In July 2024, I took 5 days to experience the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks. Travel by car is definitely the optimal way to get around here, with many excursions on foot, maybe a few on boat, and one on the Ice Explorer (more on that later). While I wanted to be thorough, I would have been the only one keen on hiking in my group, so I was unable to go on any long hikes. Still, we made the most of our time by visiting all 5 parks accessible by road: Mount Robson, Jasper, Banff, Yoho, and Kootenay.

Mount Robson:

You don’t actually need to be a hiker to experience this world-class provincial park in its full glory. Mount Robson (pictured) is very much visible from the visitor center, and just the sight of it gave me perhaps the most chills I’d gotten from any singular sight on this trip. One could probably just bask for hours, especially at sunrise or sunset, to admire this massive monolith tower over, well, the entire area. Of course, it would’ve been all the more amazing to hike as well. Another cool site if you’re around in August or September would be Rearguard Falls to witness the Chinook Salmon jumping up the rapids. Personally, I think this provincial park, with its namesake mountain in particular, is a must-see in the Rockies and may even surpass Kootenay National Park in significance and grandeur. The visitor center is only about an hour’s drive from Jasper. 

Jasper:

Jasper National Park is covered well on this website, so I won’t go into too much detail. We were able to book the Maligne Lake Cruise and the Columbia Ice Explorer (and Banff Gondola) at Marmot Lodge in town. These are definitely highlights of the park, along with Maligne Canyon, Mount Edith Cavell, Athabasca and Sunwapta Falls, and really the whole Icefields Parkway. For me, taking the Columbia Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier is the #1 experience to have in the Canadian Rockies; these Ice Explorers are so rare, the only two that aren’t working at the Columbia Icefield are at the South Pole! Definitely give this national park at least 2 days, even more than that if hiking or relaxing. And if you can only visit one park, it’s this one.

Banff:

To me, Banff National Park is lakes galore. Peyto, Louise, Minnewanka, and dozens of smaller ones are all great scenery, but Moraine Lake is definitely the highlight here - an advance booking is absolutely necessary. The gondola is also worth it for a panoramic view of the Bow Valley and the many peaks around it. Many highlights can be found along both the Icefields Parkway and the lesser known Bow Valley Parkway. Perhaps most uniquely, one can venture to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site to discover the origin story of these national parks. For a change, you can view untouched colorful hot springs and an unexpected wildlife sighting - the Banff Springs Snail, an endemic species to this fragile ecosystem. Banff Park Museum is, of course, another national historic site worth a quick visit. These are free for holders of national park passes. As the most popular park in this WHS, Banff pleasantly surprised me with its many lesser known jewels. However, I still strongly recommend any visitor to continue their journey further afield, especially to Jasper and Yoho where many more wonders await.

Yoho:

While relatively small in comparison to Jasper and Banff, Yoho National Park punches well above its weight. Even just a half day exploration here will yield some of the best and most unique experiences in the Canadian Rockies. If entering from Lake Louise, you’ll first pass the Kicking Horse Pass where you can stop at a viewpoint of the Spiral Tunnels, where you can watch for single trains with segments seemingly going in opposite directions up/down the mountain due to their spiraling paths carved into the mountains. On to the natural aspects of the park, Lake O’Hara is supposedly a big highlight, but we were unable to book a permit in advance. Emerald Lake is a very pretty sight, though, and from there, you can see the Burgess Shale deposits lining some of the mountains in this area. If you can’t secure a guided (full-day) hike to them, this is all you can really do to see them (best supplemented by seeing the fossils in a museum, such as in Drumheller). Natural Bridge was a welcome surprise, with the raging Kicking Horse River cascading into a canyon through a hole in the bedrock. And of course, the highlight of the park to me had to be the majestic Takakkaw Falls, fed by the mighty icefields on the continental divide. You can hike close enough to get completely drenched by its spray! For this diverse and unique set of highlights, I can’t recommend a visit to Yoho enough.

Kootenay:

Personally, I found Kootenay National Park to be the least significant of the 5 parks I visited. Driving through took a few hours, just stopping at Olive Lake, Kootenay Valley Viewpoint, and the bridge to the Simpson River trail. Marble Canyon was unfortunately closed at the time, and I had no time to hike to Stanley Glacier. Olive Lake was a stunning mirror lake, but these do exist in the other parks as well. We saw bright orange butterflies by the Kootenay River too, probably either Monarchs or Lorquin’s Admirals. It was just another great day in the mountains, appreciating the more mundane things about this spectacular corner of the world. I still loved and would recommend Kootenay, but I wouldn’t call anything here a must-see. It does seem that Mount Assiniboine Provincial Park can be accessed by trail through here, so I’d love to see a review on that someday.

Even after continuing on to many U.S. national parks later in the trip, I don’t think anything could really surpass the splendor of the Canadian Rockies here. This is absolutely a world-class site and among the most naturally rich and scenic areas on the planet. There are too many awe-inspiring spots here to not warrant top marks, even for a category as prestigious as the WHS.