I’ve been to Banff twice for snowboarding but have yet to see it in the summer or drive the famous Icefields Parkway to Jasper. My parents were due for a trip since they have been grounded throughout the entire pandemic for the past 3 years. They were itching to get away and my parents have always heard how beautiful the landscape is in Banff. With ridiculously cheap flights from Toronto for about $150, we booked it for mid-September hoping to escape the summer crowds. 

Day 1 – Saturday, September 10, 2022

My flight flew pretty low so it was stunning to fly above North Cascades National Park and Banff. This had to be one of the most scenic flights I’ve been on! 

I arrived around 3pm and waited in a massive line for our car rental. After that, I started our grocery runs to buy supplies and food for the week. I picked up my parents and we stayed nearby at the Four Seasons Airport Hotel. 

Day 2 – Sunday, September 11, 2022

We started the morning with a grocery store run because I ran out of time the previous day. After successfully getting everything on our list, we were on the road to Banff. 

First, we stopped at Lake Minniwanka to enjoy the views and have a picnic lunch. Crowds were apparent and parking was already a pain. The view was nice but hazy due to the wildfires. Nonetheless, my parents were ecstatic and excited to see the mountains. 

We stopped at Surprise Corner for a quick peek —not that impressive in my opinion and quickly moved on to Johnson Canyon. The upper canyon was closed so the lower canyon was the turnaround point. It was pretty and we waited in line to see the lower falls behind a small cave opening. 

We checked into our cabin at Tunnel Mountain Resort and had a home-cooked salmon dinner before calling it an early night. 

Day 3 – Monday, September 2022

It was brutal to wake up around 3:15am (2am Seattle time) and drive 1-hr to Moraine Lake to snag a very limited parking spot. Luckily, we literally grabbed one of the LAST parking spaces when we arrived around 4:45am before the park rangers blocked the road behind us. We waited in the cold dark car until sunrise around 7:00am.

Then, we hiked up the short but steep climb, Rock Pile to find the perfect spot to see Moraine Lake light up.  The only downside was it was still a bit hazy, but beautiful nonetheless. We had hot coffee and tea while eating sandwiches for breakfast. 

After a bazillion photos, we hiked down and enjoyed the view from the lakefront for a bit and then left the area around 10:30am. 

We tried getting a parking spot at Lake Louise a few times but the lot was also full and blocked. So we had a picnic lunch and then moved to Marble Canyon in Kootenay National Park. It was beautiful to see this canyon in the summer and the falls at the end were a nice surprise as it was mostly snow-covered and frozen in winter.

We rested early since it was an early but successful morning but somehow we ended up in Banff town for a little bit.

Day 4 – Tuesday, September 13, 2022

It was a gloomy morning as we headed to Lake Louise around 7am. We managed to snag again one of the last spots in the lot! While the weather wasn’t perfect we roamed around taking photos and walked a bit of the lake trail. 

We drove to Yoho National Park and our first spot was Emerald Lake. It was lunchtime and we had grilled chicken wraps. It started to rain shortly after we ate but we still roamed a bit before heading to our next stop. 

We saw Natural Bridge and my sister was in love since she prefers rivers over lakes. It was pretty unique compared to other rock formations and waters I’ve seen. 

Our last stop was Takkawan Falls. I wasn’t too impressed with the photos I saw online but it was very impressive in person! The waterfall was very tall —the second tallest in Canada at 254 meters. What I liked were the three different ways the water was falling from the top to the bottom. It made it seem like it was three different waterfalls stacked on top of each other!

Day 5 – Wednesday, September 14, 2022

We checked out of our Banff lodge and started our drive to Jasper. But first, we had to take a photo at the iconic Banff sign that was empty.

It was rainy and gloomy as we left and started our drive on one of the world’s most scenic drives on the Icefields Parkway. As we drove over the mountains, the clouds suddenly dissipated and reveal sunny blue skies. It was quite magical and stunning. 

Our first stop was Bow Lake and it became one of my favorite views. The lake was still and reflective of the stunning Rockies around. The lighting was perfect for photos as well. 

The next stop was Peyto lake, which I’ve seen during our winter Banff trip. It required a short steep climb but the lake was turquoise and beautiful. 

We had lunch nearby at the viewpoint and then continued our drive seeing Mountain goats near the big bend view. 

We adjusted our itinerary and stopped at Columbia Ice Fields. We did a short but uphill hike to the foot of it. The landscape was bare and moon-like. 

We stopped at Tangle Creek Falls and then spotted some deer before checking into Jasper and our cute little log cabin at Becker’s Chalets.

Day 6 – Thursday, September 15, 2022

It was a rainy morning and so we wandered Jasper town a bit before Athabasca Falls. It was roaring against the grey skies. 

We were debating whether to end the day or try the Edith Cavell, Path to Glaciers hike to a glacier pond. The weather wasn’t looking too favorable but Karry wanted to try. We were minutes from the parking lot and we were lost in the clouds. It was completely grey before suddenly opening up around the corner where we saw the mountains standing tall and grand next to us. It was stunning and unbelievable. 

We were jazzed to start this hike even though we slowly saw the clouds roll in. We hiked quickly to get to the main view area and glacier pond but the clouds seem to get stuck and didn’t block out views. Due to the weather, the hike was pretty quiet and without a doubt my favorite of the trip. I’m sure it would have been even more stunning in sunny blue skies but it was beautiful nonetheless. 

Day 7 – Friday, September 16, 2022

Unfortunately, it was another gray day. We started with Maligne Canyon. The first two bridges were easily accessible to look deep into the canyon. To reach the 3-4th bridge was a pretty tough hike and to be honest, not that worth it if you are short on time or in bad weather. My parents were champs though. The fifth and sixth bridges could be accessible by car. 

We drove on to Maligne Lake but it was pretty unimpressive in the grey cloudy weather —especially after we’d seen a few stunning lakes. We went back to our cottage for lunch and after a break, we continued onto Pyramid Lake and Island. 

Day 8 – Saturday, Sept 17, 2022

We started our morning with a stop at the Goats and Glacier viewpoint but it was covered in fog. We also noticed our back tire going soft so we were a little nervous about continuing our drive onwards with a 2-hour stretch of no services. We headed back to Jasper to get air for the tire, and it seemed to do the trick. On our return, we stopped at the viewpoint again and were able to see the fog lifted. 

We were gifted with sunny blue skies on our drive-through and made various stops along the way that we had planned to break up our return drive. It was majestic and beautiful with different lighting compared to our drive toward Jasper. 

We stopped at Mistaya Canyon for a short but actually kinda strenuous hike. It was nice weather for once so that was nice. 

Our last stop was to admire Waterfowl Lakes and its glimmering turquoise waters. It was beautiful. 

Once we got back to Calgary, we gave my parents a quick car tour of downtown Calgary —nothing too special compared to Toronto but at least they got a vibe of the area. We wandered Chinatown to have dinner at Pho Hoai and then headed back to pack and rest. 

Day 9 – Sunday, September 18, 2022

We had a free hotel breakfast and then headed to the airport. It was a sad goodbye as we wouldn’t see each other until 2023. 

This trip meant a lot to my parents —not just because they haven’t been on vacation for the past three years but because the opportunity to vacation as our small family will get rarer as they age and my sister and I get busier with life. When my dad got sick this year, the first thing he worried about was not being able to go to Banff, and then again when I told him I was pregnant. It was quite adorable and it showed us how much it mattered.