This is all about the Lakes and Canyon day tour we did while we were in Banff. We ended up going to both Banff National Park and Yoho National Park which was pretty cool.
Banff is known for its beautiful lakes so when we decided to go, I knew we had to go check them out. Since we didn’t have a car, I booked a tour instead. I booked this day tour on GetYourGuide and I recommend it. There are many options and it’s a reputable site/app. I used GYG to book tours when we were in Europe as well.
Our tour was called ‘Banff Town, Lake Louise, Emerald & Canyon Day Trip‘. We chose this as it had pick up from Banff town where we were staying and a good selection of lakes. Moraine Lake was included in the description of this tour. However, I mentioned in my previous Banff post that they had a deluge of snowfall the weekend before we arrived which was early for the season. The heavy snow closed access to Lake Moraine so we were sadly unable to go there. They do close in the winter season but it was a bit early. Nonetheless, we had an amazing day tour even if we missed out on Moraine Lake and Vermilion Lakes. The alternative were two stops in Yoho National Park.
This is going to be a photo-heavy post as we saw such amazing scenery during this tour. This was also the day that Max and I took the most selfies together. I found my Kodak Pixpro digicam as a great selfie camera.
We got picked up by our shuttle from Banff Caribou Lodge and Spa which most tours do their pick ups. It was a 10min walk from our hotel. Our tour guide that day was a lovely tour guide Arun who told us he got excited seeing our booking because he used to live in NZ! Small world but he moved to Canada a few years ago and have settled in Calgary. He still has some relatives back in NZ too. He was lovely and knowledgeable.
Our first stop was a mini stop off the Trans-Canada Highway. It’s a rest stop between Banff and Emerald Lake and it has views of the Bow River. I think it took around 20mins from getting picked up to this first stop and the views were already impressive.
I’ll mix photos from my digicam here too. I loved it as a selfie cam and the slightly vintage-y tint on the photos.
Emerald Lake – Yoho National Park
Our first proper stop was Emerald Lake which is actually in Yoho National Park. Banff National Park is within Alberta and is Canada’s first national park established back in 1885. Yoho National Park is actually in another state, British Columbia. Emerald Lake is about an hour drive from Banff.
We were off to a great start with Emerald Lake. It was a beautiful sunny day when we went. It was still chilly though hence the beanie and jacket. While we were there, we bumped into my uncle and auntie too (dad’s brother), they were in Banff with some friends and were on a different tour.
Emerald Lake is a freshwater lake in Yoho National Park. It was stunning.
There is a hike around the lake. We didn’t have enough time to do that but Max and I walked a bit further where it was quieter. There were a lot of tours that stop here so the main areas can get crowded. There is also a shop/cafe here so it was more touristy.
This is probably my favourite photo I took from Emerald Lake and it was from my digicam:
The scenery was beautiful and we just started the tour.
We went in October so not in deep winter yet in Canada. The lake was just starting to ice. Max is holding a piece of ice from the lake in the bottom right photo above.
Natural Bridge – Yoho National Park
After Emerald Lake, we headed to Natural Bridge which was nearby.
I became my parents photographer on this day tour as well. Haha
Natural Bridge is a natural rock formation and the rushing waters of Kicking Horse River goes through it.
This was a short stop and we headed back to Banff National Park after this. Emerald Lake and Natural Bridge were our two stops within Yoho National Park.
Lake Louise Village
Our next stop was for lunch. Food was not included in the tour. We brought some snacks but for lunch, we stopped by Lake Louise village where there were a few eateries and shops. We opted for a quick lunch from the bakery and had pizza slices.
There was a walkway behind the shops and a bridge over Bow River so we checked that out after.
Lake Louise
Our next stop was Lake Louise. This is one of the most popular destinations within Banff. It is busy and the carpark gets full. One of the things that put me off having our own car and going to the lakes ourselves was parking. I’ve heard parking in Lake Louise is crazy busy unless you get there at 5am. I think it’s much better and more efficient if you go on a tour as there is dedicated parking for them and you don’t have the queues.
From the huge carpark, you can’t actually see the lake. Once we turned from the path, the view of Lake Louise took my breath away. Seeing this view in real life was incredible.
I’ve seen the videos on Tiktok and photos online but nothing could’ve prepared me from seeing Lake Louise in person. It was breathtakingly beautiful. No photos or videos could do it justice too. You have to see it in person and be amazed at this scenery.
Lake Louise is a hamlet in Banff National Park and it’s famous for its turquoise. glacier-fed lake waters. It’s a popular spot so be aware there will be a lot of people taking photos and videos.
