O' (wow so beautiful) Canada!
- Kate O'Dowd
- Jul 26, 2024
- 8 min read
Welcome to the Canadian Rockies.
"Live life to the fullest for we are here but a little while." A wonderful quote etched into a bench along the Ice Fields Parkway the scenic drive from Banff to Jasper.
How much ground can we cover in the short time we are here? If you remember that you can get everything you've ever wanted, you can achieve all of your goals it just comes down to one small foot step in front of the other...well then, then you can cover a lot of ground. It's the people that throw their hands in the air and stop walking thinking "impossible!" That the little while sneaks up on. So book that trip, go to that dream destination, start saving up, make your dreams into lovely memories.
First and foremost- BUY BEAR SPRAY you are in grizzly central.
pro tip- if you are driving up from America stop somewhere before the border for bear spray. In Canada bear spray is considered a lethal weapon so it is not sold at grocery stores etc. and you have to show your ID and sign papers when you purchase. The store Canadian Tires will sell it, you are going to have to ask them to get it from behind the counter (Very different to the willy nilly spray you can get at aisle 3 in Walmart in Montana)
pro tip- IT IS COLD! I was there end of June and there was still snow on many trails- check the weather before you go (I know I know duh but I had assumed it would be warmer!)
pro tip- feel free to wait to buy your national park pass until you arrive (they charge per person rather than per car and its about $70 but good for a year). everything else you should book in advance (camp sites, lake moraine shuttle, canoeing...etc.) Booking can get confusing but the number on the Parks Canada website will send you to a real human who will help you out (I know the bar is low these days). Most booking is through their direct website including for camp sites.
Back up back up- how do I even get here?
We road tripped up to the Rockies but if you are flying you can look into flying to Calgary which is about an hour and a half from the town of Banff. You will need a car.
If you are entering from the Calgary direction you can veer off course and hour and a half and head to Kananaskis where there is a lovely quiet campsite called Etherington Creek Campsite (no flush toilets and no running water). 30 minutes from there is Mist Mountain trail- a beautiful beautiful hike to natural mountain top hot springs. You are in the trees for about 2/3rds of the hike then you are out on this beautiful ridge with 360 degrees of views. We went early morning and didn't see anyone but apparently the trail gets busy. Make sure to check for bear warnings and you can budget for around 2-3 hours on the trail.
From here it is an hour and a half to Canmore. The cutest little downtown slightly south on Banff. It is a must see- less touristy and smaller then Banff.
-Communitea: yummy lunch and breckie
-Old School icecream: icecream in an old school bus
Welcome to Banff! You need your Discover Canada pass to even get into the town! Banff is of course an adorable little mountain town. There are a lot of touristy shops and it can get BUSY.
-Farmers market ever Weds: yes yes yes its in Central Park they have live music, lots of food options and tables to sit at
-Banff Brewing Co. cute little balcony where you can sit out and get a view of the mountains and town below
-Wildflower Bakery: yummy fresh bakery
-3 Bears Brewery: they have live music often here too! and you can sit outside
-The Bear Street Pub: za' and they even top it with honey! (looking at you my fellow Colorado-ans)
-Rude girl: has cute billabong/ rhythm esque clothes
-outside of town you can take the Gondola up Sulfur Mountain. There are great views at the top and two restaurants (one fancier, one buffet style) so you can have dinner at the top (it is $66 just for the ride up and down which is a little steep but nice experience, we saw a family of mountain goats walk by)
-Flow State Yoga: get stretching with all the hiking!
Also slightly before Banff is Two Jack Lake. Must see! Very beautiful lake, there is a trail along the lake that is three miles and takes around an hour. Very pretty blue water. We stayed one night at the main campsite here and it was nice! Flush toilets and a sink.
Moraine Lake and Lake Lousie aka the gatorade lakes that photos dance around our heads are actually 40 minutes outside of Banff town. We camped at the Lake Louise camp site and I COULD NOT RECOMMEND IT MORE!!! They have an electric fence to keep wild life out, have flush toilets, and showers....
