Banff | 10 Sights in 1 Day: Banff One-Day Self-Driving Itinerary

Depart from downtown Calgary at 06:30 and return to Calgary Airport by 20:30. The total distance is approximately 500 km. Lake Louise - Arrive at Lake Louise Lakeshore (for navigation) at 08:30. After mid - October, there’s no longer the problem of parking being tight—when leaving at 09:15, there was still a whole lot of empty parking spaces, and it’s free! In the morning, there’s a bit of mist lingering, which looks absolutely stunning 🌫️. Don’t forget to check out the Lake Louise Visitor Center too. Welcome to British Columbia Sign - It’s about 10 minutes’ drive from Lake Louise, arrive at 10:10. This is the boundary between Alberta and BC—once you drive across this line, you’ll need to set your clock back by one hour, switching to Pacific Time ⏰. Lower Spiral Tunnel (Closed) - It’s around 10 minutes’ drive from the BC Sign. It was supposed to be a spot to see the old trans - Canada railway tunnel built by Chinese workers back in the day, but it’s closed due to weather 😔. Johnston Canyon - Drive back for about 30 minutes from the Lower Spiral Tunnel, arrive at 11:10. Johnston Canyon is a trail where you can see two waterfalls. You can see the Lower Falls after walking 1.2 km and the Upper Falls after 2.6 km. It takes about 1.5 - 2 hours to walk the whole way (5.2 km round - trip). To be honest, the scenery is not that impressive 😕. Parking is a bit tight. Cave and Basin - It’s about 20 minutes’ drive from Johnston Canyon, arrive at 14:00. From the pictures, I thought it was mainly a cave, but it’s actually an exhibition about how Canada’s national parks started. The actual cave is very small, but it’s quite interesting for learning purposes. Paying 9 dollars for a single - entry ticket is not worth it. If you have a national park annual pass, you can go and take a look. The whole visit takes about 20 - 30 minutes. Surprise Corner Viewpoint - It’s 10 minutes’ drive from Cave and Basin, arrive at 14:50. Parking is difficult. The scenery is iconic, but it doesn’t look that great in photos 😒. Banff Township - Parking at the Train Station Parking Lot is free. Even in the off - season, the town is still quite crowded. It takes about an hour to walk from the parking lot to the town center. Lake Minnewanka - It’s a 15 - 20 - minute drive from Banff, arrive at 16:10. It’s very beautiful, especially when the sun shines on the snow - capped mountains, it’s really stunning 🌟. There is no problem with parking at all. It’s well worth a visit. Two Jack Lake - It’s about 5 minutes’ drive from Lake Minnewanka. You can see these two mountains from another angle. Canmore Township - It’s about 25 minutes’ drive from Two Jack Lake, arrive at 17:30. Personally, I think Canmore is a bit more beautiful than Banff town, especially during the Blue Hour, it’s really extremely beautiful 🌃. Leave after dinner at 19:20 and arrive at Calgary Airport at 20:30. #MomentsWorthRecording #CulturalAttractionsShare #Banff #BanffNationalPark #BanffGuide #BanffRoadTrip #BanffNationalParkCanada #BanffTravel