A Canadian Confluence: Four Parks, One Big Adventure
Place: Banff, Jasper, YoHo, & Kootenay National Parks
Country: Canada
Towns/Cities: Calgary, Jasper, Banff
Time of Year: July 2026
How we got there: Plane & Road Trip Combo
We are in love with national parks and lately we have been checking out a few international national parks! Banff was put on my radar probably about 10 years ago when my dental hygienist (who I visit mostly to share travel stories rather than get my teeth cleaned) mentioned it. I had never heard of it and she pointed to a picture on the wall in the office that had been take there and I was instantly hooked! 2026 would be the year we got to see Banff! Little did we know that we would also get to visit 3 other Canadian national parks that flow together creating a national park confluence! Here’s how our trip went:
Flying from PHX on Westjet (first time and overall good experience) we met my brother Marc & SIL Stephanie in Calgary.
While we waited for them to arrive from Denver, we picked up our rental car and drove into Calgary for a little lunch. Our pick was Pure Street Food in First Street Market and boy was it delicious!
Back at YYC Calgary Airport, we pick up Marc & Stephanie and we were on our way! We had decided to visit the furthest park first which would be Jasper and booked an Airbnb in Hinton, Alberta, Canada. Sitting along the Athabasca River and just at the foothills of the Canadian Rockies, it was the perfect homebase for our 2 days visit to Jasper NP. It took us 5.5 hours to drive from Calgary.
On the road we sampled the famous Ketchup flavored potato chips! Notice the rugged Ford Bronco we rented!
And while we were eating unhealthy snacks, we also tried the dish Canada is known for; Poutine! French fries, pulled pork, cheese curds and gravy. What a combo!! Definitely can’t eat like that everyday!
Day 1 Jasper National Park & Spirit Island
A little history on the town of Jasper and Jasper National Park; In July 2024, a wildfire destroyed 1/3 of the town of Jasper and burned thousands of acres in Jasper National Park. The area is still recovering two years later. Normally a Parks Canada Pass is required, however it was free to enter during our visit as part of the Canada Strong Pass initiative. Many of the “must do” trails were still closed, but it is still beautiful and well worth a visit! As with most of our road trip travels we had a GuideAlong audio tour playing as we made our way through the park. Check them out here: guidealong.com
Our top hike choices such as Maligne Canyon and Edith Cavell Meadows were closed but we heard that The Valley of Five Lakes had just reopened so we started there! On the way to the trailhead we spotted a family of elk with 2 calves in toe!
On this 5 mile loop you hike past 5 different lakes and even though the trees were blackened with burn scars, the new growth was a sign of hope for a lush green future.
It was sprinkling just a bit but the temperature was perfect. Our goal was to visit all 5 lakes and find the iconic Parks Canada red Adirondack chairs. These chairs are placed in lesser known locations to help visitors discover hidden viewpoints and of course share their pictures on social media! This is where we would find our first set of red chairs!
The vibrant emerald lakes were stunning even with a backdrop of charred forest.
You can either do a 3.5 mile loop or extend to a 5 mile loop. We did the loop counterclockwise starting with Fifth Lake.
After our hike, we stopped in to the town of Jasper. Although there were signs of the rebuild everywhere, the town itself was just as cute as it could be. We found the Jasper sign and after several attempts to have a stranger snap a picture that included all of us AND all the letters, we finally succeeded!
A talk with the rangers at the visitor’s center helped us confirm that our next stops on our itinerary were the best stops! You can find the visitor’s center right in the middle of town.
One of the best things to do in Jasper National Park is take the Maligne Lake Boat Cruise to Spirit Island. You must book this well in advance if you want the optimal lighting for pictures because it fills up . Late afternoon is the sought after time slot. We bought ours on https://www.getyourguide.com/ however you can also get them here: https://www.banffjaspercollection.com/attractions/maligne-lake-cruise/tickets.
