Trip: Canadian Rockies – TakeMyTrip.com

The Canadian Rockies Trip

11 Days in Alberta and British Columbia

The Canadian Rockies trip spends 11 days amongst the mountain peaks of Alberta and British Columbia. The trip begins and ends in Calgary, but spends almost all of its time in one of Canada's incredible National Parks: Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Revelstoke, and Glacier. The centerpiece of the trip is a drive up the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic roads in the world. If 11 days is too much for you, it's easy to trim off several days, and make the trip fit into one week.

Day 1

Exploring Calgary

Calgary Tower

The Calgary Tower is impossible to miss on the city skyline, and it’s just as difficult to pass up a ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Exploring Calgary, Alberta

After getting off the plane at YYC (Calgary’s airport, which is just north of downtown), I got my rental car, ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Traveling to Canada: What You Need To Know

Let’s Go To Canada! But before the trip… I’ve taken a lot of road trips around the United States, but ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 2

To the mountains!

Lake Minnewanka & Lower Bankhead Ghost Town

Beautiful Lake Minnewanka is the largest lake in the Canadian Rockies. It’s 28 kilometers long (17 miles), and 142 meters ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: Cascade Falls

From Canmore, the town of Banff isn’t far away, only about 25 kilometers, or 15 miles. Along the way, you’ll ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Grassi Lakes Trail, Canmore

You only have to glance at the parking lot, to see that the Grassi Lakes Trail is one of the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Spray Valley & Bow Valley Parks, near Canmore

As I drove through downtown Canmore, I couldn’t take my eyes off the surrounding mountains. In particular, one pass caught ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Canmore, Alberta

Canmore has come a long way from its rustic roots as a coal mining town. Nowadays, downtown Canmore is just ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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From Calgary to the Mountains

Day 2 began with sun in Calgary, but the clouds were building in the mountains. It was the beginning of ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 3

Hiking around Banff, Alberta

Mt. Norquay Viewpoint & Stony Squaw Trail

There’s probably no better place to get the lay of the land around Banff than Mount Norquay. A road switchbacks ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: Lake Minnewanka Loop

After leaving the C-Level Cirque trialhead, I decided to pay another visit to Lake Minnewanka. It was rainy and gloomy ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: C-Level Cirque

By late morning, the weather still hadn’t improved, so I decided to stop waiting and start hiking — with hopes ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Fairmont Banff Springs & Tunnel Mountain

The start of Day 3 was just as gloomy and rainy as the end of Day 2. I started my ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 4

Exploring Banff National Park

Banff National Park: Vermilion Lakes at Sunset

As Day 4 came to a close, I found a great place to enjoy the setting sun. On the way ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: Moraine Lake

It would be easy to spend the day hiking, canoeing, or just relaxing at crowded Lake Louise, and pass up ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Hike To Lake Agnes, Little Beehive

A trail just isn’t worth hiking, unless there’s something rewarding at the end. Sometimes, it’s a great viewpoint, other times ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: Lake Louise

Lake Louise probably looks like no lake you’ve ever seen before. It’s not sparkling and clear, it’s milky and blue-green. ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Banff National Park: Bow Valley Parkway: Route 1A

My plan for Day 4 was to drive out of the Town of Banff, headed north, to Lake Louise and ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 5

Into B.C. and Yoho

Golden, British Columbia

Golden is trying hard to become a tourist town, but it’s not quite there yet. It certainly has a good ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Yoho National Park: Emerald Lake

The Canadian Rockies have a lot of strikingly beautiful lakes, but Yoho’s Emerald Lake is certainly among the nicest of ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Takkakaw Falls, Yoho National Park

Travel a little further west into British Columbia, and you reach a turnoff for Takkakaw Falls. The waterfall is about ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Yoho National Park: Field, Natural Bridge

The area around the community of Field is where everything is happening in Yoho National Park. In this wide valley ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Into British Columbia: Yoho National Park, Spiral Tunnels

Fortunately, Day 5 would be my last gloomy day. Unfortunately, it would be the cloudiest and rainiest of all the ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 6

Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks

Revelstoke, British Columbia

An afternoon in Revelstoke might have you thinking about moving to the mountains. Revelstoke is very tourist-friendly, and has a ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Revelstoke Dam

As I drove from Revelstoke National Park into the town of Revelstoke, I saw a sign for Revelstoke Dam. Until ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Mount Revelstoke National Park: Meadows in the Sky

For just a few months out of the year, Mount Revelstoke National Park is one of the nicest places you ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Canada’s Glacier National Park: Rogers Pass

On Day 6, the clouds parted, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time. As I left Golden, headed ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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South of Golden, British Columbia: Route 95

Because of the rain, I had driven past some of the attractions inside Yoho National Park. That meant I arrived ...

