Into the Wild: A Perfect Banff Itinerary for Mountain Lovers

Once you’ve landed in Calgary and picked up your rental car, drive about an hour and a half to two hours to your accommodation in either Canmore or Banff. From there, you can explore the downtown area near your hotel. Take a gondola in Banff up to Sulphur Mountain for views of the Rockies. You can also take a dip in the hot springs or take a self-guided tour of The Cave and Basin National Historic Site.

Get ready to get up bright and early to head to one of Banff’s crown jewels, Lake Louise. I loved getting here at sunrise to watch the sun rise over the lake. It was extremely peaceful and the water was so calm. If you decide not to watch the sunrise, you can start a hike. I’d recommend the Plain of Six Glaciers hike—a little challenging, but it offers amazing views of glaciers at the end and plenty of wildlife along the way, like marmots! On your way up, stop at the tea house for some tea, sandwiches, and chocolate cake.

Optional: If you don’t complete a long hike, or feel like you’ll have the energy, you can knock out Lake Moraine afterwards.

Day three is going to be another early day, as Johnston Canyon gets very busy and the parking lot fills quickly! We arrived no later than 8 a.m., and there were very few people there. On the way back down from our hike, it was very busy! You can hike a couple miles through Johnston Canyon along the river and view waterfalls along the way. If you’re looking for a longer hike, you can continue on to the Ink Pots.

On day four, if you’ve scored shuttle tickets (or hired a private transfer), go to Lake Moraine to do some more hiking. I recommend going early in the morning again as well. You can rent a canoe to go out on the lake or take one of the various hikes. I hiked to the larch trees at the end of September, and it was beautiful seeing golden trees changing for the fall. At the end of the trail, you’ll come across a very small lake where you can enjoy a snack or lunch all while listening to pikas squeak.

On the way back into town, feel free to stop at Vermillion Lakes or Bow Falls.

My favorite day out of this whole itinerary is going to the Athabasca Glacier on the way up to Jasper. Driving the Columbia Icefield Parkway is beautiful, and there are lots of stop-offs along the way, but I recommend saving those for your drive back. A guide will take you on the glacier, where you get to hike for about an hour and learn facts about it. Dress warm and plan for windy weather because it was incredibly windy on the day we went! On the glacier, you’ll have plenty of time to take pictures and get to drink some water right from the glacier.

If you’re not feeling a long hike, you can go across the street to purchase a tour from the Columbia Icefield to do the skywalk or ride the Ice Explorer out to the glacier.

On your drive back to Banff or Canmore, take a stop at various waterfalls, lakes, and canyons.

If you want to go to a beautiful lake to canoe, Emerald Lake is also an option. There is also a hike you can do around the lake. Or, if you’re feeling extremely adventurous, drive up to Golden to go to Golden Skybridge. Here, you can buy an adventure pass, which gives you access to cross the suspension bridge (which is Canada’s highest suspension bridge and is absolutely terrifying if you’re afraid of heights—ask me how I know). There is also a challenge course, a mountain coaster, a zip line, and axe throwing.

Depending on when your flight is, you’ll be driving back into Calgary. You can explore the downtown area before your flight or, if you have enough time, visit the zoo. Don’t forget to grab some poutine on your way out, though!