Exploring the Canadian Rockies, from Lake Louise to Jasper

The Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain’s summit is a 5-minute stroll from in this article downtown Banff is a 5-moment drive. Choose for the gondola and you will be whisked up to mountaintop Sky Bistro, which serves up breathtaking sights along with Canadian-influenced plates. Spicy elk bolognese is a signature. Down under, Banff’s most recent cafe, Lupo, is named for Wolf Avenue, its scenic locale, with a menu of Northern Italian dishes like burrata with roasted pumpkin, squash risotto, and typical Margherita pizza.

Banff, of class, is household to a close to-infinite slew of outdoor routines. Discover terrain by horseback, ATV, bike, or foot cruise or fish the lakes climb, rappel, or zipline via woods and canyons. Locally-owned tour company Banff Adventures is your most effective guess for the widest vary of activities with knowledgeable guides.

If you decide to stay in Lake Louise rather of commuting from Banff—tough to resist, as soon as you glimpse the surroundings—drop your baggage at Article Lodge & Spa, the only Relais & Châteaux property in the Canadian Rockies. Its serene Temple Mountain Spa and superb Outpost cafe are locations in them selves.

Up for a hike? Lake Louise insiders propose the nine-mile Basic of Six Glaciers trail, heading southwest from the lakeshore. It ends at the cliffside Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, with house-made snacks and soulful teas. Alternatively, hike 2.2 miles of gorgeous woodland trails to the family-owned Saint Agnes Tea Residence, which serves far more than 100 teas and sandwiches on do-it-yourself oatmeal bread. Paddling across Lake Louise is also a have to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise rents canoes to company and day guests alike. For an adrenaline strike, a number of operators supply whitewater rafting excursions of the Kicking Horse River, about 45 minutes southwest.

Conclusion the working day at The Station Restaurant, exactly where you will chow down on unpretentious fare like bison burgers and neighborhood salmon gravlax in a restored circa-1915 railway station. 

Jasper

Continue your Canadian Rockies experience in Jasper, a 144-mile travel from Banff-Lake Louise together the Icefields Parkway, the iconic double-lane highway that operates alongside the Continental Divide. (In 2021, 2.1 million visitors came to Jasper Nationwide Park—a dip from preceding decades for the reason that of the pandemic—and targeted traffic is expected to swell this summer season.) Approach on spending at the very least fifty percent a working day on the road you’ll ogle glaciers, mountains, wildlife, lakes, waterfalls, and valleys, passing Mistaya Canyon, Bow Lake, and the Athabasca Glacier. Just don’t forget to fuel up ahead of you hit the street. 

Each pampering and experience await below as soon as you arrive. E-book a home at the storied Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, which celebrates its centennial this year. With Canadian understatement, the home describes itself as “a charming village,” which is like saying the Rockies are awesome hills. On supply: Lushly appointed cabins and suites, a planet-course spa and golfing training course, cross-nation ski facilities, and five restaurants—try dwelling-smoked Alberta brisket at The Nook Smokehouse. Queen Elizabeth and the late Prince Phillip alighted in this article in 2005 during a visit to mark Alberta’s centenary.