Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay — two weeks across all four mountain national parks
Two weeks is the trip the Rockies actually deserve. This one covers all four contiguous mountain parks — Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay — with time for the Icefields Parkway in both directions, the teahouse hikes above Lake Louise, and the quieter corners most one-week trips skip.
| Day | Where | Plan | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canmore | Arrive from Calgary, the Three Sisters, Policeman’s Creek boardwalk | Canmore |
| 2 | Banff | Banff Ave, Bow Falls, Banff Gondola, Upper Hot Springs | Banff |
| 3 | Banff area | Lake Minnewanka, Johnston Canyon, Vermilion Lakes sunset | Banff |
| 4 | Kootenay N.P. | Marble Canyon, the Paint Pots, Radium Hot Springs soak | Banff |
| 5 | → Lake Louise | Bow Valley Parkway, Castle Mountain, lakeshore walk | Lake Louise |
| 6 | Moraine & teahouses | Moraine Lake sunrise, Lake Agnes and Plain of Six Glaciers | Lake Louise |
| 7 | Yoho N.P. | Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge, Takakkaw Falls, Wapta Falls | Lake Louise |
| 8 | Icefields Parkway | Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, Saskatchewan Crossing | Jasper |
| 9 | Columbia Icefield Jasper National Park Alberta | Athabasca Glacier, Skywalk, Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls | Jasper |
| 10 | Jasper | Jasper townsite, Maligne Canyon, Pyramid and Patricia Lakes | Jasper |
| 11 | Maligne Lake Jasper National Park Alberta | Medicine Lake, Maligne Lake cruise, Spirit Island | Jasper |
| 12 | Jasper area | Jasper SkyTram, Valley of the Five Lakes, Miette Hot Springs | Jasper |
| 13 | Parkway south | Drive the Icefields Parkway back, Herbert Lake, Banff evening | Banff |
| 14 | Home | Canmore breakfast, drive to Calgary, fly out | — |
Ease in at Canmore under the Three Sisters, then move into Banff for the townsite classics: the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain, Bow Falls, Lake Minnewanka and the catwalks of Johnston Canyon.
The park everyone drives through and nobody stops in. Marble Canyon, the ochre Paint Pots, and the hot pools at Radium in their narrow red canyon.
Two nights at Lake Louise buys you both teahouse hikes — Lake Agnes above the lake, and the Plain of Six Glaciers at the end of the valley — plus a shuttle up to Moraine Lake for sunrise.
Over the BC border for Emerald Lake, the Natural Bridge, and Takakkaw Falls pouring off the Daly Glacier.
The 230 km between Lake Louise and Jasper is arguably the most scenic drive on earth: Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Mistaya Canyon, the Columbia Icefield with its glacier walk and Skywalk, then Sunwapta and Athabasca Falls.
Bigger, quieter and more wildlife than Banff. Maligne Canyon, the boat to Spirit Island on Maligne Lake, the Jasper SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain, and a long soak at Miette Hot Springs, the hottest in the Rockies.
We turn routes like this into a full day-by-day planner — flights, hotels, tours and maps in one file. Grab the downloadable Canada · Alberta & BC itinerary or have us build a custom version for your dates.
