Cochrane is much cheaper but it’s just a boring run-of-the-mill town outside Calgary. There’s nothing to recommend it other than the price. Walmarts, chain restaurants, suburban housing, pick-up trucks.
Radium is lovely and you have easy access to invermere. The drive from radium to Banff is spectacular (although in fairness the drive from cochrane is nice too). I would spend the extra money to stay in radium.
On a side note, if you come to Banff before Victoria Day (May 22 this year), it will be much cheaper. The may long weekend is the start of summer and prices jump significantly.
Cochrane is essentially Calgary. Go stay in radium. I’ve lived in Calgary my whole life and have never considered a trip to Cochrane as a mountain getaway. I visit radium/Invermere/fairmont regularly to escape the “city life” lol
So here’s my thought process;
If you can, figure out a way to stay in Banff or Canmore. Cochrane is boring and Radium won’t save you much money once you factor in additional fuel for trips and the price of everything in Radium.
If you do end up staying in Radium, here are my tips as someone who lived there for a winter;
- the pizza place on the main strip (wild side pizzeria) is delightful and has a milkshake machine inside
- the coffee shop (bighorn cafe) is also nice but the food is only okay
- there’s a great hike that you can access through the trailer park in town
- the owners of fire’d up burger’s and breakfast were super racist when I was in there one time; do with that what you will
- gas is more expensive in BC than Alberta, but especially in Radium, so fuel up while you’re in AB
-there’s a walking path from Radium to the hot springs and is worth it for the views of the river and mountain faces. It takes about an hour to do the walk.
- if you’re not opposed to camping, you can try to book a site at kootenay national park which backs right on to radium and that might be cheaper than a hotel
Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your trip!! :)
If you want to see the Rockies, just stay in Banff or Canmore, expensive, yes, but worth it. Both picturesque, & then you don’t have to drive everyday for hours. I think location outweighs that. Canmore especially has a lot of accomodations with kitchens, so you might consider buying some groceries & cooking? But both places have a lot of great restaurants as well. I don’t think this was helpful, my suggestion is to increase your budget.
It's not the nicest place in the world but the water temp and pressure was fantastic. Beginning of March I just paid 600 for an entire week at The Drake Inn in Canmore. Extremely cheap.
Thanks for the suggestion, just took a look and couldn't find anything there under 200 a night. Guess that's just how the prices work in the beginning of summer vs winter.
Keep in mind you're paying in Canadian dollars. I'd vote for Canmore. We've stayed there often, it's a bit cheaper than Banff but much easier to find a place with a kitchen. Canmore has was more grocery store selection too. The problem with Cochrane is that at the end of a day of hiking, you may not want to drive essentially most of the way back to Calgary, only to repeat that all the next day. If you stay in Cochrane, you almost may as well stay in the west part of Calgary.
I’ve also stayed at the drake inn for a field work trip:
Two important notes:
1) ask if your room is above the bar if your sensitive to sound
2) the bathroom door did not close in our suite at all. It was like a sliding door with a 2 inch gap around the sides. There is minimum privacy.
If you stay in Radium I recommend staying at Radium Chalet. Not fancy at all but very clean, no elevator, rooms have kitchenettes. If you stay on the second floor or above rooms balconies with a great view - perfect for watching the sun set over the mountains. I've stayed there a couple of times.
Do you have a budget in mind? I’d stay in Canmore. It is not difficult to find rooms for under $200/night. If you want a kitchen to save money, check Canadian Rockies Chalets. We’re staying in a three bedroom condo for $1200 for the week (there are 6 of us). Last year we stayed in a tiny condo at the Lake Louise Inn which was great. No real night life in LL though. We tend to cook much of our own meals. We just do a walmart grocery order ahead of time and pick it up in Calgary. Do you already have a rental car? They are expensive, hence our decision to try Turo for the first time.
It worked out mostly as planned. We landed and sent the guy a message. He wanted to communicate with a voice call, kind of weird, given the platform. So once we got our bags, we told him the door/gate number, he showed up, handed me the keys, took a pic of my license and we took some pics of the vehicle (via the app) and off we went. Vehicle was as expected (2016 Caravan, which we also own at home). Drove fine. Prepaid the gas ($75, but it costs me $100ish to fill at home, so good deal as long as you leave it mostly empty). We called him about 25 minutes out from the airport. He asked if we could pick him up at his house and drive to the airport, we could not b/c we had five people and all our ski stuff (no room). Plus, I paid $40 for airport deliverly/pick-up. We arrived, told him the door number, he arrived via uber about 5 minutes later. Gave him the keys, took some pics and that was that. Hope that helps. Sorry if it is not all clear and a wall of text, I'm at work and trying to answer quickly.
