Overall impressions

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Travel itinerary overview

Our itinerary starts from the Calgary airport, a 90 minutes or about 130 km (81 miles) drive to Banff. In Calgary, after you get your rental car, you should go shopping for food or other items that you think you would require in your trip. In both our trips we stayed in Canmore, for the ‘non Jasper’ area, as it was cheaper than Banff and overall, the city is a quieter alpine community. Ideally, once your itinerary involves the Lake Louise region and you plan to go next to Jasper, having a two nights accommodation near Lake Louise would make your life easier.

As we are outdoor enthusiasts, our itinerary is full of amazing hikes and ‘right sunsets/sunrises’ – nevertheless once in a while, you should have some rest day(s), just to enjoy the beauty of cities like Banff, Jasper or other small towns, from the Canada’s largest Rockies National Park. We have had two trips here, so far, therefore we are going to give you our ‘single day’ itineraries , that you may want to add them to your trip or not,depending on your schedule and hobbies. Get your bear spray from Banff or Canmore, prepare your gear and let’s start exploring!

Travel itinerary in-depth

Day 1 – East End of Rundle Hike

East End of Rundle or EEOR is quite a popular hike among the locals of Canmore and Banff. Mount Rundle is an iconic place from the Banff National park, that spreads over both Banff and Canmore – EORR is the last peak to the East over the town of Canmore, with a height of 2,545m or 8,350 ft. Located in the Kananaskis this amazing hike, requires a mandatory daily/early pass for the “vehicles parked at provincial park and public land sites in Kananaskis Country and the Bow Valley”.

Do not be fooled by the elevation gain of about 840m over just 5km – for many people the EORR hike is a very difficult one. Although it took us about 5h 30min both ways, while staying for about one hour at the top, I do remember well that not only we were very tired at the end of it,but also relieved that the car that exploded in the parking lot, did not damage to much our rented car – yeah, you heard it well, a car exploded and damaged others cars as well. Once again, make sure that your rented car has full insurance!

The EORR Trailhead is very close to the new parking lot,Goat Creek Parking Lot, that services both Ha Ling and EORR hike. The first part of the trail is through the forest with lots of switchbacks – be aware that you might be off track at some point, due to multiple trails used by different climbers. On your way up, when you are above the the treeline, you’ll begin to see the Ha Ling Peak and Spray Valley. And now, the steep part of the hike starts to kick in. There are two ways to get to the summit – we took the one to the left, as it was clearly ‘easier’ and not so scary. At this point, ideally, you should put your gloves on and a helmet if it is quite busy on the trail, because for five to ten minutes, you will be carefully walking along the cliff. It is not a very difficult scramble, but you need to be careful.

Once at the top is time to celebrate and enjoy the truly amazing views of Canmore and Bow Valley. If you are lucky, you might have to share these views with some marmots, that casually stay there – do remember not to feed them. Also from here, you can clearly see the Ha Ling Peak, another interesting hike,that you should not miss in your visit. The descent should be on the same way on the ascent and hiking poles are a must, if you know that you have knee problems. Last but not least,after you finish this hike, you can enjoy a nice beer and meal, in Canmore – there are multiple options for you to choose.

Day 2 – Stanley Glacier and Johnston Canyon

Stanly Glacier hike is one of the most popular hikes from Kootenay National Park and actually way easier than others might say. With a distance of about 11km and an elevation gain of about 600m, the trail goes from (burnt) forest to alpine meadows and finally to the beautiful Stanley Glacier. The path itself is in good condition: the first 2km is a moderate uphill path , the next 2 km is relatively flat and the last 1kmish is just rock uphill, slightly harder to hike. You get decent glacier view at the half part of the trail, but you do get cool views at the end. Depending on your fitness level and the amount of time spend near the glacier, it should take between 4-7 hours for the full hike.

The reason for grouping together the Stanley Glacier hike with the Johnston Canyon attraction is due to the 20 minutes drive between them and because both of them are relatively easy hikes, near the Lake Louise and Banff area. However, Johnston Canyon Hike is a more busy and friendly family hike, that can be extended all the way to the Ink Pots. You should either start very early this hike, around 8am or start it on the second half of the day, unless you want to get stuck in a long line of people, slowly going up or down the path.

