4 Summer Days Itinerary in Banff, Canada

Heading to Banff in the summer months? Here is my four day itinerary from my trip in August 2018. I went on this trip with my mom, sister, brother-in-law during Labor Day weekend.

Getting to Banff

The closest airport to Banff National Park is Calgary International Airport, about 1.5 hours away. I flew from Los Angeles to Calgary with a layover in Seattle. Once in Calgary I picked up my rental car and stopped at Costco for groceries before continuing on to Banff.

Day 1 in Banff

When we arrived in Banff, we immediately checked into our hotel, the Tunnel Mountain Resort. We reserved a small cabin with a full kitchen and spacious balcony. This was a reasonably priced option and just a few minute drive into downtown.

After two flights and the drive to Banff, we were excited to move around and start exploring. That evening we managed to fit a lot in with dinner at SaltLik, renting bear spray at Snowtips, checking out Bow Falls, and exploring the Fairmont Hotel aka the Hogwarts of Canada.

Day 2 in Banff

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is probably the most famous lake in Banff National Park. I was worried about crowds putting a damper on the experience, but Lake Louise exceeded my expectations.

We had been warned that it was necessary to get to Lake Louise as early as possible to attempt to secure a parking space, otherwise you have to deal with shuttles. We left at 7am and drove about 40 minutes to Lake Louise where we succeeded in getting a parking spot, though there were not many left.

The area closest to the parking lot around the lake is busy with bus tours and other tourists making their 20 minute stop for the photo op. We like to hike so we did not stick around in photo-land very long. We chose to hike up to the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. This is where the lake won me over.

The hike up to the Tea House is one of my favorite hikes of all time; about 9 miles of beautiful views. You start by making your way across the lake and the crowd starts to thin out. Then you come into a forested area with a small river. From there you start gaining elevation and that never lets up. Finally you come upon what seems impossible, but a Tea House in the mountains. There are also bathrooms up there (non-flush).

We soon discovered that just another mile on the path you reach a viewing point called the Plain of Six Glaciers, so of course we went.

plain of six glaciers hike near lake louise

An alternative hike that some friends have done is the hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House. I can’t personally vouch for this one, but it looks really great as well.

Moraine Lake

By the time we finished hiking at Lake Louise it was only 12:30pm, still tons of time to explore. We planned to go to Moraine Lake after Lake Louise because it is just down the road. The traffic workers had the entrance blocked off, but we figured why not ask and low and behold they let us through! And there was tons of parking.

Moraine Lake has a really nice view point that only requires about 10 minutes on a trail. The water was a completely different color than Lake Louise, a deeper blue.

That evening we had dinner at Banff Ave Brewing Co which is a great spot to grab a drink and some poutine.

Day 3 in Banff

Johnston Canyon and the Ink Pots

Day three brought us to Johnston Canyon, another incredible spot that I consider a must see in Banff National Park.

We got up early again and were lucky enough to find a parking spot; we were parked by 8am. Johnston Canyon is a very popular trail and requires some patience as the trail is very narrow with a cliff on one side and a canyon on the other. About 1.5 miles in you reach the Lower Falls and a crowd of people waiting 30 minutes for a photo – KEEP GOING!

The crowd almost completely drops off after Lower Falls. Another 1.5 miles and you will reach Upper Falls which you can get a nice view of and snap a quick photo. Between the two falls is the famed Johnston Canyon Cave which was closed for ecological rehabilitation when I was there.

Keep going!

We followed the trail until we reached the Ink Pots – these are a series of natural ponds that have water bubbling up from the earth and are turquoise in color. The Ink Pots are located in the most beautiful meadow with countless lunch spots. This hike round trip is about 8 miles.

Lake Minnewanka

Another day where we had hiked several miles before 1pm, so after Johnston Canyon and the Ink Pots we ventured over to Lake Minnewanka; one of the largest lakes in the Canadian Rockies.

This lake has a lot of boat activity and pristine scenery. We found a nook in the rocks where we snacked and relaxed.

That night we made use of our kitchen and cooked up some dinner.

Day 4 in Banff

Peyto Lake

I had already been in awe of the color of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, but Peyto Lake takes the cake.

Peyto Lake is further up the road than the others so we didn’t get there until about 8:45 on that third day, but we still managed to find a spot. There is a short path that leads you to the main viewing point which, unlike the other lakes, is above the lake looking down.

Keep going!

Rather than staying at the view point where you have to dodge photos from all angles, we walked along one of the side paths and stumbled upon a neat rock outcroppings with great views and no crowds. After taking too many photos we decided why not hike down to the lake, and so we did.

The trail down to the lake was like a fairy forest full of moss, mushrooms, and green everything. At last we reached the lake which looked very different in color than from above, but was neat to get a different perspective. This hike round trip was about 5 miles.

Emerald Lake

After Peyto Lake we crossed into British Colombia to check out Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. I mentioned there were wildfires happening that summer and it was most apparent here. The air was a little thicker with smoke, though it had still improved immensely from a week prior according to news reports.

Emerald Lake was another brand new color, this is more of a deep green/blue color hence the name Emerald. We did a flat ~3 mile loop around the lake which was really nice.

After day four’s adventure we had a delicious burger at Eddie’s Burger Bar.

Leaving Banff

On day five we woke up and said bye to Banff and began the trek back home.

Final Thoughts on Banff

Banff National Park is one of the most beautiful places I have been with it’s pristine nature. I would absolutely go back and explore different trails and maybe aim to check out Jasper Nation Park to the north.