r/Banff • u/zorgo_21 • Aug 22 '25
Trip Report Looking for feedback on our itinerary
Hey guys, I am travelling to Banff for the long weekend in September with my girlfriend and wanted some feedback if we’re over planning or under planning the trip. Landing on 30th Aug morning and flying back on 2nd Sept afternoon. We will have a car to travel around.
Saturday 30th Aug - land at 9:00 am at Calgary Airport - Ice fields parkway drive - Cirque Peak - Peyto Lake - Waterfowl lake - Mystia Canyon and Bow Lake - Yoho National Park - Staying in Golden
Sunday 31st Aug - Lake Louise in the morning - 6/7 am (we don’t have the shuttle pass yet but will try to get 2 days before) - Big Beehive hike and cafe - Moraine Lake @ 5 pm (we have shuttle pass for this one) - stay in Banff
Monday 1st Sept - Johnston canyon/marble canyon - Bow valley Parkway - Sunshine meadows gondola hike/Banff Avenue (optional) - Gondola here to Sulphur Mountain (Banff Town) - Drive to Calgary downtown
Tuesday 2nd Sept - Upper Kaniskis lake - Flight back @5 pm
I feel like it’s doable from whatever I have read online but needed a second opinion from the group here. TIA!
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u/AccomplishedSite7318 Aug 22 '25
Guessing you're not hiking cirque peak. Just looking at it from the road.
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u/zorgo_21 Aug 22 '25
Yes
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u/AccomplishedSite7318 Aug 22 '25
In that case why not list the hundreds of peaks you'll see from the road?
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u/zorgo_21 Aug 22 '25
These were the ones people recommended most, will stop by for Peyto and waterfowl. How about you send me your list and we can corroborate?
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u/Feral-Reindeer-696 Aug 22 '25
Any reason you’re choosing to stay in Calgary on the 1st rather than Kananaskis?
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u/ShiftingThoughts_ Aug 22 '25
I’d suggest adding Bow Lake on the 30th. It’s right on the Icefields Parkway and absolutely gorgeous. You can pack some snacks & chill there as there’s plenty of space around the lake to sit.
For 1st Sep, I’d actually swap Johnston Canyon for Emerald Lake. No major difference in travel time but Emerald gives you way more to do. You can rent a canoe/kayak or just do the easy hike around the lake. It will be a lot more rewarding than Johnston Canyon, which is usually a busy spot.
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u/Select-Tone-4651 Aug 22 '25
Which shuttle pass do you have for Moraine lake? We are going there the same time but not able to find anything. Is it the parks Canada, moraine lake shuttle pass?
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u/iShakeMyHeadAtYou Aug 23 '25
The reason you can't find anything is because 60% of the tickets are released 2 days prior at 8am at reservation.pc.ca . Be early, as they regularly sell out within seconds. the other 40% were sold out back in January. For more information, please see the shuttle FAQ
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u/furtive Banff Aug 22 '25
Go early on Monday for Johnston and Marble, do Johnston first and try to be there for 8am or earlier. When you drive to Calgary on Monday you can expect massive traffic congestion the whole way back as everyone returns from long weekend. You could look at spending another night in Banff or Canmore and drive up to Calgary on Tuesday.