With gorgeous trails, majestic canyons, and dramatic glaciers, Banff Nationwide Park—the oldest nationwide park in Canada—is a pure marvel that guarantees breathtaking landscapes and unforgettable experiences. Adventures await in each nook!

We just lately took the Rocky Mountaineer, a passenger-only practice that travels from coastal British Columbia deep into the cloud-scraping Rocky Mountains of Alberta. And what a journey it was! The journey took a number of days to finish, and we additionally added a couple of additional days to discover the mountains in a rental automobile. There was a lot to jot down about that it needed to be damaged up into two posts; that is half two of our Canadian Rocky Mountain journey.

Attending to the Rockies

Our journey began in Vancouver, Canada, the place we boarded the Rocky Mountaineer—a luxurious practice that spent two days winding by unbelievable surroundings earlier than we disembarked in Banff, Alberta. That’s the place this a part of our story kicks off!

Our Itinerary for the Rocky Mountains

After disembarking within the charming alpine city of Banff, Alberta, we wasted no time tackling our journey listing. There’s a lot to discover on this space that you’d want a lifetime to see all of it—however with just some nights right here, we had ready an inventory of must-see locations. Banff would function our base as we explored the encompassing space.

Journey Tip: Our resort was a 5-minute drive from downtown Banff, and there are shuttles and buses that take guests there. The resort had a fantastic view, but when we return, we might keep close to downtown since all of the actions are close by.

In addition to exploring the nationwide park surrounding Banff, our listing of locations to go to included the Columbia Icefields, Mount Norquay, and Lake Louise. We additionally had a choice of hikes we needed to sort out, in addition to a canoe tour. Bold? Maybe, however we certain had a good time checking off our listing!

Day One: The Quaint Village of Banff

Image-perfect and postcard-ready, Banff is every little thing you’d anticipate a Canadian Rocky Mountain city to be. Situated inside the nationwide park, a moratorium on new development has stored this mountain gem frozen in time. It was a lot enjoyable to discover the retailers and eating places. In fact, we didn’t have a lot time to spare—we had glaciers to see and hikes to beat!

Renting a Automobile

Renting a automobile made probably the most sense for us to absorb all of the sights we needed to see, and to take action at our personal tempo. The highways are broad, well-signed, and luxurious to journey on.

Simply keep in mind: Canada makes use of the metric system, so these indicators are in kilometers! On our first day of automobile touring, we headed for the Columbia Glacier, one of many largest remaining ice glaciers within the Rockies.

Day Two: A True Alpine Expertise

Nearly any time you go to Banff, you’ll be able to see snow—not simply alongside the Icefields Parkway (our path to Columbia Glacier) however even on the peaks round city. Our springtime journey was no exception. The peaks round Banff have been freshly dusted with snow, and in a single day temperatures dipped surprisingly near snowfall-friendly digits. These are correct mountains, and snow can fall in nearly any month of the yr.

The Canadian Rockies

We’ve heard from buddies who’ve visited the Canadian Rockies how unbelievable they’re. It’s actually troublesome to understand till you see them in particular person as a result of images and flicks simply can’t do them justice. In every single place you look, for tons of of miles, there are tall, huge peaks, one after one other.

The Canadian Rockies are comparable in top to the American Rockies, however they seem extra spectacular as a result of they’re often seen from a decrease elevation. Cities like Denver and Salt Lake Metropolis are at excessive elevations (5,280 toes and 4,265 toes, respectively), so the close by mountains don’t look as tall. Regardless that capturing the sheer measurement of those mountains is unimaginable, I loved making an attempt. Whereas they nonetheless look spectacular in images, the towering presence of the jagged peaks up shut is indescribable.

A Story of Nice Glaciers 

A number of glaciers encompass Banff Nationwide Park, however most of them type a part of the colossal Columbia Icefield. The Columbia Icefield is a broad time period for the sections of ice that straddle the realm we have been exploring—the continental divide separating Banff and Jasper Nationwide Parks. Our vacation spot from Banff was the Athabasca Glacier, a large slew of ice a couple of two-hour drive from Banff.

