The Canadian Rockies are a breathtaking mountain range that stretches across the western provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, offering some of the most stunning and awe-inspiring natural scenery in the world. Towering snow-capped peaks, glistening turquoise lakes, ancient glaciers, and lush evergreen forests combine to create a landscape that seems almost too beautiful to be real. This itinerary starts in Banff National Park then takes you along the famous Icefields Parkway before exploring Jasper National Park on the other side. Use this blog post as your travel guide! I will explain everything you need to know to plan your own adventure: what to do in the Canadian Rockies, where to stay, the best photo spots, and more!
Update: Jasper has been devastated by a horrific wildfire since the time of this post. Please be respectful as they rebuild, giving them space to do so, but also supporting them via tourism once they recover to that point. Make sure to do your research before visiting this area. You can find more information here.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Get to the Canadian Rockies
This itinerary starts near Banff. The closest airport is Calgary International Airport, around a 90-minute drive away. I recommend flying into Calgary then renting a car there to explore for the week!
When to Visit
Visiting the Canadian Rockies would be a magical experience no matter the season, but each time of year offers its own unique set of pros and cons.
Winter: the town is blanketed in a pristine layer of snow, creating a true winter wonderland experience. This time of year is perfect for hitting the slopes, going snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, and enjoying cozy evenings by the fire. However, the cold temperatures and heavy snowfall can also make getting around more challenging and will definitely limit hiking options.
Spring: this is definitely shoulder season meaning thinner crowds. You’ll begin to see blooming wildflowers and roaring rivers as the snow melts. Yet this shoulder season can also be unpredictable with the possibility of late snowstorms and muddy conditions.
Summer: This is undoubtedly the most popular time to visit. Summer offers long, sunny days perfect for hiking and exploring the area’s breathtaking turquoise lakes and glaciers. This peak visitation period also means larger crowds, higher prices, and increased traffic.
Fall: This is a magical time in Banff with the surrounding mountains ablaze in a stunning display of fall colors and fewer tourists. If you visit early enough in the fall, you can still experience all of the hiking before the snow arrives. You’ll also have the opportunity to catch the larches in their peak displaying a stunning golden yellow and orange. I personally think this is the BEST time to visit!
Ultimately, whenever you choose to visit Banff, you won’t be disappointed. Which season to choose largely depends on the style of travel you like to do and your budget!
How Long to Spend in the Canadian Rockies
If I’m being honest, I think I could stay here forever and not get bored. During my fall road trip through the Canadian Rockies, I spent one week exploring. Ideally, I would have loved to have 10-14 days to see more of the area, so if you can swing that with your schedule, I definitely recommend it! If you’re like me though, it gets a little difficult to stay gone longer than a week at a time with work. I believe it’s absolutely possible to see the highlights of the area (and have the trip of your life) with only a week here!
Getting Around / Transportation
You absolutely need a rental car to explore the Canadian Rockies. There are some shuttle busses I believe, but you’ll need the flexibility to get around on your own time schedule to get the most out of this itinerary. I rented a car at the Calgary Airport on arrival then returned it when I flew home.
If you’re visiting from the US, you don’t need an international driving permit. They accepted our US driver’s license.
Where to Stay
This itinerary is split between two locations: Banff and Jasper. I’ll link where we stayed in both areas below!
Banff
During our time exploring Banff, we decided to stay in Canmore, a cute little town around 25 minutes south of Banff. The prices for accommodations and food were more affordable, and it isn’t nearly as crowded. I typically don’t like to splurge on a room that I’m not planning to spend a lot of time in. Knowing the amount of exploring we were planning to do, we chose to stay somewhere comfortable that wouldn’t bust the budget. We chose the Falcon Crest Lodge, and I would definitely recommend it! It’s not an overly luxurious place to stay like many of the hotels you see near Banff. It’s large and clean with a washer/dryer combo, kitchen, comfortable beds, and a gated underground parking garage, though! I would absolutely stay again!
Jasper
While in Jasper, we stayed at Chateau Jasper. It was your typical hotel room but worked perfect for what we needed. The hotel was recently renovated, offered plenty of on-site parking, and had comfortable, clean rooms.
Things to Know Before Your Trip
- You need bear spray. This is Grizzly Country. Ask your hotel if they offer rental cans. If not, they should be able to recommend a store where you can rent some. Luckily, our hotel had some for us to rent!
- Pack layers and waterproof gear! The weather in the mountains can be unpredictable, and you want to be prepared for it to get a little chilly especially at night or at higher elevation.
- As with most national parks, cell service is spotty at best. Make sure to download your maps for offline use (google maps and AllTrails).
