Banff
with Kids
The Canadian Rockies — our favorite national park trip ever
Why Banff Is One of the Best National Parks for Families
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.
Icefields Parkway
One of the world’s most scenic drives — turquoise lakes, glaciers, and jagged peaks the whole way
Athabasca Glacier
Rode the Ice Explorer and walked on the glacier itself in Columbia Icefields
Emerald Lake Canoe
Paddled the brightest turquoise glacier water you’ll ever see, in Yoho National Park
Bear Country Bike Ride
Met a mama bear and two cubs on the Bill Milne Trail — the highlight of the whole trip
Our 6-Day Banff & Canadian Rockies Itinerary With Kids
📍 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!
The single best day of the trip. The Icefields Parkway is one of the most breathtaking drives in the world — and we got lucky with a perfectly clear day. We left Banff at 8:30 AM with the Guide Along app running on the car speakers, and honestly we can’t say enough about it. The app uses your GPS to narrate the entire drive in real time — pointing out exactly where to pull over, what each peak and lake is called, the geology behind the glaciers, even local history and wildlife trivia. It turned a beautiful drive into something genuinely educational. The kids were locked in the whole way.
Our three highlights, in order:
🧊 Athabasca Glacier (Columbia Icefields) — We booked the Ice Explorer Tour, which drives a massive specialized vehicle right onto the glacier itself. Walking on a glacier with the boys, drinking water straight from a glacial stream — easily one of the most unique experiences we’ve ever done as a family. Combo ticket includes the Skywalk too, which is worth a quick stop for the views even if heights aren’t your thing.
🏞️ Peyto Lake — Photos genuinely don’t do it justice. The water is an unreal, vivid turquoise that almost looks fake in person, framed by jagged peaks on three sides. There’s a short paved walk to the main viewpoint (~15 min, stroller-friendly). We just stood there for 20 minutes. This was Mommy’s favorite stop of the entire trip.
🏔️ Mistaya Canyon — Don’t skip this one. It’s an easy 10-minute walk down to a narrow gorge where glacial water has carved swirling channels through the rock. The bridge over the canyon is the photo spot. Way less crowded than Peyto, equally stunning in its own way. The kids loved watching the water rush through.
Also stopped at Bow Lake on the way back. Long day, completely worth it. If you only do one day on the Icefields Parkway, plan for 10+ hours and don’t rush.
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 to Stay in Banff With Kids (On Points)
Book early. Banff and Canmore are wildly popular. Best spots get snatched up months in advance and prices spike dramatically close to your dates.
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 pointsMoxy 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 certsKananaskis 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💸 Same Rooms, Same Dates — Cash vs Points
Peak summer in the Canadian Rockies isn’t cheap. Here’s what 5 nights would have cost us in cash — and what we actually paid.
2 nights Kananaskis Lodge (~$510/nt)
(50K cap × 5 = 250K points value)
🏆 Other hotels worth a look in the area: Fairmont Banff Springs (ultimate splurge), Juniper / Peaks / Moose Hotels (mid-range Banff town), Blackstone Mountain Lodge / Falcon Crest (best value, short drive in), and Malcolm Hotel in Canmore (stylish + budget-friendly). We haven’t stayed at these, but they come up consistently in family travel groups.
Where to Eat in Banff With Kids on a Budget
Food in Banff is expensive — full stop. A family of four can easily spend $150–200 per meal at a sit-down restaurant, which adds up fast over a week. We’re not fancy-restaurant travelers, so our strategy keeps things in the $80–100/day range: a big grocery run at Safeway in Canmore on arrival day, simple breakfasts and lunches from the hotel, and one or two restaurant meals worth actually sitting down for. If you’d rather dine out every night, budget closer to $300–400/day and pick your splurges.
Pro tip: Canmore prices are noticeably cheaper than inside the park. Stock up at Safeway on Day 1 and save the restaurant budget for the meals that actually matter.
Hankki — Banff Town
Our favorite lunch spot in Banff. Korean comfort food — get the fried chicken rice bowl. Hotdogs are also surprisingly great.
✓ Kid ApprovedSky Bistro — Banff Gondola Summit
Worth it if you want a proper meal with ridiculous views. Book reservations in advance — it fills up. A splurge, but the setting is unlike anything else.
★ Splurge PickForte Restaurant — Kananaskis Lodge
Coal oven pizza that’s genuinely excellent. The big win: kids eat free for children under 6 at all lodge restaurants.
✓ Kids Eat Free (under 6)Safeway — Canmore
Not glamorous, but this is where we saved the most money. Loaded up on groceries, snacks, and breakfast supplies on Day 1.
✓ Best Money MoveHow to Get to Banff With Kids From the US
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 $572. With Jasper now reopened after the 2024 wildfire recovery, 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 a 6-Day Banff Family Trip Actually Costs
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.
Hotels — $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