Outline
Date: Aug. 31 — Sept. 5
Flight: Toronto (YYZ) 🔁 Calgary (YYC)
Key POIs:
Banff National Park
Moraine Lake
Lake Louise
Big Beehive Hiking
Mirror Lake
Lake Agnes
Canmore
Grassi Lakes
Icefields Parkway
Bow Lake
Peyto Lake
Waterfowl Lake
Bridal Veil and Panther Falls
Yoho National Park
Emerald Lake
Natural Bridge
Cost: about $2,600/person
Timeline
Aug. 31: Arrived in Calgary
✈️ 10:30 — 12:46
Toronto → Calgary
🚗 13:20 Car Rental Center at the Airport
I reserved an economy-class car (Mazda 3 or similar model) using Costco Travel.
However, there is no car of such class at the airport. So they directly upgraded my order and gave me a brand new VW Taos SUV—we were the very first to drive it! Aha, we got good luck at the very beginning!
💰 14:20 Shopping
We went to T&T to buy some groceries, such as bread, drinks, snacks, and other ready-to-eat food. We didn’t have a chance for a regular lunch for the following days, so please do prepare more.
🥩 17:00 Dinner at Caesar’s Steakhouse
The atmosphere was wonderful—quiet and clean. The Filet Mignon was so tender (we learned that the Filet Mignon is actually part of the tenderloin—no wonder why it’s tender). The taste was excellent but not surprising.
There is a special grill in the middle, which is amazing. The servers were very kind and arranged a table near the beautiful grill for us.
🚶 18:30 Prince’s Island Park
It’s near the restaurant, so we took a walk here.
It’s really beautiful along the Bow river.
🏨 19:30 Check in to the Hotel
We selected Aloft by Marriott Calgary University in northwest Calgary since we needed to get to Moraine Lake early the next morning. It looked a bit dated and wasn’t as clean as expected considering its price.
Sep. 1: The Two Famous Lakes
🚗 4:30 Set Off
We had to start driving at 4:30 because we only got shuttle tickets for the 6:30-7:00 slot. It was very cold at that time, but do not dress too warmly—you would regret it once you start hiking.
At around 6:50, we were able to see the amazing golden mountain. Unfortunately, we were already sitting on the shuttle bus and could only take a photo through the glass.
🚌 7:00 Shuttle Departure for Moraine Lake
Our shuttle first stopped at Moraine Lake. You can choose when you buy the ticket, but I would recommend Moraine Lake as the first stop since there are interesting trails at Lake Louise on which you may spend more time.
The color of the lake changes with the angle of your view. It becomes more colorful when you look at from a higher vantage point, so make sure to head up the Rockpile trail first. The view on the early morning there is unique.
🚌 9:30 Take the Shuttle Bus to Lake Louise
Compared to Moraine Lake, Lake Louise is much brighter.
⛰️ 10:20 — 16:00 Big Beehive Trail (12KM)
It is a loop, about 6km hiking up and 6km down.
It was really tiring but you don’t have to choose the same route—there are a lot of other options, including relatively easy ones. Anyway, we did see some senior people finish the same trail as us, so don’t just give up. It’s worth it.
You will see Mirror Lake and Lake Agnes along the trail.
And finally take in the extraodinary view of Lake Louise at the very top.
🏠 18:40 Banff Town
We parked at the train station, which provides free parking for 9 hours. It only takes about 10 more minutes to walk to the downtown.
🥩 19:15 Chuck’s Steakhouse
I would say it tasted better than the one we had the day before in Calgary, but the environment is not that good—too many tourists, very noisy.
I highly recommend Charred Broccolini. I’d never thought a charred veggie could be so delicious.
🏨 21:30 Check in The Drake Inn (Canmore)
Canmore is a little bit cheaper than Banff, but still a lot more expensive than staying in Calgary. Anyway, we don’t want to get up early every day.
You shouldn’t expect too much from an inn, but I did like the location of this inn. Walk for 5 minutes, and you are at the downtown. Considering it was summer, $400 per day to stay here is not bad. There are plenty of parking spots.
Sep. 2: Grassi Lakes
We originally planned to climb the Sulphur Mountain. However, that was before we decided to hike for 12 km. We chose to hike this easy trail instead. We didn’t expect this trail to be so beautiful and fun—in the end, we hiked to the top, which was still not that easy…
🥯 9:20 Bagel for Breakfast
We had bagels at Rocky Mountain Bagel. It was really great.
🚶 10:00 Walk Around
Canmore Engine Bridge is nearby, so we walked around.
