Ultimate Vancouver to Banff Road Trip Itinerary

Doing a Vancouver to Banff road trip had been high on my bucket list for years ever since I first saw those stunning photos of Lake Louise. (Be sure to check out my camera gear suggestions if you want to be sure you capture the amazing lake colors!)

Of course, back then I had no idea that the stunning Gatorade-blue lake was called Louise, or that there were several other beautiful lakes there as well. To be honest, I wasn’t even really sure how to get there or how difficult it would be to get to those Insta-worthy viewpoints on a Vancouver to Banff drive.

Before my trip, I legitimately thought that seeing Banff would be at the same difficulty level as Patagonia. It’s not. The best sites are a lot closer together that I thought, and it was easy to see the top highlights in just a couple days with my Jucy campervan!

This is my second time doing a roadtrip with a Jucy campervan and I have to say that I absolutely love them. They’re decked out with everything you need, from under-seat luggage storage, to a mini kitchen, to a cozy “penthouse” rooftop tent. It was absolutely perfect for driving from Vancouver to Banff.

You’ll need to pick up your mobile accommodation in Vancouver where Jucy is located, which means you get to see the beautiful city as well. The drive from Vancouver to Banff is between 7-10 hours, BUT it’s extremely scenic! Plus if you have time, there’s an amazing wine region you can stop in for wine tastings (and lots of fun tour options you can check out in the Banff area!).

You can also typically find cheaper flights into Vancouver than Alberta or Calgary. Use my Flight Roulette technique to try to hack the cheapest flight there!

I only had four days to complete this Vancouver to Banff road trip itinerary, so it’s a bit short, but it’s meant to maximize your time so you see all the best spots! Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own ultimate Vancouver to Banff road trip itinerary!

Day 1: Start Your Vancouver to Banff Road Trip!

As I mentioned, you have to pick up your Jucy campervan near Vancouver to start your Vancouver to Banff drive. In fact, you have to cross the US border to pick it up in Washington because it’s a US company.

Jucy Headquarters opens at 9am and is located at:

713 Simundson Drive, Point Roberts, WA 98281

Open: 9am-4am Monday- Friday, 9am-12pm Saturday, CLOSED Sunday so plan accordingly!

Not to worry though, the border crossing is quick and easy, just make sure you DO NOT go grocery shopping before you get the campervan. Otherwise you’ll need to declare the fruits and veggies, and some items aren’t allowed to cross the border like citrus or tomatoes.

Once you’ve picked up your campervan from the lovely Jucy people, head back across the border and hit up a grocery store! You’ll definitely need to eat a couple times during the Vancouver to Banff road trip, so stock up!

Some key grocery items I bought to cook were:

• Veggie Burgers with Lettuce Buns
• Eggs, Cheese, and Soy Chorizo for Breakfast Scrambles
• Cheese Tortellinis with Pesto Sauce
• Camembart and Crackers
• Gallon of Water
• Lots of Wine!

First time camping? Check out my comprehensive Camping Gear Guide for Beginners!

And if you’re not in the mood for camping, there are plenty of good deals you can find on hotels in the Banff area.

Try to hit the road as early as possible because it’s a long drive, even if you choose the best driving route from Vancouver to Banff! There are several routes you can take to get from Vancouver to Banff. Highway 1 is said to be the most scenic, but I went with whatever my GPS said was fastest.

Aim to stop in or near Kamloops for lunch and a break from driving. Or if you have extra time, hit up the wine region and maybe stay the night in Kelowna!

If you’re driving straight towards Banff like we were, where you stop for the night will depend on how long it takes you to get there. We had a two hour traffic delay so after 10 hours we were still just outside of Glacier National Park of Canada.

Even though I had campground reservations in Banff village, we decided to stay near Glacier at “Hot Springs Campground”. You should DEFINITELY try to make reservations for campgrounds because they get booked up fast!

To Make Camground Reservations in Banff Go to: Banff Camping Reservations

Optimal Areas are: Lake Louise Village and Banff Village, all campsites are 100% reservable (therefore are typically all reserved in advance). Other areas to try are Yoho and Jasper.

Where we Stayed This Night: Hot Springs Campground and Cabins

Cost: $30/Night + $5 for Hotspring Entry (includes hot shower)

Distance from Emerald Lake: 2 hours

Distance from Banff: 2.5 hours

Day 2: Emerald Lake, Peyto Lake, and the Iceridge Parkway

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park was stunning and drastically less crowded than Louise and Moraine

Another thing I didn’t know before my Vancouver to Banff trip is that there are four National Parks in the same area, it’s not just Banff! Yoho National Park is just to the west of it, Kootenay National Park is below it, and Jasper National Park is just North.

