Shared itinerary · Canadian Rockies, Alberta and British Columbia

Canadian Rockies road trip in 7 days

Seven days from Calgary through Banff, Lake Louise and Yoho, up the Icefields Parkway to Jasper and back: Johnston Canyon and a Lake Minnewanka cruise, Moraine Lake and Lake Agnes, Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls, Peyto Lake and the Athabasca Glacier, then the Valley of the Five Lakes and the Spirit Island cruise. 41 stops with times and notes. Book the Moraine Lake shuttle and both cruises ahead; the parkway has one fuel stop (summer only) and almost no cell service.

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Updated October 2026

Distance

1,108 km

Grassi Lakes → Calgary International Airport

Days

Stops

Each day of Canadian Rockies road trip in 7 days: route, stops and distance
Day	Route	Stops	Distance
Day 1	Grassi Lakes to The Bison	5	32.1 km
Day 2	Johnston Canyon to Vermilion Lakes	7	83.1 km
Day 3	Moraine Lake to Lake Louise Railway Station Restaurant	6	88.7 km
Day 4	Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint to Truffle Pigs Bistro	6	61.3 km
Day 5	Bow Lake to Jasper townsite	8	269 km
Day 6	Valley of the Five Lakes to Jasper SkyTram	4	104 km
Day 7	Tangle Creek Falls to Calgary International Airport	5	470 km

Day 1: Grassi Lakes to The Bison

32.1 km

Calgary to Banff by way of Canmore: 90 minutes of driving, the rest on foot.

10:30
Grassi Lakes

Activity

Two small lakes, clear as glass, on a 4 km round trip above Canmore. Take the steeper trail up for the waterfall.

4.8 km · 10m drive to next
13:00
Rocky Mountain Bagel Co.

Food & drink

Bagels and coffee on Canmore’s Main Street.

22.1 km · 25m drive to next
14:30
Banff Gondola

Activity

Eight minutes up Sulphur Mountain, then the boardwalk to Sanson Peak and its old weather station.

1.2 km · 5m drive to next
17:30
Banff Upper Hot Springs

Activity

The 39 degree pool, five minutes from the gondola. Swimsuits and towels rent at the desk.

4.0 km · 10m drive to next
19:30
The Bison

Food & drink

Bison and Alberta beef upstairs on Bear Street. Book.

Day 2: Johnston Canyon to Vermilion Lakes

83.1 km

Banff’s canyon, its big lake and its sunset.

08:00
Johnston Canyon

Activity

Catwalks along the canyon wall to the Lower Falls, then on to the Upper Falls. Before 09:00 the lot still has room. Parks Canada closed the trail for safety work on May 2, 2026 and listed it in good condition on September 29; no reopening notice was found, so check the Banff bulletins the night before.

26.1 km · 30m drive to next
11:00
Wild Flour Bakery

Food & drink

Soup and a sandwich on Bear Street.

12.1 km · 20m drive to next
13:00
Lake Minnewanka

Activity

The one hour cruise sails toward the Devil’s Gap (2026 season: May 8 to October 12). Book it.

2.7 km · 10m drive to next
15:00
Two Jack Lake

Park & nature

Picnic tables on the water and Mount Rundle across it. Cold enough for a very short swim.

11.7 km · 15m drive to next
16:30
Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Sight

The warm springs where Canada’s national parks began in 1885.

2.1 km · 5m drive to next
18:00
Three Bears Brewery

Food & drink

A brewery and wood fired kitchen on Bear Street.

2.4 km · 5m drive to next
20:30
Vermilion Lakes

Park & nature

Sunset over Mount Rundle, after 21:00 in summer. Bring a jacket and patience.

Another way to do day 2

If Johnston Canyon is closed

If the Banff bulletins still list the closure of May 2, 2026, climb Tunnel Mountain from town instead and rejoin the plan at lunch.

08:00
Tunnel Mountain Summit

Activity

The trailhead is about 15 minutes on foot from downtown: 2.4 km one way and 260 m up, with the town and the Bow Valley below.

Day 3: Moraine Lake to Lake Louise Railway Station Restaurant

88.7 km

Moraine Lake and Lake Louise. Private cars cannot drive to Moraine Lake: book a Parks Canada shuttle seat ahead, from the Lake Louise Park and Ride at the ski resort, where parking is free with a ticket.

07:00
Moraine Lake

Park & nature

The first shuttles leave the Park and Ride at 06:30 (2026). Morning light on the Valley of the Ten Peaks, then the Rockpile trail for the view on the old twenty dollar bill.

14.0 km · 20m transit to next
09:30
Lake Louise Lakeshore

Sight

The shoreline path past the canoe docks, by the connector shuttle from Moraine.

2.1 km · 1h 15m walk to next
11:45
Lake Agnes Tea House

Activity

A 3.4 km climb to tea and scones at 2,135 m. Carry water; the tea house has none to spare.

2.4 km · 1h walk to next
14:30
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise

Food & drink

A late lunch in the Lakeview Lounge after the descent.

7.6 km · 15m drive to next
16:00
Morant’s Curve

Sight

The railway photo on the Bow Valley Parkway. Trains keep no timetable; give it half an hour.

5.5 km · 10m drive to next
19:00
Lake Louise Railway Station Restaurant

Food & drink

Dinner in the old log railway station, where the freight trains still pass.

