Turquoise lakes, mountains as far as the eye can see, breathtaking scenery – welcome to the Canadian Rockies! For 9 days, we roamed by van between Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. In this article, I’ll guide you through the best way to organize your itinerary between Jasper and Banff. As this is a top-rated destination, it’s best to plan ahead!

When to go to the Canadian Rockies?

The Canadian Rockies are beautiful all year round. However, if your goal is not to enjoy winter sports (or you’re chilly), the summer season is for you. Note that summer is rapid in this region. Indeed, it generally snows until the end of June, and the snow returns at the end of September. That leaves you just under 3 months to enjoy summer in the Rockies. This is, obviously, the favourite season for tourists, with a peak in August.

In our case, we chose to go from September 15 to September 24, 2023 inclusive. The roads were crowded, but we didn’t feel oppressed. Our biggest fear was the cold. During the week, we averaged 15°C during the day. At night, however, temperatures dropped drastically, stagnating at around 0°C. Yes, I must admit it was hard to get out from under the duvet in the morning! I list what we bring at the bottom of the article.

How do I get to the Canadian Rockies?

The Canadian Rockies are located in western Canada. The best way to get there is to fly into Calgary or Edmonton airport, then rent a car or van to cover the remaining kilometres. Depending on your point of departure, you may also decide to drive directly to the site. You’ll need to drive 847km from Vancouver, 414km from Edmonton and 127km from Calgary to get to Banff.

You can also consider taking the train. Banff and Jasper are served by Via Rail. However, if you don’t have a car, you’ll be limited in your ability to explore the parks.

To enter Canada’s national parks, you need to buy a pass. You can buy it by the day, month or year. I’ll give you more info on how to get a pass later.

As for us, we were leaving from Toronto. The easiest way was to fly to Calgary (a 4-hour flight), where our converted van was waiting for us. On board Michel (aka our van), we covered the remaining kilometres before finally arriving in Banff.

Where to sleep in the Canadian Rockies?

Because it’s such a popular destination, accommodations are booked months in advance, making them extremely expensive. In fact, as I write this article (February 2024), I can’t find a single Airbnb or hotel in Banff under C$400 a night. A cheaper alternative is to stay in Canmore. Located a 25-minute drive from Banff, prices drop to around C$300 per night.

The most economical alternative is to reserve a campsite, which costs around C$30 per night. To do this, you’ll need to add a campfire permit if the site has a fireplace (C$11 / night) and reservation fees (C$11.5 per reservation).

As you’ll understand, as soon as you’ve set your road-trip dates, book your hotel or campsite directly to make sure you’ve got somewhere to stay. Note that some campsites don’t require reservations. Nevertheless, the first-come, first-served rule applies. If you arrive in the morning, you’ll have a good chance of getting a spot. On the other hand, if you arrive at the end of the day, likely, there won’t be any available spots.

For reasons of economy and practicality, we rented a van and slept at the campsite. Please note that backcountry camping is forbidden in Banff and Jasper National Parks. So I strongly advise you to reserve your campsite in advance.

How to rent a van in the Canadian Rockies?

We booked our van, aka Michel, with Radventures. We opted for the Eco Camper, which is a super-functional converted car. And best of all, Harry from Radventures picks you up and takes you straight to the Calgary airport!

In our research, we also heard a lot about Outdoorsy. This is a site where private individuals and professionals can rent out their RVs or vans.

Comparing Radventures and the vans available on Outdoorsy, the price tipped the scales in favour of Radventures. The 8-day van rental cost us C$1482.06, for a total of C$185.26 per day. See you at the bottom of the article for a detailed budget, but you can already see that this is a really cost-effective way to travel, especially since for that price you also get a means of transport!

How do you travel between Banff and Jasper?

Although Banff and Jasper are connected by train, I’d recommend exploring both parks by car. You’ll be much more flexible, and it’s an essential means of getting around on less crowded trails. In addition, you’ll be able to drive along the famous Highway 93, also known as the Icefields Parkway, linking Banff and Jasper. The scenery is simply sublime.

In our case, as we had rented a van, it was our only means of getting around. The bonus was that as it was a converted car, it was very easy to park in town!

