Banff, Canada had been on my travel bucket list for a while. If it’s not on yours, definitely add it! I was anticipating traveling in summer or fall. If you’ve seen pictures of this area or been there when it’s warm, you know what I’m talking about. The lakes are blue and the activities are canoeing and hiking. But when 3 friends started planning a skiing/snowboarding trip there, I had to join!
As soon as we arrived in Banff in early April, I started wondering if we had come at the wrong time of year. There was clearly no snow in town but it was also still cold and windy. April and May is a transition time between winter and summer when you can’t do all of the snow/ice activities, but it’s not warm enough to do summer activities either. We learned that some of the ice-related activities like ice skating, ice climbing, and some canyon activities had ended the week before we arrived.
The first impression of regret of the season quickly turned around. Once we got higher up in the mountains, there was tons of snow and sun. Skiing and snowboarding was beautiful, and not too crowded even though there was clearly only one resort in Banff that was recommended for the snow conditions at that time of year. The hiking was great as well and there were still lots of good spots with and without snow that were safe and accessible.
After a few days in Banff, we drove up scenic Highway to Jasper. Jasper was much more rustic than the Banff or Lake Louise area. I’d definitely recommend going to both locations in the same trip, especially because the drive is so beautiful.
Jasper National Park had a lot of hiking options and snowshoeing options. In both Banff and Jasper there are relatively flat valleys which allow for great bike or e-bike opportunities as well.
Below is the itinerary from our Spring trip to Banff and Jasper. This is mostly reflective of winter activities, although you can follow the same general agenda for Summer and Fall with different additions.
Day 1: Banff Skiing
Head to Ski Big 3 Adventure Hub early in the morning to see what your best skiing or snowboarding options are for the day and rent your equipment.
Hop on the free Banff bus to go to the ski resort for a day of skiing.
We went to Sunshine Village because our hotel staff and the staff at the rental shop recommended it for the snow conditions. You can ask almost any worker in town what the best place to ski is for the week and they’ll know! Many live there because they’re active in the mountain sports.
I’m a beginner at skiing and I LOVED it! I had only been skiing a few times before and Illinois and Wisconsin (not mountains!). I was intimidated by the prospect of skiing in the rockies but when I heard the rental and lift price was close to what I’d pay in Wisconsin, I knew I had to take advantage of the opportunity to experience it. Sunshine Valley was excellent. I was with 3 people that are used to skiing in the Alps and even they were impressed with the variety of runs and how spacious it was there.
Day 2: Explore Banff
While the rest of my group headed out for another day of skiing and snowboarding, I explored Banff. It’s a very walkable city so it was easy to wander without a car.
Tunnel Mountain Hike
I started my morning with a hike up Tunnel Mountain. This was one of the things that the hotel staff recommended. It took about 1.5 hours round trip even with a lot of stops to take pictures. It was a moderate hike but very popular one, so it wasn’t too difficult. I’m very glad I brought crampons because it was icy in April. I checked All Trails before I went to see what people were saying about the conditions. The Trail provided a beautiful view of the town and surrounding mountains.
Cave and Basin National Historic Site
Next stop was Cave and Basin Historic Site. This was a nice stop if you are interested in learning a bit of history of Banff National Park as it is the original site that was preserved as a National Park in Canada.
There’s a small museum and a cave with hot springs (not for swimming) that have rare minerals.
You don’t need to spend a lot of time here but I appreciated learning something new about the area!
Shopping and snacks
Banff has plenty of shopping, restaurants, coffee, and bakeries. Bear Street is a pedestrian-only street all year. Since COVID, Banff Avenue is also now pedestrian-only during the summer.
I enjoyed a croissant and latte at Wild Flour Bakery.
Dinner
We went to Three Bears Brewery and Restaurant for dinner our second night. The food was fresh with some unique options. They also had great beer!
Day 3: Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon
Visiting Lake Louise in the Winter
In summer it’s recommended to go either early morning or late afternoon to Lake Louise to beat the crowds. In the early spring, it was not crowded! I did a tour of Chateau Lake Louise to visit for business, but you can wander around on your own as well. It’s beautiful inside with lots of little places to eat and history about the hotel.
Lake Louise was still frozen but closed to ice skating as the ice had started to melt. We took a hike up to the viewpoint of the hotel. The woods are beautiful there!
Jasper Canyon
Next, we headed to Johnston Canyon. It was very busy but it provided many view points of canyons and a waterfall.
Day 4: Drive Icefields Parkway from Banff to Jasper
We had a beautiful sunny day for most of our drive down the Icefields Parkway! The mountains around Banff and Jasper are truly stunning. There are so many places to stop, even with many still being closed in April for avalanches or trails that aren’t maintained.
Plan to spend all day driving and stopping along the parkway from Banff to Jasper or from Jasper to Banff.
Day 5: Explore Jasper National Park
Although we wanted to go for an ice walk in Maligne Canyon, it was too late in the season for that. Fortunately we decided to hike up Bald Hills Trail on the northwest end of Maligne Lake and got the most incredible views! It took us a while and snow shoes were probably necessary but we struggled through the deep snow at the top of the mountain.
We also enjoyed a picnic by Lake Annette after exploring. It’s in a flatter valley with a lot of biking trails and picnic areas.
Day 6: Explore Jasper
Jasper has so many trails and so much to explore! We stayed at Pyramid Lake Resort, so we took a couple hikes near the Resort while we were there. One that we loved was Pyramid Lake Loop. There’s beautiful views of the town and the surrounding mountains.
Jasper has a cute downtown to stroll through with lots of little shops and restaurants. We enjoyed coffee at Andromeda Coffee and dinner at Jasper Brewing Co.
If I go to Jasper again, I’d love to do a Planetarium visit. The Planetarium is located at the Fairmont within the National Park and the stars are incredible!
Day 7: Drive Back to Banff or Airport
If you only have a week, splitting your time between Banff and Jasper is a great use of your trip. On the way back, you might want to take time to stop at different Icefields Parkway stops than you did on your way there!
We stayed a few extra days at Camp Moose Trail near Golden, BC and loved it!
Where we stayed:
In Banff: Canalta Lodge
Canalta had a continental breakfast, coffee/cocktail bar, sauna, hot tubs, games, and bike rentals. We wanted a place that was close to the skiing shuttle stops and that had a kitchen so we didn’t have to eat out. I’d highly recommend it!
In Jasper: Pyramid Lake Resort
Pyramid Lake Resort was right on Pyramid Lake and I imagine it’s so nice in the summer!
We stayed in a room with a kitchen again so we could cook on our own. They also have a restaurant open during busy season.
This is a great base if you want to easily hike or bike in a quieter area outside of town.
