Travel Itinerary: Jasper & Banff National Park

When I was looking into a trip to Jasper & Banff National Parks in the Canadian Rockies, something that was hard to find was a good itinerary or timeline I could follow. Everything seemed a bit too loose for my preference and I needed something with timing included so I can gauge how long each day would be! So I’m sharing the one created for this trip!

As a heads up: the ideal travel months for Banff and Jasper are June-October. This trip was taken the last week of June. I also added lots of breakfast/brunch and dinner options. My travel pet peeve is researching during an actual trip so having a handy list of places to pick made it all better! Enjoy!

 

 

 

Day 1 – Travel Day

Notes: Every “first day” I have on vacation, I try to keep it light. It allows for delays of any kind! If you do have a bit of extra time, give Calgary at least two days– it became a destination I would love to explore more! 

09:00  IAD to Calgary (YYC) | Note: YYC is in Mountain Time (GMT-7)

12:00   Pick up rental (yes–you do need a rental car!)

13:00   Check into hotel: The Dorian (Marriott Bonvoy)

18:00   Dinner options:

River Cafe (Food: Canadian, farm to table)
Ten Foot Henry (Food: Canadian)
Major Tom (Rooftop views + excellent cocktails)
D.O.P. (Food: Italian)
Lulu Bar (Food: Pacific Rim)
Jinbar (Food: Korean)
Deane House (Requires rideshare)

20:00   After-dinner bars:

Missy’s (Industry bar–get the cheesecake!)
Shelter Cocktail Bar & Lounge
Betty Lou’s Library
Frenchies Wine Bar
Pricket Richard
Cannibale (A bit further out)

 

Day 2 – Drive to Jasper

 

07:45   Breakfast/coffee

08:45   Pick up lunch (Peppino, Lazy Loaf & Kettle, Sammie Cafe)

09:00   Drive 3.5 hours to Athabasca Glacier via the Ice Fields Parkway (*No cell service*)

You do have to pay entry to the park. Recommend picking up pamphlets for each park. They have maps and are very helpful to follow along during your route.

12:45   Eat packed lunch upon arrival

12:30   Tour activity: Athabasca Glacier Ice Walks | Classic half-day (3 hrs)

Highly recommend this tour! They do provide a lot of the gear necessary so you don’t have to pack it! The guides are knowledgeable and it made for a fun experience!

17:00 Depart for Jasper (1 hr 30 min) | Stop at pullouts to see some sights– lots of lakes!

18:30 Check into hotel: Forest Park Hotel 

19:00 Dinner options Jasper:

Harvest Food & Drink (also a breakfast spot)
Jasper Brewing Company
Syrah’s of Jasper
Andaaz of Jasper
De’d Dog (dive)
River Bistro

 

Day 3 – Jasper

 

10:00   Breakfast (Sunhouse menu, Wicked Cup, Bears Paw Bakery)

11:00   Drive to first hike of the day (45 min)

12:00   Hike: Edith Cavell (3 hours) | Lots of ways to make this hike shorter!

15:00   Drive to Abathasca Falls (30 min)

This is a must-see! It’s a bit crowded but really enjoyable and you learn a lot about how the falls are created in Jasper.

16:00   Drive to Jasper (30 min)

16:30   Late lunch at Harvest Food & Drink

18:00   Drive & view: Medicine Lake | Great to just view the lake (no hiking)

18:30   Hike: Maligne Canyon | 1 hr 10 min

21:00   Hike: Valley of Five Lakes | 1 hr 24 min | Bring bug spray–mosquitos

This is one of the locations where you can find the famous Muskoka red chairs that are spread around in some of the most scenic locations in Jasper National Park. Because the sun sets so late, you’re able to hike until about 22:30! 

23:00 Late dinner at Earl’s

00:00 Return to hotel

 

Day 4 – Banff

09:00   Check out of hotel

09:15   Breakfast at Sunhouse

10:00   Pick up lunch (Patricia Street Deli, Coco’s cafe, Andaaz, Bears,)

10:00   Drive to Lake Louise (2 hrs 40 min)

You have to purchase shuttle tickets from Parks Canada months in advance. You’ll park your vehicle at the Lake Louise Ski Resort Park and Ride. While you can go from Lake Louise to Lake Moraine and back, the best is to do one each day (if you have the time!). 

14:00   Lake Louise 2pm-3pm shuttle

14:30   Eat packed lunches on the lake 

15:00   Hike: Lake Agnes Tea House Trail | 4.7 miles | 2 hours | 

Definitely take this hike and have some tea, cold lemonade, and a snack at the Tea House. Notes: Tea House opens June 4 for the season.

Option to add to your hike: Little Beehive (+.5 miles) or Big Beehive (+3 miles steep uphill) out and back. If you’re really feeling it, continue to Devil’s Thumb (+1.1 miles steep uphill).

