Canadian Rockies road trip in 7 days

Calgary to Banff by way of Canmore: 90 minutes of driving, the rest on foot.

1. 10:30 1

   Grassi Lakes

   Activity

   Two small lakes, clear as glass, on a 4 km round trip above Canmore. Take the steeper trail up for the waterfall.

   

   4.8 km · 10m drive to next

2. 13:00 2

   Rocky Mountain Bagel Co.

   Food & drink

   Bagels and coffee on Canmore’s Main Street.

   

   22.1 km · 25m drive to next

3. 14:30 3

   Banff Gondola

   Activity

   Eight minutes up Sulphur Mountain, then the boardwalk to Sanson Peak and its old weather station.

   

   1.2 km · 5m drive to next

4. 17:30 4

   Banff Upper Hot Springs

   Activity

   The 39 degree pool, five minutes from the gondola. Swimsuits and towels rent at the desk.

   Entry

   First come, first served: no reservations or online tickets (2026)

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   4.0 km · 10m drive to next

5. 19:30 5

   The Bison

   Food & drink

   Bison and Alberta beef upstairs on Bear Street. Book.

   

Banff’s canyon, its big lake and its sunset.

1. 08:00 1

   Johnston Canyon

   Activity

   Catwalks along the canyon wall to the Lower Falls, then on to the Upper Falls. Before 09:00 the lot still has room. Parks Canada closed the trail for safety work on May 2, 2026 and listed it in good condition on September 29; no reopening notice was found, so check the Banff bulletins the night before.

   Closure

   Parks Canada closed the area until further notice on May 2, 2026; no reopening notice found

   Trail

   Lower Falls 1.2 km and 50 m up, Upper Falls 2.5 km and 120 m up, one way

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   26.1 km · 30m drive to next

2. 11:00 2

   Wild Flour Bakery

   Food & drink

   Soup and a sandwich on Bear Street.

   

   12.1 km · 20m drive to next

3. 13:00 3

   Lake Minnewanka

   Activity

   The one hour cruise sails toward the Devil’s Gap (2026 season: May 8 to October 12). Book it.

   Cruise

   Lake Minnewanka Cruise May 8 to Oct 12, 2026Past season

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Pursuit (www.banffjaspercollection.com)

   

   2.7 km · 10m drive to next

4. 15:00 4

   Two Jack Lake

   Park & nature

   Picnic tables on the water and Mount Rundle across it. Cold enough for a very short swim.

   

   11.7 km · 15m drive to next

5. 16:30 5

   Cave and Basin National Historic Site

   Sight

   The warm springs where Canada’s national parks began in 1885.

   Hours

   Daily 09:30 to 17:00, May 15 to Oct 15, 2026; then Thursday to Monday 11:00 to 17:00, closed Oct 22 to 24

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   2.1 km · 5m drive to next

6. 18:00 6

   Three Bears Brewery

   Food & drink

   A brewery and wood fired kitchen on Bear Street.

   

   2.4 km · 5m drive to next

7. 20:30 7

   Vermilion Lakes

   Park & nature

   Sunset over Mount Rundle, after 21:00 in summer. Bring a jacket and patience.

   

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. Private cars cannot drive to Moraine Lake: book a Parks Canada shuttle seat ahead, from the Lake Louise Park and Ride at the ski resort, where parking is free with a ticket.

1. 07:00 1

   Moraine Lake

   Park & nature

   The first shuttles leave the Park and Ride at 06:30 (2026). Morning light on the Valley of the Ten Peaks, then the Rockpile trail for the view on the old twenty dollar bill.

   Book

   In 2026, 40% of seats went on sale Apr 15 at 08:00 MT, the rest at 08:00 MT 48 hours before each departure

   Getting there

   Moraine Lake Road is closed to personal vehicles year-round

   Shuttle season

   Moraine Lake shuttle June 1 to Oct 12, 2026, weather permittingPast season

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   14.0 km · 20m transit to next

2. 09:30 2

   Lake Louise Lakeshore

   Sight

   The shoreline path past the canoe docks, by the connector shuttle from Moraine.

   Lake Connector

   Between the two lakes every 30 minutes, 07:00 to 18:00, June 1 to Oct 12, 2026Past season

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   2.1 km · 1h 15m walk to next

3. 11:45 3

   Lake Agnes Tea House

   Activity

   A 3.4 km climb to tea and scones at 2,135 m. Carry water; the tea house has none to spare.

   

   2.4 km · 1h walk to next

4. 14:30 4

   Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

   Food & drink

   A late lunch in the Lakeview Lounge after the descent.

   

   7.6 km · 15m drive to next

5. 16:00 5

   Morant’s Curve

   Sight

   The railway photo on the Bow Valley Parkway. Trains keep no timetable; give it half an hour.

   

   5.5 km · 10m drive to next

6. 19:00 6

   Lake Louise Railway Station Restaurant

   Food & drink

   Dinner in the old log railway station, where the freight trains still pass.

   

Yoho, over the divide in BC. Every stop is within 40 minutes of Lake Louise.

1. 08:30 1

   Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint

   Sight

   Watch a freight train enter the mountain and cross over its own tail. Trains keep no timetable.

