Glacier fed lakes, and mountains, and bears, oh my! All of this and more have been some of our favorite things about our time spent in the Canadian Rockies. This place has been on my bucket list for some time, but thanks to my Dad for persistently suggesting Canada for our next trip, we finally made it happen!
Growing up, my Dad would share stories about his travels and experiences abroad, which would later heavily influence me to do the same someday. We’ve traveled a lot together throughout my life, both domestically and internationally. But since his stroke in 2019, then Covid, plus me planting roots in Denver, our travels together have slowed or almost stopped completely… until this very special trip!
Our last adventure together was in NYC when he had his stroke (I wrote a blog about it in 2019 if you are looking for another interesting story). So this being our first trip together since then, plus my boyfriend Sean being with us, made this trip even more special to me. Besides that, you’ll soon see why the Canadian Rockies now have a special place in my heart.
Day 1: Canmore
Our trip started by flying from Denver to Calgary, met Dad at the airport, picked up the rental car, and headed west towards the mountains. Surprisingly, Calgary reminded me of Denver, a city looking at a long western mountain range. But unlike i70 heading into the mountains, we hit zero traffic, tunnels, crazy elevation gain or drivers to get to our first stop, Canmore, Alberta.
We chose to stay in Canmore because it was much cheaper and had more options for our budget compared to Banff. Canmore is only about 20 minutes from Banff, so it ended up working out well for our itinerary.
Since we arrived later in the afternoon, we walked around town a bit, grabbed dinner, then rested up for a week long of adventures to come.
Day 2: E-bike to Banff
The next day, we rented e-bikes and rode from Canmore to Banff. The ride is 13 miles one way, but for us, it turned into 15 since Dad forgot to pack his jacket. After our little detour back to our condo, we made it back on the trail and continued north towards Banff.
The ride there was beautiful, surrounded by mountains and views the entire way. The ride was flat, and the electric capability of the bike made it an easy excursion. But somehow, we worked up an appetite and were as hungry as bears out of hibernation once we made it to town. We parked our bikes, found some lunch, and explored the town the charming town of Banff.
I was in constant awe of the mountainous views, but especially Mt. Cascade towering over the north side of town, every time we looked in that direction, there she was! The Bow river, turquoise in color from being glacier fed, was mesmerizing as we followed it through town. Aside from the beauty of Banff, we enjoyed all the options of restaurants, shops, and vibes this little mountain town had to offer. Which would explain why we would visit a couple more times during our trip.
After spending some time in Banff, we needed to get back to Canmore before sunset so 1. we could safely see and 2. to avoid being attacked by bears. (I’m being slightly dramatic but I guess I didn’t want to find out!)
Once we made it back to Canmore, we continued our biking adventures to see Engine bridge and further explore the Bow River at sunset.
As you could see, it was a long day exploring, so we grabbed dinner at our hotel, then rested up for an earlier start and big day of hiking the next day.
Day 3: Moraine Lake & Lake Louise
If you’ve seen photos of Banff National Park, then you’ve probably seen photos of these famous lakes. Looking back, I still can’t get over the beauty of these lakes, as they will remembered as one of the most beautiful places I’ve been lucky enough to visit.
The day started early as we needed to make our reservation time to visit the lakes. Like many national parks these days, reservations are recommended if not required. Once we made it there, we parked in a giant parking lot, and got on a shuttle that took us to the first stop, Moraine Lake. The lake was accessible from the parking lot, but we hiked up to get a better view.
After some hot cocoa, enjoying the scenery, and taking in all the views Moraine Lake had to offer, we got back on the shuttle that took us to Lake Louise.
Since there are more hiking opportunities at Lake Louise than Moraine Lake, Sean and I had a hike planned while there. We hiked up to the Little Beehive via lake Agnes trail, 6 miles round trip, 1800 ft of elevation gain, and we conquered it in about 3.5 hours so Dad wouldn’t be alone all day.
The trail started at the base of Lake Louise and we worked our way up, even stopping at a tea house along the way to warm up and take in more scenery.
The tea house was about 2 miles straight up hill, they have people to hike up their ingredients every day and hike down the trash. It definitely was a nice place to stop and appreciate the scenery, and the efforts it took to get there while sipping on some warm tea.
From here, we continued to hike up to the little beehive for incredible views of Lake Louise and surrounding mountains and glaciers.
Quite possibly my new favorite hike for obvious reasons. It began to snow as we were about to make our descend, making the views even more dreamy.
