Lake O’Hara Bus Schedule 2023

12 APRIL 2023 UPDATE: All seats on the Lake O’Hara bus for day trippers have been filled. The reservation system opened at 8am and by 8:15am there were no seats available. By our calculations, unless your number in line was under 2,000, or maybe even lower, you would not have been able to reserve a seat.

When we logged in at 8am, after the order of the waitlist had been determined, there were 18,000 people in line for seats.

Lake O’Hara Day-trippers

To book a seat for the 2023 Lake O’Hara hiking season as a day-tripper, log onto the PARKS CANADA RESERVATION SERVICE between 7:30am and 8am MST on April 12 2023 and at 8am you will be assigned a number. Those lucky enough to get a number near the beginning of the queue will then have fist access at seats on the Lake O’Hara bus.

Buses for day visitors depart the parking lot between Lake Louise and Field between mid-June and early October at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., returning at 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., and 6:30 p.m.

Reservations are only required for the inbound shuttle; outgoing buses fill on demand.

Lake O’Hara Campers and Hut Guests

Your campsite reservation at Lake O’Hara includes a seat on the bus, so if you are planning on camping you do not need to make bus reservations separately.

Likewise, if you are staying at the Elizabeth Parker Hut, your reservation includes a seat on the bus.

Lake O’Hara Lodge

Guests at Lake O’Hara Lodge do not need to make bus reservations through the Parks Canada system. The lodge has its own bus that transports guests between the Trans-Canada Highway parking lot and the lake on a separate schedule that you will be sent upon making a lodge reservation.

Plan ahead if you want to secure a seat on the Lake O’Hara bus in 2023.