Parks Canada shuttles

If you’re staying in Banff, you can take advantage of the many shuttle buses provided by the town. Tickets cost around C$5. They can be purchased directly from the Token Transit app.

There’s something specific if you want to visit Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. Because of their popularity, the number of people visiting these lakes has increased in recent years. It’s now very difficult to find a free parking space at Lake Louise after 7.30 am. The situation is even more complicated at Moraine Lake, where the road is completely closed to private vehicles. The best way to do this is to reserve a seat on the shuttle bus that provides access to both lakes. Tickets go on sale 48 hours in advance. Yes, you’ve got to earn it to see these lakes! But once you’ve got your ticket, you can use the shuttle all day long. Price: C$9/person.

How to obtain a Parks Canada pass

To gain access to Canada’s National Parks, you need a pass. There are different types of passes:

• Discovery Pass: valid for 12 months, costs C$75.25/adult or C$151.25/vehicle (up to 7 people)
• Individual day passes: C$11/adult

You can buy this pass directly at the park entrance but expect to queue for tens of minutes. If you want to save time, buy it directly online.

We opted for the Discovery Pass. In fact, when we calculated the individual daily pass for 8 days for 2 people, it was more advantageous for us to go for the annual pass. It will also allow us to discover other National Parks!

What to do during your itinerary between Jasper and Banff?

If you love nature and adventure, you won’t be bored in the Canadian Rockies! Indeed, there’s no shortage of activities: hiking, kayaking, climbing, wildlife watching, hot-water bathing and much more! Many sites offer packages such as Banff Jasper Collection.

Being big fans of hiking, that’s all we did during our stay. By the way, I highly recommend downloading Alltrails, which gives you lots of information about hiking. Here’s a list of the hikes we did:

• Mont Sulphur hike (11km – 665m elevation gain): climbs continuously, but the trail is shaded and well signposted. It took us about 2 hours to go up and 1h30 to go down. The panoramic view over Banff makes you forget the climb! (on the other hand, we were sore for 2 days).

• Moraine Lake Shoreline Trail (3.8km – 96m elevation gain): this trail circles Moraine Lake. This is an easy hike. Allow around 1 hour to complete it (and take photos of this magnificent lake!).

• Consolation Lakes hike (7.4km – 262m elevation gain): the trail itself is not complicated. However, to access the lake, you’ll have to “climb” some rocks. A group of 4 is recommended for this hike, as there is a potential risk of encountering a bear. We didn’t see one. The round trip takes about 2 hours.

• Lake Agnes Trail (7.4km – 384m elevation gain): this hike takes you to the famous Agnes Tea House. Perched high above the lake, this café offers a well-deserved break. It took us just under 3 hours to complete.

• Takakkaw Falls and Yoho Lake Loop (10.6km – 589m elevation gain): this is the wildest hike we’ve ever done. The trail is narrow and you really get that feeling of being alone in the world. Unfortunately, the snow came along and we weren’t lucky enough to get a clear view of the Takakkaw Falls. It took us just over 4 hours to complete the hike (including the picnic under the snow!).

• Herbert Lake (1.6km – 27m elevation gain): this trail circles Herbert Lake. It’s easy and can be completed in 30 minutes.

• Hector Lake Trail (4.5km – 114m elevation gain): you start by walking through the forest before skirting a river that takes you to the “beach” of Hector Lake. It took us around 1h30 to make the round trip, with a short break on the beach for a sandwich.

• Peyto Lake Panorama View (2.4km – 93m elevation gain): you’ll be able to see the ever-popular Peyto Lake from a different vantage point than the platform (and with far fewer people).

• Boundary Lake (2.9km – 102m elevation gain): very easy, you discover this magnificent ice-blue lake. Allow around 1 hour for the round trip. Clearly, my favourite part of the trip ❤

• Valley of the Five Lakes (4,8km – 161m elevation gain): follow this loop to discover 5 beautiful lakes. In around 2 hours, we’d completed it.

• Maligne Canyon Loop (3,7km – 124m elevation gain): this loop offers different views of Maligne Canyon.