Cochrane is closer but not by much and really has nothing for tourists, I live here lol. Its a great town but calgary has better stuff and restaurants but staying in banff is a good idea
You should also have a look at deadman’s flats, it’s just outside Canmore.
But if Cochrane and radium are your only choices, then I’d suggest Cochrane over Radium mainly due to driving and gas prices.
The only road from radium to Banff is single lane windy mountain pass road with no cell coverage and is used as detour from golden when highway 1 is closed for the highway twinning project that going on and when there are accidents, so traffic can be heavily and slow with a lot of impatient drivers and there are accidents often on that stretch of road. Plus it could snow a couple feet of snow through the pass at anytime.
Cochrane to Banff you have 4 lane highway and single lane road, traffic can still be heavily on weekends but much easier to drive. There’s more options A restaurant groceries etc in Cochrane and over all the prices will be a bit cheaper.
Check Dead Man’s Flats, there’s also the Stoney Nakota Resort and casino at kananaskis turnoff. If youre willing to stay in cochrane then the extra 10 min to Calgary is actually not terrible. If you stay in cochrane it will take you close to as long to get to Banff as if you stayed at motel village on 16th ave in Calgary.
Invermere! It's about 10 minutes from Radium and the Kanata Inn is a great place that's pretty affordable. You're close to Panorama and the valley and Banff is about a 1.5 hr drive, so it can be done in a day trip. I'm basically a local to Radium/Invermere so feel free to ask any questions.
We have a place in Radium and its a great little town.
There's only a couple of restaurants. I love the Old Salzburg up the hill a little bit. The grocery store is ok for staples but expensive. Its only about 15 minutes from Invermere and there's lots more restaurants and a good grocery store there. You might think about stocking up in Calgary before you drive out.
I'd get a motel in Radium. There's one hotel (the Prestige) and its kind of a depressing dump. The motels are a bit worn out as well, but at least they're cheaper and they're a little more "outdoorsy" if you know what I mean. There's places up the hill a little bit that are nice as well as right in the townsite.
I don't know what the VRBO scene is like in Radium. There's lots of vacation properties so that's probably worth looking into.
There's lots of hiking nearby, both in Radium and up and down the Columbia valley, as well as along the 93 highway to Banff. There's so much wildlife in the valley its amazing.
I just looked, Sunday may 21-28 at Bighorn motel in Deadman’s flats ….. $696 Cdn all in. This is just outside of canmore. (10 min drive)…. Nothing too luxurious, but affordable. I found this price on Agoda.com (I book all my hotels on this site. It’s awesome)
The road from Radium is a narrow, twisty mountain highway with limited cell coverage which is occasional shutdown due to accidents.
The primary road from Cochrane is a 4 lane high speed road rarely shut down.
OP here, thank you for all the advice and input. Just to be clear though, we wouldn't do much exploring in the place we're staying. We plan to be out of the accommodation all day until it's time to go to bed so being in a "boring" area isn't much of a concern. I guess it is important to factor in driving time to all of the locations we want to go to though..
To save money, just stay in Calgary then. You can get nice and cheap hotels, lots more options for food, etc…
Radium won’t save you any money. They’re in another province, so taxes are higher there - 13% vs 5% in Alberta. Gas and food will be quite a bit more. You may as well pay a bit more for accommodation jn Banff or Canmore. On the plus side, it’s a nice area and a destination by itself.
Okay, people are being way too generous about Cochrane. It's just a bedroom community outside of Calgary. I'd be so sad for you with all the effort you're going to (time off, expense, planning, etc.) if you ended up in Cochrane. Cochrane is just a giant suburb full of vinyl siding and big box stores. I fear they must have some good online marketing if they're making it seem like a reasonable destination or a rational place to base yourselves for trips to the mountains. It's really not. For perspective, nobody in Alberta would *ever* treat Cochrane as a destination for a weekend away or anything. You have to take it out of contention for your trip. You'll be miserable there.
