Icefields Parkway Drive from Lake Louise to Columbia Icefields: A Full Itinerary

I can’t tell you how much research I tried to do to prepare myself for our Icefields Parkway drive with kids during our family vacation to Banff National Park. 

How far should we go? How long would it take? What are the best stops? Well, to be blunt…I didn’t find much. So, here I am giving you all the details!

We visited Banff in the summer with our 2, 4, and 6-year-old boys, and I knew I wanted to see the Icefields Parkway. But I needed to make it kid-friendly! 

This Icefields Parkway itinerary took us from Lake Louise to Columbia Icefields (and back again!) and ended up being perfect for us. Now, I might be biased, but I think you’ll love it, too! Here we go.

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What is the Icefields Parkway?

The Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) is a scenic drive in Canada that connects Banff National Park and Jasper National Park. 

The entire Icefields Parkway is a 144-mile road. And it’s considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world. So, needless to say, if you find yourself on a Banff vacation, this might be something to consider doing!

The neat thing about an Icefields Parkway drive is that it’s more than just a drive. There are so many things to do on the Icefields Parkway – so many stops to make, hikes to do, and beautiful views to see.

But with so many options along the route, it can be hard to narrow down what to do on the Icefields Parkway. Let’s jump into our full itinerary.  

Icefields Parkway Itinerary

When we visited Banff over the summer, we brainstormed many different options for our Icefields Parkway itinerary. 

At one point, we thought about making our way all the way to Jasper National Park…but then we had trouble finding even somewhat affordable accommodations for our time there. 

So, we had to narrow it down in order to complete the Icefields Parkway in a day as a round-trip itinerary. We decided to start at Lake Louise and end in Canmore, where we finished our full Banff itinerary.

This Icefields Parkway drive itinerary will take you on a trip from Lake Louise to Columbia Icefields and back again. Here were all of the Icefields Parkway stops we made along the way:

Start at Lake Louise

We checked out of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, then grabbed a packed lunch from Laggan’s in Lake Louise.  I would also highly recommend a to-go lunch from Trailhead Cafe, but since we ate there a couple of days before, we decided to switch it up. 

Then, we filled up the gas tank in our rental car. This is important to note because there’s only one stop on the Icefields Parkway with a gas station, so you’ll want to start your trip with a full tank to avoid any headaches along the way. 

We left the Lake Louise area at 7:35 AM. Yes, it was an early morning…but it was SO worth it! We basically had the road and the first few stops to ourselves!

Throughout this entire drive, we used the audio guide on the GuideAlong app. I’ll get into more detail about this later, but for now, just know that we were glad we had it. 

Herbert Lake

Time Spent at Herbert Lake: 10 minutes

The first stop comes right after you get onto the Icefields Parkway, and that’s Herbert Lake. Since we left so early in the morning, we got to experience Herbert Lake in all its glory! The lake was so still and the reflection of the nearby trees and mountains was gorgeous. 

When we got to this stop, we were the only ones there. While we didn’t find a specific path marked to the lake, we just walked through the trees and there it was!

This stop didn’t take long at all (and could be even shorter than the time I have listed above), but my boys enjoyed exploring and running around in the trees a bit. We also took a quick bathroom break here even though we had just gotten started…if that doesn’t describe traveling with kids, I don’t know what does! Ha!

Crowfoot Glacier

Time Spent at Crowfoot Glacier: 2 minutes

Next up on our Icefields Parkway road trip, we took a very quick stop to get out of the car and snap a photo of Crowfoot Glacier. This is just one of many glaciers you’ll see on the drive (the Icefields Parkway got its name partly due to the fact that there are over 100 glaciers on this drive!), but the shape of it is unique. 

According to our GuideAlong audio guide, this glacier has melted quite a bit over the years, so it doesn’t look as much like a crow’s foot as it used to. 

Bow Lake

Time Spent at Bow Lake: 2 minutes

Right after the Crowfoot Glacier, you’ll come to Bow Lake. We were on a mission to get to the Columbia Icefield on time, so we spent very little time here. 

We parked in a parking lot on the side of the road and took a photo. But if you want to spend a bit more time at this beautiful lake, you can park near the Bow Lake Lodge (the red building off to the side of the lake). From there, you’ll get even more spectacular views.

Peyto Lake

Time Spent at Peyto Lake: 45 minutes

Our next Icefields Parkway stop was Peyto Lake. And this is a GOOD one! It was also a little more than I expected to be honest. 

