Pay to Play

Easy to buy, easy to use

Vehicles parked at provincial park and public land sites in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley need a Conservation Pass.

Buy your pass online and register your licence plate. Passes can also be purchased in-person or by using Wi-Fi at Kananaskis Visitor Information Centres (Barrier, Elbow, Peter Lougheed and William Watson Lodge) and the Canmore Nordic Centre Day Lodge.

By purchasing a pass you’re helping keep this special part of Alberta beautiful and protected for generations to come

Cost

Only one pass per personal or commercial passenger vehicle is required. There is no extra cost for trailers or additional passengers. Pass purchases are non-transferable to another vehicle.

Personal vehicles

• Day pass – $15 (registers one vehicle)
• Yearly pass – $90 (registers up to 3 vehicles)

Commercial – 15 people or less

• Day pass – $22.50
• Yearly pass – $135

_{Example: shuttles, taxis, small group transport}

Commercial – more than 15 people

• Day pass – $30
• Yearly pass – $180

_{Example: large group transport, coach buses}

Pass applies to:

• All personal and commercial vehicles parked in parks and public lands in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley corridor. See the map for a full list of sites.

Pass does not apply to:

• Vehicles traveling through the area without stopping
• Vehicles that are only loading or unloading passengers do not need a pass
• People arriving without a vehicle (on foot, horseback, bicycle)

Pass is not required for*

• Ghost area
• McLean Creek Public Land Use Zone
• McLean Creek Provincial Recreation Area
• Fisher Creek Provincial Recreation Area
• Canmore townsite or other municipal land within the boundary

*Applicable camping and facility user fees still apply.

Visitors are encouraged to buy their pass before arriving in the area. You can purchase your pass up until 11:59 pm on the first day of your visit. Retroactive pass purchases are not available.

Online

• Passes can be purchased online using Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Visa Debit and Mastercard Debit.

In-person

• Passes can be purchased at Wi-Fi hotspots or in-person during business hours (cash, credit or debit) at the following locations:
  • Canmore Nordic Centre Day Lodge
  • Elbow Valley Visitor Information Centre (not yet wheelchair accessible; accessibility upgrades are underway)
  • Kananaskis Visitor Information Centre at Barrier Lake
  • Peter Lougheed Park Discovery and Information Centre
  • William Watson Lodge

By phone

• Passes can be purchased over the phone, Monday to Sunday, 9 am to 5 pm, by calling the Alberta Parks contact centre at 1-877-537-2757.

Cell service areas

Some areas in Kananaskis have reliable cell service to buy the pass on your mobile device.

• Available service: Kananaskis Village area, Canmore Nordic Centre area, select day use areas accessed off of Trans Canada Highway 1, Highway 1A and 1X.
• Not typically available: Along the eastern reaches of Hwy 1A, Hwy 68 (Sibbald Corridor), Smith Dorian/Spray Trail – Hwy 742, Hwy 66 (Elbow Valley), Hwy 546 (Sheep Valley), Hwy 541 and 532 (Highwood), Hwy 40 South including Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, and is generally intermittent along Hwy 40 into Kananaskis Country.

• Only one pass per personal or commercial vehicle is required.
  • The pass qualifies the vehicle, not the passengers.
  • Vehicles registered to different addresses cannot be assigned to the same annual pass.
  • To add vehicles or trailers or to change a licence plate on your annual pass, call the Alberta Parks Call Centre (1-877-537-2757).
  • Commercial passenger vehicle is a vehicle operated for the purpose of providing non-personal transportation, such as tour bus, group transport and shuttle vans.
• Passes expire at 11:59 pm on the last day for which the pass is valid.
• Annual passes are valid for a full calendar year (365 days) from date of purchase.
• Camping fees in parks, and user fees for specialized facilities like the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, still apply.
• The public land camping pass will not be needed in the Kananaskis Conservation Pass area.

Visitors are encouraged to buy their pass before arriving in the area. You can purchase your pass up until 11:59 pm on the first day of your visit. Retroactive pass purchases are not available.

How to gift an annual pass

• Select the pass type and choose annual.
• Select vehicle type and choose personal.
• When selecting the start date, choose the date on which you would like the pass to become active. Note: the start date needs to be within 90 days of the purchase date.
• When entering the license plate, write “GIFT”. If you know the license plate of the recipient, enter their license plate information.
• Select the province.
• When entering the contact information, enter the recipient’s name, mobile number and postal code. Enter your email, as you will receive a confirmation of purchase.

Activating a gifted pass

• Passes are not valid until the applicable license plate information has been entered. Recipients must provide their license plate information in order to validate the pass.
• Recipients of the gifted pass can call the Alberta Parks contact centre at 1-877-537-2757, or a visitor information centre, to validate their pass.