Wake up as early as you can and head to Emerald Lake first, which is in Yoho National Park. You’ll need a National Parks Pass which is only $19.60/day per vehicle (and good for 2-7 people in the vehicle!), which you can get from a little booth as you enter the parks.

The Banff website is a little confusing to figure out how much it is for park passes, but essentially you can pay per day and it’s good for ANY National Park in Canada. Or, if you’re staying longer than a week you might as well get the annual pass.

National Park Pass Prices Are:

1 Adult Day Pass: $9.80

2-7 People Day Pass: $19.60 (always hating on solo travelers, I know)

1 Adult Annual Pass: $67.70

2-7 People Annual Pass: $136.40

And again, you can simply buy passes from the little drive-through stations as you enter one of the parks. You don’t have to purchase them before your Vancouver to Banff drive.

Once you get to Emerald Lake, take a stroll around the pathway that winds along the left side of it. There you can find a peaceful nature trail, and little nooks to go down to the water.

It was miraculously hot and sunny when we were there, so I actually went into the water! It was definitely a little chilly, but I was more worried about the rocky bottom. So be careful!

You can also rent kayaks there, and will have a better chance of getting one than at the Banff Lakes. They are first come first served, so unfortunately you can’t reserve any online.

If you have time, there’s also a waterfall called Tekakkaw Falls near Emerald Lake that’s worth a visit! Below are some estimated times it takes to get to each place so you can see if you have time to go and create your own personalized Vancouver to Banff road trip itinerary.

• Emerald Lake to Tekakkaw Falls: 30 minutes
• Tekakkaw Falls to Lake Louise: 45 minutes
• Emerald Lake to Lake Louise: 20 Minutes
• Lake Louise to Peyto Lake: 39 Minutes

After Emerald Lake, we made an attempt to stop in Lake Louise to see if we could snag a campground spot, but quickly turned around. With the beautiful sunny weather in the middle of the day, the traffic was beyond backed up.

It probably would have taken two hours just to get a parking spot. That’s why most people say to go there at sunrise!

If Lake Louise is crowded and especially if you don’t have a campground rez, head up towards Jasper to see Peyto Lake! The Iceridge Parkway is one of the most scenic drives in the area, and is where you can find a couple campgrounds with more vacancy.

Peyto Lake

You should 100% stop at Peyto Lake because it’s arguably just as gorgeous as Louise and Moraine! Parking was available and it was only a short 10 minute hike through pine-scented greenery to get to the lookout point!

You can also stop at Bow Lake for a quick photo since it has a turnoff on the side of the road!

If you’re looking for a campground, keep driving north along the glacier-lined highway. There are three along it, and they get emptier the farther north you go.

We ended up finding a lot of available spots at Silverhorn Creek for only $16 for the night and $5 for firewood. It didn’t have showers or flush toilets, but did have a lot of sites on a beautiful river.

Less Crowded Campgrounds near Banff: Mosquito Creek, Waterfowl, Rampart Creek, Silverhorn

Costs for all Campgrounds in the area:

Enjoy the night in your Jucy campervan and get ready for an early morning!

Pro Tip: I downloaded movies from Netflix on my Google Pixel to watch inside of the campervan at night!

Day 3: Sunrise at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

Everyone who has been to Banff will tell you to head to Lake Louise or Moraine before sunrise. This is mostly because the parking situation is limited and typically packs out by sunrise!

But, in my opinion, maybe the reason why it packs out by sunrise is because everyone says to get there then. Because when I went, I found parking at Lake Louise at 1pm and parking at Moraine at 3pm. It was also cold and rainy though, so that definitely made less people go there that day.

If it’s nice weather, definitely head over at around 4:30am. Perks of having a Jucy campervan are that you can claim your parking spot, then nap until sunrise if you wanted to!

Wherever you decide to park (well, I should say “get lucky enough to park”), you’ll probably want to leave the campervan there for the day. There’s a shuttle that goes to the different parking areas and the two lakes, so you can take that to get around.

IMPORTANT SHUTTLE INFORMATION:

Moraine Lake shuttles leave from Lake Louise lakeshore and Lake Louise Park and Ride via the Early Bird shuttle

A daily shuttle is available from May 24 to October 14, 2019, from the Lake Louise lakeshore to Moraine Lake. Shuttles leaving Moraine Lake will return to the Lake Louise Park and Ride.

Moraine Lake road is open from mid-May to mid-October and closed in winter.

