8 Days in Banff National Park, Canada

Welcome to Banff

The inspiration for our week-long trip to Banff National Park came from our friends and frequent active travel buddies. They told us Banff had been on their bucket list for a while, and wanted to know if we’d go with them. After spending all of two seconds google image searching Banff we were 100% on board. We went in 2018 during the last week of May, which was right before the busy season started. While it was a bit on the cool side (most days were in the 50s), that also meant that most areas were fairly quiet. The pictures don’t do the views justice, and there is something extra-satisfying about a view that you had to earn with a hike uphill.

Where to Stay

While you might think that a trip to Banff would include camping, that’s not really our style. We like being able to take hiking day trips and then return to a real shower and bed. We decided to stay in the town of Canmore which is a little south of the entrance to Banff National Park. Both Canmore and the town of Banff are nice. We elected to stay in Canmore because there were more affordable lodging options there. We shared a two-bedroom Airbnb in one of the many mountain lodges and would absolutely stay there again: NEW Canmore Vacation- Rundle Cliffs Mountain Lodge ($226/night)

**Day 1. Arrive and Get Settled in Canmore**

Fly into the Calgary airport, which is about 90 minutes from Canmore. Get settled and enjoy the mountain views from Canmore.

12:00 - Arrive in the Calgary Airport. Pick up a rental car for the week and head west to Canmore.

1:30 - Arrive in Canmore. On your way into the town, stop for a late lunch at Blake (A). They have tons of outdoor seating, and having a beer while looking at the mountains is a great way to start the trip.

3:00 - Head to Safeway (B) for grocery shopping. Pick up packable lunches for hikes (peanut butter and banana sandwiches and trail mix is our go to), water bottles, and BBQ fixings. You’ll be enjoying several dinners at the Airbnb.

4:00 - Check in to the Airbnb (C), unpack and get settled. Stretch your legs with a walk along the nearby river (D). BBQ and enjoy a relaxing evening.

**Day 2. Hike Around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake**

If you research Banff, you’re bound to see a zillion pictures of Lake Louise. It’s a beautiful place that seems unreal. Also, everyone in the world knows this. To enjoy the lake without throngs of people, you should do the Lake Agnes Tea House hike. Lake Moraine is also beautiful and less popular, so make sure to stop there too.

8:00 - Drive from the Airbnb (A) to Moraine Lake (B). While less popular than Lake Louise, Moraine Lake still gets busy and there is limited parking, so try to get on the road early. Some tips: Plug in “Moraine Lake Car Parking” to Google Maps. You’ll have to buy a day pass each time you enter Banff National Park ($20 for the car). The drive to Moraine Lake should be about an hour and 20 minutes. When you get close to Moraine Lake, Google Maps may start acting strange and increase the expected arrival time, but it should correct itself shortly.

9:30 - Explore Moraine Lake. Park in the lot, walk around, take lots of pictures, and enjoy the peace and quiet. Make sure to do this first because it gets busier throughout the day.

10:00 - Drive ~20 mins to Lake Louise. Park the car in the parking lot and walk to the lake. It’ll be super crowded but it’s still beautiful. Keep walking along the perimeter of the lake until you get to the far side. Follow signage for Lake Agnes Tea House hike (D).

10:30 - Hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House. The hike is 3-4 hours round-trip, and it’s a good challenge. In May there was still snow on the ground, and the Tea House was closed. Pack a lunch and eat it at the top. On the way back down, get unspoiled views from the backside of Lake Louise.

3:00 - Head home (~60 min drive) and cook & eat at the Airbnb.

**Day 3. Hike the Johnston Canyon Trail and Ink Pots**

Pack a lunch and get out for another great day hike on the Johnston Canyon Trail. No map needed for today, just plug in the Johnston Canyon Trail Parking Lot to Google Maps and you’ll get there.

8:30 - Get out early and drive ~45 min to the popular Johnston Canyon Trail. You’ll need to buy a second Banff National Park day pass ($20).

9:30 - Hike the trail. The first mile or so is fairly busy because there are two waterfalls that draw most of the attraction. Go past those waterfalls, following signs for the Ink Pots which are the brightly-colored pools that sit at the end of a much longer and more challenging trail than the first section would have you think. Have a picnic lunch at the end of the trail, which is in a Canyon overlooking a river.

2:00 - The hike will likely take you most of the day, especially if you have a leisurely lunch. Head home to rest your legs.

5:00 - If you do have energy before dinner, take a stroll along the Bow River in Canmore, and do some shopping downtown. BBQ and relax.

**Day 4. Drive the Icefields Parkway to Jasper National Park**

Since you’re probably sore from two long hikes, this is a good day to rest your legs while still seeing a top site in the area: the Icefields Parkway up to Jasper National Park. Yes, you’ll spend a lot of time in the car, but it is worth it to see the scenery and wildlife.

9:00 - Drive north from Canmore (A), entering Banff National Park and continuing on for two and a half hours on route AB-93 N. Along the way, you’ll see mountains, lakes, and wildlife like bighorn sheep, moose, bears, and mountain goats. You’ll know there’s wildlife when you come up to a line of cars dangerously stopped on the highway.

12:00 - Drive until you get to the Columbia Icefield (B). At the Glacier you can do several tours but we skipped these because they were expensive and looked crowded (walking out onto the glass platform cost $35, and walking out onto the glacier was an additional $70.) Instead, eat your packed lunch on the patio with a great view of the glacier.

12:30 - After lunch, drive to the Athabasca Glacier (C). Walk around it and see how much the glacier has melted over the years.

