Banff National Park
Visited – June 2023, July 2019 and September 2016
Banff National Park is the birthplace of national parks in Canada. It is nestled in the Rocky Mountains and features mountainous terrain, alpine landscapes, glaciers, ice fields, turquoise glacial lakes and an abundance of wildlife. Basically all the great things you’d want while camping and hiking.
Read More: Banff in July 2022 (3 days), July 2019 (4 days) and September 2016 (3 days)
Calgary
Visited – July 2019 – 1 day
I flew down to Calgary with my good friend A and spent the last four days in Banff National Park. We initially booked a campsite at the Two Jack Main Campground, but the forecast was calling for rain overnight and we didn’t want to pack up a wet tent in the morning. Plus it was cold. Instead, we headed back to Calgary to spend our final day of our trip out west.
Canmore
Visited – August 2016 – 1 day
We spent our one day in Canmore going on an Adventure Cave Tour with Canmore Cave Tours. The tour is 6 hours in duration and includes an 18m rappel, shimmying and slithering through tight spaces, and scrambling up, down, and around large boulders.
Drumheller
Visited – July 2022 – 1 day
Drumheller is known as the dinosaur capital of the world. It is located in the Canadian Badlands just northeast of Calgary and has been home to a significant amount of dinosaur-related discoveries, including fossils and skeletons. The landscape also contains an impressive display of rock formations, canyons and hoodoos.
Elk Island National Park
Visited – July 2022 – 1 day
Elk Island National Park is located just east of Edmonton, Alberta and is the only fully-enclosed national park in Canada. It was initially established as a wildlife refuge to protect one of the last big elk herds in the region. Despite its name, Elk Island is actually famous for its bison and plays a key role in their conservation. It is the only national park that maintains both plains and wood bison. As such, it is one of the best places in the world to see bison.
Icefields Parkway
Visited – June 2022 – 1 day
Icefields Parkway is one of the most scenic highways. Ever. It is 233 kilometres in length and connects Jasper National Park with Lake Louise in Banff National Park. The road winds through the rugged mountains, runs parallel to the Continental Divide and provides sweeping views of glaciers, valleys, waterfalls and turquoise lakes. There are plenty of overlooks and hiking trails along the way to better soak in the views of the surrounding area.
Jasper National Park
Visited – June 2022 – 3 days
Jasper National Park is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. It contains majestic mountains, glaciers, turquoise lakes, dense forests and an abundance of wildlife. There are a variety of trails and viewpoints to enjoy the scenery and natural beauty of the mountainous landscape.
Read More: Jasper in September 2023 (3 days), July 2022 (3 days) and September 2016 (2 days)
Waterton Lakes National Park
Visited – August 2016 – 2 days
Situated in southwestern Alberta, Waterton Lakes National Park is where the prairies meet the mountains. It is nestled right on the border just north of Montana’s Glacier National Park. Together, these two parks formed the first ever International Peace Park to better preserve and protect the shared ecosystem.