Ultimate 8-Day Road-Trip Itinerary Through the Rockies in Canada

A road-trip through The Rockies in Canada has always been on my bucket list and having been there I would say it is possibly the most beautiful place I have ever travelled to. I was blown away after every bend! I went on this trip with my family, so it is more a family friendly itinerary with less hikes and more attractions closer to the car parks than my other blogs. Having said this the views were still amazing and The Rockies is definitely a bucket list place. Enjoy my 8-Day itinerary!

Peak season for visiting The Rockies is in the Summer months – June, July and August, with September being popular as well. The temperature is usually in the 20s (°C, at sea level) with June being one of the wettest months, however, rain showers are usually brief. This time of year is perfect for kayaking, hiking and white water rafting. The only downside is that you should be prepared for large crowds at all of the major attractions on this route. Prices are also higher as demand is high.

The shoulder seasons are Spring (March, April & May) and Autumn (September, October and November). The weather during these months are usually more unpredictable with sunny days to winter-like conditions occurring within the same week. Roads and trails may be closed due to ice in the Spring months. Spring is a great time to see the wild flowers in bloom on alpine meadows and some of the mountaintops are still snow capped. This is also a great time to see bears with their cubs, however, always heed warning signs and never get too close to them. In Autumn you get the amazing red and orange colours of the trees and the landscape turns even more magical. This is the perfect time to go whale watching in Vancouver.

The Winter months are December, January and February, with conditions still being cold until April. This is the coldest time to visit, with the temperature getting below 0°C but you get rewarded with beautiful snowy landscapes. Roads and hiking trails are frequently closed making outdoor activities harder and activities are more likely to be cancelled or disrupted due to the weather. However, if you are a fan of skiing, this is the best time for hitting the slopes. 

Campervans or RVs are the more economical option for your road-trip, however, the vehicles and campsites need to be booked well in advance of your holidays as they sell out fast. The vehicles sometimes need to be booked a whole year in advance as demand is so high in the summer and beginning of Autumn months. The other downside to campervans/ RVs is that some of the roads and attractions are down small roads and having a big vehicle will make it hard to go down. Check the route you want to take before booking. RVs also use up a lot of fuel so be prepared to look out for petrol stations often!

We hired a car and this was perfect for us. It did make accommodation costs more expensive, but there were a couple of times when we decided to stop for a viewpoint that wouldn’t have been big enough for a bigger vehicle.

A Park Pass is a permit to visit a national park which needs to be bought before entering a national park in Canada. The fees go towards the upkeep of scenic parkways, trails, education and information services. The money remains in the national park where they were collected and so your money goes back into preserving the amazing places you visit.

You need to purchase a pass if you are spending time in a national park such as, road-trips, camping, hiking, viewpoints, picnic areas and visiting towns. All scenic pathways require a pass too (Icefields Parkway and Bow Valley Parkway). If you are not planning on stopping in a national park however, you do not need to buy a pass, unless you are travelling on the above parkways.

You can buy daily day passes for specific national parks, or buy a Parks Canada Discovery Pass which allows entry into every park for a whole year. We chose the Parks Canada Discovery Pass, as it was cheaper than buying multiple day passes. These passes can be purchased online, or in-person at national park gates or visitor centres.

Some attractions when we went needed a separate pass to monitor how many people were visiting per day (namely Joffre Lakes) so check the parks website before you go incase they have added additional ones.

We flew into Vancouver and so started our Rockies road trip here. The city itself didn’t blow me away but there are loads of good food options. We decided to walk to Stanley Park from our hotel which is a gorgeous park nestled within Vancouver and is a great place to spend the day after a long haul flight. 

As we mainly went to Canada to visit relatives, we decided to take the ferry from Vancouver to Vancouver Island. The ride over was absolutely stunning and definitely worth taking if you have an extra couple of days to spend in this location!

Drive time = 1hr 40mins

Today is the day to officially start your road trip towards the Rockies. Start off by stopping at Porteau Cove Provincial Park viewpoint for some amazing views of Howe Sound and the surrounding mountains. There is a shipwreck at the bottom of the sound which is a popular destination for scuba divers. 

From this stop off, continue along the Sea-to-Sky Highway until you get to Shannon Falls. This is a lovely waterfall and very popular with tours so be prepared for lots of company. From the waterfall, walk to the Sea to Sky Gondola and purchase a return ticket from the reception (for around $72, online price). The gondola offers amazing views of Howe Sound and there are multiple hikes available to do at the top of the peak – the suspension bridge was a scary highlight! There is a cafe at the top too with great food, drinks and a souvenir shop. If you have longer, consider walking the Stawamus Chief Trail which has similar views to the gondola but is a 6 – 7 hours challenging hike.