Tickets can be purchased at the Lake Louise lakeshore for scheduled departures.

Fares:

• Adult: $6
• Senior (over 65): $3
• Youth (under 18): $3
• Child (under 6): Free

Schedule:

• Shuttles leave from the Lake Louise lakeshore every 20 minutes from 8:40 am to 4:20 pm headed to Moraine Lake.
• Last shuttle to the Lake Louise Park and Ride leaves at 5:40 pm
• Daily between May 24 to October 14

**New for 2019** Early Bird Shuttle to Moraine Lake

New in 2019, from June 24 to September 29, Parks Canada will offer morning shuttles to Moraine Lake for visitors wanting to get an early start to their day.

Space is limited so arrive early.

Tickets for the Early Bird Shuttle are available at the Lake Louise Park and Ride.

Fares:

• Adult: $8
• Senior (over 65): $4
• Youth (under 18): $4
• Child (under 6): Free

Schedule:

• Starting at 6 am, four departures from the Lake Louise Park and Ride are available until 7:30 am
• Return shuttles from Moraine Lake to the Lake Louise Park and Ride will be available from 9 am to 5:40 pm daily.

Cost: $5 each way

NOTE: Pets are NOT allowed on the shuttles! So if you plan to bring your pup, you might also want to plan for two sunrise mornings!

Tips for Lake Louise other than getting there early:

• Don’t spend too much time at the first viewpoint where everyone clusters. Instead, walk to the right where the lakeshore pathway is and entrance to the hikes.
• If you’re planning on doing one of the longer hikes, get there early because they take half a day to a day.
• Canoes are also first come first served. Your options are to rent one and bring it with you from Banff Canoe Club, or try to rent one from the Fairmont Chateau for $150/hour.
• Layer your clothing. I started the hikes freezing cold with 3 layers on and ended up in 1 (be sure you choose something colorful if you want your pictures to pop with the scenery… even if it’s just some fun socks!).
• Bring plenty of water, snacks, and cash for the shuttle
  

Best Lake Louise Hikes:

• Tea House Hike (2 hours)
• Beeshive Hike (3 hours)
• Plain of Six Glaciers (3-4 hours)
• Lake Louise Lakeshore (1.5 hours)

After you’re done at Lake Louise, head over to Moraine Lake (or vice versa)

Moraine Lake

Tips for Moraine Lake:

• In my opinion it’s prettier than Lake Louise, so if you only have one sunrise day, try to park there.
• Shuttles only run from 8am to 4pm unless you can snag a spot on the Early Bird shuttle. DO NOT miss the last shuttle because it is a LONG walk back to the village.
• Don’t miss the short, sweet, and scenic “Rock Pile” hike to the left of the lake
• You can rent kayaks here as well on a first come first served basis.

Moraine Lake Hikes:

• Fairview Lookout (45 minutes)
• Bow River Loop (2 hours)
• Louise Creek (1.5 hours)
• Moraine Lake Lakeshore (45 minutes)
• Consolation Lakes (2 hours)
• Rock Pile (45 minutes)

Seeing Lake Louise and Moraine Lake will take the entire day most likely. If you’re planning on heading back to Vancouver the next day and ending your Vancouver to Banff road trip, but still have some daylight left (and no campground reservations) you may want to consider trying to drive back towards Yoho or Glacier National Park.

Our flight was the next day at 7pm so getting a head start on the drive was optimal for us. We stayed at the Hot Springs campground again and ended the evening in the pools.

If you’re not in a rush though, I’d suggest trying to snag a spot in Banff Village so you can hit up one of the cute bars there. There’s also a gondola that goes up to a restaurant with panoramic views called Sky Bistro.

Again, try to snag a reservation though because there’s a good chance everything will be booked!

Day 4: End of Vancouver to Banff Road Trip Itinerary

Pack up your campervan and get ready for another long drive back to Vancouver! Again, it’s very scenic, so it’s not too bad, especially if you take little breaks along the way! We stopped for lunch at an A&W fast food joint for some rootbeer floats and fresh caught cod sandwiches!

I also had to get some local Canadian maple syrup and maple glazed salmon jerky!

Don’t forget to clean out your campervan, wash the dishes, and fill up on gas before you return the Jucy campervan! Gas was cheaper outside of Vancouver and slightly cheaper across the US border!

If this Vancouver to Banff road trip itinerary sounds awesome, and you’d like to rent a Jucy campervan, you can use the code INSTA10 for 10% off on JucyUSA.com!

Disclaimer: This experience and post was in collaboration with JucyUSA, however all awesome experiences, writing, and photos are my own.