Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with Your Toddler: the Ultimate Canadian Road Trip
Traveled in August 2023
Ready to hit the road with your toddler and bask in the beauty of the Canadian Rockies?
This road trip will take you to Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with your toddler, with plenty of stunning natural wonders in between. Get your camera and car snacks ready, and let’s go!
This epic road trip to Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with your toddler will be one to remember, not only because of the amazing views you will see along the way but also because of the confidence you will earn after braving hours in the car with your toddler. Don’t worry – there will be plenty of stops to break up the drive. So even though we will be covering a lot of distance, it is not as daunting as it sounds. There is also a train that goes between Jasper and Vancouver that a toddler would love, but the departure dates didn’t work for us. You can also do this trip in reverse if the timing or flights work better for you.
There are activities to suit all levels of fitness in this region, from epic hikes to stunning viewpoints that require no more effort than stepping out of the car. This itinerary mostly includes the latter since it was our first trip with our toddler. Whatever level of adventure you choose, the vistas in this region will not disappoint. You may think you know after seeing the Instagram photos, but the photos do not do justice to this region. You have to go see it for yourself!
If you’re already familiar with how to get around Canada, then skip ahead to the itinerary to start planning your road trip. Otherwise, read on to find out how to tackle this road trip to Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with your toddler!
Road Trip Itinerary: Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with Your Toddler
Our kiddo was still napping multiple times a day during this trip, so we had to be more flexible with this itinerary than when we traveled this region without him. He also took most of his naps in the car. That meant deciding on a couple must-sees for every day rather than trying to see everything, and knowing we would likely be sitting in the car at some point waiting for him to finish his nap. We used the nap times to eat our packed lunches, enjoy the view from our car, drive to the next destination, or plan the next day’s activities.
Although there are many more adventurous hikes and activities in this area, the ones we chose are ones we could manage while carrying a toddler (and with two out-of-shape grandmas). On that note, you will need to carry your toddler, as most of the hikes are not stroller friendly. So make sure you pack a carrier of some sort. Your back and arms will thank you.
When to Go
We did this trip at the end of August and the weather was nearly perfect. Previously we traveled this region during early July and we had a fair bit of rain. Summer is the best time to visit to make sure all the hikes are open. However, there is also a chance of wildfire smoke obscuring the views. The employees told us that early September is actually a great time to visit because there are fewer crowds and the weather is generally still mild with no snow.
How to Get There
The closest airport to Banff is the Calgary International Airport (YYC). From the west coast of the United States, the flight to Calgary is a relatively short 3 hours. From Calgary, it is a 1.5 hour drive to Banff. The airport in Vancouver is the Vancouver International Airport (YVR). You will need to book two one-way tickets since this road trip takes you from Banff to Vancouver. For example, one plane ticket would be HOME -> YYC (Calgary), and the second plane ticket would be YVR (Vancouver) -> HOME. It’s also possible to do this trip in reverse, so pick what works for you.
Don’t forget your passport when packing!! Traveling to Canada feels a lot like traveling within the United States, so it is easy to forget that you need your passport. Also make sure that your passport is not expiring within 6 months of your trip date. If you need tips on how to apply for your child’s first passport, check out my handy guide that breaks down the steps.
Booking tip: certain flight searches like Kayak, Skyscanner, or Google flights allow you to set price trackers that will alert you when the price of your flight changes. I never book a flight without tracking prices first because there is no better feeling than snagging a good deal! And if you book your flights with a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire card, the card usually includes some travel insurance protections (like lost luggage reimbursements, trip delay reimbursements, or trip cancellation insurance) to save you the cost of buying extra travel insurance.
Bonus Booking tip: sign your kiddo up for frequent flyer accounts with airlines to start earning airline miles for them! Most airline miles do not expire for minors so your kiddo will thank you later.
Where to Stay
For this road trip itinerary, we stayed 3 nights in Banff, 3 nights in Jasper, 1 night in Kamloops, and 3 nights in Vancouver.
Booking tip: because traveling with a toddler is so unpredictable, I always look for refundable bookings. That way I can book way ahead of time for my peace of mind, but also have the flexibility to cancel without losing any money if our plans should change.
Check out our recommendations for the best places to stay in Banff and Jasper with families, including suite-style accommodations with kitchenettes for extra convenience.
Where to Stay in Kamloops
Kamloops is about halfway between Jasper and Vancouver, which makes it a good overnight stop to break up the drive. There are many large hotels in Kamloops, but we opted for an Airbnb for more space since we were traveling as an extended family.
Where to Stay in Vancouver
If we were young and hip and childless, we would probably have stayed in downtown Vancouver. But with a toddler, we were looking for more family-friendly areas to stay. Googling “family-friendly neighborhoods in Vancouver” led me to the neighborhoods of Kitsilano, West Point Grey, and Mt. Pleasant, which is where I limited my home rental search. We booked a home rental in West Point Grey, which was a very cute and safe neighborhood with easy parking. If going again, I would try to book in Kitsilano to be closer to the beach and restaurants. I have bookmarked this 3 bedroom house rental and this 2 bedroom house rental for our next visit.
