Looking for the best 3 day Banff summer itinerary? I’ve put together a list of places and things to do that are highly recommended when visiting Canada’s Banff National Park.
Planning a trip to Banff National Park is super exciting! If you’re anything like me, you’re here because you love to research and plan your trip ahead of time. As an avid traveler, I am giving you the best places for a Banff summer itinerary.
You are going to learn about places to visit like Lake Louise, downtown Banff, Canmore, and more. After learning about these places, you are going to be ready for your next Canadian adventure!
This post is my 3 day Banff summer itinerary.
Surrounded by the jaw dropping Canadian Rockies, incredibly blue glacier lakes, beautiful green trees, and wildlife including grizzly bears, moose, bald eagles, and more, Banff National Park is a DREAM. Here is my recommendation of the best things to do in Banff.
Arriving in Calgary Canada
We flew into Calgary International Airport in the evening. From there, it’s about a 40 minute drive to downtown Calgary. We checked into the Fairmont Palliser hotel before heading out for a late night dinner. The hotel is located in the downtown neighborhood, near several bars and restaurants.
Best Calgary Restaurant
After checking into our room, we walked down the street from our hotel to find something to eat. We stepped into the D.O.P. Restaurant before realizing it had just been awarded number 18 best restaurant in Canada for 2022! We quickly discovered why as every dish we ate was incredible. To start, we ordered the whipped feta and bread, and were pleasantly surprised when the chef offered us pickled green tomatoes and smoked olives on the house. Surprisingly, our favorite were the pickled green tomatoes, they were *chefs kiss* delicious. Our main entree was the Tajarin pasta. The small venue makes for an intimate, cozy atmosphere. This restaurant is not to be missed.
Getting Around Banff National Park
There are several ways to get around Banff National Park.
Rent a Car
Firstly, the most convenient is driving. You can rent a car and pick it up upon arrival in Calgary. From Calgary to Banff, it’s about an hour and a half drive.
In order to enter the park, you will need to purchase a park pass. You can purchase online ahead of time, or purchase upon entry. They offer day passes or multiple day passes. You will have to keep your pass visible on your windshield when parking within the park. Although this is definitely the quickest way to get around, the disadvantage is if the parking lot is full for a particular site, you will not be able to enter. Another factor to consider is the low inventory of rental cars. If you do wish to rent, plan accordingly and start looking far in advance.
Shuttles & Public Transportation
Secondly, there are several options for shuttles to bring you to and from Calgary or other areas within Banff. Some of them include RTB Tours , Brewster Express, Banff Airporter, Discover Banff Tours, and Mountain Park Transportation.
Thirdly, to get around within Banff, Canmore, and Jasper, use ROAM transit. This is an affordable way to get around the park. There are options to purchase day passes or multiple day passes. This is also a great way to be sure to see every site you want, as the buses drop you off rather than trying to find parking if you are renting a car.
Day 1: Lake Minnewanka, Banff Springs, Lake Louise
We were fortunate enough to meet up with family who live in Alberta. They picked us up from the airport the night before and drove us from Calgary to Banff, which is about an hour and a half drive.
Lake Minnewanka
The first stop in my Banff summer itinerary is Lake Minnewanka. This is one of the many glacier lakes in the park. Compared to other lakes we visited, this one was less crowded. It’s a great lake for picnics, hikes, and water activities like canoeing and boating. Actually, it’s the only lake in the park that allows power boats, and a boat tour is offered!
Bow Falls
Next, we drove to Bow Falls. These falls are super cool! Not overwhelmingly large, but still spectacular. I just love the sound of waterfalls. It’s a great scenic location for a photo-op, and close to Banff Springs.
Banff Springs
Even if you don’t plan to stay in the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, I highly recommend walking through it. We chose to have lunch there, and the views are stunning. We were surrounded by the Canadian Rockies, with a view of Bow River running through them. There’s also an incredible golf course on site.
After lunch, we made our way to Lake Louise which is about an hour drive from Banff. This was by far our favorite location of the entire Banff summer itinerary. I was initially skeptical as I had read and heard from others that it is overrated, overcrowded, and there are other areas in the park that they preferred. However, for me personally, it was breathtaking and no pictures can do it justice.