On the way to Maligne Lake we stopped at Medicine Lake which is known as the “Disappearing Lake” because in the winter and fall it drains through a limestone underground cave system and completely disappears!
Arriving at Maligne Lake a little early for our boat tour, we had time to do a short hike to Moose Lake in hopes of spotting a moose. No such luck! It was still worth the time even if it was raining.
Maligne Lake has a boat house where you can rent canoes and kayaks and a very busy gift shop and snackbar.
Soon we boarded the Leah Beaver which got us out of the rain but not away from the bugs!
The 1.5 hour cruise would take us to Spirit Island and back with a 15 minute stopover across from the island. On the way we learned the history of the area including the significance of the sacred and spiritual island we would be visiting. It is prohibited to step foot on this island as it is protected for the Stoney Nakoda First Nation.
Although the snow capped peaks were hiding behind the cloudy day, the turquoise blue waters did not disappoint. We hiked a short loop trail across from Spirit Island with views of the spiritual site. It was just stunning and I can imagine that it is even more amazing on a clear day.
When we heard our boat horn blow, we boarded our cruise and made our way back across Maligne Lake. You can rent a kayak and paddle yourself if you don’t mind paddling 18 miles round trip!
Day 2 Jasper SkyTram & Pyramid Lake
Our second day in Jasper started with a ride up the Jasper SkyTram to Whistler’s Peak. You can purchase tickets either at the tram or GetYourGuide.com. These tickets are for a particular time slot so you need to be there at your designated time. Same for the trip down however they are pretty lenient in changing your time once up there. The Jasper SkyTram is Canada’s highest and longest aerial tram and it takes you 7,400 ft in 7 minutes!
Once at the top there is a boardwalk with expansive views of Jasper on a clear day.
From the upper station, you can hike to the summit of Whistler’s Peak. It is about 2 miles RT with 740 ft of elevation. The total elevation being just above 8,000 ft. Above treeline, you get even better views of Pyramid Mountain, Mount Edith Cavell and Mount Robson. Not only are the 360 degree panoramic views incredible, but you may also get to hike through a little snow and meet a marmot or two!
The tram takes you to the upper station shown in the video below and then you hike the rest of the way.
Be sure to wear proper footwear! Marc decided to wear his sliders!
The hike down is much easier!
After a stop in Jasper for a quick lunch break, we drove 3 miles North to Pyramid Lake. We hiked the Pyramid Lake Overlook Loop.
It was a 3.5 mile loop starting and ending at the lake.
This side of Jasper National Park was untouched by the fires so it was lush and peaceful. We happened to run into our Maligne Lake boat guide walking is dog on this trail!
We found another set of the iconic red chairs overlooking the lake.
Not far from where we ended our hike, we spotted the path leading to the wooden footbridge to Pyramid Island. The island is a great place for a picnic, a swim or a sunset stroll.
Driving back around the lake to Pyramid Lake Lodge,which is a small alpine lodge overlooking the crystal clear water, we found more red chairs, this time situated on the floating docks.
If you want to get away from the crowds, this is your place! It was so peaceful soaking in the beauty of Pyramid Mountain and the lake right from the docks! There is a beach for swimming and kayaking of course, but just so you know, the water is super cold!!
Listening to GuideAlong (We call him Gypsy Jim) on the way back to Hinton, we were informed that there was a hot springs resort nearby so we took a 20 minute detour to check it out! Miette is home of the hottest natural mineral springs in the Canadian Rockies. You can stay for the weekend or just stop by for a quick swim. Forget your swimsuit? No problem! They will rent you one! That really wasn’t in my comfort level, but it is an option!!
As we were making our way back from Miette Hot Springs to Highway 16 (aka Yellowhead Highway) we had 2 amazing wild animal encounters!
First were the synchronized mountain goats!
Then our first of 3 bear sightings!! This one a juvenile black bear scavenging along the roadside.
This certainly made our day complete! We are always on the lookout for wild animals which is a bonus to any outdoor adventure!