Driving the Icefield Parkway

Simply half an hour exterior Banff, a junction within the freeway turns north onto a lonely part known as the Icefield Parkway. That is the path to Jasper, one other fashionable vacation spot within the Rockies, however alongside the best way lies the Columbia Icefield, our vacation spot for the day. With the solar poking by the clouds, spotlighting the enormous peaks round us, the drive up the Icefield Parkway was completely gorgeous. The uncooked, untamed wilderness stretches in each course, with no cities or settlements for the complete two-hour drive as much as the glacier.

Glacier Lakes and Alpine Hikes: The Athabasca Glacier

Scientists have studied this part of glacier presumably greater than another in Canada, and for good cause. It has been melting at a dramatic charge. In 1970, the Athabasca Glacier prolonged proper previous the freeway within the photograph beneath. Nevertheless, the planet’s warming has modified all that, and now the glacier itself is an efficient distance from the Icefields Parkway. No downside, although, as we’re booked with Columbia Icefield Glacier Adventures.

Columbia Icefield Glacier Journey

These days, attending to the Athabasca Glacier means taking a bus. Personal autos should be left within the parking space, and if you wish to hike on the glacier, it’s worthwhile to take the ice bus. Wait, an ICE bus? Sure, that’s appropriate—however that is no odd bus!

These buses, mounted on large tires, are custom-made for driving as much as (and on) the glacier. After a gradual, rumbling journey as much as the ice, you’ll be able to discover and hike on the large ice sheet.

The bus took us from the customer middle to the glacier, the place we have been in a position to stroll on the ice for about 20 minutes. Our household had a lot enjoyable!

Athabasca Glacier: Fast Information:

Dimension: The ice sheet covers an space of about 6 sq. kilometers, or simply underneath 3 sq. miles.

Depth: The glacier is round 300 meters (roughly 1,000 toes) deep at its thickest level.

Peak: The highest of the glacier reaches a staggering 8,900 toes (2700 meters) above sea stage.

Columbia Icefield Skywalk:

We bought the Columbia Icefield Skywalk expertise together with the Icefield Adventures package deal. Guests can’t drive to the Skywalk themselves; solely customer middle buses are allowed within the parking zone. The Skywalk is suspended roughly 900 toes above the terrain beneath. Alongside the circuit, there are views of waterfalls, fossil reveals, and lookout factors for learning the glacier.

After a full day of exploring glaciers and scenic lakes, it was time to go again to Banff. Our dinner that evening was an alpine-inspired fondue—good after all of the recent air and climbing. We selected a German restaurant, the Waldhaus, on the Fairmont Banff Springs. The meal was incredible, among the finest we had on the journey.

Day Three: Johnston Canyon and Banff Canoe Membership:

Johnston Canyon:

It is a nice hike to expertise just a little of every little thing the Rockies have to supply—towering peaks, mountain streams, suspension bridges, and caves. There’s loads of thundering white water to admire alongside the best way, with the path winding out and in of the forest alongside the scenic path. We had the proper climate for the hike, the best strategy to heat up earlier than our canoe journey.

Banff Canoe Membership:

The aptly named Banff Canoe Membership is located on the river that flows proper by Banff, and it got here extremely advisable to us by our resort’s concierge. There are different locations to canoe, such because the top-rated Moraine Lake/Lake Louise (with a 3-hour watch for a canoe), however canoeing on the Bow River means no crowds and equally scenic views. In actual fact, the surroundings was so fascinating that we regularly forgot to paddle, spending a great portion of our rental time simply drifting and taking footage!

The Bison for Dinner

Mountain climbing, canoeing, and exploring left us famished, so our seek for a dinner spot led us to The Bison Terrace restaurant in downtown Banff. They didn’t disappoint. Figuring out we nonetheless had one other full day of exploring forward, we didn’t maintain again on replenishing our energy! The meals was scrumptious, although we discovered the service may have been higher.

Day 4: Mount Norquay, Lake Louise, and Moraine Lake

It might be unimaginable to go to Banff Nationwide Park with out encountering some wildlife. We had already seen eagles, deer, and a number of other different native species, however on day 4, we have been handled to a particular sight: mountain sheep!