How to Get Around
This being a road trip, a rental car is a must. The Canadians drive on the same side of the road as the United States and the freeways are immaculately maintained, so driving is a breeze. The only tricky part is that Canada uses kilometers rather than miles. Drivers in Canada also seem more polite than in the Bay Area and the driving pace is slower. There are also highway patrol ready to ticket the unsuspecting American speeders. I have heard that the fine is pretty hefty, so don’t tempt fate. There is not much traffic on the highways in the Banff and Jasper areas. Vancouver is a big city so there is more traffic, but it is not worse than driving in San Francisco.
The on-site car rental agencies at the Calgary airport are Avis, Budget, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Hertz, National, and Alamo. I would recommend renting from an on-site car rental agency so that you don’t have to spend extra time (with your possibly cranky child) waiting for a shuttle to an off-site car rental agency. When we’re traveling with our toddler, we’re willing to spend more for convenience if that means avoiding a meltdown.
Note that you do have to pick up the car at Calgary airport and drop it off at Vancouver airport, so there may be an additional fee.
Booking tip: if the car rental agency has a free membership program, sign up for it! Members usually get extra perks like a free additional driver, discounts, or faster reservation check ins (all very desirable things when you have an overtired toddler in tow).
Show Me the Money
The currency in Canada is the Canadian dollar (CAD). Google “Canadian dollar to USD” to find the current exchange rate. We used our no-foreign-transaction-fee credit card during the whole trip and did not need to get any cash. Always choose to pay in Canadian dollars for the best exchange rate. If you prefer to have some cash on hand, I recommend getting cash from ATMs after you arrive in the country for the best exchange rate. Some ATMs will give you a choice of withdrawal amount in USD or in the local currency – always select the local currency for the best exchange rate.
Saving tip: to avoid ATM fees (from the foreign bank and your bank), look for a checking account that offers ATM fee reimbursements. I can personally recommend the Schwab investors checking account and the Betterment checking account for this purpose.
How to Stay Connected
Some cell phone companies include Canada and Mexico in their plans. If that is the case for you then you are all set.
If your cell phone plan does not include Canada, then the cheapest way to get international cell phone data is to use an e-sim with an unlocked cell phone. This was my first time using Airalo to purchase an e-sim and it worked seamlessly. I had doubts but figured I could always purchase a prepaid SIM card in Canada if it failed. I was actually surprised at how well it worked given the low cost, and am planning on using it again on future trips. The downside is that you only have data and no phone service when using Airalo e-sims, so it’s a good option if you don’t anticipate needing to make phone calls. The Airalo website has great tutorials and I also watched this Youtube video for more installation tips.
If you will need to make phone calls, then you can purchase a prepaid SIM card in Canada. However, those will be more expensive than the e-sims. If your cell phone is not unlocked, then you can turn on international roaming with your cell phone carrier. This is the most expensive option.
Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with Your Toddler Itinerary at a Glance
| Day | Activity | Sleep In |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fly from Bay Area to Calgary (3 hrs) Drive from Calgary to Banff (1.5 hrs) | Banff |
| 2 | Lake Louise and Moraine Lake (1 hr) Emerald Lake (30 min further) | Banff |
| 3 | Johnston Canyon (30 min) Explore Banff or Banff Gondola | Banff |
| 4 | Banff to Jasper via the Icefields Parkway (all day) Stop at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Waterfowl Lake, Mistaya Canyon, and Athabasca Glacier | Jasper |
| 5 | Valley of the 5 Lakes Hike (15 min) Athabasca Falls (15 min further) Sunwapta Falls (20 min further) | Jasper |
| 6 | Maligne Lake scenic boat tour (1 hr) Maligne Canyon (40 min further) | Jasper |
| 7 | Drive from Jasper to Kamloops via Wells Grey Pyramid Lake (14 min) Lunch at Wildflour Bakery Cafe in Clearwater (3.5 hrs) Spahats Creek Falls (10 min) and Helmcken Falls (30 min further) Drive to Kamloops (2 hrs) | Kamloops |
| 8 | Drive to Vancouver (4 hrs total) Lunch and playground in Hope (2 hrs from Kamloops) Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver | Vancouver |
| 9 | Sea to Sky Highway Stop at Shannon Falls Provincial Park, Sea to Sky Gondola, Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, Whistler, and Joffre Lakes | Vancouver |
| 10 | Stanley Park Granville Island Public Market | Vancouver |
| 11 | Fly home from Vancouver |
Day 1: Arrive in Canada
Land at Calgary airport and after picking up your rental car, make the 1.5 hour drive from Calgary to Banff.