As for any time you’re enjoying the outdoors, it’s important to leave it better than you found it! This means packing out your trash, staying on trail, respecting wildlife, leaving what you find, and so much more. There’s a ton to learn out protecting the environment, and it takes all of us. Please take some time to work through this free Leave No Trace training so that together, we can safely enjoy the outdoors while leaving it wild and beautiful for generations to come.
What to Do in the Canadian Rockies
I have added all of the spots in this itinerary to the google map below for your convenience! I’ll explain all of the details for each location throughout the rest of the post.
What to Do in Banff
Visit Moraine Lake at Sunrise
There truly are no words to describe how beautiful this place is. As the sun rises, the snow capped peaks reflect perfectly in the turquoise blue waters of Moraine Lake. It goes down as one of the very best sunrises I’ve ever experienced.
Moraine Lake is extremely popular, so the park has closed the road off to personal vehicles. The only way to access the lake is by shuttle. There are two options when booking a shuttle. I would definitely check the Parks Canada website for availability first. Look for the Alpine Start option for early AM shuttles to Moraine Lake. Tickets are $8.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, and children under 17 years old are free. You can book your reservation here!
Another option is Moraine Lake Bus Company if the Parks Canada shuttle is sold out for your preferred time. They are significantly more expensive at $99 per person, so I recommend booking reservations with Parks Canada well in advance to secure your spot!
The most popular viewpoint is called “the rock pile,” and you’ll find lots of people set up with their tripods on the viewing deck when you make it up. Keep walking past them then down to your left, you’ll see some large rocks that you can climb down to find a spot with fewer people to watch the sunrise.
Hike Larch Valley
The Larch Valley Trail is breathtaking, especially if you’re visiting in the fall when the larches are fully golden. This hike begins at the Moraine Lake trailhead making it a perfect addition to your day after watching the sunrise. The hike stats from AllTrails are listed below.
- Intensity: Challenging
- Distance: 5.5 miles roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 1,850 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
As you ascend through the dense forest, the path opens up to reveal panoramic vistas of the Valley of the Ten Peaks dotted with golden larches in every direction. You can’t miss this hike as it’s one of the best things to do in the Canadian Rockies!
Explore the Town of Banff
The main streets of Banff are lined with unique boutiques, galleries, and restaurants. Grab a coffee and enjoy a stroll through town. This is the place to go if you’re looking for a meal or to grab some souvenirs. I highly recommend grabbing a pizza at Bear Street Tavern!
Catch a Sunset at Peyto Lake
This was easily one of my favorite nights of the trip. We grabbed that pizza I mentioned above then headed straight for Peyto. This wolf-shaped lake is something you would expect to see at the end of an extremely long hike, but it’s extremely accessible. There’s a short paved walkway less than 10 minutes from the parking lot to the overlook. The walk is uphill, but I saw people of all ages handling it just fine! The photos you see above are from a spot we found off of one of the nearby trails, but the walk was again no longer than 10 minutes. Check out this post for detailed directions on how to get here!
Visit Lake Louise
Lake Louise is a stunning glacial lake located in Banff National Park. Fed by the nearby Victoria Glacier, the lake maintains its vibrant color throughout the year. You can explore the area by hiking the nearby trails, taking a guided canoe trip across the glassy surface, or simply relaxing and admiring the views. The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a historic hotel sits on the shore of the lake and offers rooms for a luxurious stay, or you can visit while you’re in the area!
Hike the Little Beehive Trail
The Little Beehive Trail takes you above the beautifully blue Lake Louise. This hike begins at the lake and climbs almost 2,000 feet. It can be a leg burner for sure, but you can take a break and enjoy a snack and some tea at the Lake Agnes Tea House before finishing your trek to the top! Be kind and offer to pack down some trash if you can! At the very least, pack your own out. The employees are responsible to packing out all of the trash from the Tea House, so I’m sure they would greatly appreciate the help! The hike stats from AllTrails are listed below.
- Intensity: Challenging
- Distance: 5.7 miles roundtrip
- Elevation gain: 1,922 feet
- Route Type: Out and back
Explore Bow Valley Parkway
The Bow Valley Parkway is a historic route, also known as Highway 1A. It runs parallel to the more heavily trafficked Trans-Canada Highway and offers a quieter way to enjoy the rugged mountain landscape. I’ll list places to stop below!
- Backswamp
- Hillsdale Meadows
- Johnston Canyon (a short walk to a waterfall)
- Moose Meadows
- Rockbound Lake
- Castle Junction
- Castle Cliffs Lookout
- Storm Mountain Lookout
- Morant’s Curve (pictured above)
Drive the Icefields Parkway
The Icefields Parkway is a bucket list worthy road trip. The road spans 143 miles from Banff to Jasper and is filled with some of the most breathtaking views you can imagine! Think towering mountains, scenic lakes, and massive glaciers at every turn. Although the drive itself is unbelievably beautiful, there are stops along the way that will leave you in awe. I created an entire post outlining the best places to stop, so check that out here!
