One of the most beautiful regions in the world, the Canadian Rockies is filled with inspiring scenery from snow-capped mountains, rushing waterfalls, glacier-fed lakes and an abundance of wildlife. Each season is completely different in this part of the world. Summer see’s rushing waterfalls and wildlife but along with it hordes of tourists and sparse accommodation availability. The shoulder seasons provide lovely weather and less people, with Winter bringing on the snow, frozen lakes and frozen waterfalls but still a beautiful time to visit none-the-less.
The Canadian Rockies is a magical place which ever season you choose and road tripping is the best way to explore it!
Like my usual guides, below is a suggested 9-day itinerary filled with a summary of some of the must-see highlights along the Trans-Canada highway and the Icefields Parkway between Banff and Jasper, as well as how to get there, how long to go for, where to stay / base yourself and the best time of year to visit. Keep an eye out for the upcoming blog on our road trip or check out our trip in the wintertime here.
☼ DAY 1 – Calgary to Canmore / Banff ☼
Distance: 128km or approx. 1 hour 24 minute drive
Canmore
Grassi Lakes Trail
Quarry Lakes
Three Sisters Mountain Point
The Grizzly Paw Brewery
Banff
* Base yourself in either Banff or Canmore
☼ DAY 2 – Banff & Surrounds ☼
Distance: 24.6km (22 mins) from Canmore to Banff
The town of Banff
Bow Falls Viewpoint
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Gondola up Sulphur mountain
Surprise Corner
Fairmont Banff Springs
Vermilion Lakes
Mount Norquay Lookout
Two Jack Lake & the Minnewanka Lake Loop
Lake Minnewanka (great for wildlife viewing and sunrise)
* Base yourself in either Banff or Canmore
☼ DAY 3 – Johnston Canyon & Lake Louise ☼
Distance: 24.9 km (26 mins) from Banff to Johnston Canyon via the Bow Valley Parkway.
33.2 km (35 mins) from Johnston Canyon to Lake Louise
Johnston Canyon
Lower & Upper Falls
Castle Mountain
Morant’s Curve
Lake Louise
Lake Agnes Teahouse Trail
Moraine Lake
Lake Louise Gondola up Whitehorn Mountain
Lake Louise is absolutely beautiful but keep in mind it has to be one of the most popular spots and once the carpark is full you will be denied entry and sent to the overflow carpark to catch a bus, which can add hours to your visit! Moraine Lake is another one with a very small carpark that closes once it reaches capacity. Plan to arrive early to avoid disappointment and the crowds. Johnston Canyon is another absolute gem with a rewarding walk to reach the upper falls and one of my personal favourites.
* Base yourself in either Banff or Canmore
☼ Day 4 – Yoho National Park ☼
Distance: 85km (1 hr 9 min) from Banff to Yoho NP
Kicking Horse Pass
Takakkaw Falls
Field
Natural Bridge
Lower Falls
Emerald Lake
The Bow Valley Parkway
This is one of my favourite spots in the Rockies and I recommend dedicating a full day (at the very least) to explore these beautiful spots! The scenery is next level!
* Stay somewhere along the Trans-Canada Hwy or Icefields Parkway. I recommend the beautiful Cathedral Mountain Lodge in Field.
☼ Day 5 – The Icefields Parkway ☼
Distance: 146km (1 hr 42 min) from Yoho NP to Athabasca Glacier
Herbert Lake
Hector Lake
Bow Lake
Peyto Lake
Waterfowl Lake
Mistaya Canyon
Cirrus Mountain View Point
Saskatchewan River Crossing
Panther Falls
Parker Ridge
* I recommend 2 nights at the Glacier View Inn at the Athabasca Glacier.
☼ Day 6 – Athabasca Glacier & the Columbia Icefields ☼
Athabasca Glacier
Icefield Skywalk
Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint
* I recommend 2 nights at the Glacier View Inn at the Athabasca Glacier.
