Banff, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the Icefields Parkway in one tight, spectacular week
Five days is exactly enough for the greatest hits of the Rockies without rushing them: Banff and the Bow Valley, the turquoise pair of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, the Icefields Parkway north to the Columbia Icefield, and Yoho just over the BC border.
| Day | Where | Plan | Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banff | Arrive via Canmore, Banff Ave, Bow Falls, Banff Gondola at sunset | Banff |
| 2 | Banff area | Lake Minnewanka, Johnston Canyon, Vermilion Lakes, hot springs soak | Banff |
| 3 | Lake Louise & Moraine | Shuttle to Moraine Lake for sunrise, lakeshore walk, Lake Agnes teahouse | Lake Louise |
| 4 | Yoho | Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge, Takakkaw Falls, Peyto Lake viewpoint | Lake Louise |
| 5 | Icefields Parkway | Bow Lake, Columbia Icefield glacier walk, drive out | — |
Base first in Banff township. Walk Banff Avenue with the mountains at the end of it, wander down to Bow Falls, and ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain for the boardwalk ridge and the whole valley below. Finish in the Banff Upper Hot Springs.
A full day close to town: the long glacial finger of Lake Minnewanka, the catwalks and waterfalls of Johnston Canyon, and sunset reflections from the Vermilion Lakes road.
The famous two. Moraine Lake is now shuttle- or bus-access only — book it, and go for sunrise over the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Then Lake Louise: walk the lakeshore to the end, or climb to the Lake Agnes Teahouse for tea above the water.
Cross into British Columbia for Yoho National Park: the impossible green of Emerald Lake, the rushing Natural Bridge, and Takakkaw Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in Canada, fed straight off the Daly Glacier.
Drive north on one of the world’s great mountain roads — Bow Lake, the arrowhead of Peyto Lake from Bow Summit, and the Columbia Icefield, where you can walk out onto the Athabasca Glacier or over the Skywalk.
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 itinerary or have us build a custom version for your dates.
