Hi, I did my post-exchange trip in late April to the Canadian Rockies with 3 other girls (all girls trip!!) and here are some tips and tricks around the Canadian rockies under 8 days!
What to pack: (Winter/Spring)
- Good pair of boots (we wore Timberlands)
- Cleats/Clampons (as there will still be snow/melting snow/ice)
- Small daypack (for hiking)
- Winterwear (thermals and jacket as temperature fluctuate alot)
Day 1: Hamilton - Edmonton
We arrived in Edmonton on a sunny morning and collected our car rental - a Jeep!
Day 2: Edmonton - Jasper (3.5h drive) + Miette Hot Springs + Maligne Canyon
We drove from Edmonton to Jasper early morning and wanted to soak in Miette Hot Springs but it was closed for the season. We decided to check out Maligne lake instead and although it was frozen it was still pretty beautiful! Took a short hike around Malign canyon as well and ended the day in our Airbnb.
We were pretty unlucky during this trip because it was during winter/spring and there were roadworks on the Icefields Parkway so instead of taking a straight 3h drive down to Banff from Jasper, we had to do a detour all the way back to Edmonton and down to Banff, just right after the glacier mountains.
Day 3: Icefields Parkway + Athabasca Glacier
We took a short 3.5h (?) to see the Athabasca Glacier, this is one of the must-sees in Jasper and if you get a chance to take a walk around please do. Weather was not with us that day as they were preparing to snowbomb the mountains to trigger an avalanche. We headed back to Jasper town and on our way back we stopped to take a short hike up this Jacob Creek Falls.
After Jacob Creek Falls, we headed to Sunwapta Falls, which was half frozen but still pretty beautiful with crystal clear blue waters.
Second half of our day was spent hiking the valley of 5 lakes again. This time, we completed the whole trail and saw all 5 of the lakes!! We felt so so accomplished and honestly this was so much more therapeutic as compared to my experience in Banff because Jasper is further up north with lesser tour groups.
- For the long loop, turn left onto trail #9 after crossing the boardwalk. Go right onto #9a at the next junction towards the first lake. This trail follows above the entire length of the lake. The long loop is about 9 km and takes roughly 3 hours to hike.
- The short loop is about 4.5 km and has a 66 m elevation gain/loss. The short loop follows trails #9a and #9b. If you want to see the lakes in order, go clockwise around the loop by choosing trail #9b at the junction point.
- The Valley of the Five Lakes hike (small loop) took us about 3 hours, including all the photo and rest stops we made.
- Level: easy - moderate
Day 4: Spent 1 day Detour to travel to Lake Louise
We spent the whole day driving from Jasper back towards Edmonton and down to Lake Louise. What was initially a 3.5h drive became a 7.5h drive and including our stops, we took the whole day and reached our hostel in Lake Louise at 7pm.
Day 5: Moraine Lake, Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon/Falls
We started off our day at Moraine lake, it was entirely frozen but the morning rays on the lake was reflected on my camera and that was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life. Weather was warm with occasional wind chills, but yes, a couple of tour groups were already there. We felt odd as the past 4 days we haven’t seen any tour group yet.
We then proceed to Lake Louise and took the Lake Agnes Beehive Trail.
- Distance: 4.4 miles (round trip) to Lake Agnes
6.5 miles (round trip) to Big Beehive
8.0 miles (loop) to Lake Louise via Highline/Plain of Six Glaciers - Elevation: 5,720-ft. at Trailhead
7,003-ft. at Lake Agnes
7,450-ft. at Big Beehive
7,480-ft. at Lake Louise via Highline/Plain of Six Glaciers - Elevation Gain: 1,283-ft. to Lake Agnes
447-ft. to Big Beehive
-1,760-ft. to Lake Louise via Highline/Plain of Six Glaciers - Difficulty: moderate
Lake Louise is very very populated with tourists and you can see a lot of them walking on the half frozen lake, or around the lake itself. But these tour groups will not have sufficient time to take the Lake Agnes trail so that’s one way for you to escape the crowd.
We spent our afternoon at Johnston Canyon/Falls, this is an attraction filled with tourists once again as it comes with most tour packages. It wasn’t very fantastic to us as the walk up to the falls were very slippery and populated.
We checked into Banff international hostel and had a wonderful stay in a 6-bed female dorm. I also introduced hostel living to my fellow friends and they enjoyed it as much as I did.
Day 6: Banff Town, Two Jack Lake, Lake Minnewanka, Sulphur Mountain, Banff Upper Hot Springs
We started our morning at this lake near Banff town (5 min drive) and soaked in the morning breeze!!! This place is phenomenal and we took our time exploring the less-travelled places with lesser tourists.
We had a short lunch in our Jeep and drove to Two Jack Lake & Lake Minnewanka!!
In the afternoon, we drove to the base of Sulphur mountain and purchased a cable car ticket (off-peak) and took the cable car up to the peak.
We took a short walk at the top of Sulphur mountain, initially wanted to hike up Sulphur mountain, which is known for one of the most challenging hikes in Banff. However, after our Lake Agnes trail, we were all dead-beat and couldn’t survive another day of hiking. We paid about CA48 for the round trip cable car ride which was also quite worth it.
We ended off the day at Banff Upper Hot Springs for a nice soak, honestly not worth it because it was filled with tourists and you can barely move much in the pool. The entire pool is jam-packed.
Day 7: Good bye Banff!! - Canmore - Yamanuska Wolf Dog Sanctuary - Calgary
This was the saddest day as we bidded good bye to Banff and continued our road trip to Calgary.
Canmore is pretty peaceful as compared to Banff and there are more locals who live here than Banff. If you’ve got time you can spend a night or two here depending on your activities. It’s quite vintage with small local boutique shops at every corner.
We drove about 3h to Yamnuska Wolfdog Sanctuary and made it just in time for the 3pm tour which costs about CA35. It’s a non-profit sanctuary where all proceeds are used to upkeep the wolfdogs, it’s very informational and worth a trip down here even though it’s in the middle of all the farms.
From their website: “We are a non-profit organization who promotes responsible wolfdog ownership by providing a variety of educational programs. We discuss the challenges of wolfdog ownership and outline what a suitable home looks like. We also touch on the importance of preserving wolves in the wild! On top of the educational programs, the Sanctuary also oversees the rescue and safe sanctuary for wolfdogs that have been neglected, abandoned, or otherwise displaced.” I feel that they delivered it very well, in their tours and all the information boards placed around the cages, so please drop by if you’re near!!!
Here are the wolfdogs we saw in the sanctuary, really liked the atmosphere and how the keepers treated these animals with great care.
That’s all, hope you liked the post! Comment below and let me know which hikes/views were your favourite!
Cheers,
Chow