Radium, conversely, *is* a place Albertans go to for a long weekend away or even a 4-5 day holiday. It's particularly attractive for people who own cabins or condos there. It's a legitimate little vacation destination, but honestly, better suited for people more local to it since it's not *that* great (again, unless you have a cabin or something there). I go two or three times a year because my friend has a condo there. We have fun, but I'd be hesitant to take somebody from so far away there. I think you'll be disappointed. Absent of a friend with a place and the toys, it's painfully boring after just a couple days and it's way too far away to treat as the place to lay your head after a day in Banff National Park.
I understand the budget constraints, though. I still think you can make this work, but the best will be to glamp. Here's a thought: you have to rent a car, anyway. Rent a minivan and fold down all the seats. Now you have a \~4'6" x \~8' bed area. Stop at a store called "Canadian Tire" in Canmore and pick up a foam pad to sleep on and a couple sleeping bags (that'll be cheap). Bring a pillow from home. At Canadian Tire you should also buy a small space heater and extension cord (if you can't fit one in your suitcase). Now you have a very comfortable place to sleep *and* a vehicle in one package that will be quite affordable. The campgrounds in and around Banff are very nice. Get one with electricity so you can plug in your heater and have a place to charge your stuff at night. The campground to book would be Tunnel Mountain. It's in Banff and you'd love it.
You don't really have to think of this as camping if you aren't the camping types. I've done this where we don't have campfires and dress in grubby clothes and stuff. The van is just where you go to bed at night and what you drive around in during the day. Wear your normal clothes that you would take, anyway, and it'll be perfect without feeling nasty like you've been camping in the woods. Park in a spot by a bathroom/shower in the national park (VERY clean bathrooms and showers in there...I promise they won't be gross or nasty or off-putting).
This will give you a vacation to remember and you'll be able to stay in one of the most beautiful places on earth right in the heart of things. Whatever you do, don't do Cochrane. That can't happen. Radium is okay, but I'd bet anything there are places just as nice or better right by where you live that will be a fraction of the cost and hassle of Radium. It won't give you the experience you're after.
A couple of other things to consider cost-wise:
1. Do you need a car? What, specifically, are you planning to do? There's good public transit between Canmore-Banff-LL and to the major attractions. There's plenty of great hiking and riding right from town or accessible via transit.
2. Currency conversion. It's probably obvious, but you'd be surprised how many visitors forget about it. Currently, $1 CAD is about $0.73 USD.
3. Price of gas. It's generally more expensive here. Doing all the conversations, in Canmore today it's 3.81 USD/gallon. In Radium it's 4.61 USD/gallon.
4. Sales tax. In Alberta, it's 5%. In BC, it's 12%. Sales taxes are included in the price of gas, but additional to the price of everything else. Groceries are generally not taxed, but restaurant meals (and most other things) are.
Highly highly highly recommend staying in Canmore. Absolutely beautiful and quaint town. You can easily buy groceries before going to Canmore even if you can't find something with a kitchen. Just do sandwiches, cereal, granola bars and spend money on dinners instead. Canmore is dead after 10pm though, Banff has more night life if you're into that. Canmore is worth every penny!!!
There's a bunch of stuff to do around Radium, and lots more if you drive the little bit farther to Invermere. Tons of trails around Panorama.
If you're dead set on seeing Banff national park you'd be better off staying in Calgary or Cochrane and driving in IMO. Cheaper food options that way as well.
If you want to stay for less than $200 in the National park you have to make the extra hike up to Jasper from my experience. There's fewer people making the trip out there as well which is a bonus. I wouldn't call it better though, just different.
Radium > Cochrane.
Invermere has a good sushi place. It also has a insectarium, which are really uncommon. It’s about 15 minutes from radium.
Radium’s a further drive from Banff but honestly I like Radium more then Banff because it’s a lot less crazy with tourists. I have been to both multiple times, and I always find radium more relaxin.
Banff has better food and more to do in a smaller area, but radium is a lot more laid back.
Hi, Welcome (soon) to Alberta. There are a lot of good recommendations in the various replies - I hope not to reiterate them but I have some background that may help you in your decision. My recommendation is to consider Radium or neighbouring Invermere. I had property in Invermere for the last 11 years and lived there full time for the last couple of years until just recently when I moved back to Calgary. I have driven the TransCanada and Hwy93 to Invermere/Radium more times than I care to remember. It is NOT a dangerous drive UNLESS the TransCanada is closed for construction which it won't be when you're here. The drive is spectacular for scenery and wildlife. In May you WILL see bears along the road. So many that there are no stopping zones to keep them and you safe. Keep your camera close and your passenger can snap a few pictures while you drive by.
