Six days: the full Banff to Jasper loop

Why give Jasper two full nights instead of one

Most short Banff-to-Jasper trips treat Jasper as an overnight stopover: drive up, sleep, drive back. This six-day loop does it differently, giving Jasper two full nights so the town gets treated as a destination rather than a photo op at the end of the Icefields Parkway. Jasper National Park is the largest of the Canadian Rockies parks at roughly 11,000 square kilometres, and its best stops — Maligne Lake, Athabasca Falls, the SkyTram — are spread out enough that cramming them into one afternoon means picking one and skipping the rest.

The trade-off: less time everywhere else. This itinerary keeps Banff and Lake Louise to two days rather than three, skips Kananaskis and Yoho entirely, and drives the same route back on day six rather than looping further. For more time, see the seven-day Canadian Rockies grand tour; for less, the four-day Banff-Jasper Icefields itinerary covers the same route with only one Jasper night.

You’ll need a car for this entire loop — there’s no public transit along the Icefields Parkway. A Parks Canada pass covers both Banff and Jasper National Parks under the same system, roughly 11 CAD per adult per day or about 22 CAD per vehicle, with an annual Discovery Pass around 75 CAD per adult usually paying for itself on a trip this length. Budget mid-range: peak-season lodging in Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper, a couple of paid activities most days, and higher restaurant prices than you’d find in Calgary. All prices below are in Canadian dollars, shown before tax.

Day 1: Banff townsite

Start in Banff itself, Canada’s highest town at 1,383 metres and the only townsite actually inside a national park, which is why commercial development here is capped and residency requires proof you need to be here for work. Walk Banff Avenue toward the Cascade Mountain view, then head to Bow Falls and the Surprise Corner viewpoint for a look at the Fairmont Banff Springs, the 1888 “castle in the Rockies” that’s worth a look even if you’re not staying there — see the Fairmont Banff Springs guide for what’s actually open to non-guests.

In the afternoon, ride the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain to 2,281 metres, following the boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak if the weather cooperates. Finish at the Banff Upper Hot Springs, a mineral pool around 39°C that’s touristy but genuinely relaxing after a day of walking. If hot springs aren’t your thing, the Cave and Basin National Historic Site — the actual birthplace of Canada’s national park system, and home to an endemic snail found nowhere else — makes a good alternative stop.

Day 2: Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Drive to Lake Louise, 58 kilometres and about 45 minutes from Banff. The lake sits at 1,750 metres with the Victoria Glacier behind it, and it stays frozen until roughly mid-June — arriving in May expecting the turquoise water in every photo is a common and avoidable disappointment. Walk the lakeshore, then hike up to the Lake Agnes Tea House (3.4 kilometres, 400 metres of elevation gain) if you want a longer morning; the tea house is seasonal and doesn’t always take cards, so carry cash.

Moraine Lake, 72 kilometres from Banff, sits in the Valley of the Ten Peaks and used to appear on the old Canadian 20-dollar bill. The road here has been closed to personal vehicles year-round since 2023, so you’ll need the Parks Canada shuttle, Roam Transit, or a booked tour — book shuttle seats as early as your travel dates allow. For a guided option that combines both lakes without the logistics, consider a guided day tour covering both Moraine Lake and Lake Louise, which handles transport and timing for you. Spend the night in Lake Louise village or drive back to Banff — both work for day 3’s early start.

Day 3: The Icefields Parkway to the Columbia Icefield

This is the big driving day, though it’s built around stops, not the drive itself. The Icefields Parkway runs 232 kilometres from Lake Louise to Jasper, about 3.5 hours nonstop, but a full day with stops is the realistic plan — there’s no gas station between Saskatchewan River Crossing (seasonal) and Jasper, so fill up before you leave, and don’t count on cell coverage along most of the route.

Stop at Herbert Lake, Crowfoot Glacier, Bow Lake, then Peyto Lake from the Bow Summit viewpoint at 2,088 metres, the parkway’s high point. A tour covering these northbound highlights in one guided day is a Lake Louise, Emerald and Peyto Lake tour if you’d rather not manage the stops yourself. Continue past Mistaya Canyon and Saskatchewan River Crossing to the Columbia Icefield, where the Athabasca Glacier is retreating roughly 5 metres a year — visible in old photos posted along the access road.

The Ice Explorer ride onto the glacier and the Glacier Skywalk, a glass-floored platform 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley, are usually sold as a combined ticket and only run from around April/May through October. Book ahead with a combined Columbia Icefield and Glacier Skywalk ticket. Overnight near the icefield or push on to Jasper — either works, but staying close to the icefield means less driving in the dark.

Day 4: Into Jasper — Athabasca Falls and settling in

Finish the parkway into Jasper, stopping at Athabasca Falls and Sunwapta Falls on the way. Jasper is smaller than Banff, around 4,700 people, and sits inside the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Be direct with yourself about what you’ll see here: the July 2024 wildfire destroyed roughly a third of the town’s buildings, and while Jasper has rebuilt and reopened to visitors, some neighbourhoods and trail sections still carry visible fire damage. It’s worth visiting and supporting, not a reason to skip the town, but don’t expect every street to look untouched.

Once settled, walk the townsite and consider Maligne Canyon, a 50-metre gorge that’s an easy afternoon stop, saving the bigger day trips for tomorrow. If clear skies line up, Jasper’s dark-sky designation is one of the largest in the world — worth a look after dinner even outside the scheduled October Dark Sky Festival, since the reserve itself is dark year-round, only the organized festival programming is seasonal.

Day 5: Maligne Lake and the Jasper SkyTram

Drive to Maligne Lake, a roughly hour-long drive each way and 22 kilometres long, the biggest reason to give Jasper two full days rather than one. Spirit Island sits partway down the lake and is visible only from a boat cruise or a canoe — never from the parking area or the dock — so budget for the cruise if seeing it matters to you. A morning here plus the drive comfortably fills half the day.

In the afternoon, ride the Jasper SkyTram to 2,263 metres, Canada’s highest guided cable car, for a wide view back over the townsite and the valley toward the Athabasca River. It’s a shorter, lower-key stop than Maligne Lake, which makes it a good match for tired legs after the morning’s drive. Have dinner in town and get an early night — day 6 involves either the same long drive back or a detour through Calgary.

Day 6: Back to Banff, or out through Calgary

Two options for the return. Retracing the Icefields Parkway gets you back to Banff in about the same 3.5 hours as the drive up, with the chance to catch anything you skipped on day 3 — a stop you rushed, a viewpoint the weather ruled out. Alternatively, if you’re flying out, Jasper connects to Calgary and its airport (YYC) via the Icefields Parkway and the Trans-Canada Highway, a longer drive but one that skips backtracking through Banff entirely if your flight is the same day or the next morning.

Either way, this is a driving day, not a sightseeing one — build in fuel stops and don’t schedule anything tight at the far end. If you have an extra morning before flying and are coming back through Banff rather than direct to Calgary, an early wake-up for a Moraine Lake sunrise experience is a reasonable way to close out the trip, since the light and the crowds are both at their best before mid-morning.

FAQ: planning the six-day Banff to Jasper loop

Why does this itinerary spend two nights in Jasper instead of one?

Jasper National Park is the largest in the Canadian Rockies, at roughly 11,000 square kilometres, and Maligne Lake alone is close to an hour’s drive each way from town. One night leaves time for a single half-day activity; two full nights let you split Maligne Lake, Athabasca Falls and the SkyTram across two unhurried days instead of stacking them into one.

Can I drive to Moraine Lake myself on this trip?

No. The Moraine Lake road has been closed to personal vehicles year-round since 2023. You’ll need the Parks Canada shuttle, Roam Transit, a booked tour, or a bicycle, and shuttle spots should be booked well ahead of your visit.

Is Jasper safe and worth visiting after the 2024 wildfire?

Yes, with an honest caveat. The July 2024 wildfire destroyed roughly a third of the town’s buildings, and Jasper has since rebuilt and reopened to visitors, but some neighbourhoods and trail sections still show visible fire damage. It’s a real, functioning mountain town again, not a disaster site, but don’t expect every corner to look untouched.

Can I see Spirit Island from the shore of Maligne Lake?

No. Spirit Island sits partway down a 22-kilometre lake and is visible only from a boat cruise or a canoe, never from the parking area or shoreline near the dock. Budget for the boat tour if seeing it is the point of the visit.

Is the Jasper Dark Sky Festival happening whenever I visit?

No. It’s a scheduled festival held in October, not a year-round feature of Jasper’s dark-sky designation. The reserve itself is dark all year, so stargazing works on a clear night any season, but the organized festival programming is a specific autumn event.

Should I do the Icefields Parkway in one day or split it into two, like this itinerary does?

Splitting it is the better plan for a six-day loop like this one. Doing the full 232 kilometres in one day with stops still means rushing the Columbia Icefield and Glacier Skywalk; splitting the drive across an overnight near Jasper lets you actually get out of the car at Peyto Lake, Bow Lake and the icefield instead of ticking off viewpoints from a moving vehicle.

Do I need a Parks Canada pass for the whole trip, including Jasper?

Yes. Banff and Jasper are both national parks under the same Parks Canada pass system, so a single Discovery Pass (or daily passes for each park day) covers both, including the drive-through days on the Icefields Parkway itself.

Can I do this loop without a car?

Not really, not for this exact route. Roam Transit and the Parks Canada shuttle handle Banff, Lake Louise and Moraine Lake well, but there’s no public transit along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper — you’ll need a rental car, a one-way transfer, or a multi-day guided tour that covers the same stops.