Bow Valley ready for long weekend crowds

Massive crowds are expected in the Bow Valley over the Canada Day long weekend, and officials saythey're ready.

At the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge in Canmore, general manager Donna Trautman says she's booked solid as revellers celebrate the Canada's 150th this weekend.

"It's still pretty early in the season but it really feels like late July. It's been crazy, really," she said.

A short drive down the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff, Mayor Karen Sorensen says the town has spent months getting ready for Canada Day.

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"Our challenge in Banff is really not about people. Our challenge in Banff is about vehicular traffic, so we've put lots of mitigations in place in order to try and reduce vehicular traffic," she said.

Officials are encouraging visitors to Banff not to drive in to the downtown core.

Parking is set up on the outskirts of town and there are plenty of transit options.

"If you do bring a vehicle, we encourage people to park on the outskirts of town or the Fenlands, which is our recreation centre," said Sorensen. "And of course Parks Canada has provided parking this year on the way out to Lake Minnewanka."

As well, parking lots in town won't have the usual time limits, so they're expected to be full all weekend.

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"At this point we feel prepared, we're ready," said Sorensen.

And she expects Banff to fill up even more later this summer as the August long weekend is usually the busiest in terms of tourism.