Another way to do day 3

If the shuttle is sold out

Try again at 08:00 MT two days before: Parks Canada releases the rest of the seats on a rolling basis then. If that fails, Roam’s Super Pass ($30 adult, June 1 to October 12, 2026) covers a reserved 8X from Banff and back and the Lake Connector to Moraine Lake. You slept in Banff, so leave the car, ride up and back, then drive to Lake Louise for Morant’s Curve and dinner.

06:45
Banff High School Transit Hub

Custom spot

The 8X on your Super Pass reservation, about 57 minutes to the Lake Louise Lakeshore.

59.4 km · 1h 30m transit to next
08:30
Moraine Lake

Park & nature

The Lake Connector from the Lakeshore, every 30 minutes; Super Pass holders board between 07:00 and 17:30.

14.0 km · 25m transit to next
11:00
Lake Louise Lakeshore

Sight

Back on the Connector, then along the shore to the trailhead.

2.1 km · 1h 15m walk to next
12:45
Lake Agnes Tea House

Activity

The same climb, then your reserved 8X back to Banff. Bring cash.

Day 4: Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint to Truffle Pigs Bistro

61.3 km

Yoho, over the divide in BC. Every stop is within 40 minutes of Lake Louise.

08:30
Spiral Tunnels Viewpoint

Sight

Watch a freight train enter the mountain and cross over its own tail. Trains keep no timetable.

10.4 km · 15m drive to next
09:30
Takakkaw Falls

Park & nature

Canada’s second highest waterfall at 373 metres, ten minutes from the lot. Trailers cannot make the switchbacks; leave them at the bottom.

13.5 km · 25m drive to next
12:00
Field

Food & drink

Lunch in the two street railway village.

6.2 km · 5m drive to next
13:30
Natural Bridge

Park & nature

The Kicking Horse River has bored through its own rock and keeps drilling.

3.2 km · 10m drive to next
14:30
Emerald Lake

Activity

Walk the 5.2 km shoreline loop, or paddle it: canoes rent by the bridge.

7.6 km · 20m drive to next
18:30
Truffle Pigs Bistro

Food & drink

Dinner in Field, then 25 minutes back east to Lake Louise.

Day 5: Bow Lake to Jasper townsite

269 km

The Icefields Parkway, Lake Louise to Jasper: 232 km, three to four hours of driving and a full day with stops. Fuel at Saskatchewan River Crossing, open in summer only; there is no cell service for most of it.

08:00
Bow Lake

Park & nature

Turquoise water under Crowfoot Glacier, the red roofed lodge on the shore.

9.5 km · 15m drive to next
09:00
Peyto Lake

Sight

The wolf head lake from the Bow Summit viewpoint, a short walk up from the lot.

37.6 km · 35m drive to next
10:30
Mistaya Canyon

Park & nature

A short walk down to a slot the river has carved into curves, 5 km before the Crossing.

3.9 km · 10m drive to next
11:30
Saskatchewan River Crossing

Food & drink

The only fuel between Lake Louise and Jasper, open in summer only. Fill up.

57.6 km · 45m drive to next
13:00
Columbia Icefield

Activity

Walk the forefield trail to the toe of the Athabasca Glacier, or ride the Ice Explorer onto it. Never cross the fence.

58.2 km · 40m drive to next
16:15
Sunwapta Falls

Park & nature

The river bends around an island and drops into a gorge.

28.5 km · 25m drive to next
17:30
Athabasca Falls

Park & nature

Not tall but powerful, pounding through a quartzite slot, 30 minutes before Jasper.

34.9 km · 30m drive to next
18:45
Jasper townsite

Food & drink

Check in and eat on Patricia Street or Connaught Drive.

Day 6: Valley of the Five Lakes to Jasper SkyTram

104 km

Jasper: a reopened lakes trail, the lake that drains itself, and the Spirit Island cruise. Maligne Canyon and the Mount Edith Cavell area are closed for the 2026 season after the 2024 wildfire (checked 2 October 2026); check Parks Canada’s Jasper page for closures before you go.

08:00
Valley of the Five Lakes

Activity

Reopened in 2026 on a realigned, resurfaced trail with new rest areas, ten minutes south of town. Trail 9 at the south end of First Lake is still closed.

20.9 km · 45m drive to next
10:45
Medicine Lake

Park & nature

The lake that drains through underground channels every autumn.

26.0 km · 25m drive to next
11:45
Maligne Lake

Activity

Take the cruise to Spirit Island (2026 season: May 29 to October 11). Book it, and eat first.

45.9 km · 1h drive to next
16:00
Jasper SkyTram

Activity

Seven minutes up Whistlers Mountain, then a steep trail to the summit if the wind allows.

Day 7: Tangle Creek Falls to Calgary International Airport

470 km

Back down the parkway to Calgary, stopping where you drove past on day five. About five hours of driving; fuel at Saskatchewan River Crossing again.

09:00
Tangle Creek Falls

Park & nature

A roadside cascade over tiered limestone. Five minutes, no trail.

85.7 km · 1h 15m drive to next
10:45
Waterfowl Lakes

Park & nature

Mount Chephren over the lower lake, from the shore by the campground.

65.0 km · 45m drive to next
12:00
Herbert Lake

Park & nature

A still pond just north of Lake Louise that mirrors the whole Bow Range on a calm morning.

6.8 km · 10m drive to next
12:30
Laggan’s Mountain Bakery

Food & drink

Lunch and a cinnamon bun at the Samson Mall bakery.

201 km · 2h drive to next
16:00
Calgary International Airport

Sight

Two hours from Lake Louise. Return the car with time to spare.