Logistics Tip: you can buy a parks pass online or at the entrance gates of the park. We drove straight by the entrance gates and didn’t realize it, so we purchased it online when we arrived at our hotel. You do need to print out the pass and display it on your car dash while you are in the park. The same pass is good for Banff and Jasper, so calculate the days you will be in both parks.
Day 2: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, and Emerald Lake (Banff)
Prepare your eyes for the wonders that are the jewel-colored lakes of the Banff region!
Logistics Tips: Visiting Lake Louise and Moraine Lake now requires a shuttle booking. You can no longer drive directly to the parking lots. Book tickets for the shuttle here by clicking on “Day Use.” If no tickets are available, 60% of them are released 2 days before. So set a reminder on your phone to log on and book. You will park at a public lot located about 50 minutes away from Banff. Board one shuttle to the first lake, then you will board another shuttle to go to the other lake, and finally another shuttle to return to the parking lot. If all that sounds too complicated or all the shuttle tickets are sold out, you can also book a day tour that will take care of all the transportation for you.
Lake Louise
Lake Louise transports you to a different era. With its grand hotel on one end and the clear blue lake stretching out in front of it, the view is timeless. If you have an older child, the beehive hikes to the Lake Agnes tea house start here. However, it’s at least a half day commitment and we did not have the time with our toddler. The Fairmont hotel at Lake Louise is a good potty stop and also has a delicious afternoon tea.
Moraine Lake
Pictures do not do justice to the turquoise blue of Moraine Lake. There is a path that follows one side of the lake and ends in a small waterfall. There are kayak rentals as well. When the sun peeks through the clouds the water truly sparkles when you’re out in the middle of the lake. For the best pictures, we hiked up the stack of rocks right by the parking lot. There is a camping style (read: portapotty in a stall and no sink) bathroom in the parking lot.
Emerald Lake
To complete your rainbow of lakes, visit the clear green waters of Emerald Lake. There is no hiking involved to enjoy this lake with its unique dark green color. However, it is a 35 minute drive from the Lake Louise/Moraine Lake parking lot.
Day 3: Johnston Canyon (Banff)
Johnston Canyon is an easy 1-2 hour paved hike. The hike follows along a canyon gorge and ends in a waterfall that can be viewed through a cave opening. There can be a wait to go into the cave as there is only space for one family to enter at a time. We thought it was cool to see the rushing waterfall up close from the cave, but if there is a long line and your toddler is headed to cranky-town, then skip it.
With more time, explore these other Banff activities:
Day 4: Drive the Icefields Parkway (Banff to Jasper)
The Icefields Parkway is basically a long highway that connects Banff and Jasper. But it’s not just any highway. It is a highway with some of the most gorgeous pit stops you have ever seen. Some of these lakes and attractions are literally next to the road, while others require a bit of hiking. The hikes are usually on paved or gravel roads, but can be somewhat steep (kids should be in a carrier since these are generally not stroller friendly). Every stop has a parking lot, but the parking lots are usually not very large. You may need to circle to find parking if you go during high season.
If you are only staying in Banff and not making it all the way to Jasper, you can hit as many of these stops as you can before turning around and driving back to Banff. However, because the parkway is pretty long, unless you start very early and are very efficient (neither is usually possible with a toddler), you probably won’t make it to the last stops closer to Jasper unless you spend the night in Jasper.
There are SO MANY beautiful stops along this parkway, and many amazing hikes, but they require more time than we could reasonably afford with a toddler. Below are the toddler-friendly highlights that we hit along the parkway in the order you would reach them when going from Banff to Jasper, including the amount of driving time it takes to get there and approximately how long you can expect to spend at each stop.
Day 5: Valley of the 5 Lakes Hike, Athabasca Falls, and Sunwapta Falls (Jasper)
We started the morning with a 2.8 mile hike at the Valley of the 5 Lakes (14 min from jasper, time needed 2-3 hrs). This loop trail takes you along 5 lakes, which are truly stunning. We did this first thing in the morning to ensure we found parking. By the time we finished, the parking lot was full. There is a bathroom in the parking lot. There is a shorter hike (instructions below), and a longer hike. We did the shorter hike, but be warned that the way back can be a pretty steep uphill climb. Some hikers we met along the way said that they saw some bears in the hills around the trail, so we saw many people with bells attached to their backpacks as a way to warn the bears and keep them away.
Follow Trail 9a for 0.5 miles across the boardwalk (don’t turn onto Trail 9) and up the hill, then take a left at the junction to follow Trail 9b. Hike down the hill on 9b. At the bottom of the hill, you’ll see the First Lake on your left. Take a right at the junction with 9a, which will take you to the rest of the lakes and finish out the loop.