Day 3 Icefield Parkway; Jasper to Banff
Day 3 would be a travel day between Jasper and Banff where we would stay for the next part of our adventure. We got on the road early knowing that there were so many great stops along the way turning this 4 hour drive along the Icefields Parkway into an all day excursion! We spotted our second bear on the drive between Hinton and Jasper high on a hill. Of course I did not catch him on video but it was amazing to watch from afar as a mountain goat took a detour to avoid the bear!
Athabasca Falls was our first stop. These powerful falls are created by the ice melt from Columbia Icefield into the Athabasca River then down through this limestone canyon. It is a short 1/2 mile stroll over concrete bridges and down stone steps to view the area. These falls are so forceful you must see them!
Stop #2 was Sunwapta Falls not very far from Athabasca Falls and just as turbulent! You can visit these falls with a short walk from the parking lot. Be prepared to get a little wet if you are adventurous enough to get that close! These thunderous falls create a good amount of mist!
Although the views along the Icefield Parkway were still stunning, smoke from distant fires blew in covering a lot of the area on this day. We made a few more stops including a beautiful roadside waterfall and the Goats & Glaciers Outlook. Unfortunately there were no goats at that time!
Around lunchtime, we made it to the Columbia Icefield. There are many options for activities to experience the glacier such as taking an Ice Explorer ride, walking on the glass floored skywalk or taking a guided hiking tour on the glacier. Because we had hiked an amazing glacier in the past (you can read about that here: https://dawntillduskaz.com/i-cried-when-my-new-zealand-heli-hike-was-cancelled/) and we were short on time, we opted to just hike to the Toe of the Glacier for free.
It is a 1 mile RT hike to view the toe of Athabasca Glacier right across the Icefields Parkway from the Glacier Discovery Centre.
Afterwards we had lunch with a view at the very crowded Discovery Centre.
And looked through the exhibit in the interactive museum on the bottom floor where they had on display the original park sign for Banff and Jasper National Parks. Banff on one side and Jasper on the other!
Continuing on our way, we spent extra time at Mistaya Falls enjoying the gorgeous scenery and yet another thunderous river view! The river was so full it looked as though it would spill over at any minute!
The final stop for us on the Icefields Parkway was Peyto Lake! A steep paved trail takes you to the lookout where we got our first glimpse of the world famous turquoise lake!
As we had learned at Glacier National Park, the color comes from glacier rock flour which sits on top, never sinking, making the lake appear this unbelievable shade of blue! Little did we know that there were more even bluer lakes to come on this trip!
It was a long day on the road and we were hungry and tired! We had booked an airbnb in the small town of Canmore not far from Banff and we stopped in for a bite to eat in the cute little downtown and some dessert before checking in. Canmore is a good option if you want a slightly less crowded mountain town experience.
Day 4 Lake Louise & The Teahouses
This was my most favorite day of all! The smoke cleared leaving us with the perfect long hike weather! Our day would begin at the shuttle at Lake Louise Ski resort. I purchased our shuttle tickets well in advance because they do sell out within seconds. https://parks.canada.ca/pn-np/ab/banff/visit/parkbus/louise This is the best way to get to Lake Louise as the parking lot is small and you may be turned away once it is full. Once at Lake Louise, there is a connector shuttle to Lake Moraine which is included with your ticket.
Parking at the resort is free and the shuttle tickets are inexpensive. You just need to get one! The ride to Lake Louise is about 15 minutes.
This is where it gets good! Just look at Lake Louise! It almost looks like a fake background! What a gorgeous backdrop!
Our hike would start at Lake Louise and pass the iconic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. I’m am pretty sure it was out of my budget but it was nice to see anyway!
The goal for the day was to hike the Two Teahouse Challenge which would take us around Lake Louise toward the Plain of Six Glaciers.
Lake Louise was always in view along the way!
