7 Day Canadian Rocky Mountains Road trip Itinerary



This post may contain affiliate links that I earn a small commission from at no cost to you. Please see my disclosure page for information.

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are some of the most majestic and iconic mountains in the world with towering snow-capped peaks, brilliant blue lakes, and the world-renowned Icefields Parkway. It’s a place that has etched itself in my memory with places like Morraine Lake, Peyto Lake, and Emerald Lake instantly recognizable. In this 7-day Canadian Rocky Mountains road trip itinerary, you’ll get a taste of what makes this part of the world so special.

We did our Canadian Rocky Mountains road trip at the end of Spring/start of Summer: the end of May and the start of June, while we might be biased and haven’t been here at other times of the year, we think this just might be one of the best times of the year to do this road trip.

We did this trip with carry-on baggage only and limited to a 7kg per person carry-on weight limit, so we traveled very light. 

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 1 – Fly to Calgary and drive to Banff

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 2 – Drive to Jasper via Lake Louise

  • 6:30am – Breakfast at Banff Aspen Lodge
  • 7:30am – Depart Banff, drive to Lake Louise via Bow Valley Parkway (Route 1A)
    • 58kms drive (approx 1hr 10 mins without stops)
  • 9:30am – Lake Louise
  • 10:30am – Depart Lake Louise for Athabasca Falls (Route 93 then Route 93A)
    • 201kms drive (approx 3hrs without stops)
  • 3:30pm – Athabasca Falls
  • 3:50pm – Drive to Mt Edith Cavell
    • 27kms south of Jasper off Route 93A (approx 1hr without stops)
  • 5:20pm – Arrive at Mt Edith Cavell Trail
  • 5:20pm – Do walk to Edith Cavell Pond
    • 800m easy walk each way (approx 40 mins)
  • 6:00pm – Depart Mt Edith Cavell and drive to Jasper
    • 27kms (approx 1hr without stops)
  • 7:30pm – Arrive at Jasper and check in to Alpine Village
    • From Jasper townsite:
      • Go 2km south on Highway 93 and turn east/left on Highway 93A N for 1/2 km, located just across from the Athabasca River.
    • From Banff and Calgary:
      • Go west of Banff on Highway 1, then north on Highway 93 for 226 km to just past the Whistler’s Campground/Tramway turnoff 2 km from Jasper.  Turn east/right on Highway 93A N for 1/2 km.
      • (Do not turn left/west on Highway 93A S before the Whistler’s Campground or you’ll be heading to Mt. Edith Cavell).

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 3 – Jasper

  • 8:30am – Check-in at Jasper SkyTram
  • 9:00am – Take SkyTram
  • Breakfast at top of SkyTram
  • Drive to Maligne Canyon, Medicine Lake, and Maligne Lake
  • Visit Jasper Lakes and Miette Hot Springs

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 4 – British Columbia Detour

  • Cross the border to British Columbia and visit Mount Robson Provincial Park

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 5 – Drive to Baker Creek

  • Drive to Sunwapta Falls
  • Drive to Peyto Lake Viewing Point (through Bow Pass)
  • Drive to Bow Lake
  • Drive to Baker Creek Mountain Resort
    • Bow Valley Pkwy,
      Lake Louise

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 6 – Drive to Banff

  • Drive to Banff via Lake Louise after crossing the border to British Columbia to visit the Natural Bridge over Kicking Horse River, Emerald Lake, Spiral Tunnel, Johnston Canyon and Lower Falls.
  • Stay at Fox Hotel and Suites – Includes continental breakfast:
    • 461 Banff Ave,
      Banff

Canadian Rockies Road Trip Day 7 – Return to Calgary Airport

If this article helped make your life a little bit easier, please consider booking or purchasing through one of our links. It won’t cost you anything but will help keep this site going!

Save money on your holiday

Travel Money & Currency Conversion: We use both Up Bank and Wise for the best currency conversion rates with support for Apple Pay and Android Pay plus excellent in-app customer support while you are travelling.

Flights: We check a few sites for different prices. Travelling from Australia, I always check Qantas directly for reward flights, but otherwise, I check and compare the cost of flights with SkyScanner. It’s always worth checking alternative routes and days, especially where there are multiple stopover options or nearby alternative airports.

Accommodation: We usually book through Agoda as we find their prices are the lowest and cancellation policies + loyalty benefits work out the best. We also use Airbnb from time to time.

Car Rental: We use AutoEurope to compare rental car prices with all the big international brands like Europcar, Budget, Hertz and Avis. We usually end up using Avis or Europcar as they offer the best deals (make sure to check their current offers for bonus discounts) and both maintain their vehicles well with relatively new fleets.

Tours & Activities: We generally try to book activities through one of these third-party sites ViatorGet Your Guide & Klook due to their flexible cancellation policies (saved us a lot of money trying to travel post-COVID) and price guarantees (often better prices than booking direct). We also book through Red Balloon on occasion for more unique Aussie and NZ activities.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Who Am I?

Matt in Noumea

Matt works sort-of full time running his digital marketing business, TerraMedia. In his spare time though, he loves to travel with his wife, so they usually end up doing a lot of it.
Home is Australia, and while they don’t spend all their time travelling the world, Matt and his wife like to take the time to really explore and get to know a place, even if that means spending a lot longer there than normal tourists might.

You can read more about Matt and his story HERE.

Currently reading

Sponsored

Subscribe Now For The Latest Updates