One of our most favorite places we have had the chance to experience is the Canadian Rockies, specifically Banff and Yoho National Parks. The views and landscape are stunning! The mountains…truly majestic, and the glacial lakes are simply breathtaking. We were fortunate to go in the summer of 2022 and 2023, at the end of July and beginning of August, which both were great times weather wise! Here are some recommendations we have from hikes to take, gear to have, places to visit and some helpful tips we learned along the way!
For starters, here are items that were extremely useful and what we recommend:
- Hiking Poles (Be kind to your knees/joints, you can thank me later! Great for kids, too)
- Bear Spray (a must have, can be purchased at most stores)
- Water Bladder or Hiking Backpack – hydration is KEY and minimal weight to carry!
- Hiking shoes/boots – traction is important especially in rocky/slippery areas.
- Layers – the temp will change the higher you climb, just never underestimate.
- Bug Spray – get LOADS of it. The mosquitos equal a special form of torture and are everywhere, completely relentless. You can never have enough bug spray, trust me!
- Portable Charger – You don’t want your camera or phone to die mid-day when you still have so many wonderful views ahead! The pictures and videos will never truly do any of it justice, but I live through them and remember so fondly all of the memories made.
- Selfie stick – Sometimes you may not see other hikers/people, so it’s great to have for pics. You don’t always want to rely on asking others to take a photo.
Banff
Moraine Lake
- Sunrise hike – If you’re able, we HIGHLY recommend going for a sunrise viewing. While gaining access to the parking lot is not easy, it is definitely worth it. Using the AllTrails app, we read previous day commentary as to what time the parking lot filled up (almost always before 4am). For us, we knew we needed to get there by 3:30 am at the LATEST. We made it just in the nick of time with under 5 minutes to spare before they closed off the lot. It was about a little over an hour drive from our airbnb in downtown Banff, so it wouldn’t have been fun to drive all that way to have to turn around in the pitch dark, especially along winding mountain roads. When we arrived, we did sleep in our car for a few hours and witnessed the most incredible meteor shower ever. It was spectacular! However, sleeping in the car was for the birds – but it comes with the territory! Just remember to pack lots of layers as the temps are quite cool in the morning. Moraine Lake is beautiful regardless, but beating the bus crowds at 8-9am was 100% worth the middle of the night wakeup. Our time in the morning was peaceful with WAY less crowds and made it easier to take pictures and enjoy the scenery without troves of tourists.
- Canoeing – Depending on weather and timing, I would also recommend going for a canoe ride. The hue of the water is gorgeous and crystal clear. The mountains enveloping you just leaves you in awe. Overall, this was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip – just breathing in the fresh air and relishing in nature’s beauty.
Lake Louise
- SUNRISE HIKE This might be one of the most heavily trafficked areas in Banff National Park – just very well known and full of tourists by 10am. One of the best decisions we made was to get up for a sunrise hike. We started right as the sun was coming up, and not only was it beautiful, but we were able to make more headway w/out people in front of us the whole way.
- FIRST STOP – Mirror Lake
- SECOND STOP – Lake Agnes and the Tea House (kind of a midway point, great stop for rest and snack break)
- ADDITIONAL STOPS – Little Beehive, Big Beehive, and Devil’s Thumb (challenging and not sure how my husband convinced me to make this trek. It was HARD but incredible).
If you choose not to hike, you can always take a walk around the bottom of Lake Louise and she is beautiful just as is. You can capture wonderful moments just sitting on a bench and taking it all in, but the hike offers different views that can’t be beat.
Peyto Lake
Both trips, it was just my husband and me (first for my 40th birthday and the following year for his). While we didn’t have our kids with us, we would love to come back with the whole family someday. This hike was one of the most “family friendly” of them all, as there is a lookout point not too far from the parking lot area. They have a standing deck/overlook point where you can take pictures. Our pictures below were of a secondary hike just a little further up. If you can see, we wanted the entire view of “the wolf head”. Can you see the ears and snout? So cool! Also, it’s no wonder my favorite color in the crayon box growing up was always cerulean blue….look at the water, a milky teal blue! Just jaw dropping, every lake you see!
Downtown Banff
- Sulphur Mountain/Gondola/Sky Bistro – Located right at the end of Mountain Avenue in downtown Banff, this mountain has a gondola you can ride to the top. This is a great way for those who are unable to hike or would not like to make the moderate trek to the top (young kids, wheelchair, or just prefer not to break a sweat!), you can enjoy the views and a nice lunch, too! We chose to hike up and ride the gondola back down. As a reward to ourselves, and a bit of motivation to keep moving when we got worn out, we reserved a lunch at Sky Bistro. But, feel free to pack your own lunch for the ride and view at the top, both are great.
- Lodging and Restaurant – One suggestion I would make about where to stay depends on how remote or lively you want. Downtown Banff has a lot more to do while Lake Louis area is more remote. Downtown Banff has more places to eat, grocery shop, and little stores to grab ice cream, souveniers, etc.
- While we didn’t stay at Elk and Avenue hotel, I would highly recommend if you wan’t something a bit more upscale and modern. The aesthetic was beautiful, cozy and trendy. We did dine at the restaurant, Farm and Fire, a few times and it was delicious! I would highly suggest eating a meal here at some point if you’re in downtown Banff.
YOHO National Park
Emerald Lake
Yes, the water really is a hue of emerald green and it’s just so dang pretty. We stayed in the Emerald Lake Lodge and enjoyed a wonderful dinner there as well. To be in the middle of nature with colossal pine trees and wildflowers surrounding you is not something we took for granted. Emerald Lake can certainly be a quick stop onto your next adventure and doesn’t need to be an all-day outing. You can spend an hour or two snapping pics, take out a kayak, and be on your way.
Canmore
This charming town isn’t nearly as popular as Banff, but it sure captured our hearts! The Bow River is a wonderful place to take a raft ride, sit on a bench and relax, or take a leisurely stroll or bike ride (which we did multiple times). You get a great view of the Three Sisters mountain range and can meander through the little shops and grab some food at their local restaurants.
Lodging – We stayed at a wonderful airbnb in The Tamarack Lodge buildings off Spring Creek Drive. It was very clean, updated, and newly built! Their is a supermarket on the bottom level and the Bridget Bar/Restaurant is part of the complex with delicious food and drinks!! Very modern and we loved the area.
While we were there, a new hotel called The Malcolm, which looked very nice as well. There are so many condos and little airbnbs to rent and the town is walkable with a tasty Mexican restaurant and bars/pubs/eaterie to stop in and try!
TRIP TAKEAWAYS
- One of the biggest tips I want to share is consider waking up early when you go hiking. You will avoid crowds of hikers and it’s just SO much more enjoyable – the peace and tranquility just won’t be found from noon on. We would be coming back down from our hike mid-day and overwhelmed by the sound of people. It just is an entirely different experience in my humble opinion. It’s also nice to get a lot of activity out of the way in the morning and relax with other activities in the afternoon.
- Rent some bikes and see the views with a different mode of transportation.
- Do not forget to bring your Bear Spray at all times. Activity is high in summer months!
- Download the AllTrails app for info on weather and trail conditions, level of hikes, etc.
- If you’re able, RENT A CAR instead of doing bus tours. You will be very limited on your ability to get around with the bus because of pickup locations/timing and more. You have so much more flexibility with your daily agenda if you have your own vehicle. Best thing we did was rent a car through Turo!
Please feel free to reach out with any questions you may have! This truly was a trip of a lifetime and I sure hope you get to experience these MAJESTIC and MAGICAL parts of Canada!
