Rockies Peaks & Glaciers
Get ready for some of the most dramatic mountain scenery on the planet as we loop through the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
Calgary → Banff → Lake Louise → Icefields Parkway → Jasper → Canmore → Calgary
Banff Arrival & Hot Springs
Banff Arrival & Hot Springs (140km, 1.5h drive)
Calgary International Airport
Grab your SUV—you'll want the clearance and the view. The drive west starts flat but the wall of mountains appearing on the horizon is a core memory moment.
Banff Avenue
Dragon Fli Empire is a Canadian hip hop duo formed in 2002 from Calgary, comprising Tarik Robinson, also known as Teekay (MC/producer), and Adam Hicks, also known as DJ Cosm (DJ/producer).
Banff Upper Hot Springs
Banff Upper Hot Springs are commercially developed hot springs located in Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada, near the Banff townsite. Europeans first became aware of the springs in 1883. As it has been developed since, the hot pool is outdoors and while in the pool, visitors can look across the valley to Mount Rundle.
The Alpine Icons
Day 2｜The Alpine Icons (60km, 1h drive)
Johnston Canyon
Johnston Creek is a tributary of the Bow River in Canada's Rocky Mountains. The creek is located in Banff National Park.
Lake Louise
Lake Louise is a beautiful mountain lake in the middle of Banff National Park in the Alberta Rockies region of Alberta. The lake is surrounded by snow-capped peaks, and at the far end is a large glacier. The lake is quite isolated, but provides a magnificent setting for a luxury resort, the Château Lake Louise, and a conference wing on the 'inland' side of the hotel.
Moraine Lake
Moraine Lake is a snow and glacially fed alpine lake in Banff National Park, 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) outside the village of Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada. It is situated in the Valley of the Ten Peaks, at an elevation of approximately 1,884 metres (6,181 ft). The lake has a surface area of 50 hectares.
The Icefields Parkway North
This is arguably the most beautiful drive in the world.
Bow Lake
This is arguably the most beautiful drive in the world. Bow Lake is your first major stop; the reflection of Crowfoot Glacier in the morning still-water is breathtaking.
Peyto Lake
Banff National Park is in the Alberta Rockies region of Alberta. Together with six other national parks it makes up the UNESCO World Heritage site "Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks". Established in 1885, it is the world's third oldest national park, after Yellowstone National Park in the United States, and Royal National Park in Australia.
Columbia Icefield
The Columbia Icefield is roughly midway down the Icefields Parkway on Highway 93 in Jasper National Park within the Alberta Rockies. Jasper National Park is adjacent to the north of Banff National Park. The Columbia Icefield has several named glaciers, but the Athabasca Glacier is the main one that is accessible and most visible from the highway and visitor centre.
Jasper’s Wild Side
Day 4｜Jasper’s Wild Side (50km, 1h drive)
Maligne Canyon
Maligne Canyon is a slot canyon located in the Jasper National Park near Jasper, Alberta, Canada. Eroded out of the Palliser Formation, the canyon measures over 50 metres (160 ft) deep. Popular for sightseeing and exploration, the area contains waterfalls, underground stream outlets, birds and plant life.
Maligne Lake
Maligne Lake is a lake in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada. The lake is famed for the colour of its azure water, the surrounding peaks, the three glaciers visible from the lake, and Spirit Island, a frequently and very famously photographed islet. The lake is located 44 km (27 mi) south of Jasper town, and is accessible by motor vehicle, including shuttle buses from Jasper.
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid Lake is a lake in Nevada, United States. Enclosed entirely within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe reservation, it is the end point for the Truckee River which begins at Lake Tahoe.
Waterfalls & High Passes
Heading back south now. These falls aren't the highest, but the sheer volume of water thundering through the quartzite canyon is incredible.
Athabasca Falls
Athabasca Falls is a waterfall in Jasper National Park on the upper Athabasca River, approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of the townsite of Jasper, Alberta, Canada, and just west of the Icefields Parkway.
Sunwapta Falls
Sunwapta Falls is a pair of waterfalls of the Sunwapta River in Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada.
Mistaya Canyon
Mistaya Canyon in the western part of the Canadian province of Alberta is formed by the Mistaya River. Tourists visiting Banff National Park often visit the canyon because of its distinctive curvy walls and because it is easy to access, being just off the Icefields Parkway. The 0.
The High Road to Canmore
A slight detour east to see the "bubble lake." Even if it's not frozen, the scale of this valley is massive and different from the tight peaks of the main park.
Abraham Lake
Abraham Lake, also known as Lake Abraham, is an artificial lake and Alberta's largest reservoir. It is located in the "Kootenay Plains area of the Canadian Rockies' front range", on the North Saskatchewan River in western Alberta, Canada.
Vermilion Lakes
The Vermilion Lakes are a series of lakes located immediately west of Banff, Alberta, in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Canmore
This is where the locals live. Walk the Policeman’s Creek Boardwalk at golden hour to see the Three Sisters peaks glowing orange.
- Buy a Discovery Pass for the National Parks at the first gate.
- Keep your gas tank topped up on the Icefields Parkway—there is only one station and it's pricey!
- Day 1: Banff Avenue → Banff Upper Hot Springs flight transit only 2.5h — allow ≥5h door-to-door
- 🛫 Route includes 1 flight + 0 rail segments. Map shows them as dashed lines (connection only, not real road).