportation, roadwork will take place on the Trans-Canada between the junctions of Highway 1X and Highway 22 until Aug. 16. Delays of under one hour are expected and drivers should be prepared for speed reductions and flag persons on the highway.
As well, over the long weekend, the Bow Valley Integrated Traffic Unit, made up of RCMP and sheriffs, will have extra staff in place to enforce speeding regulations.
Every long weekend, hundreds of speeders are ticketed, despite advance notice that extra police will patrol the area’s highways and byways.
Keep in mind, wildlife can be encountered anywhere on Bow Valley highways.
In Canmore, the longest running folk music festival in Alberta will attract thousands of visitors, Aug. 1-3. Events take place throughout the weekend, mostly in the downtown core, and parking can be a challenge.
Visitors to Banff can visit banffparking.ca for updates on available parking throughout town, including Bear Street Parkade. On the website, many popular spots will be ranked for parking accessibility for cars, RVs and bicycles, with from low to high ratings.
At Lake Louise, Parks Canada will offer a free return shuttle from the Lake Louise overflow parking lot to the Moraine Lake parking lot. High volumes of visitors are expected in the area for the long weekend.
The overflow parking lot is 5.5 kilometres west of Lake Louise on the Trans-Canada and buses will run roughly every 20 minutes from 9 a.m. to about 5 p.m.
In Banff, Parks Canada recommends visitors park cars or RVs and walk or bicycle around town to avoid traffic congestion. As well, Roam public transit runs regularly throughout town.
