Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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This may be a daft question and if so please tell me.
We are going to Banff in March on a Neilsons holiday. Do we have to buy a park pass and if so when do we buy it?
For example so far as I am aware we are transferred by Neilsons from Calgary to Banff and at some stage we must enter the national park.............do we then have to buy a pass?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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malcolm1, no you don't need a pass if you're on a transfer bus.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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you only need a pass to drive a hire car in the park
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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£20 is a bargain if you're getting a car tho
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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You need a pass to bring a car into the (not sure what residents do). There is short term (daily? 1 week? Can't remember.) Version or an annual one which is chaper if you're there for 2 weeks. The annual one runs to the end of the month in which it was bought, next year, so if you go at the same time in onsecutive years you need only one pass.
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There is a toll booth on the main highway approaching Banff, we were offered the option of paying daily however the cheaper option was to buy the annual pass, we hired a car so didn't have any option but to pay. We spoke to an American couple whilst we were there who arrived around 3am and the toll booth was closed, they just drove through and never purchased a pass, we never got asked to product ours again after we'd purchased it the cost was around £60.
If you are with a tour operator and have bus transfers there is no need to buy the pass.
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You had to display the pass in your window (hangs from mirror) when we were there.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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You could probably get away without one (there's a lane for avoiding the toll booths for people with passes), but if you get pinched for speeding, as I did, the Mountie will check your pass, and no doubt shoot you out of hand or at least add a charge if you haven't got one.
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I've also seen the park rangers checking cars arriving at the bases of the ski resorts for park passes. No pass = large fine.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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richmond, Its a VERY large fine if you are caught without a pass. Hire cars are usually checked first.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Quite right too, it's a decent enough cause. I wasn't advocating not buying a pass, merely making an observation. In 8 years of visiting Banff by car I'm only aware of having been checked once, when nicked for speeding (by a Mountie, regrettably not on a horse).
BTW, if you put up with a TO transfer you can hire a car in Banff, which deals with the pass issue.
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It's probably worth noting that you only need a pass if you're stopping in the park. If you're travelling through to one of the resorts on the far side, there's no charge.
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You know it makes sense.
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Quote: |
nicked for speeding (by a Mountie, regrettably not on a horse).
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Would need a VERY FAST horse to catch a speeding car!
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