DAY 1

Calgary - Alberta, Canada

Highlights

• Arriving in Calgary International Airport (YYZ)

Details

Our flight arrived late around 10 pm. We took an airport shuttle and spent our first night at Element by Westin Calgary Airport Hotel.

DAY 2

Banff - Alberta, Canada

Highlights

• Breakfast at Element by Westin Calgary hotel
• Downtown Banff
• Lake Minnewanka
• Check into our hotel: Rimrock Banff Emblem Collection
• Greek Night Dinner Experience

Details

• We had a delicious breakfast buffet at the hotel. From there we picked up our rental car and drove to Banff, Alberta.

• It was too early to check into our hotel but we were able to park our car at the Rimrock Resort parking lot, then take the complimentary hotel shuttle to Downtown Banff. We walked around Banff, then had delicious udon lunch at Chaya.

• After lunch, we hopped back on the shuttle for a quick sneak peek of Lake Minnewanka in Banff National Park. We didn’t plan to visit this that day and didn’t stay long. But we loved it so much that we decided to come back a couple days later. Read this post about our fun afternoon at Lake Minnewanka.

• In the afternoon, we took the shuttle back to check into our room at the Rimrock Resort Hotel.

• Earlier in the day when we were walking around Downtown Banff, we saw a sign in front of the Balkan Restaurant about their Greek Night celebration for that evening. We decided to make a dinner reservation for that same night and was lucky to get a table. The Mediterranean dinner was delicious, the service was great, and the belly dancing performance was wonderful. The kids had a blast learning some dance moves. They also found it super cool to participate in the traditional plate smashing. It was such a fun night!

 

DAY 3

Banff - Alberta, Canada

Highlights

• Breakfast at “The Highest Starbucks” 
• Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain
• Boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak
• Dinner in Banff
• Wildlife on the Bow Tour

Details

• We took a short walk from our hotel to a Starbucks at the base of Banff Gondola building. At 1583 meters elevation, it is the highest Starbucks in all of Canada. 

• After breakfast, we got on the enclosed gondola for a ride up the 7500 ft summit of Sulphur Mountain, with a spectacular view of the Rocky Mountains. Read more about our experience at Banff Gondola.

• At the summit, we took the Sulphur Mountain Boardwalk trail leading up to Sanson’s Peak, with an even more magnificent view. 

• After spending the whole morning at Banff Gondola, we grabbed lunch then came back to the hotel to rest and freshen up. Later in the afternoon, we hopped on the shuttle to Downtown Banff for dinner, and headed to our booked activity, Wildlife On The Bow Canoe Tour, where we learned fun facts about local animals while paddling up the scenic Bow River.

DAY 4

Yoho National Park and Jasper National Park - Canada

Highlights

• Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park
• Brunch at Mount Burgess Dining Room
• Natural Bridge
• Takakkaw Falls
• Peyto Lake
• Check in at: Glacier View Lodge
• Ice Explorer Ride to Athabasca Glacier
• Dinner at Glacier View Lodge

Details

• We checked out of our hotel in Banff very early in the morning around 5 am and headed to Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park. We took a morning walk around the peaceful lake and snapped some great pictures. Read more about Emerald Lake and Yoho National Park.

• After the walk, we enjoyed a tasty brunch at the historic Mount Burgess Dining Room, with a very nice view of Emerald Lake. 

• Only a short drive away from Emerald Lake, we made a stop to see the Natural Bridge, the natural rock formation that was carved over time to resemble a bridge. 

• We hopped back on the car to the parking area of Takakkaw Falls, Canada’s second largest waterfalls. We took the walking trail to the base of the waterfalls, where we could feel the mist of the milky water and listen to the rapid water. 

• On our way to Jasper, we made another stop and did a short hike to see the wolf-shaped Peyto Lake, and its surreal blue water color.

 

• The drive to Jasper was full of amazing scenery. We also saw a black bear on the road and some moose. We checked in at Glacier View Lodge, where we booked an All-Inclusive Stay. Read more about our Jasper All-Inclusive Stay. 

• Our All-Inclusive package included an after-hour group tour to Athabasca Glacier, exclusively for hotel guests. We went on the Ice Explorer and learned fun facts about the retreating glacier. We arrived on the Athabasca Glacier after all the crowd had left, which was nice. We took a sip of the water from the glacier, which was so cold and fresh. The tour also provided some hot apple cider for us to enjoy at the glacier before we left.

• After the tour, we headed to the resort’s Altitude Restaurant for dinner, then went to our glacier-view room to rest after such a fun, busy day. 

DAY 5

Jasper to Canmore, Canada

Highlights

• Breakfast at the hotel
• Columbia Icefield Skywalk Tour
• Panther Falls
• Mistaya Canyon
• Lunch in Lake Louise Village
• Check in at: The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore

Details

• We had a delicious breakfast buffet at the Glacier View Lodge hotel to start the day.

• Also part of our All-Inclusive Stay, we went on a private group tour to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk before it was open for the public. We stepped on the 918-ft high glass-bottomed skywalk that overlooks the Sunwapta Valley. We also saw a cute family of bighorn sheep there. 

• After the tour, we returned to the hotel and were ready to check out. We hopped on the car going to Canmore, our next destination. On the way, we made a few stops, and the first one was Panther Falls. 

• Our next stop was Mistaya Canyon, an amazing hidden gem that was accessible with a short, delightful hike. 

 

• We continued our drive and made a stop for lunch at Lake Louise Village. Afterwards, we did a little shopping around the village before going back in the car.

