Helicopter tours near Banff
Helicopters may not take off or land in Banff National Park, so the tours fly from Canmore, Kananaskis and the Cline River, outside the park.
- Landings in the park
- Emergencies only
- Tour base
- Canmore, 22 km from Banff
- 25-min tour
- $339 per person
- Minimum
- 2 passengers
Helicopters and Banff National Park
Not from inside the park. The National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations ban aircraft take-offs and landings in Banff National Park except at the Banff airstrip, and there only for a diversion or emergency. Tours fly instead from Canmore, a 22 km drive from Banff: Alpine Helicopter's 25-minute Three Sisters flight costs $339 per person, plus 5% GST, with at least two passengers. A private helicopter typically costs C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour.
Canmore sits just outside the southeast boundary of Banff National Park, with the park gate just northwest of town, which is why the Bow Valley's helicopter tours start there.
Alpine Helicopter began flying in Calgary in 1961 and runs its sightseeing from the Canmore Municipal Heliport at 91 Bow Valley Trail and from a second base at Stoney Nakoda in Kananaskis. Its tours cross Spray Valley Provincial Park and the Three Sisters, and the Marvel Pass tour lands at a private site on the park border.
Rockies Heli Canada flies from a heliport at the Cline River and Highway 11, with transport from Banff and Lake Louise by reservation; its flights are operated by Airborne Energy Solutions.
Flying in? See private jets to Banff or Calgary, and the Calgary Stampede in July.
Sources:National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations (SOR/97-150), current to 30 September 2026Wikipedia: Canmore, AlbertaAlpine Helicopter: Three Sisters Peaks tour, checked 19 October 2026Alpine Helicopter: tours and history, checked 19 October 2026Alpine Helicopter: bases and head office, checked 19 October 2026Rockies Heli Canada: heliport at Cline River and Highway 11, checked 19 October 2026
What the law allows in Banff National Park
- Take-offs and landings of any aircraft in a national park are prohibited, except at locations listed in the Schedule of the National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations.
- For Banff, the only listed location is the Banff airstrip, and only to land in a diversion or other emergency. The pilot must tell the superintendent as soon as possible and get the superintendent's authorisation before taking off again.
- Routine flying at the Banff airstrip has been banned since 1997; a 2013 amendment reopened it for emergencies and diversions only.
- In Jasper, the airstrip may be used with a permit for non-commercial recreational flights, or in an emergency. Yoho and Kootenay are not listed at all.
- So there is no helicopter transfer to the town of Banff or Lake Louise, and no heli-landing inside the park. Tours start and land outside it.
Sources:National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations (SOR/97-150), current to 30 September 2026Canada Gazette Part II, 13 February 2013: amendment reopening the Banff and Jasper airstrips
Tell us the dates and passengers. A specialist replies with aircraft options and an all-in price, around the clock.
Helicopter tours from Canmore
- Flight time
- 25 min
- Price
- $339 per person
- Route
- Between the Three Sisters into Spray Valley Provincial Park, back along the Bow River
- Flight time
- 35 min
- Price
- $455 per person
- Route
- Past the Three Sisters to Mount Assiniboine and the Assiniboine and Gloria glaciers
- Flight time
- 55 min, with a 20-min landing
- Price
- $945 for two; $455 per extra seat
- Route
- Private landing on the border of Banff National Park
Tours by [[Alpine Helicopter|/en-ca/operators/alpine-helicopters/]] from Canmore, as published on 19 October 2026, before 5% GST. Every tour needs at least two passengers; seats are allocated by weight.
Sources:Alpine Helicopter: Three Sisters Peaks tour, checked 19 October 2026Alpine Helicopter: Mt Assiniboine and Glaciers tour, checked 19 October 2026Alpine Helicopter: Marvel Pass tour, checked 19 October 2026
Helicopter bases around Banff
91 Bow Valley Trail, Canmore, 22 km by road from Banff. Alpine Helicopter's sightseeing base, leased from the Town of Canmore. Under the lease terms reported in 2021, sightseeing is capped at 35 tours a day, each at least 25 minutes, between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
888 Nakoda Way. Alpine Helicopter's second sightseeing base, with its own set of tours.
Rockies Heli Canada's heliport in Clearwater County, Alberta, flying tours since 1999. Transport from Banff and Lake Louise by reservation.
Alpine Helicopter also has a base at Calgary International Airport South, 165 George Craig Blvd NE.
Sources:Alpine Helicopter: bases and head office, checked 19 October 2026Wikipedia: Canmore, AlbertaRocky Mountain Outlook, 2021: Canmore and Alpine near a revised 10-year heliport leaseRockies Heli Canada: heliport at Cline River and Highway 11, checked 19 October 2026Rockies Heli Canada: helicopter tours, checked 19 October 2026
When the tours fly
- Canmore's sightseeing flights run between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. under the heliport lease; the town's noise bylaw allows flights from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Alpine Helicopter books tours with a minimum of two passengers and seats people by weight, so a single traveller may be combined with others or rescheduled.
