8 Nights: The Rocky Mountains And Interior BC From Edmonton (Approximate Distance: 2,200 km)

DAY 1: Leduc To Jasper

Pick up your RV in Leduc in the morning and travel westbound on the Yellowhead Highway (Highway 16) towards Jasper.

Miette Hot Springs feature the hottest hot springs in the Canadian Rockies. The natural hot springs water flows from the mountain at 54°C (129°F), the water is then cooled to a comfortable temperature of 40°C (104°F) as it enters the hot springs pool. Arrive in Jasper in the afternoon.

• Whistlers Campground
• Wapiti Campground

DAY 2: Jasper

Today will be spent exploring Jasper National Park. Visit Medicine Lake, Maligne Lake and Maligne Canyon in the morning. The road to Maligne Lake is one of the best places in the Rockies to see wildlife, including bears, moose and elk.

Spend the afternoon exploring the town of Jasper or hike the 5-lakes trail or any of the other many hikes nearby.

• Whistlers Campground
• Wapiti Campground

DAY 3: Jasper To Clearwater

Depart Jasper in the morning via the Yellowhead Highway towards Valemount. Pull in at Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. Stop at the Visitor Information Centre in Valemount to see the salmon spawn in the nearby river (seasonal).

Explore Wells Gray Provincial Park in the afternoon, home to a total of 41 named waterfalls. Spahat and Helmcken Falls are two of the easily accessible falls in the park, or you can hike to one of the more remote falls instead.

• Dutch Lake Resort & RV Park
• Clearwater KOA

DAY 4: Clearwater To Revelstoke

Depart Clearwater in the morning and travel southbound along the North Thompson River. Just south of Barrier, turn left onto the Agate Bay Road. This scenic road eventually turns into the Adams Forest Service Road. Stop at Adam’s Lake for a scenic (lunch) stop. Further south Tsútswecw Provincial Park is another great place to visit.

The park was established in 1977 to conserve and protect the spawning beds used by sockeye, chinook, coho and pink salmon. Depressions from kekulis (pit houses), artifacts and pictographs (rock paintings) are evidence that the Shuswap people have lived here for generations. After this merge onto Highway 1 (east) and continue to Revelstoke.

• Revelstoke Campground
• Lamplighter Campground
• Snowforest Campground

DAY 5: Revelstoke To Lake Louise

Continue east on Highway 1 and stop at the Rogers Pass Visitor Information Centre, where you can visit a great interpretive display of local wildlife or go for a short hike nearby. Keep an eye out for Bighorn sheep on the side of the highway after you depart Golden for Yoho National Park. Yoho National Parks is the smallest off the four National Parks in the Canadian Rockies, but it is spectacular nonetheless! In the park, you will visit Emerald Lake and Natural Bridge. Arrive at the Lake Louise village in the afternoon.

• Bighorn Sheep
• Emerald Lake
• Natural Bridge

DAY 6: Lake Louise To Banff

Depart your campsite in the morning for the short drive to Lake Louise. After visiting Lake Louise continue to the nearby Moraine Lake (seasonal).

In the afternoon you will visit Bow Falls at the base of Sulphur Mountain in Banff, followed by a visit to the Banff Gondola for a spectacular 360 degrees panorama of the surrounding mountains. End the day by driving the Minnewanka Lake loop to Two Jack and Minnewanka Lake.

• Tunnel Mountain Campground
• Two Jack Campground

DAY 7: Banff To Icefields Parkway

Depart Banff in the morning via the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) towards Lake Louise but leave the highway to merge onto the Bow Valley Parkway just west of Banff. The 48-km Bow Valley Parkway runs parallel to Highway 1 but provides visitors a more scenic and leisurely route between Banff and Lake Louise.

Along the way, you can stop for a hike at the Johnston Canyon and take a photo at the Castle Mountain viewpoint. Continue northbound on the Icefields Parkway with stops at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, the Big Bend and the Athabasca Glacier.

• Johnston Canyon
• Peyto Lake
• Athabasca Glacier

DAY 8: Icefields Parkway To Hinton

Travel further north on the Icefields Parkway, with countless scenic views along the way. Approximately 25 km further north you will find Athabasca Falls, which is one of Canada’s most powerful waterfalls, due to the sheer volume of water flowing into the gorge from the Athabasca River, fed by the massive Columbia Icefield. There are a number of platforms and walkways where you can safely view and photograph the falls.

Near the northern end of the Icefields Parkway lies the Valley of the Five Lakes, with a 4.5 km hiking trail connecting the five lakes. Pass Jasper and continue towards the town of Hinton.

• Gregg Lake Campground
• Jarvis Lake Campground

DAY 9: Hinton To Leduc

Depart your campsite in the morning to return your RV to Fraserway RV in Leduc before 11:30 am.