⛰️ 11:10 — 15:00 Grassi Lakes Trail
Usually you have to buy a parking pass, which costs $15. However, the first Wednesday of each month is Wilderness Wednesday, and it’s free. We’re so lucky!
We chose the moderate route (the left one when you facing the moutain) to hike up and the easy route to hike down. The easy route is flat and stroller-friendly, but the moderate route has more viewpoints for great sights, such as falls.
Be careful when taking the moderate route—water runs over the rocks, making them slippery.
Grassi Lakes include two lakes: Upper Grassi Lake and Lower Grassi Lake. It feels out of this world! The lakes are so clear, so green and so blue! We were so glad we changed our plans and came here.
You can continue hiking up after seeing the lakes. There were a lot of climbers climbing the rocks.
At the top, there is a spectacular reservoir.
🍚 15:30 Happy Hour at Tavern 1883
Every dish is 40% off before 4pm. It’s not bad.
I just don’t know how they could serve the three dishes so fast—maybe they were pre-prepared (I’m just guessing).
I like Fried Brussels Sprouts the most.
⛰️ 19:20 Three Sisters Mountain Viewpoint
Park across the street, take the road under the bridge near the parking lot, and follow the path to reach the viewpoint.
🏨 20:00 Back to the Inn
Next day would be a long driving.
Sep. 3: Icefields Parkway
🥯 7:00 Bagel for Breakfast
Remember to fill the gas tank.
9:15 Bow Lake
There are a lot of viewpoints along the parkway. We first stopped at Bow Lake.
It looked a little dark, just like Moraine Lake, but there were far fewer people.
10:00 Peyto Lake
Peyto Lake is also known as the Wolf Head Lake—can you see the wolf head?
We also saw a deer near the parking lot!
10:40 Waterfowl Lake
We stopped at Waterfowl Lake to get some rest. Driving on Icefields Parkway was not tiring at all.
12:30 Bridal Veil Falls and Panther Falls
Bridal Veil Falls can be seen at the parking lot—it’s on the opposite mountain.
Panther Falls is below the parking area, and you need to hike down the trail to see it.
The trail was not in good condition, but it was not too hard to get there. Panther Falls are very powerful, and you definitely don’t want to miss it!
13:20 — 15:30 Toe of the Athabasca Glacier Trail
We didn’t take the vehicle to go onto the glacier. Instead, we chose to hike the nearby trail—though we couldn’t touch the glacier, it was more fun and economical (free v.s. $100+). There are markers indicating where the glacier edge stood over the decades—it’s really surprising that the glacier has melted so much.
18:00 Dinner at Pizzeria Sophia
We ordered a pepperoni pizza—a lot of pepperoni, but tasted just so-so.
We also tried the famous COWS ice cream, but we think it’s just average—we still think the best ice cream is the one we bought from Chocolate Sensations in Paris, Ontario. (This is not an advertisement!)
20:00 Back to the Inn
The following day was our last, with a much more relaxed schedule. So we just slept in.
Sep 4: Yoho
🥯 9:30 Bagel Again for Breakfast
We do like bagels :)
11:40 Emerald Lake
This is the best place for canoeing. At Moraine Lake, renting a canoe costs $170/hr; but here it’s only $100/hr. However, it was raining and we arrived so late that there was already a very long line waiting for canoes. So we decided to skip the canoe rental.
12:30 Natural Bridge
It’s near Emerald Lake. The natural rock formations resemble a bridge, which is how the site got its name.
16:00 Check in the Hotel in Calgary
We stayed at the Calgary Sheraton Cavalier hotel. This is a very nice hotel—everything is new and clean.
17:30 Dinner at Ramen Ichinen
We walked to this restaurant and had Japanese ramen. It was good and exceeded our expectations, considering its location.
Sep. 5: Back Home
We returned the car at 10 am. There are two entrances to the car rental return lot. Keep an eye out for your rental company’s logo and don’t pull in too early, otherwise it’s tricky to navigate to the correct return lane.
13:45 — 19:34 Calgary → Toronto
The End.
Costs
Accommodation: $1,800 CAD (34%)
2 nights in Calgary + 3 nights in Canmore (free parking throughout)Major Transit (Flights): $1,600 CAD (31%)
Round-trip flights between Toronto and Calgary for twoFood & Supplies: $840 CAD (16%)
Two steakhouse dinners, bagels, snacks, and grocery provisionsCar Rental & Local Transit: $800 CAD (15%)
5-day new SUV rental + lake shuttle + 3 refuelsShopping & Souvenirs: $200 CAD (3.8%)
National Park Pass: $0 CAD (0%)
Free admission via Canada Strong Pass
Total: $5,300 CAD (100%) ; Approx. $2,600 CAD per person