In 2020, we were all set to check off a bucket list location with a trip to Banff and Jasper in Alberta, Canada. Then Covid happened, the border closed, and our trip, well, kicked the bucket. 

In June 2020, we planned another trip and almost had to cancel again. Keep reading for our rookie mistakes, tips, tricks, and must-do sights. 

Where are Banff and Jasper?

Banff and Jasper are in the Canadian Rockies in Alberta, Canada. Banff sits at one end of the Icefields Parkway- widely known as one of the most beautiful highways in the world- and Jasper sits at the other end. Depending on how many stops you make along the way, the trip takes about three hours. For this Canada trip, we had planned to fly into Calgary. 

Rookie Mistake: Passports for Minors

My family of four (two adults, and two kids ages 21 and 13) got our passports a few years ago for a trip to Scotland. I knew we still had a couple of years left before they expired. About a month before our trip, I rounded them all up and noticed that our 13-year-old’s passport had just expired. I’m not sure that I ever knew that kids’ passports are only good for 5 years, instead of the usual 10 years. After doing some research and failing to get an emergency passport, I found that Canada will accept a minor’s birth certificate at the border so we moved forward with our plans. Only at the airport did we discover that while Canada will accept a birth certificate, airlines will not. You can only enter Canada by land or sea with a birth certificate but not by air. So, after a few minutes of scrambling and sheer panic, we scrapped our original plans to fly into Calgary and we flew into Spokane so we could rent a car and drive across the border. By some miracle, it all worked out and we were on our way. We drove across the border with the birth certificate and had no issues. Boo airline, woohoo Canada!

Mid-June in Canmore and Banff

The prime tourism summer season is July-August, we opted to go a little earlier to beat some of the crowd. Some of the lakes had only thawed a week before we arrived. The road to one lake in Jasper that was on our list and a waterfall in Yoho were still closed because of snow. It just depends on the weather how quickly the lakes and roads thaw. I feel like we got pretty lucky. 

While the town of Banff is gorgeous and has a cool vibe, staying in town can get pricey. We opted to stay in nearby Canmore, which is a fun town all on it’s own. For most of our trip, we used VRBO and AirBnb so we could have a 2-3 bedroom stay. While hotels can have nice amenities, we love the idea of having a little more space to stretch out since we spend a lot of time in the car. We enjoyed lunch in Banff at Three Bears Brewing, one of several craft breweries. We also stayed in Harvie Heights, another nearby town. When we visit again, I will probably stick to Canmore because it has better amenities. 

There was a chance of rain every day. For a trip, where we planned a lot of hiking, rain was not welcome news. But we learned that the rain may not be heavy or last too long. We still packed waterproof clothes and shoes but the weather did not really slow us down.

Tips for getting around

We had heard great things about the Gypsy Guide app so we bought the tours for Banff and Jasper. The guide tracks your location and the narrator comes on to tell you about interesting things in the area as your drive. We dubbed the narrator, “Dave” because he really sounded like a Dave. We had a great laugh when we looked him up and his name is actually Dave. We definitely loved using the guide and plan to get it for future trips. 

Wildlife in Banff and Jasper

During our visit, we saw 18 bears (both black and grizzlies), mountain goats, bighorn sheep, and marmots. We were not lucky enough to see any moose, despite our best efforts. We discovered that bears love dandelions so if you see a field of them, be on the lookout for bears. We also spotted most bears in the morning or evening. 

We found it interesting that the park also has fencing and several wildlife crossings- natural-looking overpasses so animals can cross safely and avoid collisions with visitors. Wildlife cameras do show that the animals use them. 

Johnston Canyon

After researching what to do in the area, we decided to visit the beautiful Johnston Canyon which boasts a winding canyon and waterfall. While it was beautiful, it was crowded. Since you have to use a dedicated walkway back to the falls, there isn’t really a way to escape the crowds. The “secret” trail to get a hidden cave for a cool photo op was closed. In hindsight, there are much more beautiful places to visit and we would probably skip it. 

Kananaskis Wildlife Drive- Spray Lakes

Out of Canmore, there is highway 742 between Upper Kananaskis and the Spray Lakes. We took this drive in the evening and it was a pretty rough mix of gravel and pavement. I would still recommend this road if you have time. We saw several bears, including a grizzly and black mama bear with two cubs, a marmot, and a lot of elk There was almost no other traffic so we got to enjoy watching the wildlife from the car.  