From the Sea to Sky Gondola drive to Squamish for lunch – Squamish is a great place to stop if you are after adventure sports like mountain biking and rock climbing. You definitely need to try the ice cream at Alice and Brohm, seriously the best ice cream I’ve ever tasted.

After lunch, head to Alice Lakes and walk the Four Lakes Trail. It was raining when we went and so there were no reflections in the lakes but it was still a great trail nonetheless. The smell of the pine trees in the rain just added to the experience!

Lastly, before arriving in Whistler stop off at Brandywine falls. This 70m waterfall is absolutely gorgeous. Spend a bit of time here walking along the trail and taking in the power of nature.

Drive time = 5hrs 20mins

We decided to stay in Clearwater instead of Kamloops because we wanted to see some of the waterfalls in Wells Grey Provincial Park. This did make the drive very long so you have an option if you would rather skip the waterfalls in exchange for a shorter drive the next day.

Start your drive towards Clearwater but stop off at these amazing locations:

• Nairn Falls – a gorgeous small waterfall at the end of a 1.5km walk alongside a glacial river. The colour of the water is amazing and gets you excited for the colours you can expect at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake.
• Joffre Lake Trail – I was really excited to do this day hike as the pictures look amazing but unfortunately they changed the rules a couple of days before we got to the trail that an additional pass was needed. Check the website beforehand to buy the pass so you don’t miss out on these amazing lakes. The third lake is meant to be the best, but don’t worry if you don’t have time to complete the trail, you’ll be seeing some incredible lakes later on in the trip.
• Duffery Lake – just down the road from Joffre Lakes was Duffery Lake. This is a beautiful lake overlooking Mt. Rohr and is a great location for a lunchtime picnic.
• Seton Lake – further down the road is Seton Lake. It’s a short walk from the car park but the view at the bottom is breathtaking. The lake carries on as far as the eye can see and big mountains encase the lake creating beautiful reflections in the water.

Stop off in Kamloops for food/ supplies before carrying onto Clearwater.

Drive time = 3hrs 20mins

Before you head to my personal favourite place in the Rockies, Jasper, take a detour up to Wells Gray Provincial Park for some awesome waterfalls:

• The first waterfall you get to is Triple Decker Falls. The trail was under construction when we went and the path was so steep with no steps that we had to give up and give this one a miss. Construction signs were in place from the car park so make sure you check before attempting the hike.
• Spahats Creek Falls – another gorgeous waterfall reaching heights of almost 75m. There is a viewing platform about 5mins away from the car park. Slightly further down the road is Shaden Viewpoint, which offers an amazing view across the valley from right next to the car park.
• Dawson Waterfall – a short 10mins walk takes you to the amazing horseshoe waterfall with two viewing platforms. 
• Lastly, head up to Helkem waterfall – possibly the most famous of the waterfalls and for good reason. This is the 4th highest waterfall in Canada and reaches 141m with an accessible viewing platform a short walk from the car park with amazing views of the myrtle river.

There are 41 waterfalls in this area but for time reasons, I have picked the best and easiest accessible from the car parks.

Unfortunately, you now need to go back down the same road you drove up and head into Valemont to collect your park pass. If you already have your pass, keep on following the road until you reach Jasper.

You have now entered Jasper! We loved Jasper and wished we could have stayed here longer. A common question is whether to spend more time in either Jasper or Banff. We chose Banff due to the famous lakes around that area, but on reflection, we preferred Jasper as it is less built up and you are more likely to find wild animals wandering around the town than in Banff.

Other options to visit to make the most of your Jasper stay are:

• Overlander Falls – another gorgeous waterfall, this one is a lot smaller than the ones you will have been seeing but is still worth the visit.
• Maligne Canyon is a must see. The canyon is gorgeous and the waterfalls are really nice. Overall, this is an amazing walk to do and rounds off the day nicely.
• If you have time, go to Maligne Lake and the famous Spirit Island. We didn’t have enough time to visit here but the pictures look amazing!

