DandD

My wife and I are going to Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper for 7 nights. Is it worth spending only a couple nights in each place or should we not over extend ourselves and instead just split the time between Banff and Lake Louise. From what I understand, there are so many different walking and easy hiking trails around Lake Louise. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. By the way, we are leaving in only 8 days!

Thanks!

bob_brown

The best part of the whole trip for me is between Jasper and Banff: the Icefields Parkway. The distance is far enough that I prefer to spend the night in Jasper and then reverse the trip. Usually 2 nights in Jasper enables me to see what I want to see around Jasper. The town itself is of moderate interest, but not much more than that.

The big show is the Icefields Parkway.
Near Jasper, the Angel Glacier and Mount Edith Cavell are worth a trip to see.

The glacier is on the north flank of the mountain.

JMM

The Icefields Parkway should not be missed - one of the great drives - mountains, glaciers, animals, amazing views - I took a whole role of film.

DandD

Thanks for your responses. However, are the Icefields something that we could travel to from Lake Louise and then back again? Or is Staying in Jasper a must to enjoy the Icefields? Any other need to stay in Jasper?

Again, thanks for your help.

jet29

While in Jasper you must go to Lake Maligne and the boat ride to Spirit Island.

bob_brown

The Icefields Parkway is over 100 miles long. If you have the idea that you are going to drive to one spot, look at an ice field, and turn around, then I think you need to review the situation a little more. The scenery along the whole distance is beautiful, and it does not look the same when returning.

There are several hikes around Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and these would occupy for two or three days.

TracyB

The Icefields Parkway is so beautiful that you will want to drive the whole way up to Jasper, and Jasper itself is beautiful as well, so I would spend a few days in Banff, 2 in Lake Louise and at least 2 in Jasper...You might even want 3 in Jasper, there is a ton to do...But definately drive the Icefields Parkway, it is something to be seen.

gocats2002

We stayed at Deer Lodge at Lake Louise for a week and visited the Icefields Pkwy, returning, without going to Jasper. (And they were indeed a highlight) We never ran out of beautiful places to hike during out time in Banff NP, each different than the one before. Banff is huge and you can't begin to see it all in one week. My in-laws visited both Banff and Jasper during a week's trip and said, if they had to do it over again, with limited time, they'd have stayed in Banff. They felt Jasper was more of the same beauty and staying there meant that much more driving.
We used the Michelin Green Guide, by the way, and it had a lot of great tips on where to go and what to see.
You will have a fantastic time.

ltt

i personally love jasper. it is less crowded and more laid back then banff. personally i'd do 3 nights in banff, 2 nights in jasper and then 2 in lake louise.

placeu2

Count me in as a person who recommends time in Jasper. When I did this trip, we spent 2 days in Banff and 2 in Jasper and then a couple in Calgary. We liked the relative remoteness of Jasper vs. the touristy Banff. I did not spend the night at Lake Louise but did visit there on the way. Highlights for us were going out on the Glacier in a giant snow vehicle and a Athabasca river raft trip in Jasper.

I guess it depends on what you like. The drive to Jasper is fantastic, lots of animals, scenic turnouts, etc. It takes awhile due to all the stopping and gawking that you will do.

sockboy

Jasper is totally worth it. Many people find it to be a refreshing break from Banff and all its commercialism. (Are you going to the Canadian rockies to go to a GAP store?). Jasper is a charming little town.

The highway from Banff to Jasper is called the Icefields parkway. The entire drive is glorious. I actually find the scenery around Jasper to be even more spectacular as the valley widens a bit, and you get much greater vistas.

The Icefields visitor centre is partway along the highway, but only going this far is not doing the drive full justice.

Seven nights is plenty to stay in Banff, Lake Louis and Jasper. The entire trip from Banff to Jasper takes about 3hrs non stop. But in one direction you will want to stop several times along the way. Give your self the better part of the day for the drive and stop at icefields, turnouts and various falls along the way (all shown on the maps you will be given at the park gate).

huimeister

My wife and I just came back from a 7-night trip and we stayed 2 nights in Jasper. It IS worth it to visit Jasper for at least 2 things: Mt Edith Cavell and Jasper Tramway. The view of the cliff and glacier at the end of the drive up Edith Cavell was awesome. The view from the top of Whistler (via Jasper Tramway) was just breath-taking. We did all 3 gondolas: Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper, and Jasper one has the best view in our opinion. The restaurant on top of Jasper Tramway was surprisingly good too. Maligne Lake, in spite of the hype, was only OK when compared to Lake Louise or Morraine or Bow Lake. If you have time (and you might because it doesn't get dark till after 10pm!), do check out Yoho National Park just off LL for Takkakaw Falls and Emerald Lake, can't miss in my opinion. In Banff, do at least 2 scenic drives: Tunnel Mountain Drive AND Lake Minnewanka loop. For the latter, all the ponds and lakes along the loop are extremely pretty.

BernardandJean

Count me in as in agreement that the drive up to Jasper is a must-do. I wasn't that crazy about Lake Louise, but we did take a horseback ride up to the teahouse and the beehives that was just indescribly fantastic. We used Timberline Stables, right next to Brewster's, and I was very pleased with them. The Icefields Parkway is almost surreal it is so beautiful. Num-ti-jah Lodge makes a nice stop for something to eat (with a bonus of beautiful Bow Lake), and Emerald Lake (near Field about 20 mins from Lake Louise) was at the top of my list also. They have a nice restaurant which we really liked called "Cilantro". The walk around Emerald Lake is about 1.5 hours, and the have a little place to rent boats. We just got back from two weeks there and it was so great we are going back again next year. Moraine Lake is gorgeous (if you are able don't miss a climb to the top of the rockpile - what a view!) And we had a perfect day for the boat ride on Maligne Lake near Jasper, and it was just amazing. I hope you have the weather we did!!

rsfred

Just returned- spent one night in Waterton, one in Calgary, one in Lake Louise, two in Jasper, one in Banff, one in Canmore- hopped around a lot but got to get a taste of everything. We really enjoyed having 2 nights in Jasper- were there Canada Day and saw their parade and fireworks. Also, enjoyed the Tramway, Maligne Canyon and Lake. It definitely has a small-town feel as opposed to Banff touristy.