18:30   Take shuttle to Park & Ride (last shuttle departs 19:30)

18:45   Drive to hotel (50 minutes)

19:30   Check into hotel: High Country Inn

20:00   Dinner options in Banff (via Food in the town of Banff)

Park Distillery
MagPie & Stump (has rooftop)
Saffron Bistro (Food: Indian-Chinese–available for both lunch & dinner) 
Hello Sunshine (Food: Japanese)
Banff Ave Brewing Co
Ramen Arashi
The Eddie Burger Bar
Nourish Bistro (Vegetarian)
Balkan Restaurant (Food: Greek)
Tooloulou’s (Food: Cajun)
Three Bears Restaurant and Brewing

00:00 Nighttime/star viewing at Lake Minnewanka (15 min drive)

 

Day 5 – Banff

 

10:45   Tea at Banff Tea Co

11:00   Brunch options (via Breakfast in Banff)

Tooloulou’s (Food: Cajun)
Melissa’s Missteak
Juniper Bistro (Good views)
The Bison (Highly rated)
Coyote’s Southwest Grill
Nourish Bistro (Vegetarian)
Wild Flour Bakery
Maple Leaf Grill
Fedora’s Cakes & Bakes (May be good for picking up lunch, too)

Coffee and bites: Whitebark, Eclipse, Little Wild, Wild Flower Bakery

12:15   Drive to Park & Ride (45 min to 1 hr)

14:00   Take shuttle to Lake Moraine

Activity: rent canoes from Moraine Lake Lodge

Hike: Larch Valley Trail  (3.5 hours) Uphill the entire way up, two good views of two different lakes and a view of 10 mountain peaks!

Hike: Moraine Lake Trail  (Out & Back route) Very easy, flat with views of the lake the entire way

Hike: Rock Pile (10 minutes or less) Stairs most of the way up

19:00   Take shuttle to Park & Ride 

19:30   Depart for Banff Hot Springs (50 minutes)

20:30   Soak: Banff Upper Hot Springs | You can rent towels and purchase tickets in person/day-of

22:00   Dinner at Saffron Bistro

00:00   Return to hotel: High Country Inn

 

Day 6 – Banff

 

11:30   Breakfast

12:30   Drive to Peyto Lake (1 hr)

13:00   Hike: Peyto Lake | Lots of hikes here with options of intensity level

Drive the Icefields Parkway and make stops along the way for some shorter hikes. Remember there is no cell service, so download any maps prior to starting the day.

18:00   Return to hotel to prep for dinner

19:15   Dinner at Eden at the Rimrock Hotel

If you like Michelin star restaurants, this is an absolute must!!!! It’s highly rated in Canada and it was well worth it! Definitely do the wine pairing if you enjoy a variety of spirits! There’s also an entire separate menu for vegetarians. Highly recommend this experience!

 

Day 7 – Banff

This day happened to be Canada Day! And there were lots to see in town. I was done being active by this point of the trip but here are some additional hikes and activities that are great:

Hike: Tunnel Mountain Trail  | 2.7 miles | ~1 hour out & back

Visit: Sulfur Mountain | Take 6 min gondola ride | Coffee stop at Sky Bistro at the Top

Hike: Johnston Canyon to Upper Falls | 3.3 miles | 2.5 hours | Out and back. Option to continue to Ink Pots for +4 miles | ~4 hours out & back (total of 7 miles)

16:15 Dinner at The Bison

This restaurant was also highly rated online! The food is delicious and mostly comes from the Alberta region! Fantastic farm to table!

 

Day 8 – Travel Day

 

09:00 Breakfast

09:45 Check out of hotel

10:00 Depart for airport (1 hour 30 min drive)

12:00 Drop off rental car (Hertz)

13:30 Fly nonstop from YYC to IAD

 

Notes:

There were so many more things to do in Banff and Jasper depending on available time. I will say that Jasper is not to be missed. It was really beautiful and it’s less touristy than Banff. I would have moved one day there instead of Banff for more outdoor activities.

For gear, I have two big recommendations: wear layers and bring hiking poles! Rain and cold temps were expected on the trip but it turned out to be in the 70s yet windy. Each day, I wore a base layer (these two), and this vest, and this rain jacket. I’d typically wear a base layer up a hill and a vest down hill. During early morning breakfast and nighttime dinners, I’d wear this down coat or this sweater. My friend recommended GearLab to check out reviews on equipment and clothing and I’m glad I used that site! In terms of poles, I have these. They breakdown small so they fit in my suitcase and fit in my backpack. I cannot express enough how helpful poles were during this trip! They made going steep up hills and rocky downhills much better on my knees. 

Finally, this is definitely a great trip if you want to just see pretty views. While I finished nine hikes, I would have definitely been good enjoying the view with a drink in hand! So you can truly make it as active as you prefer.

Hope this itinerary helps you figure out your upcoming trip to Banff and Jasper!