Hiking & Relaxing in the Banff Area: A 4-Night Couples' Trip that Avoids the Crowds

The trip began the moment we landed in Calgary and picked up our rental car. From there, we navigated to the Trans-Canada Highway, and within minutes the mountains were already showing off. We weren't expecting the views to hit that fast, but it was instant. Every direction was postcard-worthy.

To break up the drive, we stopped in Canmore for an early dinner and a quick walk through downtown. We ate at Cabeza Grande, a Mexican spot that turned out to be a great call. We started with chips and guac and both went with the bowl for our entree and had no regrets. This was a nice way to stretch our legs, get a feel for the town, and avoid showing up to the lodge starving.

From Canmore, the drive toward Yoho National Park continued to be beautiful and easy. Right before Emerald Lake, we made a quick stop at Natural Bridge—and this is one we'd recommend without hesitation. It's right off the main road—a parking lot leads you to a rushing stream that flows directly beneath a striking natural rock formation. It's a short, easy stop, and the payoff is exceptional. We stood at the railing for a few minutes, not saying much, just watching the water move under the bridge.

We arrived at Emerald Lake Lodge around 8 p.m. One thing worth knowing ahead of time: overnight guests don't drive directly to the lodge. You park in a satellite lot, and the hotel picks you up and brings you onto the property. By the time we settled in, it was just a matter of placing our lunch order for the next day's hike, borrowing some free bear spray from the front desk, and getting trail recommendations along with helpful maps from the staff. After a long travel day, we called it there and settled into our room for the night.

A few things worth knowing before you stay: There's no cell service at Emerald Lake Lodge, Wi-Fi is only available in the main lodge building, and the rooms don't have TVs. If you're someone who needs to stay connected, plan around it—but honestly, that disconnection ended up being part of what made this trip feel so relaxing. We were happy to read a book and unplug.

We woke up on day two feeling rested and ready, and headed to the lodge for coffee and to pick up the packed lunches we'd ordered the night before. Back in the room, we loaded up our backpacks with bear spray, a bear bell, lunches, raincoats, and plenty of water and set out for the trailhead.

The Emerald Triangle hike starts on the Emerald Lake Trail before climbing up Burgess Pass, with a total elevation gain of nearly 4,000 feet. The trail loops around the lake at the top and exits on a different side of the lake than where you started, making for a full 12.5-mile day. It's rated hard, and it earns that rating. This isn't a casual stroll, and it demands real effort. But if hiking challenging trails in exchange for incredible views is your kind of fun, this one delivers in full.

After finishing the loop, we took a final lap around Emerald Lake to soak in the views and snap a few more pictures before heading back to our room to peel off our hiking boots, shower, and just relax for a bit before dinner. That evening, we ate at Cilantro, the onsite restaurant that’s a small, charming dining spot overlooking the lake. After dinner, we sat by the water for a while recapping the best parts of the hike, before heading back to our room to read and call it a night.

We checked out of Emerald Lake Lodge on day three, but with a relaxed start to the morning. After hiking over 12 miles the day before, there was zero rush to get going, so we took our time before checkout.

After check-out, we were escorted back to our car in the satellite lot and we drove to Lake Louise Ski Resort, where the shuttle we pre-booked picked us up for the short drive to the lake. Lake Louise is one of the most popular spots in the entire region, and the parking lot famously fills up before sunrise, which is exactly why we recommend arranging a shuttle through a local company instead of driving yourself. We used Moraine Lake Bus Company, and the whole process was easy and convenient from start to finish.

Arriving at Lake Louise, the crowds were immediately obvious. It's one of the most photogenic spots in the area, and most people stop right at the front to take their photos and never go any further.
This is where avoiding the crowds becomes easy: Just keep walking. A few minutes down the path, the crowds thin out dramatically, since most visitors never make it past the main viewpoint, but the views are still incredible down the path!

Our quest was the Plain of Six Glaciers hike up to the teahouse. The trail starts along the Lake Louise path before ascending toward the glacier and into the canyon, with beautiful views both forward toward the glacier and back toward the lake the entire way. It's a 3.5-mile hike to reach the teahouse, which serves tea, coffee, hot chocolate, lunch items, and sweets, all with no electricity on site. Everything we ordered was delicious, and the service was incredibly friendly; it was truly lovely and also shocking that a place like this even exists. Compared to the crowds at the front of Lake Louise, reaching this teahouse felt like an entirely different, almost exclusive experience—proof that a little extra effort goes a long way toward escaping the masses.

We hiked back down, soaking in our last views of Lake Louise, then caught our shuttle back to the car and made the drive into downtown Banff.

We stayed at The Kenrick, a beautiful hotel right in town, and the change of pace was immediately noticeable. Once we arrived, we took advantage of The Kenrick's indoor pool, called The Nora. In addition to the pool, The Nora has a sauna, a steam room, a cold plunge, hot tubs, and food and beverage service—exactly what we needed after two straight days of hiking. After recharging there, we headed up to our room to shower and get ready for dinner.

For dinner, we made a point of skipping the touristy bars and grills lining Banff's main street and instead went to Hello Sunshine, a Japanese restaurant just off the main strip. The energy was high, the food was even better, and it felt like we'd found the spot locals actually go to rather than the spots built for tourist foot traffic. We shared sushi before heading back to The Kenrick to sleep in our beautiful and stylish King Suite.

After two days of hiking, my legs were feeling it, and what I really wanted was a good stretch instead of another climb. I borrowed a yoga mat from the hotel and headed down to Central Park along the Bow Valley Trail. My partner, a trail runner at heart, had been craving a run, so we walked down together. He set off along the trail while I rolled out my mat in the park and practiced yoga. Proof you don't have to do every activity together to have a great couples' trip.

The Bow Valley Trail follows the Bow River, with walking, running, and biking paths lined along either side—and once we left the main street and arrived down there, there were only a few people around. After I finished my practice and he wrapped up his run, we met back up and walked together to Bow Falls. It was quiet and practically empty, and this whole morning turned out to be one of the most peaceful moments of the whole trip—a perfect, unhurried way to start the day.

From there, we checked out of The Kenrick and began making our way back east for our final night. We stopped in Canmore for lunch, having loved what we'd seen there on our first day. We picked up sandwiches from a corner store and carried them down to Riverside Park for a picnic along the water. Canmore continued to deliver exactly what we wanted: good shopping, a relaxed pace, and none of the crowds we'd dealt with in downtown Banff.

After lunch, we got back in the car for the final stretch of the trip, arriving at Kananaskis Nordic Spa for our last night, and the part of the trip dedicated entirely to restoring. We booked the twilight pass, running from 5 to 9 p.m., which gave us full access to the pools, hot tubs, cold plunges, saunas, steam rooms, and quiet reflection areas. (Book the Nordic Spa pass in advance as slots fill up, especially on weekends.) We moved slowly through all of it, in no rush to be anywhere else. We capped off the evening with dinner at the spa's restaurant, Two Pines—still in our robes—before finishing out the night and heading to a restful sleep.