(#1) Roadtripping The Rockies: Banff and Yoho National Park

Turquoise lakes? Check. Epic mountain views? Check. A moment of dreamy 5-star luxury as we travel through the Canadian Rockies from Calgary to Jasper National Park? Double check! 😍

For this diary-style travelogue, we’re bringing you along as we take the dreamiest 10-day road trip through the Canadian Rockies, stopping in places like Banff, Lake Louise, and Jasper National Park and driving the Icefields Parkway — twice!

Later on, we'll share detailed itinerary posts to help you plan your own Canadian Rockies Road Trip, but in the meantime, this diary-style travelogue is dedicated to sharing the fun adventures (and a few misadventures 🥴) of our own! Wondering if this bucket-list destination really lives up to the hype? Let’s go!

There’s us: Jonathan, Kelly, and our pup, Lincoln, who joined us for our Canadian Rockies Road Trip!

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Day 0: Drive from Calgary to Lake Louise

I’m calling today’s entry “Day 0” because it’s not really supposed to be a part of this 10-day Canadian Rockies Road Trip. After all, it’s a Thursday afternoon, and the only thing on our itinerary is to work and then drive to the Lake Louise Campground. That’s supposed to be the true start of our road trip through the Canadian Rockies.

But, thanks to one entirely chaotic day and then a pretty amazing surprise hike, the events of today are worth sharing, too. Sooo, here we go, welcome to “Day 0” — the unofficial and unexpected start of our road trip from Calgary to Jasper National Park!

But first, some context.

We’ve spent the last three weeks working while traveling in Calgary, Alberta. We’ve taken day trips to some phenomenal destinations, such as Moraine Lake, the Kananaskis, Glacier National Park of Canada, and Banff’s Mt. Norquay. But despite spending our evenings and weekends exploring the area, there’s still SO much more we want to see and do in the Rockies. That’s why we’re taking the next 10 days off in true vacation mode to road trip from Calgary to Jasper National Park.

Our itinerary has us driving from Calgary along the Bow Valley Parkway to Lake Louise, exploring the town of Banff, staying in the famous Fairmont Château Lake Louise, spending three days along the Icefields Parkway, hiking and sightseeing in Jasper National Park, and even making a pitstop in Waterton Lakes National Park on our way back to the States.

So, this is where we find ourselves this Thursday— looking excitedly ahead at the next 10 days with just one more day of work in between us and our out-of-office messages. We expect to work for the day mostly as normal, then check out of our hotel in Calgary, and then drive from Calgary to our campsite in Lake Louise. Marriott offers amazing late checkout options for members, and we’ve already arranged a 4pm late checkout to let us work before hitting the road.

There’s just *one* problem.

This is our first travel season working primarily from hotels rather than short-term rentals. Meaning, this is our first time working a full day, packing up our things, and driving to a new destination all in one day. It generally takes us about two hours to pack, clean, and get our things in the car, so it shouldn’t be a huge problem… except Jon has a full day of meetings, and I’ve completely miscalculated how long this will take me solo.

It’s. Pure. Chaos. 🤪

Jon’s presenting on meetings with his computer screen angled to limit as much of the hotel background as possible.

I’m certainly in the background of said meetings, bobbing in and out of the frame as I attempt to pack up all of our bags as quickly and quietly as possible.

There’s laundry — shorts, tees, socks, underwear, hoodies, and pants — thrown about the room on every inch of hanger and flat surface we could find. (This is because the coin-operated hotel laundry we used this morning didn’t fully dry our items, and we’re fresh out of Canadian coins required to run it again. 🤷‍♀️)

It’s now 4pm on the dot, and the hotel is (politely) hurrying us along. So I load all of our remaining things into the hallway as Jon gets off his last meeting of the day, and we awkwardly finish packing around the cleaning now taking place in our room. Super fun.

Eventually, the chaos is over, and we’re in the car driving from Calgary to Lake Louise as we vow never to travel after a work day ever again. (A vow I’m sure we’ll forget by next season 🤪)

Putting on an audio novel, we set our GPS in the direction of Lake Louise. In a few days’ time, we’ll be staying in one of the dreamiest hotels I can imagine — right on the shores of the famous Lake Louise! — but for tonight, we’re down the street from said hotel at the Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground. There are actually two campgrounds in the area, a “soft-sided” campground, and a “hard-sided” campground.

If you’re sleeping in something with a soft side (like a tent), you’re in the soft-sided campground. If you’re sleeping in something hard-sided (like an RV or camper), you’re good to go in the hard-sided campground. This is one way the area manages tourists and bears, as the soft-sided campground has bear-deterrent electric fencing and animal grates to help deter bears from the campers inside. (It’s similar to when we camped with bears at Katmai National Park, but at least here we’ll get to have our car with us!)

When we make it from Calgary to Banff, we hop off the Trans-Canada Highway to take the scenic route from Banff to Lake Louise, a 48-kilometer drive along the Bow Valley Parkway. It’s perfect timing, as the Bow Valley Parkway is actually closing to cars tomorrow, September 1st, becoming a cycling-only road for the next month. This is part of a three-year pilot program for Parks Canada to test out a better cycling experience for cyclers along the famous Parkway.