I was under the impression that this would be a pretty easy hike. But it was a decent amount of work! The path is very nicely paved, but it’s straight uphill. We had to stop to take a couple of breathers on our way to Peyto Lake. With all that said, it only took us about 10 minutes to complete the walk to the big viewpoint.

I have a little trick for you, though, if you want an even better view! The main viewpoint is a large deck. We arrived to the viewpoint around 8:30 AM, and there were a few other groups of people there. While it wasn’t that busy, I wanted a view without the people or the rails. 

To get that view, you’ll notice a small, unmarked dirt path on the right just before you get to the railing that extends around the viewpoint deck. Take that path and you’ll end up just below the deck, complete with a wide-open view of the bright blue Peyto Lake.

We spent a good 15-20 minutes enjoying the view, then headed back to the car to continue our drive. 

Columbia Icefield + Columbia Icefield Adventure

Time Spent at Columbia Icefield: 3.5 hours

The Columbia Icefield is the furthest point we went on the Icefields Parkway before heading back the way we came. It’s also the stop that we spent the most amount of time at. 

We booked our Columbia Icefield Adventure in advance and our reservations were made for 10:15 AM. Unfortunately, we arrived to the check-in area four minutes late. FOUR MINUTES. So, we missed our tour and had to book another time. The next available time was 11:45 AM. 

While that put a bit of a wrench in our plans, we were planning to eat our packed lunch at the Columbia Icefield Discovery Centre anyway. So, we had an early lunch while we waited for our new time instead of eating after the tour was over. 

Was this stop worth it? Here’s my full review of the Columbia Icefield Adventure.

Mistaya Canyon

Time Spent at Mistaya Canyon: 35 minutes

We stopped by Mistaya Canyon on our way back, and not only did it work out really well…but it was also one of our favorite Icefields Parkway stops!

Crowds were still low at Mistaya Canyon even though we were there later in the day and there was much more traffic along the Icefields Parkway road. (Peyto Lake, for example, gets much busier later in the day. So, we were happy with our decision to do that hike in the morning instead.)

The hike to Mistaya Canyon took about the same amount of time as the one at Peyto Lake (5-10 minutes), but it was a little less intense. And the view was absolutely gorgeous. You’ll definitely want to give yourself some time to enjoy it!

End in Canmore

This round trip Icefields Parkway itinerary could easily end back at Lake Louise, in downtown Banff, or any of the other nearby areas. But we decided to spend the last bit of our vacation in Canmore, so we ended our day by checking into our Canmore VRBO right around 5:00 PM. 

Total Icefields Parkway Itinerary Time

So, how long should you plan to take when driving the Icefields Parkway? Well, here’s our total time. Drumroll pleeeease…

9.5 hours!

Whew…I know. That sounds like a LOT. But I promise it doesn’t feel that long since there are so many beautiful stops along the way. 

Let’s talk about some general Icefields Parkway road trip tips and how we did this trip with our little ones. 

Icefields Parkway Road Trip Tips

You need a Parks Canada Pass. 

In order to drive along the Icefields Parkway, you will need a Parks Canada Pass. If you don’t happen to have one yet from earlier in your trip, you can purchase the pass as you enter the Icefields Parkway. 

We purchased our Parks Canada Pass for our entire trip in advance online. 

There is not a separate Icefields Parkway fee other than having the Parks Canada Pass. 

Use the GuideAlong app…you won’t regret it.

The GuideAlong app acts as your personal Icefields Parkway driving guide. This audio guide is an app that gives you Icefields Parkway drive directions, the best stops on the Icefields Parkway, what to expect at each stop, fun facts, historical tidbits, and interesting stories. 

Our boys even listened in on everything it had to say! And it even made us laugh at times. It wasn’t only interesting, but SUPER helpful. 

One of the best parts is that it uses your GPS, so no cell service is needed. Which brings me to my next tip…

There will be no cell service on the Icefields Parkway.

Literally none. There’s even a sign to warn you that you’ll lose service as you enter the Icefields Parkway.

We downloaded offline Google Maps, which was really helpful in knowing our ETA to each of the stops we were making. We then used the GuideAlong app in conjunction with our Google Maps to get us where we wanted to go. 

There is only one gas station stop along the Icefields Parkway.

You will want to enter the Icefields Parkway with a full tank of gas! If you absolutely need to stop for gas, though, your only option will be at Saskatchewan River Crossing. 

