Family Adventure - Canadian Rockies self-drive

Canada was on my list for many years, but with young children it seemed out of reach. However post-covid, I thought you only live once! Having travelled to Portugal, Spain, and Greece as a family, I decided (really hoped!) that the girls were now old enough (5 and 6) for more of an adventure. Of course, I was a little apprehensive of how they would fare on a long-haul flight, but I was more than willing to take the chance. It would be worth it, wouldn’t it?!

I looked at a number of possible itineraries, researching the must-see areas and activities, what would be suitable for children, the weather, the driving distances etc. I planned it down to a T, then showed my husband. He flat out refused to agree to such a trip at first, but I answered all of his questions and concerns and wasn’t taking no for an answer. And as you can see, we did it and I would recommend anyone to do the same.

We flew on my daughter’s 5th birthday from Dublin to Calgary, where we picked up our hire car and drove to Banff in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, ready to explore. The roads are fantastic, and it is very easy to drive. Banff National Park is home to glacier mountains, bright blue lakes, forests, waterfalls, and wildlife. It is the most visited National Park in Canada for good reason.

I woke early on our first morning, stood out on our veranda and gazed in awe at the mountain scenery in front of me (enjoying the peace and quiet before the rest of the gang woke up). Our hotel was situated at Tunnel Mountain, a 5-minute drive to Banff town centre. This mountain town is very pretty and walkable, with playgrounds, gardens, museums, plenty of shops and restaurants. It ticked all the boxes. After a very hearty breakfast at our hotel (French toast, pancakes, breakfast tacos, Canadian back bacon benny), we drove to Banff Gondola. I had prebooked our entrance for 9.30am along with lunch at the Sky Bistro. This gave us plenty of time to walk around and appreciate the amazing views. After lunch, we drove to nearby Lake Minnewanka for a family cruise. With tales of lake monsters, history and geology, everyone was kept interested.

The next day we did a Hoodoo float tour on the Bow River (it was so peaceful that the kids fell asleep!) and then relaxed at Banff upper hot springs. There are horse and carriage rides available from downtown Banff, horse and pony rides at nearby stables, plus the option to book a Cowboy cookout BBQ tour travelling by horseback or wagon.

After 3 nights, it was time for us to travel further North to Jasper National Park. We travelled along the Icefields Parkway, one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We prebooked the Colombia Icefield Adventure for lunchtime, giving us plenty of time for our big Canadian breakfast and to stop off along the way. The tour included the icefields explorer on Athabasca Glacier where we walked and threw snowballs on the glacier, plus admission to the Skywalk, a suspended glass platform above the Sunwapta valley. We stopped at Athabasca falls to stretch our legs, before arriving to our accommodation in downtown Jasper.

Jasper is much smaller than Banff, but again had lots of places to dine, to shop for souvenirs and the all-important playground. Jasper is known as a dark sky area and for its wildlife, as well as lakes, hot springs and many hiking opportunities. We enjoyed the swimming pool at our accommodation and had booked an evening Wildlife Discovery Tour, which picked us up at our accommodation at 5:30pm. It is 3 ½ hours long. So again, I was a little apprehensive as I might have been pushing it with bedtime (feeling sorry for the other passengers on the coach should things kick off), but it went without a hitch, and it was a fantastic experience. We were well used to amazing scenery by now, but not long into the tour we seen bears! Lots of them, as well as eagles, moose and elk.

The following day we went kayaking on Emerald Lake with 1 adult and 1 child per kayak. There was great competition, rewarded afterwards with smores by the fire on the edge of the lake. After lunch we drove to the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge for the Jasper Planetarium and Telescope tour. The kids were amazed.

We then had 1 final night in Canada, which we spent at Lake Louise to break up the journey back to Calgary. We played crazy golf at our hotel and had a bite to eat before visiting the lake that evening, which was perfect timing and not too busy. Lake Louise itself is stunning, with turquoise glacier fed waters, mountains and hiking trails. The walk around the edge of the lake is a definite highlight of our time in Canada. There were little pikas which the children followed and tried to catch! Then it was a quick drive over to nearby Moraine Lake, which again is an absolute must-see. We walked around the shoreline. This is a rockier area and less touristy than Lake Louise. The water is so clear, it is like a mirror.

After celebrating Canada Day in Lake Louise with face painting, games and bouncy castles, our last stop was an evening in Calgary before our flight home. We visited Telus Spark Science Centre, watched the latest kids’ movie at Cineplex Odeon and had a bite to eat. There is plenty more to do in Calgary including Calgary Zoo, Calgary Sky Tower, shopping, hockey, basketball and a little further afield is the Royal Tyrrell Museum Drumheller and Dinosaur Provincial Park, for any dinosaur crazy kids.

NOTE: You will need to purchase a National Park family pass, either online or on arrival. We bought ours at a pop-up booth at Lake Minnewanka, however you can also purchase them at the Banff Visitor Centre.

We talk about our Canada adventure to this day, so if it is on your list, please let me know.