• Pyramid Lake Loop (6km – 211m elevation gain): after about 1 hour’s hiking, we arrive at the incredible viewpoint over Pyramid Lake and Patricia Lake. It took us about 2.5 hours to complete the whole trail.

• Old Fort Point Trail (3.7km – 175m elevation gain): the 175m elevation gain are felt right from the start! Once you’ve reached the summit, with its panoramic views of Jasper and the Athabasca River, the rest of the loop is super easy.

We’d heard a lot about Banff Upper Hot Springs. When we happened to pass by after our hike up Sulphur Mountain, we were rather disappointed by the place. Indeed, it’s more of a swimming pool (with a view of the mountains, but not that great). Nevertheless, if you’re interested, you’ll have to pay C$17.5 (excluding taxes).

Banff and Jasper Itinerary

From September 15 to 24, 2023, we spent a total of 10 days (but more like 9 if you count transport days).

• Day 1: Landing in Calgary at 10 pm, overnight at Acclaim Hotel by Clique Calgary Airport
• Day 2: Van pick-up, direction and visit to Banff.
• Day 3: Mount Sulphur hike and head for Lake Louise.
• Day 4: Lakes Louise, Moraine and Consolation
• Day 5: Hike to Takakkaw Falls and picnic under the snow
• Day 6: Direction Jasper via the Icefield Parkway with stops at Herbert Lake, Hector Lake and Peyto Lake. Overnight at Rampart Creek Campground.
• Day 7: Resume drive to Jasper with stops at Boundary Lake and Valley of the Five Lakes. Discovery of Jasper.
• Day 8: Hiking to Maligne Canyon, Pyramid Lake and Old Fort Point.
• Day 9: Return to Banff under torrential rain but with a stop at Athabasca Glacier. Afternoon window shopping and chill in Banff.
• Day 10: A very early wake-up call to take the van back to Calgary and catch the noon flight to Toronto.

For more details, here’s a day-by-day account of our itinerary between Banff and Jasper.

Budget for our itinerary between Banff and Jasper

I’m now going to detail the budget for our week in the Canadian Rockies. Of course, a budget is very personal and can vary according to the way you travel. Nevertheless, I thought this might give you an idea of how to prepare your own budget.

What to pack for your itinerary between Banff and Jasper?

Initially, we had only planned to leave with small Eastpack-type backpacks. However, after asking around about potential temperatures for the season, we soon realized that we might have been a little too optimistic. In the end, we took a 70L backpack in addition to our small rucksacks.

Here’s what I took:

• 2 sports leggings: I love the ones from Rose Boreal or Tentree
• 1 pant
• 4 t-shirts
• 2 hoodies
• 1 sweatpants and 1 t-shirt for sleeping and chilling out a night: Roots is a classic
• 2 t-shirts and 1 Heattech legging from Uniqlo, of course
• 9 pairs of underwear
• 6 pairs of Smartwool merino wool socks
• Scarf, gloves and hat
• A packable waterproof down jacket
• Hiking boots from Decathlon, as you’d expect from a French girl.
• Flip-flops: must-have for showering
• Hygiene products: shower bath, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, toothbrush
• Beauty products: face wash, moisturizer, lip balm and hand cream
• Small first-aid kit: Tylenol, disinfectant and bandages
• Card games: UNO
• E-reader
• Camera
• External battery (which we forgot… but can be very useful)

Useful applications and links

• Alltrail: this application lists numerous hikes all over the world. It tells you how difficult the hike is, gives you access to comments from people who have already done it, and guides you once you’re on the trail.
• Waze / Google Maps: a must for getting around. I advise you to download the map in advance so that you can continue to get around even if you don’t have a network.
• Jasper National Park’s official website
• Banff National Park’s official website
• Reserve a campsite in Parks Canada
• Book your shuttle to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake
• Buy your Park Access Pass
• Find an activity package with the Banff & Jasper collection.
• Rent a van with Radventures
• Download brochures on Banff National Park and Jasper National Park.
• Banff rates
• Jasper rates

That concludes this article on how to organize your itinerary between Banff and Jasper. I hope it will help you plan your road trip to the Canadian Rockies. To date, it’s the most beautiful trip I’ve ever taken. Rockies, you have my heart!

La Bise,