   

   10.4 km · 15m drive to next

2. 09:30 2

   Takakkaw Falls

   Park & nature

   Canada’s second highest waterfall at 373 metres, ten minutes from the lot. Trailers cannot make the switchbacks; leave them at the bottom.

   

   13.5 km · 25m drive to next

3. 12:00 3

   Field

   Food & drink

   Lunch in the two street railway village.

   

   6.2 km · 5m drive to next

4. 13:30 4

   Natural Bridge

   Park & nature

   The Kicking Horse River has bored through its own rock and keeps drilling.

   

   3.2 km · 10m drive to next

5. 14:30 5

   Emerald Lake

   Activity

   Walk the 5.2 km shoreline loop, or paddle it: canoes rent by the bridge.

   Boats

   Every lake and river in Yoho is closed to private boats and fishing until Mar 31, 2027 (whirling disease); the rental canoes are exempt

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   7.6 km · 20m drive to next

6. 18:30 6

   Truffle Pigs Bistro

   Food & drink

   Dinner in Field, then 25 minutes back east to Lake Louise.

   

The Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise to Jasper: 232 km, three to four hours of driving and a full day with stops. Fuel at Saskatchewan River Crossing, open in summer only; there is no cell service for most of it.

1. 08:00 1

   Bow Lake

   Park & nature

   Turquoise water under Crowfoot Glacier, the red roofed lodge on the shore.

   

   9.5 km · 15m drive to next

2. 09:00 2

   Peyto Lake

   Sight

   The wolf head lake from the Bow Summit viewpoint, a short walk up from the lot.

   Trail

   0.6 km from the main lot to the viewpoint; Bow Summit Viewpoint is 3 km one way, 310 m up

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   

   37.6 km · 35m drive to next

3. 10:30 3

   Mistaya Canyon

   Park & nature

   A short walk down to a slot the river has carved into curves, 5 km before the Crossing.

   

   3.9 km · 10m drive to next

4. 11:30 4

   Saskatchewan River Crossing

   Food & drink

   The only fuel between Lake Louise and Jasper, open in summer only. Fill up.

   

   57.6 km · 45m drive to next

5. 13:00 5

   Columbia Icefield

   Activity

   Walk the forefield trail to the toe of the Athabasca Glacier, or ride the Ice Explorer onto it. Never cross the fence.

   Ice Explorer and Skywalk

   May 1 to Oct 12, 2026, weather permittingPast season

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Pursuit (www.banffjaspercollection.com)

   

   58.2 km · 40m drive to next

6. 16:15 6

   Sunwapta Falls

   Park & nature

   The river bends around an island and drops into a gorge.

   

   28.5 km · 25m drive to next

7. 17:30 7

   Athabasca Falls

   Park & nature

   Not tall but powerful, pounding through a quartzite slot, 30 minutes before Jasper.

   

   34.9 km · 30m drive to next

8. 18:45 8

   Jasper townsite

   Food & drink

   Check in and eat on Patricia Street or Connaught Drive.

   

Jasper: a reopened lakes trail, the lake that drains itself, and the Spirit Island cruise. Maligne Canyon and the Mount Edith Cavell area are closed for the 2026 season after the 2024 wildfire (checked 2 October 2026); check Parks Canada’s Jasper page for closures before you go.

1. 08:00 1

   Valley of the Five Lakes

   Activity

   Reopened in 2026 on a realigned, resurfaced trail with new rest areas, ten minutes south of town. Trail 9 at the south end of First Lake is still closed.

   Trail 9

   Trail 9, 2.7 km at the south end of First Lake, is still closed; the rest of the valley reopened in 2026

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Parks Canada (parks.canada.ca)

   20.9 km · 45m drive to next

2. 10:45 2

   Medicine Lake

   Park & nature

   The lake that drains through underground channels every autumn.

   

   26.0 km · 25m drive to next

3. 11:45 3

   Maligne Lake

   Activity

   Take the cruise to Spirit Island (2026 season: May 29 to October 11). Book it, and eat first.

   Spirit Island cruise

   May 29 to Oct 11, 2026Past season

   Checked 2 Oct 2026 · Pursuit (www.banffjaspercollection.com)

   

   45.9 km · 1h drive to next

4. 16:00 4

   Jasper SkyTram

   Activity

   Seven minutes up Whistlers Mountain, then a steep trail to the summit if the wind allows.

   

Back down the parkway to Calgary, stopping where you drove past on day five. About five hours of driving; fuel at Saskatchewan River Crossing again.

1. 09:00 1

   Tangle Creek Falls

   Park & nature

   A roadside cascade over tiered limestone. Five minutes, no trail.

   

   85.7 km · 1h 15m drive to next

2. 10:45 2

   Waterfowl Lakes

   Park & nature

   Mount Chephren over the lower lake, from the shore by the campground.

   

   65.0 km · 45m drive to next

3. 12:00 3

   Herbert Lake

   Park & nature

   A still pond just north of Lake Louise that mirrors the whole Bow Range on a calm morning.

   

   6.8 km · 10m drive to next

4. 12:30 4

   Laggan’s Mountain Bakery

   Food & drink

   Lunch and a cinnamon bun at the Samson Mall bakery.

   

   201 km · 2h drive to next

5. 16:00 5

   Calgary International Airport

   Sight

   Two hours from Lake Louise. Return the car with time to spare.