The Complete Canadian Rockies Travel Guide
The Canadian Rockies are known for their iconic blue lakes. It doesn't stop there. Hike through gorges, mountains, glaciers, and waterfalls. The natural beauty of Banff and Jasper National Parks is unmatched.
Best hikes in Banff National Park
My favorite part of Banff was the blue lakes. They're unlike anything I've ever seen. They're so blue that it seems like it must be fake. Banff can be very crowded, but the crowds die off on longer hikes.
Moraine Lake
This is one of the most popular lakes in Banff, so expect large crowds here. Parking will also fill up early. We got there at 6:15 am and the parking lot was full about 10 minutes after we arrived. There is overflow parking with shuttles for those that don't want to get there early. Of all the lakes we saw, this one was my favorite.
Rockpile Trail
This trail will lead you to the best view of the lake. It's only about a half mile up some steps. It will be crowded, but the views are worth it.
Eiffel Lake
The hike to Eiffel Lake starts at Moraine Lake. It's about 7 miles round-trip and we didn't see many people. The beginning is rather strenuous through a series of steep switchbacks. After the trail to Eiffel Lake forks to the left (with Sential Pass continuing straight), it levels off and is relatively easy for the remainder of the hike.
There are some good views of Moraine Lake from afar before arriving at Eiffel Lake. The views of the mountains and Eiffel Lake are both stunning.
Lake Louise
Just like Lake Moraine, this is a popular lake in Banff. There will definitely be crowds here as well. It's close to Lake Moraine, but in order to do hiking, a day at each lake is necessary. We got there at about 6 am and there was still plenty of parking, but I would guess the parking lot was full before 7 am. The same overflow parking lot and shuttles service Moraine Lake and Lake Louise.
Lake Agnes/Plain of Six Glaciers
We decided to combine these two trails into one big loop. We started at Lake Louise and hiked to Lake Agnes Tea House. This was a steep climb but not unmanageable. Unfortunately, it was incredibly foggy, so our views of Lake Agnes were non-existent. This is a popular hike, so the tea house is crowded. People were outside waiting for it to open at 8 am.
From Lake Agnes, there are a couple of different ways to go. My dad went around the back of the lake to the Big Beehive summit before meeting up on the Highline Trail. The rest of us weren't interested in another foggy view, so we opted for the shorter path directly on the Highline Trail. The Highline Trail eventually meets up with the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail. The cut through portion of the hike was easy.
Once meeting up with the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail, the hike got steep again as it climbed up to the Plain of Six Glaciers tea house. Once arriving at the second tea house (which was equally as crowded), we continued on to Abbot Pass which was about another mile. At this point, the fog had finally lifted and we saw the best views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers.
We finished the hike back down to Lake Louise on the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail. This was the perfect way to descend as there were great views of the lake for most of the hike back. Don't be fooled when you get back to Lake Louise—it's a very long lake, so there's still a ways to go.
Doing the combined hike is quite the trek. It ended up being somewhere around 11-12 miles total and we were ready to collapse by the time we got back to the parking lot. If I had to pick between the two, I would recommend the Plain of Six Glaciers Trail. We didn't get to see Lake Agnes, but I think the views of the Plain of Six Glaciers are more sweeping. The trails were fairly trafficked, but were nothing compared to the crowd at Lake Louise when we got back.
Johnston Canyon
This was the shortest hike we did in Banff, so that means we saw heavy crowds on the trail. The hike to both the upper and lower falls was about 3 miles round trip. It was raining the day we did it and this was the perfect rainy day hike. The hike has really pretty views of the canyon the entire time. It's fairly easy while still providing gorgeous scenery.
Best stops along Icefields Parkway
This parkway connects Banff and Jasper National Parks. Most of the places we stopped at in this section were viewpoints along the parkway. We spent a day driving from Banff to Jasper with the stops along the way. The stops below are in order along our route.
Herbert Lake
This lake was a quick stop but definitely worth it. We stopped early in the morning and the reflection was perfect. This was the clearest lake we saw in the Rockies.
Bow Lake
This one was another quick stop off the side of the road. It wasn't quite as peaceful as Herbert lake, but it was still very scenic with a stunning mountain/glacial backdrop.
Peyto Lake
Supposedly the bluest lake in Banff, this is probably the most popular stop. While it's very blue, how does one really judge which is the bluest? This lake was incredibly crowded.
The best views are actually away from the crowds though. We followed the trail past the viewpoint that everyone stops at. We kept going until there was a trail that cut off to the right. The trail went straight up the side of the mountain. We followed it for about half a mile or so until we stumbled upon amazing views of Peyto Lake from afar. There are also great views of the surrounding mountains from up there.
Mistaya Canyon
This was my favorite canyon we saw in the Rockies. It's about a half mile hike down to the canyon. There's a bridge over the canyon and once across the bridge it's easy to get close to the edge of the canyon which was very cool. Make sure to be careful because there are no railings.
Sunwapta Falls
The falls are a quick walk from the parking lot. There's not much to walk around and see here other than the falls.
Athabasca Falls
This falls is also a quick walk from the car. It was more crowded than Sunwapta Falls. There are viewpoints on both sides of the falls. We also walked down the canyon a little further which had some pretty views.
Best hikes in Jasper National Park
While Banff has gorgeous blue lakes, it also has very heavy crowds. The lakes aren't as blue in Jasper, but it still has gorgeous mountain views and the crowds aren't nearly as bad.
