Season guide · Banff · Canada
Banff in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: 5of7, CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answer
Spring skiing until May, then a muddy thaw in the valleys while high lakes stay frozen; quiet and good value. Expect highs up to 14°C (57°F) and lows around -10°C (14°F), with about 33 rainy days across March–May.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- -10°C (14°F) to 14°C (57°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 33
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Average
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 3°C (37°F) | -10°C (14°F) | 10 | 11.7 h | 3/5 |
| April | 8°C (46°F) | -4°C (25°F) | 10 | 13.8 h | 2/5 |
| May | 14°C (57°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 13 | 15.5 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 8°C (46°F) against a yearly 9°C (48°F), and 33 of the year's roughly 136 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 3/5 on average.
Good choices for spring
Experience · Spray Avenue and the Banff Springs
Banff Upper Hot Springs
A heritage bathhouse on Sulphur Mountain with an outdoor pool fed by natural hot springs at around 37–40°C, looking across to Mount Rundle.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Kids
- Views
- Rainy day
Architecture · Spray Avenue and the Banff Springs
Fairmont Banff Springs
Afternoon tea or a drink in the lounge is the easiest way to see inside without staying.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Couples
- Rainy day
Historic site · Spray Avenue and the Banff Springs
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
The thermal springs found here by railway workers in 1883 led to the creation of Canada's first national park in 1885.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Nature
Museum · Downtown Banff
Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
A good rainy-afternoon stop on Bear Street, a block from Banff Avenue.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Museum · Downtown Banff
Banff Park Museum
Western Canada's oldest natural-history museum, a log building from 1903 filled with Victorian-era mounted animals and display cases.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Day trips in spring
- Icefields Parkway and Columbia Icefield (About 2 hours 30 minutes each way without stops) — Highway 93 north of Lake Louise runs past Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, the Mistaya Canyon and the Athabasca Glacier at the Columbia Icefield, with glacier tours on specialised vehicles in summer.
- Yoho National Park (About 1 hour by car) — Just across the Continental Divide in British Columbia, Yoho has Emerald Lake with its canoe rentals and lakeside trail, the natural rock bridge on the Kicking Horse River and Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada's highest waterfalls.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Banff?
It is a trade-off: Spring skiing until May, then a muddy thaw in the valleys while high lakes stay frozen; quiet and good value. The best months overall are June–September.
+What is the weather like in Banff in spring?
Highs of up to 14°C (57°F) and lows around -10°C (14°F), with about 33 rainy days over the season.