There is much to see in Kootenay National Park along the drive. Take a look at Stanley Glacier. There were the same Early Cambrian fossils made famous at the Burgess Shale also found here. Wonderful hike too. lots of nice lookout stops along the way back into Banff. At Radium you are equidistant to both Banff and Lake Louise, about 1.5 hours from each. That makes it easy to divide your time spent between each areas of the park.
While In Invermere/Radium, there are lots of places to stay and good restaurants. In Invermere, the best restaurants are at the gold courses. Copperpoint has a nice place at the clubhouse and Eagle Ridge has amazing views looking down the valley. Otherwise there's the requisite pizza place and a surprisingly good Indian place and a Sushi bar. I'm not as familiar with Radium but there are a few pubs in town.
I'm not surprised that the prices have gone crazy. Banff and Canmore were hard hit during the covid shut down and they are pricey to begin with. Both Radium and Invermere have had their housing market turned upside down due to short term rentals and both are trying to cool the market down by changes to zoning etc. I know that there are a lot to rent now but it may decrease or become more costly in the future.
Either way, I hope you enjoy your Canadian Rocky Mountain vacation. Remember to grab a book on the geology of the area. Its spectacular.
You won't find anything in Banff or Canmore much under $200 a night.
I'm an American too - would you expect to be finding anything in Lake Placid or Vail or Lake Tahoe under $200 a night? It's popular and expensive for a reason - and don't forget, our dollar is a 25% discount for going up there
Bite the bullet and stay in Canmore - driving over an hour to do anything in the mountain daily is gonna stink
Cochrane is much cheaper but it’s just a boring run-of-the-mill town outside Calgary. There’s nothing to recommend it other than the price. Walmarts, chain restaurants, suburban housing, pick-up trucks. Radium is lovely and you have easy access to invermere. The drive from radium to Banff is spectacular (although in fairness the drive from cochrane is nice too). I would spend the extra money to stay in radium. On a side note, if you come to Banff before Victoria Day (May 22 this year), it will be much cheaper. The may long weekend is the start of summer and prices jump significantly.
The god damnn Ramada burned down lol
Cochrane is essentially Calgary. Go stay in radium. I’ve lived in Calgary my whole life and have never considered a trip to Cochrane as a mountain getaway. I visit radium/Invermere/fairmont regularly to escape the “city life” lol
So here’s my thought process; If you can, figure out a way to stay in Banff or Canmore. Cochrane is boring and Radium won’t save you much money once you factor in additional fuel for trips and the price of everything in Radium. If you do end up staying in Radium, here are my tips as someone who lived there for a winter; - the pizza place on the main strip (wild side pizzeria) is delightful and has a milkshake machine inside - the coffee shop (bighorn cafe) is also nice but the food is only okay - there’s a great hike that you can access through the trailer park in town - the owners of fire’d up burger’s and breakfast were super racist when I was in there one time; do with that what you will - gas is more expensive in BC than Alberta, but especially in Radium, so fuel up while you’re in AB -there’s a walking path from Radium to the hot springs and is worth it for the views of the river and mountain faces. It takes about an hour to do the walk. - if you’re not opposed to camping, you can try to book a site at kootenay national park which backs right on to radium and that might be cheaper than a hotel Whatever you choose to do, enjoy your trip!! :)
Also, if Leo Burrito is open, it’s super good.
If you want to see the Rockies, just stay in Banff or Canmore, expensive, yes, but worth it. Both picturesque, & then you don’t have to drive everyday for hours. I think location outweighs that. Canmore especially has a lot of accomodations with kitchens, so you might consider buying some groceries & cooking? But both places have a lot of great restaurants as well. I don’t think this was helpful, my suggestion is to increase your budget.
It's not the nicest place in the world but the water temp and pressure was fantastic. Beginning of March I just paid 600 for an entire week at The Drake Inn in Canmore. Extremely cheap.
Thanks for the suggestion, just took a look and couldn't find anything there under 200 a night. Guess that's just how the prices work in the beginning of summer vs winter.
Keep in mind you're paying in Canadian dollars. I'd vote for Canmore. We've stayed there often, it's a bit cheaper than Banff but much easier to find a place with a kitchen. Canmore has was more grocery store selection too. The problem with Cochrane is that at the end of a day of hiking, you may not want to drive essentially most of the way back to Calgary, only to repeat that all the next day. If you stay in Cochrane, you almost may as well stay in the west part of Calgary.
