Classic Banff Hiking Tour
Canada Hiking + Walking Tours
The Best of the Canadian Rockies
- Tour Type
- Skill Level
- Length7 days
- Prices from$3124 Rates
- Book This Trip
Overview
The Canadian Rockies offer some of the best hiking in the world with dramatic scenery, varied terrain, and the most sought-after sights in the world.
Leave the hustle and bustle of the city behind. Skip the resort vacation and the crowded tourist traps. Immerse yourself in unspoiled beauty featuring diverse landscapes, turquoise lakes, rushing rivers, and textured mountains.
On this tour, you will experience some of Canada's most renowned and cherished National Parks.
Join the only Banff tour that is planned and operated by a local Canadian Rockies-based company.
Highlights
- Visit the most famous parks and trails of Banff, Yoho, Kootenay & Kananaskis
- Local guides with fantastic knowledge of the region
- Short drives to trailheads
- Comfortable lodgings in Kananaskis, Banff & Lake Louise
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Calgary, transfer to Kananaskis
Day 2: Hiking in Kananaskis Country
Day 3: Hiking to Chester Lake or Burstall Pass (Don’t forget your camera)
Day 4: "Fire and Ice", Stanley Glacier Trail, Kootenay National Park.
Day 5: Classic day hike at Lake Louise in Banff National Park
Day 6: Sentinel Pass or Iceline Trail. On the Top 3 list of hikes in the Canadian Rockies!
Day 7: Shuttle to CalgaryDay 1: Arrive in Calgary
Upon your arrival in Calgary, you will take advantage of the arranged transfer to Kananaskis. We meet that evening to go over plans and options for the following days, look at maps of the area and check to see that you are properly outfitted.
Accommodation: Mount Kidd Manor, KananaskisDay 2: Walking Prairie View in Kananaskis, 8 mi. (13 km)
Your guide will meet you at the hotel after breakfast and then it is time for your first hike in Kananaskis Country. As a nice warm-up to this spectacular hiking adventure, first on the agenda is the Prairie View Lookout trail. This trail, located in the Front Ranges, will allow you to see the incredible difference looking east towards Calgary and the Prairies or looking west towards the incredible Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Elevation Gain: 420 m
Duration: 3-4 hrsAccommodation: Mount Kidd Manor, Kananaskis
Meals Included: Breakfast, LunchDay 3: Kananaskis hike and transfer to Banff, 6 - 9 mi. (10 - 15 km)
Your transfer to Banff will take you on the scenic Spray Lakes road. About half-way, you will stop for the day's hike, Chester Lake or Burstall Pass. Your guide will make the best decision depending on the group’s ability and to let everyone get acclimatized to the higher elevation and dry air.
Elevation Gain: 350-450 m
Duration: 3-5 hr
Accommodation: Bowview or Banff Park Lodge, Banff
Transfer distance: 125 km, duration 2.5hr
Meals Included: Breakfast, LunchDay 5: Fire and Ice, 8 mi. (13 km)
Today’s hike leads into Kootenay National Park and the Stanley Glacier Trail. You’ll walk through a remarkable valley of “Fire and Ice,” “fire” being the remains of a 1968 wildfire, almost regrown now, and “ice” being the Stanley Glacier overhanging the cliffs at the head of the valley.
Elevation Gain: 600 m
Duration: 4-5 hr
Accommodation: Bow view or Banff Park Lodge, Banff
Meals Included: Breakfast, LunchDay 5: Lake Louise, 11 mi. (18 km)
After a healthy breakfast, you will be transferred directly to the world-famous Lake Louise. Here you will have a choice of hikes available, either a walk to the Lake Agnes Teahouse, or to the Plain of Six Glaciers, or to do a round trip circuit including both. After your hike, you will head towards Lake Louise Village for the evening.