Yoho National Park

The Takkaw Falls are supposed to be beautiful but the road was still closed so we could not visit. On the same road was the Meeting of the Waters, where the Yoho River merges with the Kicking Horse River. It was a short walk down to the rushing water, which was worth a stop. 

Emerald Lake is another teal lake in Yoho. We took a short trail around the water and ate lunch at the cafe overlooking the lake. 

Peyto Lake

Visiting this lake was high on my list. The interesting shape and color make it a must-see. We learned that the sign to Peyto Lake does not actually say Peyto Lake. It says Bow Summit. I’m not sure why. We missed it the first time and had to turn around. From the parking lot, it’s a fairly easy hike to the lookout. In mid-June, some of the trail was still covered in snow. The color of the lakes in the Canadian Rockies is from rock flour. The glaciers grind the rock into powder and it washes into the lakes. The flour absorbs every color but blue/green so those colors are reflected back when the sun shines on it. The color will be unlike any other lake you have seen. It is so gorgeous, it looks fake, even when you’re seeing it with your own eyes. 

Bow Lake

This lake is right off of the Icefields Parkway so no hiking was required. It sits under glaciers and is surrounded by mountains. It was still partially ice-covered when we were there. Of course, both of my kids had to wade in for a photo op. 

Athabasca Glacier

Even though my husband and I have seen glaciers in Iceland, our children had never seen one up close. There are tours you can take in large buses that drive onto the ice. We opted to park in the nearby lot and walk up the hill to the toe of the glacier. It was raining and I’m pretty sure my face froze. It was interesting to see the signs showing how far the glacier had receded through the years.

Sunwapta Falls 

The falls are along the Icefields Parkways on the drive between Banff and Jasper. It was a short hike to the water. It was fascinating to see how the rushing river had carved such an interesting canyon into the rock. 

Athabasca Falls

This waterfall and canyon are in Jasper along the Icefields Parkway. This was also a short hike from the parking lot and is another must-see. 

Valley of the Five Lakes Hike

When I read some travel blogs, I see them taking several days-long hikes. You will not see this from Rock & Roam. We like to explore but we also like cheeseburgers. The Valley of the Five Lakes was the longest hike we took. It is a moderate 2.9 mile hike. As the name suggests, along this hike you pass five lakes. The second lake wasn’t the most beautiful but the other four were pretty incredible and worth the hike.

Maligne Lake

In Jasper, we had plans to take a cruise across the lake to Spirit Island. This was our favorite part of the whole trip. We recommend booking in advance because the cruise often sells out. We booked the premium 2 hour cruise because it allows extra time at Spirit Island, which was a must for the photographer in the family. The lake is a brilliant blue/green and is surrounded by glaciers and mountains. The guides on our trip were entertaining and informative. You can’t walk on Spirit Island because it is sacred to the Stoney Nakoda tribe. It is still a gorgeous setting for some incredible photos. 

Lake Louise

After a few days in Jasper, we headed back to Banff on the Icefields Parkway. We planned to stay at Lake Louise. Because Lake Louise and nearby Moraine Lake were high on our list, we decided to splurge on one night at the Fairmont Lake Louise. The parking lot at Moraine Lake fills up by sunrise. We didn’t want to miss the chance to see it so we booked a shuttle from Lake Louise to Lake Moraine (for hotel guests only). 

We planned a canoe trip on Lake Louise. I thought I was booking canoes for us to paddle ourselves around but I accidentally ended up booking a ride in the Voyageur canoe, which came with our guide Mike. It was a happy mistake. Mike was friendly, funny, and very knowledgeable about the area.

The Fairmont itself was a fantastic experience. The hotel sits right on the incredible lake and the service was impeccable. It is filled with shops and restaurants so we had a lot to do. If you can swing it, we definitely loved our stay at the Fairmont. My only concern is that it set a high bar so my children will now expect luxury on future vacations. 

Moraine Lake 

This lake has a small parking lot that fills up by sunrise. Because we didn’t want to chance not getting a parking spot, we opted to book a shuttle. It was just a short walk from the parking lot to the lake. Most of the iconic shots are taken from the rock pile. After we climbed the rock pile, we went to the lake shore and took a lakeside trail to the end of the lake. It is an incredible place in the Valley of the Ten Peaks so it is surrounded by mountains and glaciers. 

Overall, the Canadian Rocky Mountains was an incredible trip for our family. We loved exploring a new part of the world together. Other than the issue with flying to Canada, our trip was pretty smooth. We definitely plan to return some day. But for now, we have a really long list of other parts of the world to explore. 

We collect rocks from each of the places we go to remind us of our adventures.