Huge Horn Mountain Sheep

Their curved, Princess Leia-style horns give these majestic animals a regal class, however don’t get too shut! They’re wild animals, in spite of everything, and people horns are extra than simply for present.

Summiting the Mountain

We noticed the sheep whereas driving as much as Mount Norquay, the place we had a morning of scrambling and climbing booked. Mount Norquay is a ski hill in winter, however they’ve devised ingenious methods to put it to use year-round. The tour we selected gave us entry to the craggy mountaintop scrambles by way of the hill’s ski carry.

Studying the Ropes

Accessing these world-class scrambling areas by way of the chair carry was an actual deal with, however we nonetheless had our work reduce out for us! Earlier than boarding the carry, we would have liked to be briefed on some essential security factors. Since we might be utilizing ropes for elements of our mountaintop scramble, a overview of what to anticipate was required first.

Reward: Magnificent Views

After a tutorial on rope approach, it was time to sort out the height! We have been gifted one other good day for this outing; the rain held off, and intermittent cloud cowl offered wonderful circumstances for digital camera pictures.

Selecting this path to the summit isn’t for the faint of coronary heart; chairlift or not, some critical scrambling is required to succeed in the highest.

We have been rewarded with panoramic views that showcased the city of Banff and the grand park surrounding us, so the hassle was properly value it!

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise

After respiratory within the skinny air and admiring the view from the highest of the world, it was time for our subsequent sightseeing journey: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. 

Lake Louise is dwelling to a spectacular resort: the Fairmont Château Lake Louise. Because the crown jewel of the Fairmont chain, this castle-like resort is legendary for a lot of causes, with the views being arguably probably the most notable. The lake featured entrance and middle is Lake Louise, and adjoining to it’s Moraine Lake. Each are glacier-fed lakes that glisten with an emerald-green hue because of the excessive mineral content material within the glacial runoff. Nice strolling and climbing trails abound on this space.

Notes On Lake Louise and Moraine Lake:

Lake Louise and the encompassing sights are all located inside a Nationwide Park—identical to the city of Banff. Nevertheless, not like Banff, Lake Louise will be difficult to entry by personal automobile. Sure areas, equivalent to Moraine Lake, are fully off-limits to personal vehicles. The answer is to make use of the out there shuttle bus providers. It’s value noting that the bus ought to be reserved upfront to keep away from ready, and it stops operating at 7:30 PM. We’d take into account staying at Lake Louise for an evening or two subsequent time to entry the sights within the space extra simply.

Journey Tip: Bus tickets are booked weeks upfront, however Parks Canada releases a restricted variety of bus passes for the day every morning. One other tip from JOC readers is to go to Moraine Lake first. This proved to be a fantastic suggestion, because it was much less crowded, and we didn’t have to attend lengthy for the shuttles.

Off to Calgary

The sprawling metropolis of Calgary is simply a few hours from Banff, making it a fantastic possibility for flying to or from. After our fabulous mountain journey, we headed to Calgary to catch our flight dwelling.

Wagashi Tea Home

We had a fantastic meals cease alongside the best way at Wagashi Tea Home. This Japanese restaurant is situated in Canmore, a city simply exterior Banff Nationwide Park and an excellent stopping level on the best way to Calgary. We cherished our meal right here, and assembly the great Japanese-Canadian homeowners turned a spotlight of our journey.

We made time for yet one more JOC household photograph shoot, this time with the ‘Three Sisters’ within the background. The Three Sisters are a collection of peaks on the outskirts of Canmore that mark the japanese fringe of the Rocky Mountain Vary. Past the Three Sisters, the peaks step by step give strategy to the foothills of Calgary—and our flight dwelling.

The Finish of an Epic Journey

Our Rocky Mountain expertise started on the waters of the Pacific, with a practice journey that wound by coastal mountains into the extra rugged terrain of British Columbia’s inside, finally climbing its means as much as the majestic Rocky Mountains. Sitting at Calgary Airport, we may view the ridge line of the Rocky Mountain chain and replicate on all that we had seen and carried out. This was one in every of JOC’s most epic journeys but, and it left us stuffed with unforgettable recollections. Thanks for becoming a member of us as we revisited our journey!