It’s good to note that this stop is closed during the winter months, so be prepared prior to getting on the road.

Pack food.

While there are a couple of stops where you can purchase food on the route, the prices skyrocket. We brought along a to-go lunch that we grabbed from the Lake Louise area prior to starting our drive. 

We also packed an insulated cooler bag that took up about no space in our luggage and worked out perfectly to keep our food fresh. 

Start your drive early.

There’s nothing quite like the Icefields Parkway scenic drive…except the Icefields Parkway scenic drive first thing in the morning with no other cars on the road! It was seriously incredible. 

As we were driving back toward Canmore, there was so much more traffic. And that made us very grateful that we had started our day early. 

Keep your eye out for wildlife.

While we didn’t personally see any wildlife during our trip (except for some ground squirrels here and there!), the Icefields Parkway is known to be a good spot to view wildlife. 

As you drive, make sure to watch for wildlife. And if you happen to see any near the road, we learned from a Parks Canada ranger that the best thing to do is slow down but not completely stop (unless it’s actually crossing the road in front of you of course!). 

Pay attention to the speed limit.

Since the road is so well maintained and wide open, it’s easy to get going too fast. But it’s important to stick to the speed limit to keep other travelers and wildlife safe.  

The speed limit on the Icefields Parkway Canada is 90 km/hr (or 55 mph). It gets a little slower near the Saskatchewan River Crossing and Columbia Icefield. 

Pack layers.

You’ll spend quite a bit of time during the day on this drive, so you’ll likely encounter various temperatures throughout the road trip. On top of that, this point is especially important if you decide to do one of the glacier tours. 

Glaciers have their own climate, so even if it’s a warm day, it can still be quite cold on the glacier. 

Give yourself a lot of time.

As you can see from what I wrote above, driving the Icefields Parkway isn’t something that’s going to be quick (unless you’re just driving straight through with no stops of course!). 

When we were first planning this day of our Banff itinerary, I wasn’t quite sure it would take the entire day…but obviously it did! With all the stops and beautiful scenery, you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to take it all in without feeling rushed. 

Be aware of road conditions, closures, weather, and construction. 

The Icefields Parkway drive in the summer is easy! (Although we did run into a small bout of construction that slowed things down). 

But if you’re planning to drive the Icefields Parkway in the winter, it could be a totally different story. Road conditions may be poor and there may be closures due to avalanches. Just make sure you’re prepared and know what you’re getting yourself into. 

For more information about road conditions or a possible Icefields Parkway drive closure, check out the Parks Canada website. 

It’s good to note that the summer months can bring along some smokey conditions. Our views were limited during part of our Icefields Parkway drive due to this, but we still had a great time with incredible views overall.

Driving the Icefields Parkway with Kids

Taking a long road trip as adults is one thing. But taking a long road trip with kids is a whole different ballgame. And as you’ve seen, the Icefields Parkway drive can definitely take some time. 

Here are some of my top tips when doing an Icefields Parkway road trip with kids:

Plan ahead.

My best advice is to plan your stops ahead of time, so you have a game plan. There are so many things to do on the Icefields Parkway that you can easily start stopping more often than initially planned, which will extend your time even more.

The Icefields Parkway drive itinerary listed above worked out perfectly for our family. There were just enough stops to keep everyone interested but also kept our day moving. 

Be proactive when it comes to bathroom breaks.

Most stops have bathroom facilities. Perfect for those moments of, “I need to go pottyyyy.” 

We were proactive about bathroom breaks and never got into a situation where we had to make a stop that wasn’t initially planned. 

Snacks and activities–the tried and true road trip with kids tip. 

Just like any other time you’d take a road trip with kids, make sure to have plenty of activities and snacks. 

I will say though that our boys didn’t use the activities we had packed until our way back after our time at the Columbia Icefield. They were actually perfectly content listening to our audio guide with GuideAlong and taking in the views of the Canadian Rockies for the whole first part of our trip. 

FAQ About the Icefields Parkway Drive

Wrap-Up: Our Icefields Parkway Drive from Lake Louise to Columbia Icefields

While you can drive the entire Icefields Parkway from Lake Louise to Jasper National Park, we decided to do a round-trip Icefields Parkway drive from Lake Louise to Columbia Icefields and back to Canmore.

We got to see so many beautiful sights, but we were still able to base ourselves in the areas we were going to be exploring the most during our Banff vacation. 

For more inspiration, check out all of our international adventures as a family!

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