Elevation Gain: 400m
Transfer distance: 6-8 hr
Accommodation: Lake Louise Inn, Lake Louise
Transfer distance: 100 km (duration 1 hr)
Meals Included: Breakfast, LunchDay 6: Final Challenge, 8 mi.+ (12 km +)
For your final day of hiking, you will have a difficult choice to make: either Moraine Lake and Sentinel Pass or the Iceline Trail in Yoho National Park. It’s a difficult choice to make because both trails are on the list of top hiking trails of the Canadian Rockies. You will be well rewarded at the end of the day and will enjoy a farewell dinner.
Elevation Gain: 750 m+
Duration: 6-8hr
Overnight: Lake Louise Inn, Lake Louise
Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, DinnerDay 7: Transfer to Calgary
Breakfast at Lake Louise Inn with a complimentary shuttle to Calgary included in the morning.
Meals Included: BreakfastAccommodation
On each day’s details, the name of the preferred hotel is listed. Each of the lodgings have been chosen for their unique character and relatively easy access to other amenities.
Inclusions
What’s Included
- Accommodations for 6 nights in 3-star hotel & lodges
- 6 breakfasts, 5 picnic lunches, 1 Dinner
- Private transport in mini-van
- Professional hiking/interpretive guide
- National park entry fees and sightseeing as indicated
- All permits, sightseeing & National Park entrance fees
- Shuttle to hotel on arrival day & to Calgary airport on final day
What’s Not Included
- Personal expenses
- Meals not indicated
- Gratuities
- Travel Insurance
Dates & Pricing
Dates
2021
June 27, July 11, July 25, August 8, August 22, & September 19, 2021
Minimum group size: 4
Maximum group size: 8Please Note
- Rates are based on double occupancy
- Information to read before you book
- We recommend purchasing trip insurance
- Please see our FAQ
Pricing
Twin/double: $ 3247 £ 1838 $ 3,124 € 2068 NZ$ 3505 kr 20978 $ 2,495 Single: $ 4229 £ 2395 $ 4,069 € 2693 NZ$ 4566 kr 27323 $ 3,250 Price includes 5% GST
Extra Info
Skill Level — Moderate–Difficult
On this exquisite tour, no previous mountain hiking experience is required. However, this program is designed for fit walkers and involves hiking for up to 6 to 7 hours per day, usually with distances of 10-14 kilometers. The final walk may be longer with a possible distance of up to 21 km. Elevation gains will vary from 300 m up to 800 m. (2,800 ft) on the final day. Please see below in Day to Day details for distances each day as well as elevation gain.
Airport Info
Fly to Calgary International Airport (YYC).
Local Travel
A shuttle will be arranged for you from Calgary or Calgary Airport to Kananaskis and from Lake Louise back to Calgary. Once the final group is confirmed your guide will plan a group shuttle departure that fits the maority of arrivals. If your arrival does not fit this departure, we will arrange a shuttle for you with one of the scheduled services. Return to Calgary will be arranged in the same manner. Driving time from Calgary to Kananaskis is approx. 1 ¼ hours and driving time from Lake Louise to Calgary is approximately 2 ½ hours.
Climate
This trip operates during the main months of summer, though snow can linger at high elevations until well into the season. Weather is unpredictable at any time of year, but is generally quite warm in July and August. Daytime highs range from 15-25 C and nighttime temperatures can drop to 5-10 C. Temperatures in June and September can be cooler with nighttime temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing. As with alpine environments throughout the globe, the higher you go, the lower the temperature becomes. Ensuring that you have the correct clothing for an alpine environment is crucial. Please see below for information on clothing and equipment requirements.
Recommended
You will need to carry a daypack large enough for spare clothing, your camera, lunch, and something to drink each day.
Important to know
Documents
Before you travel, please check the passport and visa requirements of the country/countries you plan to visit. For US citizens, the US Department of State website is a good source of information. The Country Information tab in the International Travel section provides details about passport validity, blank passport pages required, etc. For our other international clients, please be sure that you research your own country's travel requirements. It is each traveler's responsibility to ensure proper documentation.
Tour Operator
This tour is run by White Mountain Adventures.
We value the strong relationship we have with our local partners and the services we provide.
We are not a broker.
We do not inflate tour prices.
We are simply travelers helping travelers.Would you like to learn more About Us? How about What Makes Us Different than other companies?
Photos
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