3.5 miles and 1500 feet of elevation in we reached the Plane of Six Glaciers Teahouse! Truly a highlight of our journey! This teahouse is supplied by helicopter and pack horses and the staff hikes in for multi day shifts! The cute little alpine chateau has no running water or electricity! Sometimes guest are asked to take trash back with them to help minimize the build up. They also burn paper trash in the fireplace. There is a pit toilet for your convenience!
They have outdoor seating where you can eat your own picnic or you can sit inside and be served homemade soup and hot tea which is what we came for! We also got the cinnamon streusel for the road! Everything was delicious! We did not have to wait for a table. Because this is a longer hike, this teahouse is visited less than the famous Lake Agnes teahouse which is easily accessible.
It was hard to leave but the Plain of Six Glaciers was waiting! Another mile would bring us the the Plain of Six Glaciers but not before witnessing a glacier calving! As we were hiking, we heard a thunderous boom which prompted us to run ahead and there on the mountain side was a mini avalanche which we caught the tail end of on video! It looked like a waterfall but was actually a small piece of the old glacier breaking away.
Coming out of the trees, we entered the barren plains of ice. From green to grey, from lush to icey, we continued hiking.
Once there we sat for a while taking in the incredible scenery. Glaciers that were 10,000 to 20,000 years old surrounded us and it was breathtaking! It was hard to believe we were sitting so close.
We backtracked to the teahouse and then to the turnoff loop that would take us to the Beehives and the 2nd teahouse. This route would give us a view of Lake Louise most of the way.
Then the Big Beehive came into view! It really does look like a beehive!
And at the top of a wooden staircase along the side of a waterfall was Lake Agnes and the Lake Agnes Teahouse.
Lake Agnes Teahouse is the most visited due to the short hike from Lake Louise so there were so many people! And did I mention that it was Canada Day; Canada’s version of the 4th of July?
We opted to do the express line to grab a treat and go!
Our homemade energy ball with peanut butter made right there on the mountain!
A few pics of the spectacular Lake Agnes and we were on our way again!
This time we took a detour to Little Beehive before making our descent back down to Lake Louise.
We made a quick stop at Mirror Lake with Big Beehive photobombing in the background. As we reached Lake Louise again, we clocked 14 miles in total.
We still needed to catch the connector bus to Lake Moraine where we would do the short Rockpile hike.
Lake Moraine is a must see so be sure not to miss it! Bus or bike is the only option for visiting. I will say that it was so very crowded but don’t let that discourage you!
The Rockpile hike is literally that! A pile of rocks overlooking the most gorgeous lake I have ever seen!
This is my favorite photo of the entire trip! Stunning!
The connector shuttle took us back to the resort where we parked. Very hungry, we headed into the alpine town of Banff for dinner and a treat! Yum!
Our day wasn’t over yet because around midnight the fire alarm in our condo building went off pulling us all out of bed and out into the dark night which we had yet to see due to the fact that the sun does not set until 10:30pm, well past our bedtime!
Day 5 Banff Gondola, YoHo NP, & Kootenay NP
The 5th day would be busier than we had originally thought. Since we are lovers of national parks (US or International) and there were 2 other national parks nearby, we squeeze them both into our day.
We entered Banff NP in the morning on our way to the Banff Gondola again passing right through the entrance gate with no fee.
The Banff Gondola takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain in about 8 minutes to an elevation of 7,486 ft. Again, we purchased our tickets in advance from Getyourguide.com. Warning: this is a very popular attraction and your time slot is important! Similar to the Jasper SkyTram, you are assigned a time to go up and a time to return. Parking is limited so many people park in the free parking lot at the edge of the Town of Banff and take the free shuttle to the gondola station. Use the Brewster Shuttle or the Roam Transit Route 1 bus.
The boardwalk trail takes you to the summit of Sulphur Mountain where you can view the entire Bow Valley and Town of Banff.
At the summit is Sanson’s Peak where you can learn about the Cosmic Ray Station and the 1903 weather observatory.
And of course there are a pair of the iconic red chairs!