We made it back down and met Dad at our goal time to meet, he had been enjoying his time as well, hiking around. I mean, who couldn’t enjoy themselves in a place like this?
Although it was a gloomy day, we still thoroughly enjoyed our time spent exploring the lakes. In my opinion, the clouds added to the aesthetic of the endless beauty.
We headed back towards Canmore with a stop in Banff for dinner. We ate at a steakhouse to refuel and our waiter suggested going to the golf course at dusk for a good chance of seeing some elk.
A peaceful way to end our busy day spent exploring.
Day 4: Drive to Jasper via Icefields Parkway
Our 3 nights in Canmore had come to an end and it was time to head further north to Jasper, Alberta. During my research, the lcefields parkway was known as one of the most scenic drives in the world, soon we would find that to be true.
It was another gloomy day on our drive but we still enjoyed the views and beautiful stops along the way to Jasper. Without stops, this drive would take 3.5 hours but it took us about 8 hours as we took our time and spent some time at the stops.
On our coldest stop so far, the Athabasaca Glacier sat ominously between the mountains. Besides feeling cold, we felt sad to see how much of the glacier had melted over the years. Due to climate change, the glacier shrinks about 5 meters or 16 feet per year. There were yearly marker signs along the road and path leading to the glacier, stating previous extension points of the glacier. Since the mid 1800’s, the glacier has receded about 1 mile.
After roaming around the shrinking glacier for about an hour, we got back on the road to see a few more stops before reaching Jasper.
The Icefields Parkway did not disappoint with its endless views, waterfalls, and colors. After a long day on the road and exploring the different stops, we finally arrived to airbnb in Jasper for the next two nights.
Day 5: Maligne Lake & Jasper
After a good night’s rest, we started our day at Japser’s famous Bear’s Paw Bakery, with some coffee and delicious cinnamon rolls.
After breakfast, we headed to Maligne Lake where we took a boat cruise to Spirit Island.
Tourists are not allowed on the island, as it is sacred and spiritual land of the Stoney Nakoda First Nation. The island is actually a peninsula most of the time, until the lake rises and the land turns into an island.
After another day spent exploring and visiting Maligne lake, we went back to Jasper and walked around town.
Day 6: Drive to Calgary via Icefields Parkway
Our time in the Canadian Rockies was coming to an end as we reached our last day. We had an early flight the next morning so we needed to get to Calgary for the night. The fastest route to get there was the same drive we took to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway.
But first we stopped for a hike at the valley of five lakes. It was a 3 ish mile loop that took around around five lakes, varying in shades of green.
As you saw from day 4, the weather was gloomy and overcast in the photos of the stops along the Icefields Parkway. On our last day, it was sunny and not a cloud in the sky, making the drive and views seem way different. For that reason, we stopped at a couple of our favorite stops to get different views with the sunny skies.
The Parks Canada rangers can and will fine people up to $25,000 for getting out of their vehicle when in proximity of wildlife. Sean and I chose to keep our distance, Dad on the other hand didn’t seem to care about the consequences of being too close to a hungry bear. I will say, he did capture some amazing pictures and I’m glad he survived! (Don’t do this at home, folks.)
The sunny weather turned our drive on the Icefields Parkway into a different experience. To see the mountains more clearer, the lakes more bright and blue, and the bear along the road so close and hungry, made this day an unforgettable way to end our trip in the Canadian Rockies.
Since we couldn’t get enough of Banff during our first two times there, we made one last stop to walk through town and search for more wildlife.
We said goodbye to Banff, then stopped for dinner in Canmore on our way to Calgary. We all agreed that Crazyweed in Canmore was our favorite meal of the trip. We got a variety of food but it was unique and tasted so fresh. After dinner, we had another hour drive to Calgary. We made it in late, got about 4 hours of sleep, and then we all said our goodbyes and flew out early the next day.
I’m not sure how to summarize our time in Canmore, Banff, and Jasper other than just saying that it was an incredible experience. Being able to travel with my dad again in such a beautiful setting is something I’ll never forget. The turquoise lakes, the beautiful mountains, and the wildlife is how I hope to remember a special week spent with two of my favorite guys! And per usual, I hope to reread this blog and relive this trip for years to come. Thank you for following along!
This is your reminder to book that trip with your loved ones. Money will return but the time you have with these people won’t. Make the memories while you can! I promise you won’t regret it. ❤️
The Aud Blog 