1:00 - Start the drive home. On the way home, stop at Peyto Lake (D). There’s a quick (~20 minute) hike to a lookout over the picturesque lake and mountains. We tried stopping at Peyto on our drive up and the view was very foggy, while in the afternoon it was clear and beautiful. You may want to stop on the way up if it’s a nice morning in case the afternoon brings poor weather.

4:00 - Arrive back at the Airbnb.

6:00 - Because you’ve been in a car all day, this is a good time to stretch your legs and go out to eat in downtown Canmore. Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co is a solid choice.

Spend the day in and around Canmore. There are several trails within a short drive, and a fun distillery that is worth a visit.

10:00 - On this day exploring Canmore, you may decide to go for a Canmore Cave Tours. We opted to skip this because it didn’t draw us—why pay to go underground when the scenery above ground is so beautiful and oh wait, FREE?—but according to TripAdvisor it is the #1 thing to do in the area. If you do opt for a tour, it’ll take between 4-6 hours and range in cost from $135-175 CAD (reserve online).

Choosing to stay above ground, we opted to start the day with a relatively easy hike. From the Airbnb (A), drive a quick 15 minutes to the Upper Grassi Lakes Trail (B). Hike the 4km trail, opting for the more challenging route up and easier climb down. It is moderate difficulty, and a popular trail on the weekends. Snack on some trail mix at the top.

12:00 - After the hike, clean up and head to downtown Canmore. Have a drink and eat at one of the outdoor tables at Graze Food and Drink (C). Spend some time wandering around the downtown area after lunch.

3:00 - Head to Wild Life Distillery (D) for a tour of their craft spirits. You’ll either want to designate a driver or get a ride share (or, if you don’t mind a ~40 min walk, that’s an option too). They make some interesting gin and vodka products which you can sample in their tasting room. The tour was okay—it was fast and only cost $9 CAD, and it was cool to the production facilities for a small but growing establishment. You don’t have to do the tour to enjoy a drink in the tasting room.

5:00 - Head home and enjoy a home-cooked meal at the Airbnb.

**Day 6. Hike Up and Gondola Down Sulphur Mountain**

Your legs have had a couple of days of rest now so you’re ready for another good hike. Today, head to Sulphur Mountain. Hiking up makes the gondola down so much more satisfying.

9:30 - Drive ~30 minutes into Banff National Park to Sulphur Mountain.

10:00 - Arrive at the base of Sulphur Mountain. While everyone else takes the easy route up via the gondola, you’ll hike up a fairly quiet trail to the top.

12:00 - Enjoy a picnic lunch with panoramic views. If it’s cold, head inside and get a coffee to warm up. After resting for a while, buy a half-price ticket for a gondola ride down the mountain ($16 CAD). Enjoy the views from above the tree-tops on the quick ride down.

1:30 - Since you’ll probably be sweaty from the hike, you’ll likely want to head back to the Airbnb to get cleaned up. The afternoon is free back in Canmore to walk around, play games, have a drink, and otherwise relax.

You have a few options for your final full day in Banff. It rained for us, so we had to improv a rainy-day schedule. If you’re lucky and have good weather all week, you may decide to take it easy or—if you’re feeling energetic—do one more hike in the area.

Option 1 - Rainy Day. Head into Banff late morning, and start with lunch at Wild Flour - Banff’s Artisan Bakery Cafe (A). It’s a popular place because the food is delicious. Then head to the Eureka Banff Escape Room (B) ($30, open 2-8pm) to try to collaboratively solve puzzles and “escape the room.” We bought our tickets online that morning and had no problems with availability. We did the Warden's Cabin, the harder of the two rooms (and unfortunately we were not in the savvy 13% of people who solve the room.) Afterwards, head to a movie at the Lux Cinema Banff (C).

Option 2 - Take it Easy. If it’s nice out, you can spend an easy day in and around Canmore, starting with golf at the public golf course, Stewart Creek Golf & Country Club (open daily 7am-10pm) followed by a picnic near Quarry Lake and a trip to Canmore Brewing Company (open Fri-Sat 1-8pm, Sun 2-6, Wed-Thur 2-7pm, closed Mon and Tue.)

Option 3 - One More Hike. If you feel like you need one more hike in Banff, some options to consider are: Ha Ling Peak, a challenging hike with amazing views; Upper Kananaskis Lake hike which takes you around a lake; or Ribbon Creek Trail, a busy but easy hike with waterfall views.

Sadly, it is time to leave this beautiful place and head back to the real world.

11:00 - Check out of the Airbnb. Drive back to Calgary (~90 min).

12:30 - Have lunch in Calgary before heading to the airport. Cactus Club Cafe is a good option that is close to the airport.

2:00 - Head to the airport and fly home.

Have Less than 8 Days?

We loved everything we did in and around Banff and having a full week there was amazing. That said, our favorite day trips were the Johnston Canyon Trail & Ink Pots, hiking up Sulfur Mountain and taking the gondola down, and the Lake Agnes Tea House hike at Lake Louise.

Costs for Two People

Flights - $1,100
Lodging - $800 ($114/night)
Rental Car - $400 ($50/day)
Gas - $200
Food/Drink - $700 ($88/day)
Activities - $200
International Phone - $40 ($5/day)
Total Costs = $3,440 (in 2018)

Pre-Travel Checklist

Make sure your passport won’t expire within 6 months of your departure date.
Confirm trails are open before you go. Some are closed in the off season and early in the summer due to snow, avalanche warnings, and other dangerous conditions.
Download offline google maps for Banff and Canmore.