Day 2: Sunshine Meadows
I consider this hike a MUST. I highly recommend getting the Gondola and Chairlift package ($45 CAD) to get the top of the mountain, as that is one long hike up before the real hikes even begin! Dress in layers, as it can get quite cold at 8,000ft. Although there is a restaurant in Sunshine Village, I recommend bringing lots of water and snacks.
Start by taking the Gondola up from Sunshine Village and arrive at the base village. Walk over to the Standish Chairlift to get the rest of the way up the mountain.
Once you’ve made it to the top of the mountain, take a short walk to the Standish Viewing Area to be rewarded with a stunning overlook. There is a guide here to help answer any questions you may have about hikes (there are LOTS of options), wildlife, or even take your pictures!
From the viewing deck, take the stairs on the right and follow the path around. You will approach the lakes below and have the opportunity to hike around each of them. Keep an eye out for wildlife!
We walked around every lake we came to, because why not? There are park benches around each of the lakes, which we stopped at for an afternoon lunch. If you continue to follow the trail away from the overlook, it will eventually lead you down a trail back to the base village. If you choose to just do this, it will be about a 5 mile hike from the overlook back to the village. However, we decided to take another detour.
The detour we decided to take was the Citadel Pass. You will come to a fork in the path and if you continue left, you will go back to the village. We decided to go right towards Mt. Assiniboine and Howard Douglas Lake. To be honest, while beautiful, this hike is not necessarily worth the payoff.
This was about a 2 mile hike to the overlook of Howard Douglas Lake, and while most of it was flat, there was a good portion of elevation gain right at the end. We were rewarded with a nice view of the Pass and a place to catch up with fellow backpackers for a bit.
The hike back seemed like a lifetime, and the weather quickly changed (which happens frequently in the Canadian Rockies), so we decided to stop at the restaurant at the base village for some hot chocolate and warm food. After taking the Gondola back down, the rest of the day was spent hanging around the campfire and getting to bed early.
Day 3: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Yoho National Park (Natural Bridge, Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake)
As always, trips don’t often go as planned. Due to the extremely rainy weather on this day, we opted out of a planned 10 mile hike to do some shorter stops on our list.
We started with an early stop at Lake Louise. We got there around 7am to beat the tourist rush, but there were still lots of people around. Luckily there are plenty of spots along the shoreline for a good photo.
PRO TIP: If you get to Lake Louise early enough, you can park in the main parking lot. Otherwise, be prepared to take (and wait for) a shuttle which stops at Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and the Park & Ride ($8 CAD).
We walked the 1.2 mile (each way) shoreline trail but ended up taking this very same path to do the Plain of Six Glaciers hike the following day, so if you plan on doing this hike, skip the shoreline for now.
From here we drove over to Moraine Lake. By the time we got there, we were in the middle of a downpour and tried to wait it out with some hot chocolate in the cafe there. The rain persisted, so we decided to save it for another day.
We decided to test our luck at Yoho National Park. Yoho National Park is only about an hour’s drive from Moraine Lake with many beautiful stops. The first stop was at Takakkaw Falls, a very powerful waterfall only a short walk from the parking lot.
A short drive away, we stopped next at Natural Bridge, which is another quick walk from the parking lot. There are many overlooks to take in this awesome natural formation.
Then we headed over to Emerald Lake Loop. This is supposed to be a 3 mile loop around the beautiful lake. However, due to all of the rain, many parts were completely washed out and we ended up doing an out-and-back hike of about the same distance. The weather started to clear, and this was my favorite part of the day. The color of the lake was just unreal!
PRO TIP: If you are looking to rent a kayak on the lake, do it at Emerald Lake instead of Moraine Lake/Lake Louise. It is much cheaper but with very similar views!
There are also several other hikes you can take from this loop, but we decided not to venture off of the main trail. As always, stay on trails to avoid damaging wildflowers.
Of course no trip would be complete without a picture in front of the National Park sign, so we drove back to Banff and found the sign at the entrance of town.
To end the day, we had to move to a different campground. We moved from Tunnel Mountain Village to Two Jack Lakeside. While the view was beautiful, parking was a bit trickier here. We had to carry our things quite a long distance to and from the car, so be prepared if you’re staying in this campground.
PRO TIP: NEVER leave your campsite unattended unless everything is securely stored away. The rangers are very stringent on this requirement and we got into trouble with even being away 2 minutes.
Day 4: Lake Louise, Plain of Six Glaciers, Moraine Lake
This day was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! We woke up early, drove over to Lake Louise and started the Plain of Six Glaciers hike, which begins at the end of the Lake Louise Shore Trail. Most of the trail was uphill, but the views are totally worth it! This hike ended up being about 10 miles long, but with stops at both tea houses and several overlooks, it didn’t feel that long.
Note we walked by the picturesque spot above TWICE, and both times there was a long line to get a picture.
At about 4 miles, we made it to the first tea house (Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House), which is just as adorable as imagined. They’re known for their chocolate cake, so of course we had to oblige. I highly recommend!
PRO TIP: The tea houses only accept cash. Make sure to pack it before you leave!
This would also be a good time to take a bathroom break. There are some small outhouses near the tea-house. After that, it’s back to hiking! The trail is well-marked and we followed it along until we got to the next overlook.
We continued to follow the trail until we got to the Lake Agnes Tea House. This tea house was not as cute (in my opinion) but did have lots of picnic benches (and a bathroom!) so it was a good stop for lunch.
From here, you’re not very far from being at the beginning of the trail. There are a few other lakes and beautiful views, but we decided to rush back to get some time at Moraine Lake. After taking the shuttle to Moraine Lake, we took the Rockpile Trail, which is a short trail to the best views.
There are other trails around Moraine Lake, but after a long day of hiking, we were exhausted. We decided to head to Banff town for dinner and drinks, and what better than pizza! Bear Street Tavern came highly recommended to us and did not disappoint.
Day 5: Johnston Canyon and Banff Town
We planned a “free day” in our itinerary to catch up on anything we had previously missed. Unfortunately this also happened to be the rainiest day of the trip. We decided to head to Johnston Canyon as it is only a couple of miles to each of the falls.
Even with the rain, this hike was extremely crowded (and a bit underwhelming). There are several viewing platforms to view the falls, but the lines to get to them were long. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this hike.
After Johnston Canyon we headed back to Banff town for lunch and souvenirs. What I CAN recommend is the ice cream from COWS Banff (which also had long lines, but at least they went fast!). We actually ended up going to see a movie at the movie theater, as the rain did not subside all day.
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Looks like a beautiful place.
Your protips are 👌!