A Curated 1 Week Itinerary of Banff: An Epic Alberta Road Trip

It’s only fitting that my first blog post after a year-long hiatus is a Banff itinerary — a trip I took just after I decided to take a bit of a break. It is what’s called a full circle moment.

What can I say? 2021 was rough. 2022 was busy AF. I was still trying to put my life back together post-pandemic then I started a new job where I felt like I was exploding — new role, new environment, new people…NEW, NEW, NEW😅 So I had to press pause on Teriaki Talks to focus on acclimatizing to this amazing agency bursting talented and dynamic people.

Thank you to all the people to reached out to see when I’d be posting again! Glad to be back ☺️

Alberta — specifically a road trip to Banff and Jasper National Parks — was always on my bucket list but it was always being pushed down the list in favour of destinations that seemed more exotic and exciting.

It’s kind of like living in Paris your entire life and never going to the Eiffel Tower —

it’s always there so you just assume you’ll get around to it one day.

But with international travel being put on hold, I put my Banff itinerary into action for an idyllic adventure of the Canadian Rockies ⛰️

Need to know

Airport: To begin your Banff itinerary, you’ll fly into the Calgary Airport (YYC). From there it’s about a 90-minute drive or shuttle ride to Banff.

Best Time To Visit: Like all places that experience all four seasons, it depends on your preference! Fall offers perfect flannel weather and the landscape is idyllic with the yellowing leaves and it’s not as busy as spring and summer. Avid skiers and snowboarders will want to visit in the winter when Banff becomes a snowy wonderland, but it’s freeeezzzzing.

Where to Stay: For me, convenience is key so I stayed in the Town of Banff at Mount Royal on the first leg and at Elk + Avenue Hotel on the way back (both great). While it was a bit of a drive to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, it had tons of delicious restaurants and bars nearby to wander and it was more cost-effective than staying IN Banff National Park. Canmore is another popular, picturesque and affordable alternative to consider for your Banff itinerary.

Parks Canada Pass: To enter Banff National Park you’ll need to present a Parks Canada Pass at a toll booth. You can purchase a daily pass but depending on how long you’re staying (and how many parks you’re planning to hit) it may be worth it to get a yearly pass which gives you unlimited access to 80 Canadian National Parks. Just gives you another reason to re-visit the gorgeous Canadian Rockies!

SCHEDULE AT A GLANCE

Duration: 7 Days

Day 1: Fly into Calgary in the afternoon, drive to Banff
Day 2: Explore Banff and surrounding lakes
Day 3: Moraine Lake, Lake Louise
Day4: Johnston Canyon, Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake
Day5: Sidecar tour to Mount Edith Cavell, Maligne Lake, Spirit Island
Day 6: Athabasca Falls and Glaciers, Columbia Icefields and Skywalk
Day 7: Banff Gondola, drive to Calgary
Days 8: Fly out of Calgary in the morning

Day 1 – Calgary to Banff

Afternoon:

🛬 Fly into in Calgary (YYC) to begin your Alberta adventure
🚙 Pick up a rental car and set off for Banff
▪ The drive from Calgary to Banff is about 1.5 hours
▪ Get a rental car right at the airport for maximum efficiency
🏨 Upon arrival in Banff, get settled at your hotel
🌮 Tuck into tacos and tequila at Magpie & Stump
🛌 Sleep early, tomorrow’s Banff itinerary is a long one!

Day 2 – Banff

Morning:
🌅 Start this Banff itinerary with watching the sun rise over Two Jack Lake
🍳 Nosh on a breakfast as aesthetic as the patio view at Juniper Bistro
▪ Hearty dishes like eggs benny and shakshuka made with local produce
▪ Located in the Juniper Hotel

Feeling wild? Sip on a Shaft cocktail (vodka, Kahlua, ice, and espresso or cold brew) to wash down shakshuka, eggs benny and French toast

🛶 Grab a canoe and paddle along the Forty Mile Creek into the Vermilion Lakes
🥟 Fuel up on Asian tapas at the hip Block Kitchen + Bar
▪ Think: pork kimchi gyoza and pork belly baos
▪ Don’t sleep on the inventive cocktails!
▪ “Unbeetable” gin, beet juice, chickpea brine, lemon juice (fav drink)

Vermilion Lakes on a sunny day!

