7 Days in Canadas Best National Parks

This will be the closest major airport to Banff and the best sights. No matter what time you arrive, get settled and explore some of the city sights - like the Calgary Tower or Olympic Park. Even catch a Canadian Football League game or one of the Worlds Largest Rodeos during the Calgary Stampede.

The town of Banff has great dining and shopping and skiing nearby in the winter. The highlight of town is at the top of the hill at the Fairmont Banff Springs. Not staying there? Still take a soak in the Upper Hot Springs. Great hiking is nearby in Johnston Canyon. Stick around for the day or make your way towards world famous Lake Louise!

Get an early start before the crowds at Lake Louise. They have another beautiful Fairmont Hotel overlooking the famous lake that you can kayak on or ice skate in the winter. Take a short drive to Yoho to see the second tallest waterfall in Canada at Takakkaw Falls. You will never get tired of the perfect turquoise lakes like Emerald Lake. If you really feel like wandering, you can even make it to Glacier NP of British Columbia before heading back to Banff. Canada has long days in the summer time. Last, a must stop; after the crowds of the day head out, catch the sunset at Lake Moraine, my personal favorite lake in the Canadian Rockies.

Peyto Lake is a must stop on your way north and the last stop before changing parks should be Mistaya Canyon along the Icefields Parkway. Once entering the park you immediately run into the Columbia Glacier. My first up close glacier experience. Here you can take a tour onto the glacier as well as doing the skywalk.

Continue North and don't miss Tangle Creek Falls right off the road. Athabasca is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the area with some amazing geological features nearby. Your last stop in the park will be Maligne Canyon. After a quick pit stop in the cute town of Jasper, make your way towards the capitol of the Province, Edmonton.

Edmonton is home to the largest mall in North America! Even bigger than Mall of America. They have an awesome full size waterpark and amusement park, and plenty of shopping and activities to keep you busy for a day. If thats not your thing, the city has historic buildings like their capitol and and amazing, modern, downtown. Spend as much time as you deem necessary before heading back to Calgary.

There are so many offshoots, you can take and areas you may want to spend more time, so I recommend leaving a flex day for your preferences. If you want the adventures to continue, I highly recommend the journey 2.5 hours south to Waterton Lakes National Park and the arguably the most scenic hotel I have seen: The Prince of Wales Hotel. There are so short hiking and boating options as well as a small town so this can easily be done in a half day. If you want to tack on another day or two, Glacier National park in the US is connected to Waterton across the border and is one of my top National Parks in the world along with Banff!