Most groups will stop after reaching the Lower Falls Trail, 1.2 km one way, but you should definitely continue the journey upwards to the Upper Falls and last but not least, to the Ink Pots. The uphill to the Ink Pots is a little bit difficult, but you are going to be rewarded with serene views and small colored natural pools. It is a very nice place for a picnic with gorgeous mountains on all sides. The hike duration, both ways, should be around 3-4 hours, depending on your level of fitness.

Day 3 – Banff Town

If you want to enjoy epic mountain views, without too much effort, the best choice is to take the Banff Gondola , to the top of Mount Sulphur, that has an elevation of 2451 meters. At the top of the summit, outside the amazing view of Bow Valley or the 360 degree view of scenic mountains, you can enjoy live music, some coffee or just have dinner at one of the two restaurants over there. If you don’t want to pay for gondola tickets, you can always hike to the summit – it is a very popular hike and not a difficult one.

An unique way to know more about the Banff town is to take a local tour – it allows you to explore top attractions from and near Banff, with amazing guides and in style. Cascade Ponds is one of our favorite place near Banff, as it is a stunning place, every time of the year. Located literally right of the Trans-Canada highway, Cascade Ponds is a very photogenic place and a prime habitat for wildlife and birdlife. On top of that, it is one of the best places where you can have a barbeque.

Tunnel Mountain hike is an easy family walk with excellent views of the Banff town site,the Banff Springs golf course and Mount Rundle. It is also a great to spot to enjoy a picnic and take memorable photos with the iconic Banff Red Chairs.

Day 4 – Plain of six glaciers (Big Beehive – Lake Agnes Tea House)

A classical hike in Banff national park, near Lake Louise, Plain of Six Glaciers hike is considered by many tourists, THE hike to do, when you are in Banff. This hike starts with a beautiful flat walk along Lake Louise, followed by a fairly moderate climb to the tea house. At the tea house you can enjoy your own well-deserved sandwich or you can buy some delicious tea biscuits, chocolate cake or even barley soup. Bear in mind that you can pay by credit card, but there is an addition fee, around 4, which is not really worth it if, especially if you just want to have some tea.

From the tea house, the hike continues for less than 1 km, to a stunning plain of six glaciers . Although the trail is not that well maintained and it can get very windy during the last part of the hike, prepare to be astonished – the panoramic views of the mountains and glaciers are one of a kind. Take some time here and enjoy the moment – you might hear some tiny avalanche/icefall, but do not be alarmed – just be happy that the glaciers are still with us. Being and out-and-back trail, most people just head back the way they come, but not us – we extended this hike to a more challenging hike, that includes Big Beehive and Lake Agnes tea house.

Although there are multiple ways/junctions to get to The Big Beehive trail, once at the top of Big Beehive you will be rewarded not only with stunning views of Lake Louise, but of Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes as well. The Fairmont hotel on one side of Lake Louise and the glaciers at the other side and the glowing color water of the lake is probably one of the best view you can have in the Rocky Mountains. However do not get fooled by the stunning views as the cliffs are very dangerous – make sure you have proper shoes for muddy or rocky terrain. Another thing to be mentioned is that at the top is not an overall busy stop and you can either enjoy your sandwich or just take hundreds of photos for your memories!

Not as famous as Lake Louise, Lake Agnes is another beautiful and fun place for a family, near the end of the hike. The tea house can be very crowded, but there are enough places to enjoy some snacks , baked good or drinks. It is definitely a cozy and romantic way to enjoy a cup of tea with your loved ones. Nevertheless, do not spend too much time here as you want to catch the sunset at the Lake Louise. Lay down a blanket or just sit on a bench and watch the sunset – it is a one of a kind sunset place. Time to wrap your day with some shopping at Lake Louise and call it a day – it has been an amazing day!

Day 5 – Moraine Lake

Day 6 – Ha Ling Peak and Ptarmigan Cirque Trail

Day 7 – Lake O’Hara Alpine Circuit

Day 8- Sunshine Meadows and Sulphur Mountain

Day 9 – Iceline trail and Takakkaw Falls

Day 10 – Icefield Parkway

Day 11 – Jasper and Maligne Lake

Day 12 – Sulphur Skyline trail

“I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees. ” – Henry David Thoreau