Banff vs Jasper: Where We Send People Who Have Time For One Park

The first question Canadian Rockies first-timers ask: Banff or Jasper? Mia and Rae have spent collectively about a month in each. Honest take below.

Banff: the hits

Lake Louise. Moraine Lake. Cascade Mountain. Plain of Six Glaciers tea house. Banff townsite — coffee shops, wifi, urgent care if you bonk. Crowds.

Banff is what you visit if you want the iconic Canadian Rockies postcard, plus reliable creature comforts within a 5-minute walk of the trailhead. The trade-off is the parking-lot scrum at any famous trail by 9am.

Jasper: the hits

Maligne Canyon. Sulphur Skyline. Mt Edith Cavell. The Athabasca Glacier toe walk. Quieter. Bigger.

Jasper is what you visit if you want the same scenery with 60% fewer humans. The trade-off is a 4-hour drive from Calgary instead of a 90-minute one, and the townsite is smaller — fewer dinner options.

If you have one week

Banff. Lake Louise + Moraine Lake + a day hike up Plain of Six Glaciers + a drive on the Bow Valley Parkway is hard to beat for a first Canadian Rockies trip. Stay 5 nights, daytrip to Yoho.

If you have two weeks

Both. Banff first 5 days, Jasper next 5, drive the Icefields Parkway between them and turn the drive into a destination — stop at Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, the Columbia Icefield, Athabasca Falls.

If you have one week and want fewer people

Just Jasper. Trade access for solitude. The hiking is every bit as good.