Back at the upper gondola station you can visit the 360 degree rooftop observation deck with views of 6 mountain ranges. We also enjoyed the interpretive centre and theatre.
After our visit, we were dropped of in Banff for lunch and then walked back to the parking lot where we got a great picture in front of the Banff sign!
The next part of our day we would be visiting YoHo National Park and Kootenay National Park. Both within an hour from Banff. On the way we passed through several nature bridges designed for wildlife crossing. They reminded me of our visit to Hobbiton! You can read about that rip here: dawntillduskaz.com/our-self-guided-tour-of-new-zealand/
Marble Canyon was our destination in Kootenay National Park. Of course we needed a quick NP sign photo!
We also came across the Continental Divide sign!
We crossed over into British Columbia from Alberta!
Marble Canyon was everything we had hoped it would be! The limestone gorge is carved out by the aqua blue waters of Tokumm Creek.
The one mile trail takes you across 7 bridges that criss cross the canyon allowing you to peer over into the glacier feed waters. The rushing waters have created slot canyons and natural bridges.
The color of the walls, moss and waters are magnificent!
If you hike to the very last bridge, there are more red chairs!
Marble Canyon should definitely be on your list! It is also less crowded than other canyons in the area!
With 3 parks down, we had one to go! YoHo National Park!
There were 4 high interest points that we wanted to visit. The first being the Spiral Tunnels. If you are a train enthusiast, this is the stop for you! From this viewpoint you can actually see the train enter the tunnels of this engineering marvel meant to guide trains safely through the Kicking Horse Pass.
Stop #2 was the pristine Emerald Lake. With its lakeside cabins, the Emerald Lake Lodge would make for a great weekend stay.
The lake itself lives up to it’s name!
Stop #3 was the Natural Bridge
Quite an impressive little rock bridge with powerful glacier grey waters!
Our 4th and final stop within YoHo National Park was my absolute favorite! Takakkaw Falls!
The pictures and video do not do this justice! This is Canada’s tallest waterfall at 1200 ft and it is a sight to see! Fed by the Daly Glacier, you get up close and personal getting a glacial facial!
It is freezing cold!
While viewing the waterfall up close, we had a visit from a very handsome mountain goat. He posed for us!
What would a visit to a Canadian national park be without a pair of iconic red chairs?
Driving away from Takakkaw Falls we came across our 3rd bear! We try not to get caught up in the “wild animal jam” but it is hard not to!
On the drive back to Canmore, we witnessed the widest and most colorful rainbow we have ever seen! I was a little late catching in on video but the image will live in my memory for quite a while!
Day 6 Biking and hiking Johnston Canyon
Our last day in Banff would be one to remember with 30 miles of cycling and 9 miles of hiking!
I rented ebikes from bikebanff.com well in advance however I’m not sure a lot of people choose this option! While riding the 15 miles to Johnston, we passed no one on a bike!
Part of the way is on a super nice bike path and the other part we shared the Bow Valley Parkway with cars.
I know what you are thinking. How hard could it be on an ebike? It was actually quite a workout! We were riding into the wind slightly uphill with a sprinkling of rain along the way. Our butts were pretty sore however our legs felt great when we started our hike! We locked our bikes up right outside the entrance of Johnston Canyon.
We grabbed a sandwich at the little shop for a picnic later and started our walk along the catwalks that line the canyon.
The lower falls part of the trail was super crowded and frustrating however our goal was to hike all the way to the Ink Pots where the general public would not be.
The further you go on the trail, the crowds thin out. We made it to the dramatic upper falls before continuing on to the Ink Pots.
The hike to the Ink Pots was steep to say the least! Our legs were already tired but I had to see them!
The Ink Pots are a group of 5 bubbling cold mineral springs along Johnston Creek.
If you watch the video closely, you will see the rippling affect of the sand under the blue green water.
Such a beautiful place and not many people hike all the way here.
Right on the edge of the pools is a beautiful meadow where we had a picnic!
One last look before we started the hike back down to Upper Falls and Lower Falls on the catwalks! 9 miles total RT!
