A Guide to Visiting the Canadian Rockies

Last year, I had a wonderful time visiting the Canadian Rockies for the first time. It was a week full of long walks around beautiful mountain lakes, driving through breath-taking scenery, watching wildlife and taking lots (and lots) of photographs. Here are my tips to help you make the most of your time in this beautiful area of Canada.

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Getting there:

I flew into Calgary International Airport, which was a very convenient entry point. From here, it is only about a 90 minute drive to the town of Banff which makes a great base to stay for the first few days. When you’ve finished in the Rockies, you can either return to Calgary to fly home or on to another part of Canada (I combined my trip to the Canadian Rockies with a few days on Vancouver Island) or you could continue your road trip west towards Vancouver, flying home from there.

Where to stay:

The Canadian Rockies cover a huge area, including four national parks. You will want to have at least two bases. The town of Banff is ideal for seeing Banff NP and you could also visit Yoho NP and Kootenay NP from here, but to see Jasper NP, you should relocate to the town of Jasper. This is hardly a chore, because to get there you will drive along the Icefield Parkway, which is one of the world’s greatest scenic drives. A split-stay between Banff and Jasper, with 3-4 nights in each would work well, but you could also spend a few nights based at Lake Louise on the far west of Banff NP and ideally situated for trips to Yoho NP and Kootenay NP. I did this, splitting my stay between Banff (2 nights), Jasper (3 nights) and Lake Louise (3 nights) but with the benefit of hindsight, if I was doing it again, I would stay 4 nights each in Banff and Jasper.

There’s lots of great accommodation choices in Banff and Jasper, but I highly recommend Banff Aspen Lodge and Alpine Village, Jasper. I also liked my stay at Paradise Lodge and Bungalows near Lake Louise.

What to see:

The beauty of the Canadian Rockies is all around you so you won’t go wrong visiting any of the amazing lakes, mountains or waterfalls in the area. But here were some of my favourite sights:

Lakes – I’ll have to do a separate post on all of my favourite lakes as there were so many, but make sure you don’t miss the following:

• Lake Louise is a must visit. It’s located on the west side of Banff NP. It’s extremely popular and so it can be difficult to find a parking space and staying nearby can be helpful. When you get to the lake, walk along the lakeshore trail and you’ll soon escape the crowds.

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• Peyto Lake viewed from Bow Summit Lookout is one of the most popular photo spots. It’s located along the Icefield Parkway between Banff and Jasper. A short but steep walk will bring you to this amazing viewpoint.

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• Pyramid Lake is located in Jasper, right alongside Patricia Lake (pictured at the top of the page). Walk over the bridge to Pyramid Island for an unusual, and often windy, view of the lake.

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• Emerald Lake is another beautiful lake worth seeing. It’s located in Yoho NP and even when I visited on a gloomy day, it still looked magical.

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Waterfalls – personally I enjoyed walking around the lakes, more than viewing the waterfalls in the area but there are certainly some spectacular waterfalls as well. Don’t miss Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls which are both located along the Icefield Parkway. It’s also worth going to see Takakkaw Falls in Yoho NP.

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Wildlife – everyone hopes to see a bear in the Rockies. I didn’t manage to do so (although I was more lucky on Vancouver Island), lots of people do have success along the roadsides at dawn and dusk. The road towards Maligne Lake is supposed to be a successful spot, as is the Lake Louise gondola.

It’s easy to spot elk near Jasper town. I saw them along the road side, just to the east of town, in the Athabasca River near Old Fort Point, and even strolling past the window of my cabin on the grounds of Alpine Village.

Mountain goats can be spotted at various places along the Icefield parkway. I saw them just near the Skywalk. Other wildlife that might be spotted include moose (try Moose Lake, near Maligne Lake) and hoary marmots (posing for photos near the roadside in Yoho NP)

What to do

Beyond the beauty that is all around the Canadian Rockies, there are lots of activities to enjoy in the area. Some of the best are the simplest:

• Walk around a beautiful lake – try Lac Beauvert, near Jasper, where a 4km trail loops all the way around the lake, or Emerald Lake, in Yoho NP, where a 5.2km trail circuits the lake, or simply walk along the Lakeshore trail at Lake Louise, a pleasant 2km stroll to the quieter end of the lake.

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• Take a Hike – for something just a little more strenuous, there are lots of Hikes in the parks – I enjoyed the lake Agnes Tea House Hike from the shore of Lake Louise, up past Mirror Lake to lake Agnes. It is a 3.6km hike one way (with a 400m elevation gain) but at its end not only is there a lovely mountain lake to see, but also a pleasant tea house at which to enjoy a snack.

• Take a scenic drive – no visit is complete without driving the Icefield Parkway, a 232km road winding along the continental divide and passing mountains, lakes, waterfalls and glaciers. It will take a full day to experience or, better yet, two days if you return the same way. Highlights along the way will include Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, the Columbia Icefield, Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls.

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• Take a Ride in the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain for great views down over Banff town and the surrounding mountains.

• Walk on a Glacier – Take a snow bus onto Athabasca Glacier for a chance to walk on a glacier (and as a bonus activity, you can also walk onto the nearby glass-bottomed skywalk)

• Take a boat ride – there’s lots of options: take a cruise along Maligne Lake to see Spirit Island, hire a kayak at Lake Louise or do a raft tour along the Bow River.

Where to eat:

Sometimes, areas of natural beauty can be a bit lacking in the quality of the local restaurants but that is not at all true of the Canadian Rockies. I had some great meals on this trip, including The Maple Leaf in Banff, and Evil Dave’s, Tekarra Restaurant and Raven Bistro in Jasper. Also don’t leave the area without indulging in some poutine and a beavertail…

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Whatever you do in the Canadian Rockies, you’ll leave with some amazing memories of a stunning part of the world…