The Icefields Parkway - is a scenic stretch of the Highway 93 in Alberta, Canada. This post is based on our trip that happened in early July 2024. We flew into Calgary on July 1st evening, got the rental car and drove 1.5 hours to Canmore where we checked into the hotel. Canmore is really close to Banff and offers more affordable lodging options than the city of Banff.

We purchased a family pass to national parks online at Parks Canada website. I highly recommend doing it beforehand so that you simply drive straight through the highway without stopping at the toll booths.

On July 2nd we visited Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. During summer personal cars are not allowed to drive up to the lakes so we parked in the designated "Park and Ride" stop and took a shuttle. I highly recommend buying shuttle passes either from Parks Canada or from private companies before the trip!

We hiked Lake Agnes trail. It took us about 3 hours total.

On this trail we got rewarded with beautiful views of Mirror Lake.

Lake Agnes

Kayakers at the Lake Louise.

In the afternoon we took shuttle to Moraine Lake. After Moraine Lake we took the shuttle back to the parking lot and returned to Canmore.

Next day (July 3rd) in the morning we checked out from the hotel in Canmore and took a quick detour to Kootenay National Park.

We stopped at the Marble Canyon and walked a bit at the start of the trailhead.

Then we returned back to the Icefields parkway and drove to Bow Lake located just 30 minutes of drive north from Lake Louise.

From the Bow Lake viewpoint you can see Crowfoot Glacier.

Peyto Lake is located just 5 minutes after the Bow Lake and it is an absolutely a must stop! During our trip the only accessible view point was very crowded. Luckily we had an offline map cached and found another view point that offered fantastic view without crowds.

There were many more stunning lakes along the road! We didn't stop at all of them. Here is a bear casually walking on the side of the road.

Our next stop was at the toe of Athabasca Glacier.

This is the closest point casual tourists could get to the Athabasca Glacier. Special permit is required to actually access it. Alternatively, tourists can book tours with authorized companies that can take you to the glacier.

There were many waterfalls along the highway!

We finished July 3rd arriving late in the evening to Jasper. We spent a night in an Airbnb in Jasper.

On July 4th we rode Icefields Parkway in the reverse order from north to south. We stopped at many points that we had to skip earlier. In the evening we checked in to the hotel in Calgary.

On July 5th in the morning we flew back from Calgary to Bay Area. Overall this was a fantastic experience for my family and myself!