Unique and delicious cocktails to go with pork kimchi gyoza and pork belly baos at Block Kitchen

Afternoon:
🚢 Continue your lake tour on a cruise across Lake Minnewanka
▪ Available from May – October
▪ Tour is weather dependent
🛍️ Work up an appetite by window shopping around Banff town
🫕 Test your lactose-intolerance with cheese fondue at The Grizzly House
▪ Famous and rustic lodge-style fondue restaurant
▪ Opened in 1967 as Western Canada’s first disco!
▪ Landline phones at each table you can hear history on
▪ They offer “exotic” meats like alligator and rattlesnake
💃🏻 Still awake? Wind down with a pint and live music at Rose & Crown

Day 3 – Banff

Morning:

🌄 Wake up at the crack of dawn and head over to Moraine Lake
▪ Moraine Lake is VERY busy so go early
▪ Parking is full before sunrise so instead, book seat on the shuttle
▪ Drive to Park & Ride at Lake Louise then take the shuttle to Moraine Lake
▪ Ticket includes roundtrip to both Moraine Lake and Lake Louise
🪨 Clamber up to the rock pile lookout point for a glorious view of Moraine Lake
🥾 Inhale the fresh air on a hike along the path to Consolation Lakes

Smooth Moraine Lake mirroring the Rockies

Afternoon:
🚐 Board the shuttle and make your way to Lake Louise
🫖 Getting peckish? It’s time for high tea at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
▪ Make a reservation in advance
▪ Request a table in front of the massive windows facing the lake
▪ Afternoon tea is from 12-2pm (email for outside that time)

🌊 Hike one of the many trails around the clear waters of Lake Louise
▪ Clamber up to the Lake Agnes Tea House for bird’s eye views
▪ If you’re not hiked out yet you can continue to the Big Beehive
▪ Alternatively, set off on the Plain of Six Glaciers trail
🍣 Dine on scallop sashimi and tonkatsu in the zen interior of Hello Sunshine
▪ Happy Hour is 4-5pm daily meaning cheap(er) sushi and drinks
▪ Sing you heart out in the karaoke rooms in the back rooms!
▪ Don’t sleep on their bomb cocktails like the Matcha-Colada

Day 4 – Banff to Jasper

Morning:
🥐 Grab a freshly baked pear, almond cardamom danish at Wild Flour
▪ Pick up extra treats for the long drive, you’ll need ’em
🛣️ Set off on a scenic road trip to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway
▪ The drive from Banff to Jasper is around 3.5 hours total
▪ The Icefields Parkway (AB-93) and TransCanada Highway (AB-1) connect
📍 Make a pitstop 30 minutes into your trip at Johnston Canyon
▪ Easy hike to the lower falls to see the canyon
▪ You can see a 40m waterfall at the upper falls

Afternoon:
🏞️ Continue driving to Yoho National Park
▪ Get refreshed at the roaring Takakkaw Falls
▪ Kayak across the clear waters of Emerald Lake
▪ Hike to Natural Bridge, a natural (duh) rock formation
🏔️ Arrive in Jasper, an alpine town nestled in the snow-capped Canadian Rockies
🥘 Warm up with kimchi-jjigae and makgeolli at Kimchi House
✨ Star gaze at Jasper National Park, the second largest Dark Sky Preserve
🍺 Still have energy (you monster)? Grab a pint at Jasper Brewing Company

Trying not to fall IN to Emerald Lake (as pretty as it is)

Day 5 – Jasper

Morning:
☀️ Start the morning bright and early at Sunhouse Cafe
▪ Go classic with avocado toast with a poached egg
▪ Sweet tooth? Dig into the Marscarpone French Toast
🏍️ Satisfy your need for speed on a motorcycle tour of the Rockies
▪ Get fitted for leather jackets and ass-less chaps at the shop
▪ Hop in the cozy sidecar for a chauffeured ride
▪ Make a pitstop at Mount Edith Cavell for glorious views
🥗 For a hearty and healthy lunch, swing by Harvest Food & Drinks
▪ May be heavy for midday but bison osso buco is their signature dish
🍪 Before heading out again, grab snacks from Bear’s Paw Bakery

