Emergency Card
Print this card before your trip — offline emergency contacts, bear protocol, and survival essentials for Banff.
Your Banff Emergency Reference
Cell service is unreliable on most trails in Banff. Print this card, screenshot it, or save it offline before you head out. It contains everything you need in an emergency — from phone numbers to survival protocols.
🆘 BANFF EMERGENCY CARD
Keep this card in your pocket on every hike
📞 Emergency Numbers
🐻 Bear Encounter Quick Reference
Grizzly (hump, dish face): Stay calm → back away slowly → if charged, STAND GROUND → if contact, PLAY DEAD (face down, protect neck)
Black bear (no hump, straight face): Make yourself big → make noise → if charged, STAND GROUND → if contact, FIGHT BACK
Bear spray: Remove safety → aim slightly down → spray at 6-10m → sweep side to side
🥶 Hypothermia Signs
Mild: Shivering, cold hands/feet, difficulty with fine motor tasks
Moderate: Violent shivering, slurred speech, confusion, stumbling
Severe: Shivering stops, extreme confusion, loss of consciousness
Action: Get out of wind/rain → remove wet clothes → insulate with dry layers → warm drinks (no alcohol) → call for help
📍 GPS Coordinates — Major Trailheads
🔊 Whistle Signals
3 blasts = DISTRESS / HELP NEEDED
Blow 3 short, sharp blasts, pause, repeat. This is the universal distress signal recognized by search and rescue teams worldwide.
1 blast = "Where are you?" (used between group members)
2 blasts = "Come to me" (used to regroup)
Always carry a whistle on your backpack strap. Sound carries much farther than your voice.
🧭 If You're Lost: STOP Protocol
S — Sit down. Do not panic. Stop moving.
T — Think. When did you last know where you were? What landmarks do you remember?
O — Observe. Look for trail markers, listen for water or traffic, check your map.
P — Plan. If you can retrace, do so carefully. If not, STAY PUT and signal for help.
Key rules: Stay warm and dry. Ration food and water. Make yourself visible. If you must move, go DOWNHILL — trails and roads are in valleys. Three of anything is a distress signal (3 fires, 3 rock piles, 3 whistle blasts).
📱 Cell Service in Banff
✅ Good Signal
- Banff town centre
- Lake Louise village
- Trans-Canada Highway
- Canmore
⚠️ Spotty Signal
- Bow Valley Parkway
- Icefields Parkway (near town sections)
- Lake Minnewanka area
- Tunnel Mountain area
❌ No Signal
- Most hiking trails
- All backcountry areas
- Moraine Lake road (parts)
- Remote Icefields Parkway sections
Recommendation: Carry a satellite communicator (Garmin InReach or SPOT) for any backcountry travel. These work everywhere via satellite, regardless of cell coverage. SOS function contacts rescue services directly.