There are longer hikes from Lake Louise but we didn’t have enough time for that. I’ve heard the walk to Lake Agnes is also amazing. We walked around the lake though and took in more of the stunning scenery. The further we walked from the main area, the less crowded it was too.
Lake Louise was also the perfect place to take a proper photo of my engagement ring! Haha
There was no better view in Canada to take an updated ring photo.
Everywhere we looked, the views here were insane.
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is also there and it is a huge building with the view of the whole lake. We heard that Justin and Hailey Bieber were staying there the weekend before. The Fairmont Chateau looks so fancy and it is quite an expensive hotel to stay in and they have a lovely fancy spa/wellness centre too. We didn’t go in but you can book to have lunch at the cafe as that’s not exclusive to guests.
This is my favourite from my digicam:
Last one from Lake Louise.
This is such a stunning place. In summer, you can take a canoe and in the winter, the lake turns into an ice skating rink. I’m glad we went in October because we could still see the beautiful autumn colours and the lake isn’t frozen yet. It would still be beautiful in winter but it will all be white by then.
Johnston Canyon
After Lake Louise, we drove around 30mins to Johnston Canyon.
Johnston Canyon is a different scene and vibe from our previous stops. It has a walking trail and two waterfalls.
There is a proper walking trail here but due to some snow/ice, some parts of it were slippery.
We decided to skip the first waterfall as it’s through a little cave and there was a huge queue of people. Our tour guide Arun advised that we should walk to the end of the trail first to bypass the crowd and then check out the other one on the way back. I’m glad we took his advice as we wouldn’t had the time to get to the bigger waterfall if we stopped and lined up for the first one.
The walk itself was a decent 1-1.5hr long walk and it got uphill towards the end. The walk back was better and downhill. We also saw a small ground squirrel. It was fuzzy and so cute!
I also found out much later than Banff’s famous grizzly bear, The Boss was actually in Johnston Canyon that morning! We were there in the afternoon and there was a sighting of him around 10-11am that same day. The Boss is legendary and I wish we got to see him (from afar). He is a legendary bear in Banff. We’ve been told he’s been hit by the train twice and survived and he has fathered most of the grizzly bear cubs in Banff National Park.
Johnston Canyon was pretty cool. I’m glad this was included in our day tour. Not every tour has this as a stop as it requires more walking/hiking compared to the lake stops. I’m glad my parents did the walk too and did it at their own pace. We all reached the end of the waterfalls within a few mins of each other. I highly recommend this stop but be prepared to walk more compared to the other stops. It’s a different scenery and it’s a good walk. This was more of a nature hike within the woods and flowing water. It was great.
Two Jack Lake
The walk we did in Johnston Canyon was tiring in the end but we had two more quick stops and they were worth it.
Two Jack Lake is a scenic lake in Banff National Park with views of Mount Rundle. It’s known for canoeing, kayaking and SUP.
We only had a quick stop here but it was enough to admire the views.
I loved the trees close to the edge of the lake and the water looked so calm.
I think this was the only photo of us 4 together. This was taken by our tour guide at Two Jack Lake. We were all tired and cold by then.
Lake Minnewanka
This was our last stop and it was close by Two Jack Lake. The view was also incredible.
Lake Minnewanka is a glacial lake and it the second longest lake in the Canadian Rockies. The calm water of the lake mirrors the snow capped mountains which was stunning.
It was late afternoon by the time we got there and it was quite chilly.
We looked tired too as we had a whole day on tour but the view from Lake Minnewanka was still surreal.
These were the last photos from our tour:
After Lake Minnewanka, we got dropped back off to Banff town.
This tour was a whole day starting from 9am so it was full on. We were exhausted by the end but it was so worth it. It ended up being $93NZ per person for this tour and it was great. It was a shuttle van so there weren’t a lot of us (I think maximum of 10 people in the tour). It was amazing and we got to see so much in one day. We probably would’ve have done all of the sights if we did it ourselves.
Overall, I think this tour was well worth it. We had many stops and all quite different scenery too. I’m really glad we booked this. We had an amazing day and this was a highlight of our Banff trip for me. I feel so lucky and grateful looking back on my photos from this day. We had great weather and the day went so well. Yes, we didn’t have a bear sighting but that’s okay. We saw such amazing scenery anyway and I’ll treasure these memories for a long time.
That’s all for our Banff day tour! Such a fun day and so many amazing sights seen on this day. The rest of our Banff trip is here. My next post should be our next stop in Calgary. 🙂
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