Road Travel › Drive weather

Vancouver to Banff drive weather

847 km (526 miles), about 9 hours of driving via Hwy 1. The high point is Kicking Horse Pass at 1,627 m (5,338 ft), about 8 h 23 min in.

Distance
847 km
Drive time
~9 hours
High point
1,627 m
Provinces
BC · AB

Next 7 departures

Leaving Vancouver at 7 AM each day · Updated · Forecast: MET Norway

  1. SatOct 3

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 8–15°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTPartly sunny14°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTPartly sunny11°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTPartly sunny13°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTCloudy8°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTCloudy12°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTFog14°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTSunny13°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTPartly sunny11°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTMostly sunny15°C
  2. SunOct 4

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTFog14°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTFog12°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTSunny14°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTSunny12°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTSunny16°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTMostly sunny18°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTMostly sunny17°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTPartly sunny15°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTPartly sunny18°C
  3. MonOct 5

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–19°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTCloudy13°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTCloudy13°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTCloudy16°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTPartly sunny12°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTPartly sunny18°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTSunny19°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTSunny14°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTSunny12°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTSunny15°C
  4. TueOct 6

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 9–17°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTPartly sunny13°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTCloudy12°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTPartly sunny15°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTCloudy9°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTMostly sunny15°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTPartly sunny17°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTMostly sunny12°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTSunny11°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTMostly sunny14°C
  5. WedOct 7

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 11–16°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTCloudy14°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTCloudy13°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTPartly sunny16°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTPartly sunny12°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTPartly sunny15°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTPartly sunny16°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTPartly sunny13°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTPartly sunny11°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTPartly sunny14°C
  6. ThuOct 8

    ClearNo significant weather expected. Temperatures 12–18°C along the way.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTPartly sunny14°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTCloudy13°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTCloudy16°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTCloudy13°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTCloudy18°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTCloudy18°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTCloudy14°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTPartly sunny12°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTPartly sunny15°C
  7. FriOct 9

    CautionHeavy rain near Surrey Lake Summit around 10 AM PDT. Also at 1 other checkpoint.

    Along the way
    Checkpoint · arrivalWeather · temperature
    Vancouver7 AM PDTHeavy rain13°C
    Abbotsford7:45 AM PDTRain12°C
    Hope8:45 AM PDTHeavy rain12°C
    Surrey Lake Summit10 AM PDTHeavy rain2°C
    Kamloops10:30 AM PDTRain9°C
    Salmon Arm11:45 AM PDTPartly sunny11°C
    Rogers Pass2:45 PM MDTRain5°C
    Kicking Horse Pass4:30 PM MDTRain3°C
    Banff5:15 PM MDTHeavy rain6°C

The worst conditions expected at any checkpoint, timed to when you would reach it driving without stops. Levels use Road Travel’s driving-risk scale.

The route, stop by stop

Checkpoints in order, with driving time from Vancouver (no stops) and elevation. The forecast above is timed to these.

Kicking Horse Pass · 1,627 m 0 km 847 km
Elevation along the route (Terrain Tiles, sampled every 8 km).
  1. Vancouver, BCStart 45 melevation
  2. Abbotsford, BCKm 66 · 48 min 67 melevation
  3. Hope, BCKm 150 · 1 h 42 min 45 melevation
  4. Surrey Lake Summit, BCMountain pass · Km 301 · 3 h 2 min 1,444 melevation
  5. Kamloops, BCKm 351 · 3 h 29 min 360 melevation
  6. Salmon Arm, BCKm 460 · 4 h 45 min 359 melevation
  7. Rogers Pass, BCMountain pass · Km 629 · 6 h 38 min 1,336 melevation
  8. Kicking Horse Pass, ABMountain pass · Km 781 · 8 h 23 min 1,627 melevation
  9. Banff, ABKm 847 · 9 h 12 min 1,400 melevation

Typical weather by month

Average daily highs and lows, and days with 2.5 cm (an inch) or more of snow, at Vancouver, Kicking Horse Pass and Banff.

MonthVancouver
Vancouver Airport station · 4 m
Kicking Horse Pass
Yoho National Park station · 1,602 m
Banff
1,384 m
High / low °CSnow daysHigh / low °CHigh / low °C
Jan7° / 1°1.3-7° / -14°-3° / -14°
Feb8° / 2°0.3-4° / -14°0° / -12°
Mar10° / 3°0.32° / -10°4° / -8°
Apr13° / 6°07° / -5°10° / -3°
May17° / 9°013° / -1°15° / 0°
Jun20° / 12°016° / 3°18° / 4°
Jul22° / 14°021° / 5°22° / 6°
Aug22° / 14°020° / 4°23° / 6°
Sep19° / 11°014° / 1°18° / 2°
Oct14° / 7°05° / -3°9° / -2°
Nov9° / 4°0.5-3° / -9°1° / -9°
Dec7° / 1°1.2-9° / -15°-4° / -14°

1991–2020 averages computed from NOAA NCEI daily station records (GHCN-Daily): VANCOUVER INT'L A (CAN01108447, 4 m); YOHO PARK (CAN011790J1, 1,602 m); BANFF (CAN03050520, 1,384 m). Snow days are days with at least 2.5 cm (1 inch) of new snow. “—” means the station does not publish that normal.

Road conditions

Closures and chain rules change by the hour, so we link to the official reports for British Columbia and Alberta rather than repeat them.

Check the official forecast from Environment Canada and each road report before you leave.

Get alerts timed to where you’ll be when you get there

Road Travel plans the drive from Vancouver to Banff with the forecast at every stretch for the hour you’ll reach it, then warns you about weather ahead while you drive.

Questions about this drive

How long is the drive from Vancouver to Banff?

847 km (526 miles), about 9 hours of driving without stops, by way of Hwy 1. Fuel, food and rest stops add to that.

What is the highest point on the drive?

Kicking Horse Pass, at 1,627 m (5,338 ft). It comes at km 781, about 8 h 23 min of driving after you leave Vancouver.

How cold is Kicking Horse Pass in January?

The nearest long-term NOAA station, Yoho National Park (1,602 m), averages a high of -7°C and a low of -14°C in January (1991–2020 averages).

How cold is Banff in January?

Banff averages a high of -3°C and a low of -14°C in January (1991–2020 averages).