This is a trip that I feel everyone should make in the next 20 years.
...That was ominous.
I'll explain everything about why, but first, I am going to recount my trip to Banff, Jasper and Vancouver in Canada!
Banff
Banff is a beautiful town located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. It's known for its stunning mountain scenery, outdoor activities, and vibrant culture. The main attractions there are Banff National Park, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake (the picture above is one that I took of Moraine Lake), and the Banff Gondola. The main reason people visit Banff is for the glacial lakes, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, etc.
June 26
When we visited Banff, we stayed at Hidden Ridge Resort. The views of the Canadian Rockies from the resort were honestly amazing — we could see the mountains from multiple spots!
We went to Bow Lake, but we couldn’t make it to Bow Falls because it started raining. From Bow Lake, you can still see the Banff Springs Hotel in the distance.
That evening, we walked around downtown Banff and explored the shops and streets.
For food that day, we tried Merhaba, an Indian restaurant, and Anejo, a Mexican spot. Both were really good!
June 27
This was the day we went on the Banff Gondola. Riding up the mountain was so cool because all around us were these huge mountain ranges and lakes. The only downside was that it was a little cloudy and rainy, but it was still really fun.
At the top, there’s a coffee and souvenir shop. I’d totally recommend trying the London Fog — it’s a specialty drink in Canada and really tasty.
Later, we checked out Two Jack Lake. The water there was super clear and blue, like nothing I’ve seen in the U.S.
Lunch was at UNA, an Italian restaurant. Their pizza was delicious — definitely worth trying!
One place I’d go back to for sure is Earl’s. The vibe there is lively, and they have food from lots of different cuisines.
June 28
Peyto Lake was incredible — the blue water and reflections made it super picture-worthy.
Then we visited Moraine Lake, which is really famous too. The water here was more turquoise than blue. We did the Rockpile and Lakeshore hikes, which are short but give amazing views. Heads up: there’s no parking at Moraine Lake, so you need to take a bus from the visitor center or book online.
Next, we went to Lake Louise. The best times to see it are sunrise or sunset because the lake between the mountains makes for perfect photos. Parking can be tricky, especially during busy times, so plan ahead. The water is crystal clear and so beautiful.
In the next 40 years both of these lakes will start to disappear because of Climate Change which is causing glacial retreat and changes in water levels faster than before. For this reason I recommend that if you haven't seen these lakes that you try to make that trip.
We had lunch at Trailhead Cafe — it wasn’t the best, but it filled us up. Dinner was at Masala, an Indian restaurant.
June 29
On this day, we finally got to try a bunch of restaurants and visit a few spots we missed earlier.
I had seen a Japanese-Asian fusion restaurant the day before, so brunch was at Hello Sunshine. We got vegetarian ramen, avocado rolls, and the green rice bowl. The chili oil was a must in the ramen, and the avocado rolls were super filling — probably the most filling rolls I’ve ever had! I wouldn’t recommend the green rice bowl though. The restaurant itself had a really cozy and comforting vibe.
For dessert, we went to Beavertails and got the Strawberry Cheesecake and Maple Beavertail with butterscotch ice cream. Both were yummy, though next time I’d probably just stick with the classic Beavertail.
Finally, we revisited Bow Falls since it rained the last time. The falls are made up of several smaller waterfalls, and the main hike to the viewpoint is less than 20 minutes (there’s even a shorter 10-minute option). The falls make for great photos, but honestly, it was kind of tricky to tell some of the smaller falls apart from the currents!
Jasper
June 30
This was the most exciting day ever! We got to walk on an actual glacier!
The Columbia Icefields are in the way to Jaspier. There is a guided tour that we took that allowed us to walk on Athabasca Glacier. The coolest thing was that the tires of the truck that we took to the glacier were 5 feet tall!! We had 30 minutes on the glacier. They say that glacier water is the purest form of water. So, my mother really wanted to try it, but..um.. yeah I wasn't up for it.
When we got to our hotel in Jasper afterward, yeah, that was probably the worst place ever. The door was so fragile and it was so small.
July 1
Today we went to Maligne lake. To visit this lake we went on a guided tour stopping at Medicine Lake on the way. On the tour we saw a grizzly bear, black bear, a marmot, and a bald eagle. The boat tour of Maligne lake took us to Spirit Island. After the boat tour, our other tour took us to Maligne Canyon. After the tour we age a snack at Jasper Wafflato where we tried a waffle and shake there.
The last thing on the itinerary for the day was Athabasca Falls. The falls were very fast and I took so many slow motion videos.
This was our last day in Jasper. The next day we were headed to the airport and our next destination was Vancouver.
July 2
Reaching around 5 pm in Vancouver we decided to walk around the waterfront. My mother and father saw a place selling turkish coffee and pistachio baklava. They were interested in trying the strong coffee, me and sister weren't fans of that. Continuing our walk, we stumbled upon a place selling gelato with some interesting flavors. We tried a flavor called Akhbar Masti, which tasted like kulfi to us.
Our hotel had a french restaurant, it was called Alouette. We tried many dishes. My personal favorite was the Vegetable Du Jour. And the desert. WOW. We got the Lark Bar. I took a picture of the dessert because it was like an art piece.
July 3
Breakfast was amazing! I ordered the french toast which had massive bread pieces. This was truly worth it.
After getting ready, we headed to Stanley park. We didn't walk in Stanley Park, we rode electric scooters there. I was a 9 kilometer loop! Our feet hurt so much afterward.
We got some well needed rest at the hotel and then walk to Robson street. This was the shopping district of Vancouver. I got new shoes, my sister bought stationary and ON shoes, and my mom got denim heels. Dinner that day was at a place called Haife. I wasn't as hungry since I had a snack at Momo Sushi before. The dinner was okay, I wouldn't go there again though.
July 4
You know how in metropolitan cities there are public busses that you can ride? Vancouver has those, but in addition to that because of there being another island, there is something called a sea bus. The pass needed is the same as a regular bus pass. We took the sea bus to North Vancouver and spent about 2 hours there exlporing and then took the sea bus back.
Immediately after we took the Expo train to King George st for lunch. The train ride was about 40 minutes one way. Our parents wanted to eat at Ustaad G Kitchen. The food there was amazing!
We came back to Robson st and there I had boba tea from Happy Lemon and my sister bought an eraser from a Japanese store. I also bought a T-shirt from Zara.
End of Trip
That was our last day in Canada and then we were headed back home.
I really enjoyed this trip. It was my first time in Canada and getting to explore all these scenic and metropolitan places was an experience. I would recommend this trip to anyone interested in it.
Below are some of the pictures that I took during the trip:
