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what's up guys in this video we're going
to show you the perfect canadian rockies
road trip itinerary so we actually did
two of these road trips ourselves in two
different years saw everything from
banff national park to yoho and jasper
and everything in between so we're
really excited to show you all the best
spots in the canadian rockies enjoy this
video
we are zach and ena full-time digital
nomads from the united states and
belgium
we met while studying abroad in 2018 and
have been traveling the world together
ever since
we're here to inspire your next
adventure whether it's hiking in the
canadian rockies a road trip through the
us or backpacking across africa
on our channel you'll find unfiltered
videos of hiking guides and the best
things to do in destinations around the
world
the canadian rockies are an immense
mountain range the range reaches all the
way from the american border over the
east of british columbia and the west of
alberta
the landscape is absolutely breathtaking
making for unforgettable moments and
adventures
however planning a trip here can be a
little overwhelming and time consuming
that's why we put together this
comprehensive two to three week
itinerary
including where you should go and how
long you should stay
you can also download a google map with
all of the stops and our favorite
campgrounds in the description below
make sure you watch until the end of
this video because we'll also give you
three tips on how to prepare for this
road trip
our canadian rockies road trip itinerary
starts in banff
this idyllic mountain town is easily
reachable via highway 1 from calgary or
western bc
with many highlights nearby in banff
national park
it's the perfect place to base yourself
for a couple of days
banff is a unesco world heritage site
attracting over 3 million travelers
yearly
it gets busy during the summer but it's
absolutely awe inspiring
besides spending time in and around the
town
there are a few attractions in the area
that you simply can't miss
these include banff hot springs johnston
canyon
the vermillion lakes
lake minnewanka
and the scenery along the bow valley
parkway
we just started this hike and
we already saw a black bear it was just
chilling like just 100 meters
into the trail so he was he was calm but
definitely like
a little bit scary to be so close to him
but he's behind us now so we keep going
lake louise village is another great
base to explore from for a few days
it's located within banff national park
at the end of the bow valley parkway
lake louise village sits right below two
of the most impressive lakes in all of
canada
the shockingly blue moraine lake and the
icy lake louise
but besides that it's also a great area
for hiking
our favorite hikes include the big
beehive trail above lake louise and the
large valley trail above moraine lake
try to visit them as early or late in
the day as possible since they get
extremely crowded during the summer
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the most scenic and popular route in the
canadian rockies is undoubtedly the
icefields parkway or highway 93.
connecting banff to jasper this epic
stretch of road is awe-inspiring with
incredible natural wonders and vistas
along the way
this road is 230 kilometers or 140 miles
in length so it's technically possible
to do the drive in about three hours
but in reality the road takes about two
days to drive if you want to explore the
scenery as well as do some hiking
the main highlights along the road
include bow lake payton lake
the waterfowl lakes
misdia canyon
and the columbia ice field
one of our favorite hikes in the
canadian rockies is the helen lake and
cirque peak trail near bow lake
check out our other video all about
banff national park for more details
about the hikes
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we made it to helen lake
it's about six kilometers in
really nice peaks all around us
and now we're gonna go up here
to cirque peak
it's another two kilometers but really
steep gain
so this is the hard part
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at the end of the icefields parkway
you'll end up in the small town of
jasper in jasper national park
this cute town is located in the largest
park in the canadian rockies
with a surface of 11 000 square
kilometers or 4
247 square miles
this unesco world heritage site is home
to even more wildlife than banff
as well as extensive hiking trails
sub-alpine forests and beautiful lakes
you can even book a whitewater rafting
tour here and we'll leave a link for
that in the description below
our favorite stops in jasper national
park include moline lake and canyon
medicine lake
the athabasca falls
the sulphur skyline trail
the valley of the five lakes
and finally mount edith cavill
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from the town of jasper it's only a
short drive to mount robson provincial
park
home to the highest peak in the canadian
rockies this is a must-see destination
the area has some of the most remote
valleys awe-inspiring lakes
and wildest mountain peaks that you'll
find in canada
most travelers come here for the day
just to see the main highlight which is
the towering mount robson itself
however we highly recommend hiking the
berg lake trail which brings you to the
base of mount robson
we suggest at least three days to hike
all the way to berg lake go camping and
come back
but if you just want to go for the day
then it's definitely still possible to
hike to kinney lake and back
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after visiting the beautiful jasper
national park and mount robson
provincial park it's time to turn back
on the icefield parkway
you can tick off some places you haven't
visited yet
or simply drive the three and a half
hours directly to yoho national park
yoho national park lies to the west of
lake louise
and the park is home to beautiful
waterfalls as well as outstanding hiking
opportunities
from the incredible takaka falls to the
mystical emerald lake
the hidden sherbrooke lake and the
breathtaking lake o'hara
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finally the canadian rockies road trip
itinerary ends with a visit to canmore
in canada's country
located about one hour to the west of
calgary
it's in the front ranges of the canadian
rockies and spans over several
provincial parks
including spray valley peter lockheed
and boe valley provincial park
known for its wide variety of wildlife
back country hiking and rock climbing
this is a true locals favorite
main attractions in kananaskis include
the laid-back town of canmore
the grassy lakes
and kananaskis lakes
the area is also a prime location for
moderate to advanced hiking
with breathtaking hikes to surreal ridge
smutwood peak
south polkaterra ridge
tent ridge
galatia lakes
and kings creek ridge
learn all about these hikes and our
other kananaskis hiking video
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nothing like a good barbecue after a
long hike in the rockies
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as mentioned at the start of this video
we'll now share our top three tips so
you can be prepared for your canadian
rockies road trip
tip number one is to book your
campgrounds or accommodation at least
three to four months in advance
spots book up really fast and there's
limited accommodation space in the
mountains so plan your trip early
find the links to the official
campground reservation systems in the
description below
second be prepared for all kinds of
weather including potential snow
the weather is very unpredictable at
times even during the summer
make sure to pack enough warm and
waterproof clothing
you can download our free packing list
in the description below
finally the best time to visit the
canadian rockies is between mid-june and
the end of september
because within that time frame most of
the lakes will be thawed and the roads
will be open for driving
and that's it for our canadian rockies
road trip itinerary we hope you enjoyed
this video and we'll catch you on the
next adventure
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