Where We Stayed
I’ll be honest, we decided to splurge and stay in the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise hotel. Yes, it is expensive. Is it worth it? One hundred percent. If you plan to spend some time in and near Lake Louise, here’s why it’s a must in my Banff summer itinerary.
Lake Louise Canoeing
After checking in around 4:00pm, we immediately walked outside toward the lake, knowing we wanted to rent canoes. Rentals are on a first come first serve basis, they do not take reservations. We didn’t realize until we got to the boat house that if you are a guest of the hotel, you get first priority.
On top of being priority, we also received a discount on the canoe rental. We waited in line for maybe five to ten minutes. They offer a 30 minute or an hour long session. Definitely go for the hour long option, as it takes almost 30 minutes to get to one end of the lake.
The views of the mountains from the lake are awe inspiring. Every five minutes we were saying “this is so beautiful”, “this is the most beautiful place we’ve ever been”, “wow”. You get the idea. We were told we may see mountain goats or bears while out on the lake. We didn’t see any, but you never know! I highly recommend renting a canoe and putzing around.
Lake Louise Lakeshore Trail
In the evening, Lake Louise closes to the public at 7:00pm. Since we were staying at the hotel, we were able to go back out after dinner and enjoy the peacefulness of the lake with zero crowds. It was magical. There is a small, 2km long trail that follows the lakeshore. We did a nice evening stroll before heading to bed.
Day 2: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes Tea House, and Downtown Banff
Sunrise on Lake Louise
Another advantage to staying in Fairmont Chateau, is being able to watch the sunrise on Lake Louise. We woke up around 5:00am and headed down to the lake. Again, there was hardly anyone out, so we felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. Although the mountains are west facing, it’s a sight to see the sun shining directly onto the mountains. The morning light gives them a completely different look than the afternoon sun or sunset.
Grizzly Bear Encounter
After watching the sunrise, we went back to our room to get ready for the day. As we were getting ready, we looked out the window and noticed that people were slowly walking backwards at the trailhead. Sure enough, there was a mama grizzly bear with her three cubs right there! Immediately, we ran down from our room and out the doors to have our chance to see a grizzly bear in the wild. While giving her and the cubs plenty of space, I was able to snap a few photos and videos. We found out later that the grizzly bear is named 142 and she often brings her cubs out of the woods to avoid the predatory male grizzly bears. It was an experience I will never forget!
Lake Agnes Hike
Around 7:45am, we started our hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House. The Lake Agnes trail is a 7.4km, moderate hike. It took us just over an hour to get to the tea house, and then another hour to return. Along the way, we stopped at Mirror Lake.
For my Banff summer itinerary, I recommend starting the hike a bit before 8:00am, when the tea house opens. We didn’t see many people on our way up, but saw a lot more people making their way as we were coming down.
Lake Agnes Tea House
The tea house sits on the shores of Lake Agnes. We were there in mid-June, and the lake was just thawing, the surrounding mountains still covered in snow. It was nice to get an idea of what it would look like in the winter, compared to the fully thawed Lake Louise below.
For the tea house, it was recommended that we bring cash. However, they now accept credit cards. This is a nice option if you only have U.S. dollars as the exchange rate is not great for cash. You can choose to “dine in” or get your items to go. There are a few tables outside of the tea house, and a few more inside. It is very small. We were seated outside. I highly recommend ordering tea, but bring your own snacks. The food items on their menu are not anything special. All of the supplies are carried in and there is no running water or electricity. As it’s a carry in, carry out establishment, it’s always encouraged to carry a small bag of trash with you on the hike down!
Being able to take advantage of the non-public hours of Lake Louise was priceless. We were able to avoid crowds and really appreciate the natural beauty surrounding us. It was well worth the price to stay at the Fairmont Chateau.
