Calgary to Lake Louise, Jasper, Banff

[T42U]

Hello. I would be very grateful for any advise re a roadtrip for 10 days next August. Flying into Calgary and renting a car. Any accomodation recommendations on route to Lake Louise, Jasper, Banff, would be great! Key things to do, go too, see etc. Four teenagers and two adults. Thank you!

Watching with interest !

I'm watching too When we were child free we did a similar route in an RV with another couple. It is one of the best holidays we have ever had.

I can't help with accommodation as it was 20 years ago and we stayed in campgrounds but highlights I remember are walking on the Athabasca glacier, Peyto Lake, the Icefields Parkway and Wild Bill's Legendary Saloon in Banff

We want to do the same holiday with DS maybe next year. I did a rough costing for RV hire and flights and it came to over £8,000!

You won’t need to stop en route to Banff as it’s only a couple of hours from the airport, unless you want to stop at Nagasaki.

Nakiska ffs. Auto carrot has made me look a fool. Again.

My recommendations would be way out of date, but just to say I'm really envious as I've done this drive a few times and its stunningly beautiful, one if the best holidays I've taken!!

Agree with lake Peyto, its gorgeous,as are lake moraine, and emerald lake too. We really enjoyed the Banff gondola, but the baths at Banff were absolutely mobbed and that ruined it a bit. We didn't stay in Banff as it was £££, but in nearby canmore. Not as pretty, but much cheaper.

We went to a hot dog place on 17th av in Calgary, Tubby dog, full of retro computer games and the best onion rings I've ever had. It was 8 odd years ago, but I still think of those onion rings often!

If you like dinosaurs,( I loved this place and I was late 20s!) Drumheller is good, 90 min drive the other way from Banff though.

Whistler is great for teenagers. Mountain biking, zip wires and loads of young cool people. Also, just a nice little place with lots to do.

In Jasper you can book early evening wildlife tours (though we saw lots of el roaming the streets), theres a nearby lake where the local hotel rent out kayaks. In the centre theres a cute cinema popular with teens. I'd recommend the Raven bistro near the cinema.

Ah thanks everyone! Yes it does look like a brilliant trip - Its just to get organised despite my family telling me "relax" it will be all right ! But I know from experience its better to have some organisation to something as big as this, especially when its for a short enough time . I do try to have an itenary of sorts when doing big trips because past experience had us all cranky and tired and ending up not doing what we should or could have done. Thanks again! Will have a right look now at the map and try and get accomodation sorted at least. We love the idea of a cabin somewhere nice, although kids trying to convince hubby to rent RV . Hotels do seem very expensive and I find with kids especially the older theY get its great to have a kitchen and place for them to just hang out. 😀

One of the most beautiful places i've ever been to. When we went we were thinking of getting an RV but was advised against it by many on Tripadvisor due to the windy roads, parking etc and we were glad we hired a 4x4 instead. Can highly recommend The Moose Hotel in Banff it was lovely.

If funds allow, do the helicopter tour from Canmore over the Rockies, it was so beautiful I actually cried 🥲

Can I ask those of you who have been what sort of price for a family of 4 3 adults 1 child?
It looks SO amazing

If you do go down the rv route just be aware that sites get booked up instantly so you need to check on the websites to see when the dates are released.

The hotels are expensive but often have little kitchenette set ups so you can save some money self catering.

For more budget friendly options there are hostels where you can book a private room.

I would recommend a few nights in banff, 1 at Lake louise, maybe 1 night somewhere along the ice fields parkway then a few nights in jasper before driving back to Banff for the final night.

We went a few months ago - just 2 adults. 18 nights. We started in Vancouver for 3 days then hired a car (4x4) and took the ferry across to Vancouver Island for 3 days (Victoria/Tofino). We then took the ferry from Nanaimo to Horseshoe Bay and drove up to Whistler then on to Clearwood where we stayed very rurally in Grey Wells National Park. We drove then to Jasper then down the Icefield Parkway to Banff and Lake Louise (visited Canmore en route) and on to Calgary to fly home.

It was a lot of driving and we only stayed in places for 2 or 3 nights but it worked because there were only 2 of us. I planned the itinerary and booked direct for everything. We had an absolutely fantastic time - total cost was around £7 500.

It was the 4th time I've been to Western Canada but the last time was 10 years ago. Everywhere was definitely much busier this time which was a bit disappointing (and it was September/October when we went so I would imagine it would be much busier in high season). Last time we went there was free parking everywhere too but we had to pay everywhere this time. The great thing about Canada though is that you can easily get away from the crowds if you're prepared to leave the 'touristy' centres. So much wide, open space. Can't wait to go back.

Feel free to ask any questions if you want any specific information

Sounds fab!
I think we would only be able to go for 10 days...is that too few days iyo?
Could hire a car/suv
Would like hotel rooms/cabin with kitchen area ideally
For 4 would we get anything for under £10k?