Sulphur Skyline
This was my favorite hike in Jasper. The views rivaled the blue lakes of Banff and it wasn't overly crowded. The hike was only a little under 5 miles round trip, but it was a steep climb the whole way up. The first half is mostly wooded, but about halfway up the mountains start coming into view. The summit offers incredible 360 degree views of the surrounding mountains. It's incredibly windy at the summit—we almost got blown over by a gust of wind while someone was taking our picture.
Bald Hills
Bald Hills is one of many hikes that starts at Maligne Lake. The beginning of the hike starts out at a gradual incline on a fire road. There are two options to get to the top—continue along the longer path on the fire road at a more gradual incline or take the steeper, shortcut through. We opted to take the fire road on the way up and the steeper shortcut on the way down. When the two paths meet up again, there are some good views of Maligne Lake.
Don't stop here though, continue up to the summit for more impressive views. It's not entirely clear where this hike is supposed to end. We stopped on the far side of the summit where there were views of the canyon below. Our path on the hike was about 8 miles and fairly strenuous.
Mount Edith Cavell
The drive to Mount Edith Cavell is very windy and not pleasant for those who get car sick (like me). The trail to the meadows can be closed if it's too wet, which was the case for us. We did the Path of the Glacier Trail to see the Angel Glacier and the pond beneath it. It's an easy hike and only about a mile long round trip.
Valley of Five Lakes
This is a good option for a shorter and less strenuous hike. It's about 2.5 miles and flat. The views aren't as dramatic, but as the name implies, there are five different lakes along the trail. Most of the lakes are varying shades of green.
Maligne Canyon
This was the most crowded hike we did in Jasper. Our hike crossed the first four bridges. This part of the hike goes right through the canyon offering very nice views. This canyon wasn't quite as easy to see from the path as the other canyons we saw. We also drove to bridges five and six. While it's possible to hike to them, it would significantly extend the length of the hike and the views aren't really worth it at those bridges—it's pretty much just a view of a river.
Wildlife in Banff and Jasper National Parks
As recommended, we carried bear spray with us on all of our hikes. We didn't see any wildlife while hiking though. We saw one elk on the side of the highway in Banff, but no other wildlife. We saw much more wildlife in Jasper. The road to Maligne Lake had the most wildlife on it—we saw black bears, moose, big horn sheep, and elk there. Throughout the rest of Jasper we saw more elk, black bears, and even a grizzly bear on our way out of the park on the last morning we were there.
Where to eat around Banff and Jasper National Parks
Canmore
Tavern 1883
This was my favorite place we ate in Canmore. I don't think I've ever had a better burger before, but everything tastes better after a long hike.
514 Poutine
When in Canada, trying poutine is a must. This place is a hole in the wall and the perfect place to come for poutine. They have tons of variety. I loved the deluxe poutine which came with Montreal smoked meat.
Rocky Mountain Flatbread Company
They serve some pretty solid flatbreads here. Get the bacon and blue—it had the most flavor of all the ones we tried.
Beaver Tails
This is a Canadian chain selling pastries stretched out to look like a beaver's tail. The fried dough is a bit reminiscent of an elephant ear.
Old School Bus Ice Cream
Ice cream served from a school bus? Count me in. They have a large variety of flavors. It's cash only. They accepted US dollars but at an even exchange, so it's better to pay with Canadian currency.
Jasper
Famoso Neapolitan Pizza
I'm a sucker for a good Neapolitan pizza and this place delivered. We enjoyed it so much that we came back a second time before leaving Jasper. Their BYO pizza price is comparable to their specialty pizza price which is a great deal.
Earls
Happy hour is from 3-6 pm here and they have some great happy hour food/drink specials. The sandwiches we got were very good and it's hard to beat the prices on the happy hour menu.
Jasper Brewing Company
We're the weird people that go to a brewery for the food instead of the beer. This brewery has some solid food.
Scoops & Loops
We asked several locals where we should get dessert in Jasper and every person told us to come here. It's a good option for ice cream. There's a large variety of unique flavors. They will only allow one sample per person, so don't expect more.
Getting to and around Banff and Jasper National Parks
The closest airport to Banff is in Calgary and Jasper is a bit closer to Edmonton. The hiking is pretty dispersed, so renting a car is really the only way to get around.
You need a pass to get into the parks, which I'd recommend getting online ahead of time to make it easier when you get there. It's required inside both parks, although we never really figured out how they checked it.
Similar to the US, most places accept credit card. We got away without taking out any cash. There were a couple places that didn't accept cards, but we were able to pay with US dollars (this isn't always ideal though because they gave us an even exchange rather than calculating the exchange rate).
Where to stay around Banff and Jasper National Parks
I would highly recommend staying in Canmore rather than Banff. It's about 20 minutes further away, but it's a lot cheaper, less crowded, and has better food. This Airbnb in Canmore and this one in Jasper were both very nice. Canmore and Jasper are walkable towns, so I'd recommend getting a place to stay in town.
Best time to visit Banff and Jasper National Parks
The parks will be the most crowded in the summer, but that's also when the weather is the best. The temperatures in the summer are usually in the 60's. I'd recommend traveling with waterproof gear because we tend to find rain wherever we go. If you're looking for smaller crowds, you could consider visiting in the fall, but there is a higher chance of wildfires. I wouldn't recommend going in the winter or spring since trails will be closed because of snow and the lakes won't be as blue yet.