Sources:Rocky Mountain Outlook, 2021: Canmore and Alpine near a revised 10-year heliport leaseAlpine Helicopter: Three Sisters Peaks tour, checked 19 October 2026
What goes into a helicopter price
On a charter you hire the whole helicopter and its pilot, so the price is per flight, not per seat.
- Flying time for the whole helicopter: as a guide, C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour.
- Positioning when the helicopter is based away from your pickup point, both to reach you and to fly home.
- Landing and parking fees: at the Whistler heliport, $70 to $130 per landing and $100 a night to park.
- GST at 5% on published tour and transfer prices, plus airport fees where they apply.
- Waiting time if the helicopter holds for you during the day.
Sources:Resort Municipality of Whistler: Whistler Municipal Heliport, checked 19 October 2026Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
Check the operator's licences
- Nobody may operate an air transport service without a Transport Canada air operator certificate (CAR 700.02).
- A publicly available air service in Canada also needs a licence from the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA), which requires liability insurance and Canadian control. Sightseeing flights are a specialty service excluded from the CTA licence.
- The CTA warns that an unlicensed operator may not have the insurance it must carry, and may void your own cover in an accident.
- 1,393 helicopters fly in the charter fleets of Canadian licence holders on our list.
- As a broker, Altivo Jets names the operator and its licences before you book.
Sources:Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 700.02, air operator certificate, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: FAQ, air licensing, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
Helicopters in the Rockies
The single-engine H125 is the most common helicopter on Canadian charter fleets; Alpine Helicopter uses Bell types seating 6 to 14 for private charters.
Operators near Banff
Canadian air carriers flying sightseeing and charters in the Rockies outside the national park.
Head office West Kelowna; sightseeing from Canmore and Stoney Nakoda, bases in Golden and Calgary. Since 1961
Calgary. Operates Rockies Heli Canada's flights from the Cline River
Golden, BC. CTA licence for domestic services
Sources:Alpine Helicopter: bases and head office, checked 19 October 2026Alpine Helicopter: tours and history, checked 19 October 2026Rockies Heli Canada: heliport at Cline River and Highway 11, checked 19 October 2026Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
Questions, answered
Still deciding? A charter specialist will talk you through aircraft, airports and price, with no obligation.
Ask a specialistCan you take a helicopter tour in Banff National Park?+
Tours cannot take off or land in the park. They fly from Canmore, Kananaskis and the Cline River, outside its boundary.
Can a helicopter land in Banff or at Lake Louise?+
No. The only place an aircraft may land in Banff National Park is the Banff airstrip, and only in a diversion or other emergency.
How much is a helicopter tour near Banff?+
Alpine Helicopter's tours from Canmore cost $339 per person for 25 minutes and $455 for 35 minutes, plus 5% GST, with at least two passengers.
Is there a helicopter tour with a mountain landing?+
Yes. Alpine Helicopter's Marvel Pass tour flies 55 minutes with a 20-minute landing at a private site on the park border, at $945 for two.
How far is Canmore from Banff?+
A 22 km drive. Canmore sits just outside the park's southeast boundary.
Can I fly from Calgary to the mountains by helicopter?+
Yes, by charter, landing outside the national parks. Alpine Helicopter has a base at Calgary International; a private helicopter costs about C$2,240 to C$6,560 per flight hour.
Fares, dates and rules on this page were checked on 19 October 2026. Official fares and schedules change every season; the operator or authority named in each source has the final word.
- 1.National Parks of Canada Aircraft Access Regulations (SOR/97-150), current to 30 September 2026
- 2.Wikipedia: Canmore, Alberta
- 3.Alpine Helicopter: Three Sisters Peaks tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 4.Alpine Helicopter: tours and history, checked 19 October 2026
- 5.Alpine Helicopter: bases and head office, checked 19 October 2026
- 6.Rockies Heli Canada: heliport at Cline River and Highway 11, checked 19 October 2026
- 7.Canada Gazette Part II, 13 February 2013: amendment reopening the Banff and Jasper airstrips
- 8.Alpine Helicopter: Mt Assiniboine and Glaciers tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 9.Alpine Helicopter: Marvel Pass tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 10.Rocky Mountain Outlook, 2021: Canmore and Alpine near a revised 10-year heliport lease
- 11.Rockies Heli Canada: helicopter tours, checked 19 October 2026
- 12.Resort Municipality of Whistler: Whistler Municipal Heliport, checked 19 October 2026
- 13.Blackcomb Helicopters: Whistler and Vancouver heli transfer, checked 19 October 2026
- 14.SKY Helicopters: Vancouver city helicopter tour, checked 19 October 2026
- 15.Canadian Aviation Regulations s. 700.02, air operator certificate, checked 19 October 2026
- 16.Canadian Transportation Agency: FAQ, air licensing, checked 19 October 2026
- 17.Canadian Transportation Agency: is your air carrier licensed?, checked 19 October 2026
See the Rockies from above.
A specialist replies around the clock with aircraft options, the operator's name and an all-in price.