Banff
with Kids
The Canadian Rockies — our favorite national park trip ever
Why Banff?
Banff — or more broadly, the Canadian Rockies — might just be our favorite National Park trip ever. Imagine waking up each day to a panorama pulled straight from a dream: the winding Icefields Parkway, turquoise lakes like Emerald, Peyto, and Bow Lake shimmering under a vast sky, jagged peaks standing like nature’s guardians.
Traveling with kids, we kept our pace slow and steady — skipping crowded spots like Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in favor of quieter, equally stunning places. We weren’t just visiting Banff; we were living it, one peaceful day at a time.
Heads up on Jasper: Our original plan included two nights in Jasper, but wildfires forced us to pivot to Kananaskis. It turned out to be a hidden gem — equally beautiful and far less crowded.
6-Day Itinerary
📍 Banff National Park & Yoho
Flew into Calgary, checked into the Hyatt Place near the airport (8K points — great value). Loved how smooth YYC security was — passport scan machines, print receipt, done.
Scenic drive to Banff with a Safeway stop in Canmore for supplies. Room not ready on arrival, so we tackled Tunnel Mountain Hike — 3 miles, great views of Banff town and the river. Grabbed bear spray first — a must in bear country!
One of the most breathtaking drives in the world. Left early at 8:30 AM with the Guide Along app running — a total game-changer for the whole drive. Highlight: Columbia Icefields Tour on the Ice Explorers, walking on Athabasca Glacier.
Banff Gondola was way cooler than expected — private gondola for the family, stunning summit views, short hike at the top. Korean lunch at Hankki (get the fried chicken rice bowl!). Then Yoho: Spiral Tunnels (train passed through!), canoeing on Emerald Lake (mesmerizing turquoise water), and Takakkaw Falls — 2nd tallest in Canada. Ended with a swim at the hotel pool.
📍 Kananaskis Country
Scenic Lake Minnewanka loop — spotted mountain goats! Then drove to Kananaskis Mountain Lodge (48K Marriott points/night — incredible value). Village Rim Trail hike in the afternoon. Kids loved the lodge waterpark in the evening.
Clouds draped over the mountains made the drive surreal. Blackshale Suspension Bridge (Raynuv tried to shake it to scare Mom 😂). Hiked around Upper Kananaskis Lake. Coal oven pizza at Forte Restaurant — kids eat free under 6! Afternoon Troll Falls hike. Dad snuck in the Nordic spa while the kids hit the waterpark.
Rented bikes and hit the Bill Milne Trail. Within minutes — mama bear and two cubs on the trail. We backed up, bear spray ready, and watched the cubs try to climb a tree (and adorably fail). Once they moved on, we rode 5 miles of breathtaking trail. Best day of the whole trip. Then a last-minute dash to Calgary airport — barely made it with a 15-min flight delay saving us!
Where We Stayed
Book early. Banff and Canmore are wildly popular. Best spots get snatched up months in advance and prices spike dramatically close to your dates.
📍 Banff
Moxy Hotel (Marriott) – Banff
Newly opened — the only way to use points in central Banff. Fun vibe, great lobby with games, ice hockey machine, pool and hot tub. We used 3 Free Night Marriott certs for 3 nights.
✓ 3 Free Night Marriott certsFairmont Banff Springs
The ultimate splurge — like staying in a castle. Worth it if you can swing it. There’s also a Fairmont on Lake Louise for double the luxury.
★ Ultimate SplurgeJuniper / Peaks / Moose Hotel – Banff
Great stays at relatively reasonable Banff prices. Good options if you want to be in town without the Fairmont price tag.
✓ Mid-Range📍 Canmore (Save $$)
Blackstone Mountain Lodge / Falcon Crest
Both by Clique Hotels. Beautiful settings, slightly more affordable than Banff. Short drive to the park — great value choice.
✓ Best ValueMalcolm Hotel – Canmore
Combines comfort and style beautifully. Another solid Canmore option that won’t destroy your budget.
✓ Stylish Pick📍 Kananaskis
Kananaskis Mountain Lodge
Massive, stunning property. Waterpark, Nordic spa, great restaurants, hiking trails from the lodge. We used 2 Free Night Marriott certs for 2 nights — incredible value.
✓ 2 Free Night Marriott certs📍 Calgary (Airport)
Hyatt Place – Calgary Airport
Solid airport hotel for arrival and departure nights. Spacious rooms, great breakfast. We used 8K Hyatt points on arrival and 9.5K on departure — fantastic redemption value.
✓ 8K + 9.5K Hyatt pointsGetting There
Fly into Calgary International (YYC) — about 1.5 hours from Banff. We split our flights across two strategies: one-way on 50K Delta points booking WestJet (a great transfer if you have Amex points going to Delta), and the return on cash — partially offset by our Capital One Venture X $147 travel credit, bringing the net outbound cost to just $22. Once Jasper fully reopens, consider flying into Edmonton (YEG) for a Banff → Jasper loop and flying home from the other airport.
YYC airport security is remarkably smooth — passport scan machines, print the receipt, show it on the way out. Genuinely impressive.
🚗 The Autoslash Car Rental Trick
Renting a car is essential. The Icefields Parkway alone is worth it — pull over whenever the scenery takes your breath away. Shuttles exist but are limiting with kids. Full strategy in our Car Rental Guide →
Lake Louise & Moraine Lake: No private parking at Moraine Lake — Parks Canada shuttle required (book way in advance). Lake Louise has limited parking. Plan ahead or skip on busy summer days.
📱 Airalo eSIM — essential for Canada. Instead of paying roaming charges, we used Airalo for a Canadian data eSIM. About $18, instant setup before you leave home, works the moment you land at YYC. We now use it on every international trip.
Flight booking tips in our Flights Guide →
Points cards we used for this trip Delta, Marriott & Hyatt
Our Cards →What It Cost Us
Banff isn’t cheap — especially in summer when hotel prices are brutal. Points made the biggest difference on lodging, where cash rates were eye-watering. Here’s the full breakdown.
Flights — $594 out of pocket
Outbound: $22 net (50K Delta points on WestJet, Capital One X $147 credit applied). Return: $572 cash. Plus $104 airport parking.
Saved $810 with points & creditsHotels — $145 out of pocket
Hyatt Calgary arrival: 8K points, $0 (value $138). Moxy Banff: 3 Free Night Marriott certs, $75 fees (value $1,646). Kananaskis: 2 Free Night certs, $70 fees (value $1,021). Hyatt Calgary departure: 9.5K points, $0 (value $181).
Saved $2,841 with points & certsTransport — $745 out of pocket
Car rental: $463 (down from $900 using Autoslash — saved $437). Gas: $200. Banff-Yoho park pass: $49. Kananaskis pass: $33.
✓ Autoslash saved $437Activities — $515 out of pocket
Banff Gondola: $103. Icefield Adventure + Skywalk: $214. Canoe rental Emerald Lake: $74. Bike rental Kananaskis: $124.
✓ Worth every dollarFood & Misc — $1,605 out of pocket
Restaurants: $800. Groceries (Safeway Canmore): $350. Airalo eSIM Canada: $18. Guide Along app: $37. Tips etc: $400.
✓ $18 Airalo vs $100+ roaming