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Canadian Rockies

5 Days in Sep
North America

Route DetailsMap

Day 1
  • Calgary Stampede, Olympic Way Southeast, Calgary, AB, Canada
  • Calgary Tower, 9 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, AB, Canada
  • Canada Olympic Park, Canada Olympic Road Southwest, Calgary, AB, Canada
  • Lake Louise Ski Resort, Whitehorn Road, Lake Louise, AB, Canada
  • Château Lake Louise, Lake Louise Drive, Lake Louise, AB, Canada

Calgary is a good starting point for a trip to the national parks but doesn’t warrant more than an hour or two. Seeing the bobsled memorabilia at the Olympic Park was the highlight.

We took gondola up by Lake Louise but couldn’t see anything, unfortunately. We didn’t go inside the chateau, but it was nice from the outside.

Day 2
  • Moraine Lake, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada
  • Peyto Lake, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada
  • Athabasca Falls, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada

Moraine Lake was the highlight of the trip. Had good weather and the scenery was our favorite of anywhere we went. Peyto is a quick stop, definitely worth it. Athabasca Falls is too crowded and could really be skipped.

Day 3
  • Maligne Lake, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada
  • Spirit Island, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada
  • The Jasper Planetarium & dark sky telescope tours, Old Lodge Road, Jasper, AB, Canada
  • Jasper Museum, Bonhomme Street, Jasper, AB, Canada

We took the boat trip out to Spirit Island. I’m sure it’s lovely in clear weather, but we had clouds and fog again, unfortunately.

The Jasper Museum was a good way to kill an hour while the weather wasn’t great. The Planetarium was a neat experience at our hotel so it was convenient. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, seeing the stars through the giant lens.

Day 4
  • Athabasca Glacier, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada
  • Banff, AB, Canada

Highly recommend taking the tour to go out on the glacier. Downtown Banff has some good spots for pictures but don’t need much time there. It’s a good base for exploring.

Day 5
  • Bow Falls, Banff, AB, Canada
  • Surprise Corner Viewpoint, Buffalo Street, Banff, AB, Canada
  • Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada
  • Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Bear Street, Banff, AB, Canada
  • Banff Springs Hotel, Spray Avenue, Banff, AB, Canada

Surprise Corner is worth it, really neat view of the hotel. Johnston Canyon is a very enjoyable, easy walk along the river with plenty of waterfalls along the way.

The Banff Springs Hotel was a nice place to have a drink.

I know the scenery in the Canadian Rockies is stunning, but we didn’t have great weather, unfortunately. I wish we would have gone during the summer when there’s a higher likelihood of good weather, instead of late September.

Year Traveled: 2016

Route Map

Calgary Stampede, Olympic Way Southeast, Calgary, AB, Canada

Day: 1

Calgary Tower, 9 Avenue Southwest, Calgary, AB, Canada

Day: 1

Canada Olympic Park, Canada Olympic Road Southwest, Calgary, AB, Canada

Day: 1

Lake Louise Ski Resort, Whitehorn Road, Lake Louise, AB, Canada

Day: 1

Château Lake Louise, Lake Louise Drive, Lake Louise, AB, Canada

Day: 1

Moraine Lake, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada

Day: 2

Peyto Lake, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada

Day: 2

Athabasca Falls, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada

Day: 2

Maligne Lake, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada

Day: 3

Spirit Island, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada

Day: 3

The Jasper Planetarium & dark sky telescope tours, Old Lodge Road, Jasper, AB, Canada

Day: 3

Jasper Museum, Bonhomme Street, Jasper, AB, Canada

Day: 3

Athabasca Glacier, Improvement District No. 12, AB, Canada

Day: 4

Banff, AB, Canada

Day: 4

Bow Falls, Banff, AB, Canada

Day: 5

Surprise Corner Viewpoint, Buffalo Street, Banff, AB, Canada

Day: 5

Johnston Canyon, Bow Valley Parkway, Improvement District No. 9, AB, Canada

Day: 5

Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, Bear Street, Banff, AB, Canada

Day: 5

Banff Springs Hotel, Spray Avenue, Banff, AB, Canada

Day: 5

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