Banff and Jasper National Park still hold the number one place we have been. It is by far the most beautiful landscape we have seen!
You can ask the kids and this will be their favorite they’ve ever been. I honestly think it was the best because it was our very first trip where we completely disconnected. No phone service over the border, and we didn’t over fill our days. It was more about being in a beautiful place together and chilling. As you can see our Itinerary wasn’t packed. We felt like it was perfect for a slow pace trip with kids (ages 5 & 3) where the sole purpose was to be together.
Banff & Jasper National Park, Alberta Canada
8 day ITINERARY
JASPER:
DAY 1: DRIVE UP ICE FIELD PARKWAY: Drive up to Jasper along one of the most beautiful and longest scenic drives in the world. It’s 142 miles (232 km) stretch of double-lane highway winding along the Continental Divide through soaring rocky mountain peaks, icefields and vast sweeping valleys.
DAY 2: MALIGNE CANYON – TOWN OF JASPER Hike along the deepest canyon in the Rockies, and explore the cute mountain train town of Jasper.
DAY 3: MALIGNE LAKE CRUISE/ SCENIC DRIVE: Take a boat ride into the Majestic Valley of the Gods as you glide past the jagged mountain peaks as you cruise to and experience to Spirit Island, a world-famous destination only accessible by boat.
DAY 4: ATHABASCA FALLS & PYRAMID LAKE: View the sheer force of one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies, and then take a nice picnic to the beaches of Pyramid Lake with beautiful views all to yourself.
ICE FIELD PARKWAY
DAY 5: ATHABASCA GLACIER EXPLORER – GLACIER SKYWALK: Travel on a massive Ice Explorer to a place where you can walk on, feel, and drink from the Athabasca Glacier, then take a jaw-dropping walk along the glass-floored skywalk at the cliff’s edge.
BANFF
DAY 6: LAKE LOUISE – BANFF GONDOLA: Canoe on the iconic Lake Louise. Then ride the Banff Gondola at sunset for a 360 view of the Canadian Rockies at dusk.
DAY 7: MORAINE LAKE (VALLEY OF THE 10 PEAKS): Sit and take in the beauty of the famous Moraine Lake or even rent a canoe and take in the beauty around the bend.
DAY 8: JOHNSON CANYON: Hike along the catwalk high above the river along the canyon gorge to view 2 beautiful waterfalls.
Full Posts are linked below under ADVENTURES.
THE GUIDE INCLUDES:
- TOTAL COST
- BEST TIME TO GO
- WEATHER
- WHERE TO CAMP
- WILDLIFE
- 11 ADVENTURES
- WHERE TO BOOK YOUR EXCURSIONS
- GEAR WE NEEDED
- PRINTABLE PACKING SHEETS & MEAL GUIDE
TOTAL COST:
The total cost for the whole trip was around $1,650.00 for 10 days.
That includes the full itinerary listed below as well as 3 travel days. Yes, that does include food and gas too. – traveling around 2,500 miles.
BEST TIME TO GO:
Best months to go: July – October
After research we thought the best time to go for us was SEPTEMBER because the bugs are not as bad, warmer weather, and receives less rain during this time.
However our preference is summer weather while tent camping. Banff and Jasper have an amazing winter season activities as well. If you love winter sports they are known for their lifts and have some really awesome winter hikes that take you up close and personal to iced waterfalls and more.
ADDITONAL INFORMATION:
- During the month of July and August you are most likely to experience good weather with pleasant average temperatures that fall between 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) and 25 degrees Celsius (77°F).
- The coldest season / winter is in the months of January, February, November and December.
- The warmest month is August with an average maximum temperature of 20°C (68°F).
- The coldest month is December with an average maximum temperature of -7°C (-2°F).
- May is the most wet month. This month should be avoided if you are not a big fan of rain.
- April is the driest month.
WEATHER:
WHERE TO CAMP:
JASPER: WAPITI CAMPGROUND
We loved Wapiti, and would stay their again, but Wabasso would be another great campsite to stay in as well.
BANFF: TUNNELS 2 CAMPGROUND
We liked Tunnels 2, but after looking around at the other options once there, we really liked Johnson Canyon Campground. We would try to stay there next time.
FAVORITE CAMPGROUND APPS/ SITES
You can take a look at what is around you and choose a campground or wild camp for free. These 2 apps are great. (ioverlander is best for international and wild camp travel)
WILDLIFE WE SAW:
ADVENTURES:
- Here is a list of hikes, excursions, scenic drives, view points, and nature walks we did on our trip.
- EACH ADVENTURE IS LINKED TO A FULL DETAILED POST.
THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY
This drive will take your breath away. 142 miles, yes 142 MILES of mountains upon mountains upon mountains. You keep driving and they just keep popping up. One range after another keeps coming after each turn.
MALIGNE CANYON
Make sure to bring your rain jacket. It seems like there is a constant mist around.
TOWN OF JASPER
The little town of big Jasper. Jasper is an intimate community that originated as a railway town that just happens to be in the middle of some of the most gorgeous protected wilderness in the world.
MALIGNE LAKE CRUISE TO SPIRIT ISLAND
Maligne Lake is the longest lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains at 22.5 km’s and the second largest glacier fed lake in the world. It’s home to Spirit Island, a picture perfect place.
ATHABASCA FALLS
View the sheer force of one of the most powerful waterfalls in the Canadian Rockies, and then take a nice picnic to the beaches of Pyramid Lake with beautiful views all to yourself.
PYRAMID LAKE
Pyramid Lake was a little hidden gem we stumbled upon. We went looking for a nice place to picnic and ended up building sandcastles, swimming, and spending a couple of house here.
ATHABASCA GLACIER TOUR: Columbia Ice Explorer & Skywalk
Travel on a massive Ice Explorer to a place where you can walk on, feel and drink from the Athabasca Glacier. Then, take a jaw-dropping walk along the glass-floored Skywalk at the cliff’s edge.
LAKE LOUISE
You have seen photos of the lake but they haven’t prepared you for how it feels to experience it yourself. Rounding the corner, the sight of the emerald green water and rugged peaks and glaciers hits… you’ve never seen anything so dramatically beautiful.
BANFF GONDOLA
Take in six incredible mountain ranges from the 360-degree rooftop observation deck as you are surrounded by some greatest alpine views of the Canadian Rockies.
MORAINE LAKE – VALLEY OF THE 10 PEAKS
Sit lakeside and absorb the sights and pure mountain air, or explore further by canoeing and hiking. It’s an iconically jaw-dropping place that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
JOHNSON CANYON
Take a catwalk with the steep walls of the canyon jutting high above you and the deep blue pools of the creek far below.
.
WHERE TO BOOK YOUR EXCURSIONS:
BOOK YOUR EXCURSIONS:
The first thing I did when I got to town was go and purchase my excursion package. You can also do this online ahead of time as well. The pricing is very reasonable.
We recommend doing the Maligne Lake Tour, Columbia Icefield Glacier Discovery that includes the Icefield Skywalk, and the Banff Gondola. They we’re all amazing.
.
NEED ADDITIONAL HELP?
PACKING AND PLANNING GUIDES
We have created 2 printable guides to help you get started camping.
