four thousand miles . ten days . five national parks . endless mountain views
10-Day Glacier National Park and Canadian Rockies Road Trip – Banff, Yoho, Jasper, Lake Louise, Waterton, and Kananaskis
Friday, August 16 to Sunday, August 25, 2024
08.16.24 . Day 1 – Drive. Cross Canadian border and stay near Moose Jaw.
08.17.24 . Day 2 – Continue driving. Sunset at Vermillion Lakes. Stay in Canmore or Banff.
08.18.24 . Day 3 – Sunrise at Two Jack Lake. Hike Lake Minnewanka Lakeshore Trail, see Stewart Canyon. Hike or paddle around Johnson Lake. See Banff sign. Hike or take the gondola to the top of Sulfur Mountain. Sunset at Three Sister’s viewpoint in Canmore or HooDoo viewpoint in Banff. Stay in Canmore or Banff.
08.19.24 . Day 4 – Drive the Bow Valley parkway – watch for wildlife. Hike to Upper and Lower Falls in Johnston Canyon. Walk or ride up to Lake Louise shore and hike the Little Beehive and Lake Louise Loop. Stop at the Lake Agnes Teahouse. Stay in Lake Louise Village.
08.20.24 . Day 5 – Sunrise at Lake Moraine (private shuttle required). Drive to Yoho National Park. Hike or paddle around Emerald Lake. Check out the Natural Bridge and Spiral Train Tunnel viewpoints near Field. Drive up the infamous Icefields Parkway. Stop and explore Bow Lakeshore, Payto and Waterfowl Lake Viewpoints, Mistaya Canyon Hike, Howse Pass Viewpoint, and the Columbia Icefields. Stay in Jasper (we camped at Rampart Creek in Banff due to Jasper wildfire closure.)
08.21.24 . Day 6 – We had planned to do the following in Jasper National Park on this day, but instead went mountain biking at Kicking Horse due to Jasper Wildfire closure… Hike Maligne Canyon Loop and cruise Maligne Lake to Spirit Island. Hike Edith Cavell Meadows Trail, and Valley of Five Lakes, Athabasca and Sunwapta Falls on the way back down the Icefields Parkway. Stay in Banff or Canmore.
08.22.24 . Day 7 – Drive Kananaskis mountainous road 40 into Spray Valley Provincial Park. Hike Tent Ridge Horseshoe Trail. Drive Cowboy Trail down to Waterton National Park. Visit Driftwood Beach and walk up to Bear’s Hump. Stay in Waterton.
08.23.24 . Day 8 – Cross border back into USA. Enter Glacier National Park from the east. Find a place to park near Logan Pass. Hike the Highline Trail as an out and back or utilize the park shuttle to make it a loop. Hike to Hidden Lake which also trailheads at Logan Pass. Drive down Going to the Sun road. Visit Lake McDonald. Stay in Apgar or West Glacier.
08.24.24 . Day 9 – Rise early and get to Many Glacier area of Glacier National Park. Hike the Grinnell Glacier Trail or Iceberg Lake Trail. Begin driving home.
08.25.24 . Day 10 – Drive home.
When and with whom
My not-husband, Scott, and I have been taking mountain hiking adventure trips for many years now. This was the first year in a while that we decided to fulfill this specific travel itch closer to home. Our goal in taking a road trip to the popular Glacier and Banff National Parks, plus many other beautiful parks in the Canadian Rockies, was to find a mountain destination we could return to more easily during different seasons. For us, summer was the best time to make our first visit because we decided to try camping.
That’s right, Scott and I don’t typically camp. However, due to the immense popularity of these areas during the summer, we decided to rig up his GMC truck. This was both to avoid high accommodation prices and to give us huge flexibility in being able to get up and go very quickly to avoid crowds, and without having to pack up a tent or find a site that could fit a camper trailer. We loved it. All our campsites included access to showers and our little propane gas stove made all the difference when it came to making hot food literally anywhere.
We were fortunate to successfully make this trip happen with planning done less than 2 months in advance with only half of our campsites reserved more than 1 week in advance. Our total combined cost for fuel, food, accommodations, park passes, and activities fell under $2,000 USD. If we could do it over, we would have went before the Jasper Wildfire and possibly done it in reverse order so the mountains and glaciers would have been bigger and more impressive as we traveled north.
Questions about this itinerary or this type of travel? Send me a DM on Instagram at @angelfromwisconsin
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