☼ Day 7 – Glacier to Jasper ☼
Distance: 103km (1 hr 12 min) from Athabasca Glacier to Jasper
Sunwapta Falls
Athabasca Falls
Mount Christie Viewpoint
Horseshoe Lake
Jasper
* Spend 2 nights in Jasper. We stayed at Jasper Downtown Hostel due to availability but it was great!
☼ Day 8 – Jasper & surrounds ☼
Town of Jasper
Maligne Canyon
Maligne Falls
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Island
Lake Annette Beach
Lake Edith
Spirit Island
☼ Day 9 – Jasper to Vancouver ☼
It’s the end of the Canadian Rockies road trip and most people venture back to Calgary or on to Vancouver. Heading back to Vancouver is a big drive and we recommend around 1-2 nights to head back. Popular towns to stay in are Kamloops or Kelowna depending which route you take. Highlights to check out on your journey back are:
Golden
Water rafting down the Kicking Horse River
Glacier National Park
Revelstoke
Salmon Arm
Hope
Bridal Vale Falls
Vancouver
Whistler
Squamish
Shannon Falls
Vancouver Island
☼ How to get there & around ☼
The two closest city points to fly into is Vancouver to the west and Calgary to the east. The best way to explore is to hire a car and hit the road! The Rockies can be explored in any direction, whether it be a round trip or one-way – whichever you choose! Driving the rockies is really easy and gives you the most flexibility as you can stop when you like and choose to spend as long as you want at each spot. Watch out for wildlife on the highways including bears, elk, deer, and bighorn sheep.
You need a Parks Pass to enter Banff, Jasper and Yoho National Park and all information including fees can be found on the Parks Canada site.
☼ How long to go for ☼
My ultimate trip here would be to live for 6 to 12 months so that you can truly explore the region but that’s not going to work for everyone (including myself). If planning a road trip, I personally think 7 days minimum is a good time to see the highlights. The longer the better here! Of course you could breeze over it in 5 days but what’s the fun in that.
☼ Where to stay / base yourself ☼
Both Banff and Canmore are great towns to base yourself but we also found that staying at different spots along the Trans-Canada highway and Icefields Parkway was great so that you could truely get the feel of the regions around you and without having to backtrack each day. As a minimum I would recommend 2-3 days in Banff or Canmore, 3 nights scattered along the parkway and 2 nights in Jasper at the end.
The Rockies are filled with a wide range of accommodation options from camping, hostel, hotel, lodges, air BnBs and more. In the peak season, accommodation books up very quickly! So it’s recommended to plan months in advance. Unfortunately I didn’t take my own advice and booked only a month out from our trip so accommodation was sparse. We stayed in all types of accommodation during our trip from air BnB, hotels to lodges and even hostels that were a great option for a cheaper night stay – all were lovely.
Deciding between Banff or Canmore? It might sound like a hard choice but both towns are a great option. Canmore is only an extra 20 minutes outside of Banff so travel wise it’s not a huge distance. Both towns offer great atmosphere and places to eat out and explore so if it’s coming down to cost wise or availability then you might find Canmore the slightly better choice, but of course Banff is the idyllic town of the Canadian Rockies and usually a first choice. We found Canmore great! It had more of a local vibe and seemed a smaller, cute version of Banff.
☼ Best time of year to visit ☼
When we first booked our trip to Canada it was in March and I will admit that I underestimated the Canadian winter and didn’t realise it would be completely covered in snow – but it was the most amazing surprise. The Rockies are completely different in all seasons and for different reasons, so I would say the best time to visit would be all-year-round, but expect to book more than one trip in your lifetime! If you are road tripping though, the months of June to early October will be the best time. Summer and Fall offer the best hiking weather but also attracts the largest crowds. Keep in mind that certain tracks will close closer to Winter so make sure to research the spots you want to visit to avoid missing out.
ONLY HAPPY WHEN I TRAVEL 