Lets talk about Moraine Lake-
So you can't drive there with a car you have to reserve a shuttle. Normally they open up reservations way in advance BUT if you were not on the ball they open up last minute tickets on the Parks Canada site at 8am two days before the day you would go. You really have to be on the site right at 8am, even those go quick. The early morning shuttles to Moraine Lake pick up from the Lake Louise parking lot (which costs $28 USD) so try to do those on the same day so you don't have to pay for the Lake Louise parking twice. When we visited Moraine Lake it was early morning and slightly drizzling so we just did the fairly flat 30 minute ish walk around the waters edge- very very beautiful.
which brings us to Lake Louise- I mean the reason we are all here right?! It LIVES up to everything you have ever seen or heard about it. You can drive your personal vehicle BUT
pro tip try to show up around 5am, it is so nice how the hike is less crowded and trust me it gets crowded but also you don't have to worry about not getting a parking spot (again parking is $28 USD)
-then head off for the Little Beehive hike via Lake Agnes trail (5.7 miles, 3 hours and 40 minutes)
this trail leads to an adorable tea house that is slightly lower than the little beehive-
pro tip- I would go to the top of the little beehive first then swing back to the tea house (try to be at the tea house by 8 when it opens because the line instantly grows). Get some tea and baked goods then you are open to extend your hike from the tea house there is a trail to the big beehive trail (it was under avalanche warning when we were there so we did not do so.)
when you are here check out the ever fancy Fairmont hotel which is right on the lake. The other Fairmont hotel is in downtown and looks like a castle (it is also haunted, listen to the podcast episode on National Park After Dark!)
-Lake Louise ski area is also great to sit out in the sun and apres hike!
Yoho National Park
It is about 30 minutes from the Lake Louise campsite (further away from Banff). Get here EARLY it gets crowded.
Emerald Lake:
pro tip- get here around 6:30am and do the 3 and a half ish hour walk around the lake but start in the direction of Emerald Lake Lodge (you can maybe even stop in for a cozy breakfast and continue on)
-if you want to add on you could go up to Emerald Basin from the lake loop
-honestly look into staying at the lodge if its in your budget they have little wood cabins, a gym, a hot tub
Takakkaw Falls: a very short 15 minute walk from the car park to a massive waterfall
Now head down the Icefields Parkway the scenic drive to Jasper- aka every road trippers h.e.a.v.e.n. It gets CROWDED most crowds I have seen. Especially if you are doing it in the middle of the day. There are a lot of little pull offs and quick walks but here's what I think is worth the stops (because the whole drive itself is scenic)
-Peyto lake: stop for sunrise or sunset it is truly a beautiful and very blue lake shaped like a wolf. It's a 10 minute mostly paved hike but to it
-Parker Ridge Hike: this is awesome and well traveled without being a hot spot. It is four miles and takes around 2- 2 and a half hours. You are barely in the trees, in no time you pop out above tree line and you are walking with amazing summit esque views before you even summit!
-Valley of five lakes: a hike right outside of Jasper and it is a must. It is a 2 hour, fairly flat hike with pretty lakes to swim in and is only 10 minutes from Jasper. Bring your bathing suit! I tested out 3 of the 5 lakes and it was fun to compare!
When we did our Jasper days we stayed at Wabasso camp grounds which was at the end of the ice fields park way. Would recommend this spot. There was very nice bathrooms with flush toilets and sinks (no showers though) and a beautiful trail to walk along the river.
-This campsite is also only a 30 minute drive from the iconic Edith Cavell Meadows Trail (double check before going because the windy road up to the hike seems to close often). This is a cool hike around still existing glaciers!
Jasper!! very very cute town, like a calmer more understated Banff
-also has farmers markets on Weds in the summer
-Sunshine cafe: breckie til 2, cute balcony
-Harvest food and drink: little place for lunch or dinner
-Medicine Lake: apparently in shoulder seasons this is a great place to go and try to see the Northern Lights
pro tip- Great day trip from Jasper-
In the morning rent canoes for Maligne Lake (pre book) you also can do full paddle camping trips here and go all the way out to Spirit Island or they have boats that go out every 15 minutes to bring you there (boats looked pretty busy)
-while you drive here be on the lookout the drive from Jasper to Maligne lake is known for being great wild life spotting (we saw a black bear and a moose! better to see FROM the car...)
THEN! Do an afternoon hike to Maligne Lake View Point (4.3 miles, around 3 and a half hours) this awesome hike brings you to a meadow where you can see just how big and vast the lake you were just paddling on is! Perspective!!!
Then you can get another look at the Ice Field Parkway as you make your way back towards home.
OVERALL: This place was pure magic- from the blue blue lakes to the greenery and the brown cabins. I would say a week minimum you need to explore Banff and Jasper areas! I hope you enjoy your trip and relish in the small steps that brought you here and the big bouncing steps you take around this special slice of the world.
Comments