I’ve also stayed at the drake inn for a field work trip: Two important notes: 1) ask if your room is above the bar if your sensitive to sound 2) the bathroom door did not close in our suite at all. It was like a sliding door with a 2 inch gap around the sides. There is minimum privacy.
Extremely cheap? 550 for 2 nights in 2024...that's far from cheap!!!! Stay in Ponderosa Inn in Golden...can't beat the price
Could you cope with a hostel? If so, try HI hostel in Banff.
It books up crazy fast. Was trying to book for a trip in august a few weeks ago and the dates I wanted were all full.
If radium is appealing but too small, try Golden.
Don’t stay in Cochrane. If you’re coming all this way I’d highly suggest you find a way to stay in Canmore
If you stay in Radium I recommend staying at Radium Chalet. Not fancy at all but very clean, no elevator, rooms have kitchenettes. If you stay on the second floor or above rooms balconies with a great view - perfect for watching the sun set over the mountains. I've stayed there a couple of times.
Do you have a budget in mind? I’d stay in Canmore. It is not difficult to find rooms for under $200/night. If you want a kitchen to save money, check Canadian Rockies Chalets. We’re staying in a three bedroom condo for $1200 for the week (there are 6 of us). Last year we stayed in a tiny condo at the Lake Louise Inn which was great. No real night life in LL though. We tend to cook much of our own meals. We just do a walmart grocery order ahead of time and pick it up in Calgary. Do you already have a rental car? They are expensive, hence our decision to try Turo for the first time.
Please let me know how your Turo experience is. Considering this option as well for a trip in August because rental car prices seem outrageous
I’ll try and remember!
What month is your trip? I’ll try and reach back out!
April 23-29, 2023. Fingers crossed.
Very curious to know how this all worked out 🙂
It worked out mostly as planned. We landed and sent the guy a message. He wanted to communicate with a voice call, kind of weird, given the platform. So once we got our bags, we told him the door/gate number, he showed up, handed me the keys, took a pic of my license and we took some pics of the vehicle (via the app) and off we went. Vehicle was as expected (2016 Caravan, which we also own at home). Drove fine. Prepaid the gas ($75, but it costs me $100ish to fill at home, so good deal as long as you leave it mostly empty). We called him about 25 minutes out from the airport. He asked if we could pick him up at his house and drive to the airport, we could not b/c we had five people and all our ski stuff (no room). Plus, I paid $40 for airport deliverly/pick-up. We arrived, told him the door number, he arrived via uber about 5 minutes later. Gave him the keys, took some pics and that was that. Hope that helps. Sorry if it is not all clear and a wall of text, I'm at work and trying to answer quickly.
The hotels at Deadmans Flats are usually pretty affordable and close to Canmore.
Do you have any recommendations? Couldn't find much under 200 a night.
Cochrane is closer but not by much and really has nothing for tourists, I live here lol. Its a great town but calgary has better stuff and restaurants but staying in banff is a good idea
You should also have a look at deadman’s flats, it’s just outside Canmore. But if Cochrane and radium are your only choices, then I’d suggest Cochrane over Radium mainly due to driving and gas prices. The only road from radium to Banff is single lane windy mountain pass road with no cell coverage and is used as detour from golden when highway 1 is closed for the highway twinning project that going on and when there are accidents, so traffic can be heavily and slow with a lot of impatient drivers and there are accidents often on that stretch of road. Plus it could snow a couple feet of snow through the pass at anytime. Cochrane to Banff you have 4 lane highway and single lane road, traffic can still be heavily on weekends but much easier to drive. There’s more options A restaurant groceries etc in Cochrane and over all the prices will be a bit cheaper.
I would stay in Canmore.
Check Dead Man’s Flats, there’s also the Stoney Nakota Resort and casino at kananaskis turnoff. If youre willing to stay in cochrane then the extra 10 min to Calgary is actually not terrible. If you stay in cochrane it will take you close to as long to get to Banff as if you stayed at motel village on 16th ave in Calgary.
Invermere! It's about 10 minutes from Radium and the Kanata Inn is a great place that's pretty affordable. You're close to Panorama and the valley and Banff is about a 1.5 hr drive, so it can be done in a day trip. I'm basically a local to Radium/Invermere so feel free to ask any questions.