If you've only got 10 days you'd probably be best confining yourself to fewer places. The last time we went we just stayed around the area of the National Parks, visiting Jasper, Canmore, Lake Louise, Banff and out to the west as far as Kicking Horse/Golden.
Accommodation is very expensive in the 'tourist' towns - Banff, Jasper etc. Expect to pay around £200 per room per night. Eating out is expensive as well and then there's the tipping! We were gobsmacked that even when we brought coffee at stalls in the park etc we were still expected to tip (at a rate of about 20%). As a pp said, many of the accommodations have little kitchenette facilities, most have at least a fridge and a microwave. We saved money by only eating twice a day. We only ate out about 6 or 7 times while we were there because the pound had crashed just before we went so all our accommodation costs suddenly shot up. We cut back on food and drink to compensate so we could still bring the holiday in on budget.
Also, you have to buy a National Park Pass if you drive in the NP area (Jasper, Banff etc). I think it was about £80 for 5 days - you pay per person. If there are more than 2 of you it would probably work out cheaper to buy an Annual Pass.

Delay by 6 months and ski in those places?
it’s an amazing part of the world.

It might be quite late to book flights at a good price for August. They will be quite expensive by now.

I think Audley Travel have a great itinerary. A few days in each place to include Vancouver. whistler, Wells Gray park, Jasper, Lake Louise and Banff. Allow 2 weeks plus flight days.

Cost depends on flights and where you stay. Medium hotels and resorts might be £3500 pp. cheap and cheerful hostels would reduce this a lot. Agree RV slots could be tricky.

Hotel room prices have shot up in the last year. I used to get b&b in lake Louise for 100CAD - coming in at double+ right now - and winter is cheap season.

The chateau was 700/night 😲.

Golden would be much cheaper as it’s a working town rather than tourist.

Yes, we paid £350 per night in Whistler! It was a nice hotel but more expensive than we'd planned because it was just after Ms Truss had come out to play and tanked our economy. There were hostel type hotels there which I guess would come in cheaper but accommodation in general is very expensive. We stayed in a Holiday Inn in Vancouver and even that was £200 per night

We did 6 days in Sechelt, 4 days in Vancouver, 5 days in Jasper and 6 days in Golden. then on to Calgary and home.
We stayed in Smiley wolf cabin Mount 7 lodges in Golden. it was absolutely fab and perfect for us. not quite in the middle of nowhere but off of the beaten track and a few minutes drive into town. near Vancouver we stayed in Sechelt in a house on the lake that was fantastic with a hot tub. not many people travel to Sechelt but there was plenty to do and it was a good exploring base. we picked this over van island as we only had 5 days and didn't feel we would do van island justice in that time.
We then went up to Jasper and stayed at alpinevillagejasper.com we went for one of the newer luxury cabins and it was well worth the extra. we did daytrips to Banff but it was too touristy and busy for us. We booked everything independently but you will find good places book out super quick. we got the last lodge in Jasper and we booked 8 months in advance (we went in the July). there is a huge amount of choice of things to do. lots of walks and swims, float plane, water sports, boat trips etc. we loved whale watching which we went to from Sechelt and learning about the native culture. we did some tree surfing sort of stuff as well and generally just enjoyed being outside which is our sort of holiday. we used the lonely planet guide and found that really good. In vancouver itself we booked a 22nd storey apartment. we stayed for 4 days and I feel that was enough time to see and do everything we wanted to.

Hi we went 10yrs ago so prices will obviously have changed but this is what we did 2 weeks road trip then cruise up to Alaska but you obviously don’t have time for it all
Canadian Affair were best for flights to Calgary and flew back from Vancouver. I believe they are still good value so check them out.
We stayed in a lovely B&B in Canmore for 3 nights. This was much cheaper than staying in Banff. The journey from Banff to Canmore in the hire car was easy once we were out the airport.
On day 1 we toured around Canmore went to Lake Minnewanker, Hoodoos viewpoint, Banff and Banff Gondola. On our way back to Canmore we went up Mount Norquay taking in Banff viewpoint.
Day 2 we again went along Highway 1 to Lake Louise spending time there and going into Chateau Lake Louise Hotel. We drove to Kicking Horse Pass where you can view trains going through the spiral tunnels and took in amazing views of Rockies.
Day 3 we headed to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway stopping off at many of the lake and mountain viewpoints along the way egCrowfoot glacier Bow lake and Peyto lake. The highlight of the day (probably holiday) was the Columbia Icefields and walking on the glacier although while in Jasper we went to Edith Cavell glacier as well which was amazing.
In Jasper we stayed in the equivalent of an Airbnb for 2 nights so no food provided but plenty of places to eat. We went on a boat trip on Maligne Lake and also went to Patricia lake at dusk. We saw a lot of wildlife in the area including bears and moose by the roadside.
From Jasper we went to Wells Gray NP, Whistler and down to Vancouver Island and Vancouver but you wouldn’t have time for that.
I did loads of research and only stayed in hotels in Whistler and Vancouver but got a deal on those. Had worked out our route and the important places we wanted to see before we went
It was a lot of driving but we loved it

Horse riding in Jasper and white water rafting round Banff are highly recommended. There is a hot springs in Jasper which is also nice, hike up the mountain and hot spring after.

Do a proper hike on the Athabasca glacier with a guide. We got to walk up to the tongue of the glacier. The guide held us so we could look into the holes - moulins. That was one of the best things I’ve ever done.

Managed to book 5 nights in Baker Creek cabins outside of Banff and it looks perfect for what the kids will like and it seems to be central enough for day trips and lots of major sights. I agree with other posters it all seems very expensive. But I think actually we will have more fun out in the woods than in a luxury hotel (she says fingers crossed !!) and it will be a real adventure. So anytips for glamping in a cabin most welcome😀