• We checked into The Malcolm Hotel in Canmore, Canada. After freshening up, we went for a quick dinner and back to the hotel to rest.

 

DAY 6

Lake Louise, Canada

Highlights

• Lake Louise
• Lake Agnes and Mirror Lake
• Lake Agnes Teahouse
• Canoe Ride in Lake Louise
• Moraine Lake
• Lake Louise Gondola
• Mountaintop Dinner at Whitehorn Bistro

Details

• We started the day very early around 5 am to beat the crowd. The lake was as beautiful as what we saw in the pictures, with calm, turquoise water, and mirror reflections of its surrounding mountains. We spent some time just sitting by the lake admiring its beauty. Read more about our visit to the amazing Lake Louise.

• We walked along Lake Louis, then hiked the trail up to Lake Agnes. Just before we reached Lake Agnes, we stopped to take pictures at the charming Mirror Lake with a view of the Beehive.

• The hike to Lake Agnes was rewarded with delicious tea and snacks at the historic Lake Agnes Teahouse.

• Coming back down from the hike, we rented some canoes from Chateau Lake Louise dock and had a wonderful time paddling in the turquoise water while enjoying the views.

• In the afternoon we went to visit Moraine Lake, another stunningly beautiful lake in the Canadian Rockies. 

• We took the Lake Louise Gondola to go up to the summit for a mountaintop dinner at Whitehorn Bistro. The food was delicious, especially the strawberry shortcake dessert, and the views were amazing.

DAY 7

Banff, Canada

Highlights

• Johnston Canyon Hiking Trail
• Brunch in Downtown Banff
• Lake Minnewanka Cruise Tour
• Two Jack Lake
• Dinner in Canmore

Details

• As usual, we started the day early to beat the crowd. We arrived at Johnston Canyon Hiking Trail around 7 am. It was a delightful hike with beautiful waterfalls, overhanging canyon walls, and lush forest. Read more about our experience at Johnston Canyon Hiking Trail

• After the hike, we headed to Downtown Banff to have brunch at Tooloulou’s Restaurant.

• We then took the shuttle to Lake Minnewanka for our booked activity, the Lake Minnewanka Family Cruise Tour. We learned fun facts about the lake, then the captain gave the kids a chance to drive the boat.

• The Two Jack Lake was only a shuttle stop away from Lake Minnewanka. It’s another charming lake in Banff, and a great place to go kayaking, paddle-boarding, or swimming.

• After a busy day in Banff, we drove back to Canmore, grabbed dinner, and spent the rest of the night in our hotel room.

DAY 8

Banff and Canmore, Canada

Highlights

• Brunch and Shopping in Banff
• Lazy afternoon and Dinner in Canmore

Details

• We liked Tooloulou’s so much that we came back the next morning for brunch, followed by some souvenir shopping.

• After the busy few days we had, we decided to have a lazy day. We spent the afternoon relaxing at the hotel’s rooftop pool and hot tubs, with a great view of the Three Sisters Mountains. We freshened up and headed to Downtown Canmore for dinner.

DAY 9

Canmore, Canada

Highlights

• Pastries Breakfast in Canmore
• Kananaskis Whitewater River Rafting Tour
• Dinner in Banff, Canada

Details

• We started the day with delicious French pastries and coffee at Le Fournil Bakery in Canmore. 

• Afterwards, we got ready for our exciting adventure for the day, Kananaskis Whitewater River Rafting. Our guide and the entire experience was so awesome. Read more about our Kananaskis River Family Whitewater Rafting experience.

• We went back to the hotel to shower and headed to dinner at Chuck’s Steakhouse in Banff. 

DAY 10

Canmore, Canada

Highlights

• Breakfast in Canmore
• Canmore Caving Adventure Tour at Rat’s Nest Cave
• Dinner 

Details

• We couldn’t help going back to Le Fournil Bakery’s for more pastries.

• Our adventure of the day was the Canmore Caving Adventure at Rat’s Nest Cave. Our tour guide was amazing and so patient, especially with the kids. We started with a hike up the mountain to the entrance of the cave, and spent time crawling, sliding, climbing, and squeezing into tight passages. It was a total of 6-hour excursion and was an unforgettable experience for us. Read more about our unforgettable Canmore Caving Adventure in The Canadian Rockies.

DAY 11

Calgary, Canada

Highlights

• Breakfast in Canmore
• Canada Olympic Park
• Calgary Zoo
• Check in at: Hotel Clique Calgary Airport
• Dinner at the hotel

Details

• After breakfast, we were ready to check out of our hotel in Canmore.

• We drove to Canada Olympic Park in Calgary and had so much fun downhill-karting. It was also cool to see the actual bobsled that belonged to the Jamaican team in one of our favorite movies, Cool Runnings.

• From the park, we headed to Calgary Zoo and enjoyed the beautiful weather while visiting animals from around the world. The twin pandas playing with each other were absolutely adorable! Read more about our time at Calgary Zoo.

• Later in the afternoon, we returned our rental car at the airport and took the airport shuttle to Hotel Clique Calgary Airport, where we spent the last night of our vacation. We had dinner at the hotel and spent the rest of the night watching a movie and playing card games in our hotel room.

DAY 12

Calgary, Canada

Highlights

• Flying out of Calgary International Airport (YYZ)

Details

We booked an airport shuttle to take us to the airport in the early morning. It was hard to believe that the vacation was ending, but we were ready to bring home so many unforgettable memories during this trip.

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