Depending on time, there are a few stops we want to make along Bow Valley Parkway, the first and most popular stop being Johnston Canyon. Johnston Canyon has a variety of forested trails and waterfalls, connected by a series of catwalks and bridges that offer stunning views of the canyon’s geological formations. It’s incredible!

The weather when we arrive is overcast and chilly, with a slight drizzle. But this is one of those areas that lends itself to this kind of weather, similar to the Pacific Northwest, where misty weather is the vibe. So, with Lincoln in tow, we start following the bridges to the Lower and Upper Falls.

The Lower and Upper Falls are sort of the “crown jewels” of Johnston Canyon, and while we enjoy both, Lower Falls is extra spectacular. That’s because, in order to get a direct view of Lower Falls, you have to walk through a short cave. Once you do, you’re met with a viewing area in front of the Falls that’s generally only large enough for one group at a time. So, although we have to wait a few minutes for our turn, once we enter the cave and walk the final distance to Lower Falls, we have it all to ourselves.

We’re treated to a close-up and intimate view of a gorgeous waterfall rushing into a clear, teal bowl of water. Its flow continues down the canyon, carving a natural water slide out of the rock on its way.

The waterfall in the background is Lower Falls. You can see a small sliver of the cave you walk through to get there on the very right-hand side of this photo.

After making it to both Lower and Upper Falls at Johnston Canyon, we keep driving the Bow Valley Parkway toward Lake Louise. We pass a few different cabin resorts, with many of the cabins lined by Christmas lights so they glow warm against the cool summer night. “That’s so cute!” we say in unison as we drive by a roaring campfire in the middle of seven or so glowing cabins. (Note to self: Whenever we come back, we’re staying here for a night! 🔥✨)

It’s getting dark, so we opt for just one final stop along Bow Valley Parkway.

Morant’s Curve is a scenic viewpoint named after photographer Nicholas Morant. It offers a panoramic view of the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks, which parallel the Bow River through the valley. All while framed by gorgeous Rocky Mountain peaks in the background.

This viewpoint is particularly iconic during snowy winter months (see below!), but unfortunately, we were visiting just after sunset on a rainy summer day, so our view was watered down (pun intended 😜).

A glimpse at Morants Curve in the winter 😍😍 [[Photo Credit]] Summer is the best time to road trip the Canadian Rockies thanks to moderate temperatures, easier road travel, and abundant outdoor activity, but winter somehow looks EVEN dreamier with snow-capped mountains and snow-lined pine trees as far as the eye can see.

Finally arriving at the Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground, we check in and find our campsite for the night.

If you’ve read our posts about working from the road, you know we sometimes run into challenges balancing work and travel. After our day of packing and working… and failing to do either particularly well… there are some additional deadlines we need to meet before officially taking the next 10 days off.

There’s no WiFi or cell service at the Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground, so we head into town around 8pm. Sitting in the parking lot at Lake Louise Village, we send a few final emails and finish prepping tasks for our upcoming vacation.

By the time we’re back at our campsite, we’re making PB&Js for dinner and realize the rain’s not letting up. We don’t want to set up our bed in the rain and the dark, so we leave Lincoln in her bed in the backseat while we settle in for a cold, rainy night of front-seat car camping.

Day 1: Banff and Yoho National Park

Our Canadian Rockies Road Trip *officially* begins today!

It’s still drizzling when we wake up at the Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground, so we pivot our plans for the day. Rather than walk 19 miles to Lake O’Hara in Yoho National Park, we head to Yoho’s Emerald Lake instead.

We’re ambitious road trippers who generally plan more than we can actually do, so we’re used to pivoting as we go based on the weather, our energy levels, the dog friendliness of a place, or whatever else. Lake O’Hara was high on our list because it’s GORGEOUS; however, the bus generally used to access the trail isn’t dog-friendly. Because of that, we’d have to hike in rather than ride in, adding 12 or so miles to our day *just* to reach the start of the trailhead.

After a long night of front-seat car camping, we don’t have the energy for a full-day hike, so we’re on our way to Emerald Lake instead. There’s plenty of parking when we arrive — even at 8:30am on a holiday weekend, score! — and we’re almost immediately grateful we opted for a short, flat walk rather than a long, intense hike.

Walking clockwise around Emerald Lake, we enjoy all kinds of cool views and varying landscapes. The longer we walk, the more the sun hits the lake, showing off the water’s different shades of green. There may be *slightly* more beautiful lakes in the Canadian Rockies (looking at you, Moraine Lake, and your out-of-this-world-are-you-sure-its-not-dyed blue hues), but the serenity of Emerald Lake this morning is unmatched.

It’s tranquil, not crowded, and, despite its popularity and the booked-out Lodge sitting on one side of the shore, Emerald Lake feels like a tucked-away oasis, especially once you start the 3-mile loop around the lake.