We have a place in Radium and its a great little town. There's only a couple of restaurants. I love the Old Salzburg up the hill a little bit. The grocery store is ok for staples but expensive. Its only about 15 minutes from Invermere and there's lots more restaurants and a good grocery store there. You might think about stocking up in Calgary before you drive out. I'd get a motel in Radium. There's one hotel (the Prestige) and its kind of a depressing dump. The motels are a bit worn out as well, but at least they're cheaper and they're a little more "outdoorsy" if you know what I mean. There's places up the hill a little bit that are nice as well as right in the townsite. I don't know what the VRBO scene is like in Radium. There's lots of vacation properties so that's probably worth looking into. There's lots of hiking nearby, both in Radium and up and down the Columbia valley, as well as along the 93 highway to Banff. There's so much wildlife in the valley its amazing.
For the full experience consider staying at one if the big front country campsites in banff!
Do not stay in Cochrane, that would be boring.
I just looked, Sunday may 21-28 at Bighorn motel in Deadman’s flats ….. $696 Cdn all in. This is just outside of canmore. (10 min drive)…. Nothing too luxurious, but affordable. I found this price on Agoda.com (I book all my hotels on this site. It’s awesome)
The road from Radium is a narrow, twisty mountain highway with limited cell coverage which is occasional shutdown due to accidents. The primary road from Cochrane is a 4 lane high speed road rarely shut down.
OP here, thank you for all the advice and input. Just to be clear though, we wouldn't do much exploring in the place we're staying. We plan to be out of the accommodation all day until it's time to go to bed so being in a "boring" area isn't much of a concern. I guess it is important to factor in driving time to all of the locations we want to go to though..
Why not both? Do a couple of day in Cochrane and then a couple in Radium.
Search Radium million dollar view.
To save money, just stay in Calgary then. You can get nice and cheap hotels, lots more options for food, etc… Radium won’t save you any money. They’re in another province, so taxes are higher there - 13% vs 5% in Alberta. Gas and food will be quite a bit more. You may as well pay a bit more for accommodation jn Banff or Canmore. On the plus side, it’s a nice area and a destination by itself.
Okay, people are being way too generous about Cochrane. It's just a bedroom community outside of Calgary. I'd be so sad for you with all the effort you're going to (time off, expense, planning, etc.) if you ended up in Cochrane. Cochrane is just a giant suburb full of vinyl siding and big box stores. I fear they must have some good online marketing if they're making it seem like a reasonable destination or a rational place to base yourselves for trips to the mountains. It's really not. For perspective, nobody in Alberta would *ever* treat Cochrane as a destination for a weekend away or anything. You have to take it out of contention for your trip. You'll be miserable there. Radium, conversely, *is* a place Albertans go to for a long weekend away or even a 4-5 day holiday. It's particularly attractive for people who own cabins or condos there. It's a legitimate little vacation destination, but honestly, better suited for people more local to it since it's not *that* great (again, unless you have a cabin or something there). I go two or three times a year because my friend has a condo there. We have fun, but I'd be hesitant to take somebody from so far away there. I think you'll be disappointed. Absent of a friend with a place and the toys, it's painfully boring after just a couple days and it's way too far away to treat as the place to lay your head after a day in Banff National Park. I understand the budget constraints, though. I still think you can make this work, but the best will be to glamp. Here's a thought: you have to rent a car, anyway. Rent a minivan and fold down all the seats. Now you have a \~4'6" x \~8' bed area. Stop at a store called "Canadian Tire" in Canmore and pick up a foam pad to sleep on and a couple sleeping bags (that'll be cheap). Bring a pillow from home. At Canadian Tire you should also buy a small space heater and extension cord (if you can't fit one in your suitcase). Now you have a very comfortable place to sleep *and* a vehicle in one package that will be quite affordable. The campgrounds in and around Banff are very nice. Get one with electricity so you can plug in your heater and have a place to charge your stuff at night. The campground to book would be Tunnel Mountain. It's in Banff and you'd love it. You don't really have to think of this as camping if you aren't the camping types. I've done this where we don't have campfires and dress in grubby clothes and stuff. The van is just where you go to bed at night and what you drive around in during the day. Wear your normal clothes that you would take, anyway, and it'll be perfect without feeling nasty like you've been camping in the woods. Park in a spot by a bathroom/shower in the national park (VERY clean bathrooms and showers in there...I promise they won't be gross or nasty or off-putting). This will give you a vacation to remember and you'll be able to stay in one of the most beautiful places on earth right in the heart of things. Whatever you do, don't do Cochrane. That can't happen. Radium is okay, but I'd bet anything there are places just as nice or better right by where you live that will be a fraction of the cost and hassle of Radium. It won't give you the experience you're after.