Athabasca Falls
We rewarded ourselves after the hike with some easy waterfalls at Athabasca Falls (15 min from Valley of Lakes, short walk to viewpoint, time needed 30 min-1 hr).
Sunwapta Falls
Sunwapta falls (18 min from Athabasca falls and 45 min from Jasper, short walk to viewpoint, time needed 20 min) is another easy waterfall to see nearby.
Day 6: Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon (Jasper)
Maligne Lake
We started this day with a 1.5 hour scenic boat tour across Maligne Lake to Spirit Island. The boat ride was a lot of fun for my toddler. During the ride you can take turns stepping outside to feel the spray of the water and the wind in your hair. Spirit Island is sacred to the indigenous people. So you are only allowed about 15 minutes on the island and are asked to stick to the designated loop path, but it’s enough time to take pictures and enjoy the serenity of the place.
I recommend booking tickets ahead of time to make sure that you get the time you want. Keep in mind when selecting your time slot that it takes 1 hour to drive to Maligne Lake from Jasper. Apparently there is usually a good chance of spotting bears and other animals along the highway from Jasper to Maligne Lake, but you have to go at dusk when the animals are active.
Maligne Canyon
The hike at Maligne Canyon was a fun hike for our toddler because the hikes connect a series of bridges that pass over the canyon. And if you are a toddler, bridges are great for throwing rocks over.
Park at the main lot at the first bridge. The path to the first bridge is next to Maligne Kitchen.
The first four bridges are fairly close together, and it only takes around 15-30 minutes to walk from the first to the fourth bridge, depending on how long you stop to soak in the views. The fifth bridge is another 15 minutes on, and then the sixth bridge is another 35 minutes away. We made it to the fifth bridge before turning back.
Day 7: Jasper to Kamloops (with a waterfall pitstop in Wells Grey)
This is a long travel day but with detours to lakes and waterfalls to break up the drive. The highways get repaired in the summer, so at times they stop all the traffic to complete repairs. This does lengthen the drive time.
Pyramid Lake
We started the day with a quick trip to Pyramid Lake (14 min from Jasper). Pyramid Lake is known for its wooden bridge that leads to an island in the middle of the lake. It’s a nice photo stop, but not a must-see if short on time.
Afterwards we drove to Wild Flour Bakery cafe in Clearwater for a lunch break (3h20 min drive from Pyramid Lake).
Spahats Creek Falls
Spahats creek falls (10 min from Clearwater) is an easy walk from the parking lot. There is a viewing platform where you can appreciate the waterfall spilling from this narrow gorge.
Helmcken Falls
Helmcken falls (30 min from Spahats creek falls) is one of the most impressive waterfalls I have seen, even though we visited when it was covered by the haze of wildfire smoke. The viewing platform is an easy walk from the parking lot. From Helmcken Falls it is about 2 hours to Kamloops.
Day 8: Kamloops to Vancouver with a stop in Hope
The drive from Kamloops to Vancouver takes about 4 hours. This is mostly a driving day, with a pit stop in Hope for lunch and a playground to get out the toddler wiggles.
Hope
Hope is a 2 hour drive from Kamloops. We were only expecting to stop in Hope to eat, but this turned out to be an interesting little town and a great pit stop! We had sandwiches at the Blue Moose. While parking, we were surprised by the bevy of wood carvings displayed about town (apparently Hope is a chainsaw carving capital and hosts an international wood carving competition every year). There was a nice playground across the street from the Blue Moose for our kiddo to burn some energy which earned us a nice car nap. Don’t forget to pick up local craft beer at the Mountain View Brewing Company before heading back on the road to Vancouver.
Kitsilano Beach
After arriving in Vancouver after another 2 hour drive, we ended the long driving day with an evening stroll at Kitsilano beach. Kitsilano beach is a nice beach with views across the water of downtown Vancouver. It is also walking distance to a lot of tasty restaurants in Kitsilano.
Day 9: Drive the Sea to Sky Highway from Vancouver to Whistler
The Sea to Sky Highway connects Vancouver to Whistler, and has stops where you can pull off the highway to visit waterfalls and lakes. I have included the drive times below between each stop.
Day 10: Vancouver
One day is not nearly enough to explore all that Vancouver has to offer. Here are a handful of fun activities for the whole family to get you started!
Reality Check of Traveling to Banff, Jasper, and Vancouver with Your Toddler
Even though the drives are broken up with many stops in this itinerary, there are some long stretches in the car with your toddler. We had times where we pushed nap time longer than we should have. Which earned ourselves kilometers of driving with a scream-crying overtired toddler. Toddlers are high energy creatures and don’t like to be confined to a car seat for long. You definitely need to come prepared with all the car snacks, activities, and likely give in to screen time for your sanity. And that’s ok! It’s vacation. For this to be a vacation and not a struggle, ease up on the rules. It won’t ruin your child forever, I promise.
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