Back on the bikes, we had another 15 mile ride back to Banff! This time the wind was behind us and it was slightly downhill!
There were some gorgeous views along the bike path!
We deserved a treat after that crazy day! We had dinner in Canmore then found a cute local shop selling homemade ginger cookie & key lime ice cream sandwiches!
Day 7 Calgary & Drumheller
My brother Marc and SIL Stephanie had an early morning flight back to Colorado from Calgary so we were up before the sun rose to drive 1.5 hours into the city! One good thing about that was this gorgeous sunrise!
We were there so early that we had to wait for the coffee shop and bakery to open! Tucked inside the old Simmons Mattress Factory was the coolest coffee shop and Sidewalk Citizens Bakery. There were so many things to choose from!
Pastries, coffee and hot chocolate consumed, we had to walk it off so we headed over to see architecturally beautiful Calgary Public Library ( built right over the C Train) and a few other interesting sights in the downtown area.
We were not the only ones wanting to visit the library that day! Apparently Canadian Geese love to read too!
Spanning right over the Row River sits the Peace Bridge in the well known Canadian red color scheme!
And what do you know; another set of red chairs, this time not in a Parks Canada location!
It was still before 9am and we needed to plan something to do for the rest of the day because we were not flying out until the next morning. After some research, we agreed to drive 1.5 outside Calgary to Drumheller which is supposed to be known as the “Dinosaur capital of the world”! Complete with hoodoos, a suspension bridge, old mine, an interesting car ferry, and of course dinosaurs this was bound to be the exact opposite of the alpine towns we had just left!
On the way we stopped by the little town of Beiseker and met their mascot “Squirt” then stopped over to see Horseshoe Canyon.
I was really expecting to see a river running through Horseshoe Canyon however it was dry as a bone with badland terrain.
This would be a fun little hike to explore the U shaped canyon if it wasn’t so hot that day!
Passing through Drumheller, we picked up sandwiches and made our way 6 miles out of town to see the Rosedale Suspension Bridge aka Star Mine Suspension Bridge. You can walk over this pedestrian bridge as it sways over the muddy Red Deer River.
On the other side there are the remains of the old Star Mine and more badlands.
Continuing on Highway 10 we found the Willow Creek Hoodoos. These sandcastle like shapes are made from sand and clay. The wind erodes them over time creating these mushroom shaped hoodoos. Utah is well known for hoodoos but we didn’t expect to find them in Canada! They have a nice little boardwalk that helps you take a look without disturbing the formations.
Next was the Atlas Coal Mine National Historic Site. We arrived in between tour times so we didn’t get a chance to go inside. I am guessing it would be an interesting tour though!
Backtracking into Drumheller, we stopped in the middle of town for our picnic under the World’s Largest Dinosaur! You can actually go up side the mouth of this huge dino!
It was quite a busy day in town so we continued on our audio tour route lead by none other than “Gypse Jim” from https://guidealong.com. Although we didn’t have time to stop, we passed by the Royal Tyrrell Museum which I was sad to miss. If this wasn’t a spontaneous day trip, we would have made time for this stop! I heard it is fantastic!
We passed “The Little Church” known by the locals by this saying “It seats 10,000 people—but only six at a time!”
Then there was a quick stop at Horse Thief Canyon with more views of the badlands.
We enjoyed the golden fields of Canola that went on for miles!
Our last unique stop was the Deer River Crossing on a cable operated car ferry! Just drive your vehicle on and the cables pull you across.
The Bleriot Ferry has been crossing the muddy river since 1913! You can get out of the car and have a look around during the crossing.
Once over the river, we drove back into Calgary where we would stay the night before catching our early morning flight back to PHX. This would conclude our Canadian Confluence and what a big adventure it was! 4 Canadian national parks in 1 week plus a few bonus stops! I hope you too get to have your own adventure in the Canadian Rockies. Remember to hike responsibly and leave no trace.