One of my favorite spots at Emerald Lake - a rock overhang that best shows off the gorgeous emerald-green shades of the lake in the morning. (Park, then walk past the Lodge counterclockwise to this viewpoint.)

On the trail, we met a man from Ontario whose brother lives in Alberta. He’s spending his morning fishing on the lake, sharing that this is his favorite spot in all of Canada, particularly if you arrive early enough for solitude.

We move further along the lake, eventually arriving at one of the most incredible mountain lake views I’ve ever seen.

In front of us, in the background of our view, is an imposing mountain covered by glaciers. In front of that mountain is a gorgeous emerald-green lake with red canoes dotting its surface. Surrounding the lake are pine trees, wet, mossy logs, and short boardwalks used to traverse the muddy path.

I can’t overstate how casual many of these views are— and how mindblowing that is. In other words, most places require miles and miles of hiking or off-road driving to reach views even a fraction of this picturesque. But in the Canadian Rockies, these kinds of views are everywhere. When I say (over and over again) that this is one of the dreamiest road trips, this is what I mean! Just wow!

By the time we return to our car, it’s packed, and we’re glad to be moving on to our next adventure for the day. Since we pivoted our plans, we have a couple of options but aren’t sure exactly what we want to do next.

So we head to the nearby Yoho National Park Visitor Center to chat with a ranger about the best hikes and the best things to do in the area. This is one of our favorite things to do when we arrive anywhere new, as we generally learn a lot from rangers and locals about the can’t-miss things in the area.

We also learn that it’s best to visit the Canadian Rockies in June if you’re interested in seeing wildlife. (We’ve been wondering where the bears are because we’ve seen none being here in August and September! Not that I’m complaining about this… but Jonathan definitely had a different Canadian wildlife picture in mind, ha!) Since there’s still snow on the mountains in June, wildlife comes down to the road to feed, which means various animals are generally more visible that time of year. But since there’s still snow on the mountains, June won’t be the best time to visit for hiking. For that, you want to be in the area in July, August, or early September once the snow melts.

It’s midday when we leave Yoho’s Visitor Center with lots of great recommendations in hand, and now we’re getting hungry. So instead of taking the ranger’s advice for another hike, we head to Banff for food. We grab a burger, onion rings, and root beer from A&W (we consider this local in Canada, ha!) and stroll Banff Ave.

“Banff has good vibes” is our first impression of Banff.

It feels similar to the mountain towns we’ve visited in Colorado, with a huge mountain banking the streets downtown, but the mountain seems bigger and more expansive, so you feel like you have plenty of time to sink into the mountain town and its beauty. We walk the lantern-lined streets, full of street dining and rooftop patios, browse photography galleries, window shop, and enjoy the smell of fresh caramel popcorn and maple fudge as we walk by various eateries.

We follow Banff’s Bow River Trail back to our car, then head to Cave and Basin National Historic Site, which, fun fact, was the foundation for the Canadian National Park System and the beginning of Banff National Park.

Cave and Basin's main feature includes “The Cave,” a naturally occurring grotto where the thermal water flows, and “The Basin,” a beautiful turquoise-colored pool fed by mineral-rich hot springs.

Cave and Basin is (admittedly) a little underwhelming, as the main attraction is small, crowded, and very pungent. It is pretty, though hard to photograph, and can feel calming if you have it to yourself for even a moment.

Either way, we highly recommend you head to the outdoor boardwalks first. These short boardwalk trails leading from the Cave offer informative signs and views of small thermal springs, including one that’s dark emerald in color, one that’s blue-gray, with a yarn-like texture, and one that’s home to hundreds of tadpoles and Banff Spring Snails. (One more fun fact… This is the only place in the world to see the endangered Banff Spring Snails. Who knew?!)

Cave and Basin National Historic Site

Thermal springs along the Boardwalk Trails

It’s getting close to dinnertime now, but before heading back to Lake Louise Village for dinner, there’s one more thing we want to see near Banff. We make our way to the Vermillion Lakes Scenic Drive just outside of town.

This was, unfortunately, another underwhelming activity, as it’s a really, really short drive that’s better suited for cycling and fishing. I do think finding a spot to relax at one of the many boardwalks along the way would be a special morning picnic activity, but you definitely head here for its proximity to the mountains and Banff, as there are better lake views throughout the Rockies. It’s a neat spot for cycling, fishing, or a picnic on the water, but not a great spot for a scenic drive.

So we’re not here long before driving back to Lake Louise and grabbing dinner at Lake Louise Village. We make sure we’re back at our campsite before dark. so we can properly set up for our second night of car camping. (It’s time to unload our “Bed in the Bag” and swap our sleeping spots so tonight Lincoln’s upfront and we’re in the back!)

Once we’re set up for sleeping, we prep our bags for a VERY exciting adventure tomorrow! It’s probably the day I am MOST looking forward to along our entire 10-day Canadian Rockies Road Trip… 😍😍😍

Our simple but functional car camping set up in Lake Louise Soft-Sided Campground.