Motorcycle sidecar tour on the way to one of the stops — Mount Edith Cavell

Afternoon:
🛥️ Launch from shore aboard the Maligne Lake Cruise
▪ Sail along the turquoise alpine lake while listening to history of the area
▪ Upon arrival at Spirit Island, be respectful of the sacred land
▪ Maligne Lake was known as “Lake of Deep Waters” and “Lake of Healing”
▪ First Nations people believed the mountains were their ancestors
🍝 Return to dry land for fancy dinner and cocktails at Kumama Bistro & Canteen
▪ Located in the Pine Bungalows Resort
▪ Can get busy so make reservations to be safe!
▪ Menu changes with what local produce is in season
▪ I devoured braised bison pappardelle and a jug of house sangria

Day 6 – Jasper to Banff

Morning:
🥞 Before the long drive back to Banff, enjoy a cozy breakfast at WickedCup
🥪 Before leaving, pick up snacks as you won’t find many restaurants on the drive
💦 If you’re not sick of waterfalls yet, trek to Athabasca Falls
▪ It’s a 30-minute drive from Jasper
▪ The trail is short and paved, taking only 16 minutes to complete

Hard to see but there’s a transparent walkway that you can see straight down!

Afternoon:
🧊 Traverse icy glaciers on a Columbia Icefield Adventure
▪ Board a Ice Explorer all-terrain vehicle to the Athabasca Glaciers
▪ Explore the frigid terrain in your warmest down coat
🥶 Put your fear of heights to the test at the Columbia Icefield Skywalk
🏞 Stretch your legs on an idyllic Parker Ridge hike
🧳 After a 2-hour drive, arrive in Banff and drop off luggage
🍽 Treat yourself to a fancy farm-to-table meal at The Bison Restaurant
🍹 Sit by the fire at Park Distillery and sip a perfectly crafted cocktail

Day 7 – Banff to Calgary

Morning:
🥓 Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Farm & Fire
▪ Located inside Elk + Avenue Hotel
🚠 For sweeping views of six mountain ranges, hop on the Banff Gondola
🚶🏻‍♀️ Stroll the boardwalk to the Cosmic Ray Station and Sanson’s Peak
⛰️ Wander the world-class mountaintop discovery centre indoors
🍜 Warm up with a spicy bowl of gochu-miso ramen at Amu Ramen Bar
🍦 Satisfy your sweet tooth with a scoop of ice cream from COWS

Not ashamed to say that I came back for this gochu-miso ramen from Amu TWICE!

Afternoon:
👋🏼 Say your final farewells to Banff and start driving back to Calgary
🍻 Upon arriving in Calgary embark on a mini brewery crawl
▪ For IG-worthy aesthetics, start at Ol’Beautiful Brewery Co.
▪ Grab a flight for variety at The Dandy Brewing Company
▪ Enjoy the 80s vibe at Eighty-Eight Brewing Co.
▪ Sample local suds at Cowtown Brewing Company
🥢 Head to Bincho Sushi & Izakaya to indulge in an epic Japanese feast
▪ Ball out on mentaiko pasta with cod roe butter and scallops
▪ Go HAM and order melt-in-your-mouth wagyu nigiri

Day 8 – DEPART YYC

🛫 Fly back home!

First blog post back and it feels so gooooddd! Is it currently too cold to be visiting Alberta right now? Maybe, but I felt like I should return where I left off. Plus, you’ll have time to plan before putting this Banff itinerary into action!

FYI, I’m aiming to post to Teriaki Talks bi-weekly for now. The most important thing to me is to create my own, quality content and be consistent — and in order to do that I have to be realistic with my time, ya know?

Keep your stalking game strong and follow me @teriaki if you aren’t already!