British Columbia

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 7

Back into Alberta, and up the Icefields Parkway

Town of Jasper, Alberta

There’s no denying that Jasper is a tourist town, but compared to Banff, it’s a lot more down-to-earth. Businesses (mostly ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Athabasca Falls, and the north end of the Icefields Parkway

There are fewer reasons to stop along the northern half of the Icefields Parkway, but that doesn’t mean there’s less ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Columbia Icefield – Athabasca Glacier from the Icefields Parkway

Just after I crossed into Jasper National Park at Sunwapta Pass, I was treated to one of the most spectacular ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Saskatchewan Crossing to Sunwapta Pass

If you haven’t grabbed a cold drink or visited a bathroom in a while, Saskatchewan River Crossing provides a much-needed ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Mistaya Canyon Trail, Icefields Parkway

As the journey continues northward up the Icefields Parkway, the Saskatchewan River Valley looms in the distance — along with ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Waterfowl Lakes, along the Icefields Parkway

As I continued the drive north on the Icefields Parkway, Waterfowl Lakes came as a surprise. The small lakes appear ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Bow Summit, Peyto Lake Viewpoint, Icefields Parkway

Peyto Lake might very well be the most photographed lake along the Icefields Parkway, and for good reason. From the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Hector Lake & Bow Lake, on the Icefields Parkway

As the drive continues up the Icefields Parkway, it will be a while before you come across another mirror-lake like ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Herbert Lake, Icefields Parkway

There really is no other road on earth like the Icefields Parkway through Banff and Jasper National Parks. Over the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Golden to Icefields Parkway Via Yoho National Park

Two days earlier, my arrival in Golden was gloomy. What a difference some blue skies can make! As I drove ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 8

Exploring around Jasper, Alberta

Pyramid and Patricia Lakes, Jasper National Park

The town of Jasper sits at the apex of a giant letter Y, with valleys stretching out to the northwest ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Just like Banff and Lake Louise, Jasper has its own luxurious lodge, built during the railroad days. The Fairmont Jasper ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Maligne Lake, Jasper National Park

Maligne Lake is one of the sparkling jewels of the Canadian Rockies, and one of the most popular destinations in ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Road To Maligne Lake: Medicine Lake

The drive out to Maligne Lake is just as beautiful as the drive up the Icefields Parkway. But here, you ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Maligne Canyon, Jasper National Park

After devoting half my day to rafting down the Athabasca River, I decided to spend the rest of the day ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Whitewater Rafting in Jasper National Park

I had never been whitewater rafting before. I always wanted to give it a try, but it never seemed to ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 9

Glacier Adventure on the Icefields Parkway

Icefields Parkway in Banff National Park: Southbound

With the most exciting parts of the Icefields Parkway behind me (Parkers Ridge, Athabasca Glacier, Sunwapta Falls), I devoted the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Parkers Ridge Trail, Banff National Park

One of the best decisions I made during my drive down the Icefields Parkway was to get out of the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Sunwapta Pass: Jasper and Banff National Parks

Just a short distance south of the Icefields Centre, the Icefields Parkway heads across Sunwapta Pass. The pass is the ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Sunwapta Falls & South on the Icefields Parkway

Sunwapta Falls is nearly at the end of the Sunwapta River. Not long after the falls, the Sunwapta mixes with ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Icefields Parkway, Southbound – Jasper National Park

Day 9 was devoted to driving back down the Icefields Parkway to Banff. The drive southbound isn’t quite as extraordinary ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 10

Hiking on the Continental Divide

Town of Banff & Bow Falls, Alberta

With my vacation coming to a close, and having spent half my time in the Banff area, I was beginning ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Hiking at Sunshine Meadows, Banff National Park

For my final full day in Canada, I wanted to choose a great place to hike, that wasn’t too challenging, ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Day 11

The drive back to Calgary

Alberta Route 1A: Bow Valley Trail, Morleyville, Cochrane, Ghost Lake

For the drive from the mountains back to Calgary, I decided to take the slowest, most scenic route possible, to ...

Alberta

Feb 16, 2016

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Main Menu

The Canadian Rockies Trip

11 Days in Alberta and British Columbia

Day 1

Exploring Calgary

Day 2

To the mountains!

Day 3

Hiking around Banff, Alberta

Day 4

Exploring Banff National Park

Day 5

Into B.C. and Yoho

Day 6

Revelstoke and Glacier National Parks

Day 7

Back into Alberta, and up the Icefields Parkway

Day 8

Exploring around Jasper, Alberta

Day 9

Glacier Adventure on the Icefields Parkway

Day 10

Hiking on the Continental Divide

Day 11

The drive back to Calgary