Moraine Lake
Leaving Lake Louise, we stopped to see Moraine Lake. As I mentioned earlier, if the parking lots are full, they will not accept visitors. As we drove by, the park was closed. We decided to make a loop around and see if it would open up again (as people left). We were very lucky, and were allowed into the park! Set in the valley of the 10 Peaks Mountain Range, Moraine Lake is another glacier fed lake. If we had more time, I would have liked to do a hike here and explore the area a bit more. They offer canoes for the lake here too!
After Moraine Lake, we made our way back to Banff. This time, we explored downtown. We had lunch at Block Kitchen & Bar. The menu is Asian inspired, and wow, so good! We ordered the smoked chili tofu bao buns, curry ramen, and veggie naanburger with truffle fries. Yum!
Banff Gondola
Next, we made the last minute decision to do Banff Gondola. I had heard about the gondola ride, but thought it may be a tourist trap. However, after talking with a couple during dinner the night before, they said it was a must do. And I’m so glad we decided to go for it! You can purchase tickets online in advance or at the ticket counter upon arrival. We waited in line for maybe 15 minutes to purchase tickets and didn’t have to wait to get on the gondola.
Once at the top of Sulphur Mountain, we walked along the boardwalk toward Cosmic Ray Station. It’s so cool seeing the mountains from high above and seeing several different mountain ranges of the Canadian Rockies. It can get busy during the day in the summer, so they offer a free shuttle from downtown Banff.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at Banff Inn for the night. It’s conveniently located in downtown Banff, easily walkable to the main street as well as close to bus stops for ROAM. They offer a hot tub and sauna as well as Carlito’s Pizzaria for dining. If we didn’t have such a tight schedule, I would have definitely taken advantage of their sauna, especially after our long morning hike!
Day 3: Johnston Canyon and Canmore
Canadian Coffee
In the morning we walked to Whitebark Cafe for coffee and treats before heading out for Johnston Canyon. It’s about a 30 minute drive from downtown Banff.
Johnston Canyon
Johnston Canyon is open year round and offers several different hikes. We hiked to the lower and upper falls, for a total of 5.1km. We loved the lower falls, and I highly recommend waiting in line to walk into the cave that leads you up and close to the falls. You’ll get a little misty! If you have time for a longer hike, beyond the upper falls is another trail leading to the ink pots. It’s a total of 11.7km out-and-back.
Overall, this is a great trail to check out. It’s paved, making it more of an easy to moderate hike. I enjoyed the scenery of green trees along the river, and the soothing sound of the waterfalls.
Canmore
Following Johnston Canyon, we drove to the city of Canmore. This is a smaller city, quieter than Banff, but just as beautiful. We stopped for lunch at the PD3 Food Truck and had ice cream from Scratch Rare. Both were delicious! I liked that the food truck menu offered some vegetarian options and the ice cream had vegan options. After lunch we walked along the main street in Canmore, checking out the different shops and art galleries.
Where We Stayed
After exploring Canmore, we made our way out of Banff National Park and headed back to Calgary. The drive from Canmore to Calgary is just over an hour. As we were driving, we were fortunate enough to see a moose on the side of the road, drinking from a small pond! Seeing the moose checked off everything I had on my bucket list.
From Banff National Park, we had my boyfriend’s family drop us off at our hotel and called it a day. We chose to stay at the Wyndham Garden Inn Calgary because of its proximity to the airport and free airport shuttle as we had a super early flight the next morning and didn’t want to inconvenience them to drive us there. The hotel was extremely affordable, and I appreciated the hard surface floors vs. carpet, its cleanliness, and convenience of a restaurant within the hotel.
Final Thoughts on a Banff Summer Itinerary
I cannot recommend visiting Banff enough. It was one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been. If you have a chance to go, I highly, highly recommend it. As you may have guessed from the title of my post being 3 Day Banff Summer Itinerary, we went in mid-June and that was the perfect time of year. Temperatures were in the high 60 degrees Fahrenheit, it wasn’t as busy as it would be in later summer months, and we were able to appreciate the blue glacier waters. I am sure it would be just as fun and beautiful to visit in the winter, but with completely different experiences offered.
This post is my 3 day Banff summer itinerary.
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