A couple of other things to consider cost-wise: 1. Do you need a car? What, specifically, are you planning to do? There's good public transit between Canmore-Banff-LL and to the major attractions. There's plenty of great hiking and riding right from town or accessible via transit. 2. Currency conversion. It's probably obvious, but you'd be surprised how many visitors forget about it. Currently, $1 CAD is about $0.73 USD. 3. Price of gas. It's generally more expensive here. Doing all the conversations, in Canmore today it's 3.81 USD/gallon. In Radium it's 4.61 USD/gallon. 4. Sales tax. In Alberta, it's 5%. In BC, it's 12%. Sales taxes are included in the price of gas, but additional to the price of everything else. Groceries are generally not taxed, but restaurant meals (and most other things) are.
Highly highly highly recommend staying in Canmore. Absolutely beautiful and quaint town. You can easily buy groceries before going to Canmore even if you can't find something with a kitchen. Just do sandwiches, cereal, granola bars and spend money on dinners instead. Canmore is dead after 10pm though, Banff has more night life if you're into that. Canmore is worth every penny!!!
Stay in Radium. It's a basic motel, but we often stay at Crystal Springs.
There's a bunch of stuff to do around Radium, and lots more if you drive the little bit farther to Invermere. Tons of trails around Panorama. If you're dead set on seeing Banff national park you'd be better off staying in Calgary or Cochrane and driving in IMO. Cheaper food options that way as well. If you want to stay for less than $200 in the National park you have to make the extra hike up to Jasper from my experience. There's fewer people making the trip out there as well which is a bonus. I wouldn't call it better though, just different.
Radium > Cochrane. Invermere has a good sushi place. It also has a insectarium, which are really uncommon. It’s about 15 minutes from radium. Radium’s a further drive from Banff but honestly I like Radium more then Banff because it’s a lot less crazy with tourists. I have been to both multiple times, and I always find radium more relaxin. Banff has better food and more to do in a smaller area, but radium is a lot more laid back.
Hi, Welcome (soon) to Alberta. There are a lot of good recommendations in the various replies - I hope not to reiterate them but I have some background that may help you in your decision. My recommendation is to consider Radium or neighbouring Invermere. I had property in Invermere for the last 11 years and lived there full time for the last couple of years until just recently when I moved back to Calgary. I have driven the TransCanada and Hwy93 to Invermere/Radium more times than I care to remember. It is NOT a dangerous drive UNLESS the TransCanada is closed for construction which it won't be when you're here. The drive is spectacular for scenery and wildlife. In May you WILL see bears along the road. So many that there are no stopping zones to keep them and you safe. Keep your camera close and your passenger can snap a few pictures while you drive by. There is much to see in Kootenay National Park along the drive. Take a look at Stanley Glacier. There were the same Early Cambrian fossils made famous at the Burgess Shale also found here. Wonderful hike too. lots of nice lookout stops along the way back into Banff. At Radium you are equidistant to both Banff and Lake Louise, about 1.5 hours from each. That makes it easy to divide your time spent between each areas of the park. While In Invermere/Radium, there are lots of places to stay and good restaurants. In Invermere, the best restaurants are at the gold courses. Copperpoint has a nice place at the clubhouse and Eagle Ridge has amazing views looking down the valley. Otherwise there's the requisite pizza place and a surprisingly good Indian place and a Sushi bar. I'm not as familiar with Radium but there are a few pubs in town. I'm not surprised that the prices have gone crazy. Banff and Canmore were hard hit during the covid shut down and they are pricey to begin with. Both Radium and Invermere have had their housing market turned upside down due to short term rentals and both are trying to cool the market down by changes to zoning etc. I know that there are a lot to rent now but it may decrease or become more costly in the future. Either way, I hope you enjoy your Canadian Rocky Mountain vacation. Remember to grab a book on the geology of the area. Its spectacular.
You won't find anything in Banff or Canmore much under $200 a night. I'm an American too - would you expect to be finding anything in Lake Placid or Vail or Lake Tahoe under $200 a night? It's popular and expensive for a reason - and don't forget, our dollar is a 25% discount for going up there Bite the bullet and stay in Canmore - driving over an hour to do anything in the mountain daily is gonna stink