Drive time = 3hrs 20mins

This is where the views really rack up. The Icefields Parkway is in my opinion the most beautiful stretch of road anywhere in the world. The views are breathtaking from every direction, you won’t be bored on this drive, trust me. The below list is the order you want to visit these places as they come sequentially on the road. You may want to spend an extra night along this road for optimal time at each stop, but we managed fine with just one day:

• Valley of Five Lakes – a good way to start the day, the five lakes are a short walk from the car park but totally worth it, the lakes are super still and the reflections of the mountains on the lakes are incredible.
• Horseshoe Lake – this stop wasn’t on my original list but it was a stunning spot that I am so glad we found! The lake is really clear and you can see a rock pile in the middle that makes the place extra special.
• Athabasca Falls – a large waterfall which is worth stopping at. 
• Goats & Glacier Lookout – a stunning viewpoint with plenty of parking.
• Sunwapta Falls – another amazing waterfall.
• Columbia Icefields – we decided to go on a glacier tour at the Columbia Icefields. This was an amazing experience where special vehicles pick you up and take you onto the glacier. From here you can walk on it and admire the view.
• Columbia Icefield Skywalk – just down the road is the Skywalk, the platform overhangs the cliff and so can be quite scary if you are scared of heights (my sister) but the views are amazing.
• Stop off at the U-Bend viewpoint.
• Waterfowl Lake – a beautiful glacial lake with an amazing blue colour coming from the water.
• Peyto Lake – best in the morning when the sun is in the right place but is still an amazing viewpoint if you get here in the afternoon like us.
• Bow Lake – another beautiful glacial lake.

We packed our days in Banff pretty full with sightseeing but feel free to miss some of these stops off for a more relaxing time. I will mention the ones I think are a must-see if you do plan on missing some out.

First up we have a definite must see as no trip to Banff is complete without going to the famous Lake Louise. This lake is absolutely stunning and the colours are crazy. There’s plenty to do here too like canoeing on the lake or hiking the surrounding trails for an even more intense blue colour. We walked up to Lake Agnes, a beautiful mirror lake where a cafe has been set up in an old cabin. Definitely a cafe with a view! You can carry on from this trail to the Beehive, for the classic above view of the lake and mountains. Unfortunately we didn’t finish this hike as we weren’t sure what the views were like up there but I plan to complete it one day.

The other stunning lake you need to go to is Lake Moraine. Due to the destruction of nature from the number of people and cars arriving at this place, a shuttle service has been set up and there is no other way to get to this lake. Therefore, make sure you book in advance and if you don’t get tickets for the first day, don’t worry you can try and go on Day 7 as well. We managed to get last minute tickets with Moraine Lake Shuttle Bus and I would highly recommend the company and the lake.

As we did not manage to get Lake Moraine tickets for our first day, we decided to head to Emerald Lake instead and I am so glad we did! This lake is less travelled but again the water is an amazing colour, more an emerald green than turquoise. We went canoeing here and it was totally worth it!

Another must see is Johnston Canyon. This is a well maintained trail with three points of interest. Having said that, the whole walk is gorgeous as you walk within a canyon with a crystal clear river flowing through it. The first stop is the lower falls (1.2km one way, 1hr round trip), second is the upper falls (2.5km one way, 2hr round trip) and lastly are the ink pots, which are beautifully coloured mineral pools (5.7km one way, 4hr round trip). We walked to both waterfalls but didn’t have enough time to walk to the ink pots, nevertheless, this was a stunning walk and is very popular so try and get here early.

Lake Minnewanka is also another beautiful glacial lake with a great stop just before being Two Jack Lake. There are multiple picnic benches surrounding the lake with many hiking and mountain biking trails. Canoeing and boat trips are available, plus scuba diving if you can brave the cold!

Banff Gondola is an amazing way to see the town and surrounding mountains from above. There are two restaurants at the top, as well as a cafe and souvenir shop. We went on our last day for sunset and it was gorgeous. There is a boardwalk trail you can do that takes you to Cosmic Ray Station and Sanson’s Peak with sweeping views of the mountains.

These next suggestions are still great places to go but only if you have enough time.

• Natural Bridge is a natural rock formation that looks like a bridge a short walk from the car park. It is located on the beautiful turquoise Kicking Horse River.
• Meeting of the Waters Confluent is where the glacial Kicking Horse River meets the freshwater Yoho River. The two rivers are different colours and so makes an interesting stop. The car park is small but it doesn’t get that busy at this stop.
• Takakkaw Falls – one of the highest waterfalls in Canada and absolutely beautiful. The road is closed seasonally and there are a few switch back roads that are unsuitable for larger vehicles. Make sure to pack a waterproof jacket as the spray is powerful.
• Enjoy the drive through the gorgeous Bow Valley Parkway and keep a watch out for the infamous Canadian Wildlife.

Drive time = 1hr 20mins

Before leaving Banff, if you haven’t done so already, take time to wander through the city centre. Make sure to take in the gorgeous background of the mountains.

We flew back from Calgary and headed straight to the airport so make the most of Banff before you fly onto your next destination.

If you have time, definitely consider spending longer in the Rockies as it is truly stunning. We had limited time to spend here but I will defiantly be coming back again.

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