What to Do In Jasper
Drive Maligne Lake Road
This is another 28-mile scenic drive that cannot be missed. You’ll actually take this road on the way to explore Maligne Lake. I recommend getting up early and making the drive at sunrise to experience the pink and blues dancing above the towering mountains all around you.
Spend a Day at Maligne Lake
Maligne Lake is a stunning glacial-fed body of water in Jasper National Park, and visiting is one of the best things to do in the Canadian Rockies. At its center sits the iconic Spirit Island, a small, tree-covered landmass that has become one of the most photographed locations in the entire Canadian park system. The only way to access Spirit Island is by boat tour or canoe. We booked a 1.5 hour boat tour. You can reserve your tickets here! Although we would have loved to canoe, it’s an 18-mile round trip which would have taken up most of our day. If we had more time here, it would have been a beautiful adventure! Please do not step foot on the island. It is considered holy by the indigenous people of this area.
Eat at the Waffle Hut
Just steps from the dock at Maligne Lake, you’ll find the Waffle Hut. It serves delicious waffles (savory and sweet) and is the perfect spot to fuel up.
Hike Moose Lake Loop
Ready to see some moose? Just opposite the Waffle Hut, there are multiple trailheads. Follow the signs to the Moose Lake Loop and keep an eye out along the way. Many moose like to hang out here. We saw three on this trail! It’s an easy, mostly flat 1.7 mile loop that typically takes less than an hour to complete.
Sunset at Pyramid Lake
On a calm day, the mountain’s reflection can be seen perfectly mirrored in the still waters of Pyramid Lake. From the parking lot, you can walk down and cross a bridge to Pyramid Island which is where we spent our evening here. The views you see above would have been worth the trip here, but little did we know, we were in for the most vibrant sunset of our lives. Just as we were about to walk back to the car, the sky caught on fire! We watched the reflection of the sunset in the water turn from orange and yellow and red to pink and blue. It just kept getting better, and we couldn’t believe our eyes!
Explore the Town of Jasper
Jasper is a cute little mountain town, definitely smaller and more quaint than Banff. There are shops and restaurants that line the streets. It was fun to walk around and check it out one afternoon. We ate at Jasper Brewing Company for dinner one night and enjoyed it!
What to Do in the Canadian Rockies: A One Week Itinerary
Like I said before, you could explore this area for months and not run out of things to do. But if you only have a week, here’s the itinerary to get the most out of your trip!
Details for each of these locations can be found higher up in this blog post!
Day One: Travel from home to your accommodation near Banff. If you decide to stay near Canmore like we did, there’s a beautiful sunset spot called the Three Sisters Viewpoint! I added it to the Google map at the top of the post, and I’ll leave a photo below for a little inspiration!
Day Two: Start the day with sunrise at Moraine Lake. Hike the Larch Valley Trail and enjoy a packed lunch at the top! Spend the afternoon exploring the town of Banff. Pick up a pizza or two then drive out to Peyto Lake to enjoy dinner with a view for sunset! You can find specific directions to the lookout in this post!
Day Three: Start the morning enjoying the views around Lake Louise then hike the Little Beehive Trail making a pitstop at the Lake Agnes TeaHouse for a snack or even lunch (they have soup)! Drive the Bow Valley Parkway and enjoy all the stops listed above. Enjoy dinner in either Banff or Canmore (depending on where you’re staying).
Day Four: Drive the epic Icefields Parkway! I have an entire post on how to spend the day here! Then grab some dinner in Jasper!
Day Five: Drive Maligne Lake Road at sunrise. Grab the boat across Maligne Lake to Spirit Island. Eat some waffles at the Waffle Hut then hike the Moose Lake Loop. Explore the town of Jasper in the afternoon then head to Pyramid Lake/Island for sunset! You can grab dinner in Jasper afterward.
Day Six: Enjoy the drive back toward Banff on the Icefields Parkway hitting any stops you missed on the way or stopping for a second time at your favorites! If you get back early and are still feeling up for an adventure, check out Emerald Lake out in Yoho National Park! Another option is to drive out to the Kananaskis Country to catch your last sunset. We were actually able to do both!
Emerald Lake:
Wedge Pond, Kananaskis Country:
Day Seven: Catch your flight back home!
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I hope this post answered your questions on what to do in the Canadian Rockies and gives you a head start planning your trip! As always, if you have any questions, drop them below or DM me on IG here!
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