In July 2022, my mom and I road tripped the iconic Northern Rocky Mountain national parks from Montana to Canada. We balanced outdoor adventures like spending a night at Glacier’s remote Granite Park Chalet with luxury experiences like tea time at Waterton’s Prince of Wales Hotel. This is the best of Glacier, Waterton, Banff, and Jasper National Parks in two weeks.
- Getting to Glacier
- Glacier National Park
- Waterton Lakes National Park
- Banff National Park
- Jasper National Park
Getting to Glacier
We took the Amtrak train from the Wisconsin Dells to West Glacier. We departed from the Dells in the afternoon, and we enjoyed views of the Mississippi River that evening. The next day was mostly a flat wasteland until we approached Glacier. We arrived at West Glacier just in time to see a beautiful sunset. The train also stops in East Glacier, but the only car rental service is in Whitefish near West Glacier.
We got a roomette for the overnight journey. It was a private room with two seats that an attendant converted into a bunk bed at night. Our quality of sleep was not great, but I liked watching the scenery out the window from our private room. Meals in the dining car were included with the roomette, and I thought the food was great.
I enjoyed our experience on the train, but I don’t think I would have wanted to stay another night. Our beds were hard, and the train rolling and jolting kept waking me up.
Glacier National Park
It was early July, and the Going-to-the-Sun Road was not fully open for the season. Check out my other posts if you’re looking for a guide to the most popular hiking trails in Glacier National Park or visiting Glacier in June before the Logan Pass opens.
On our first day, we hiked to Avalanche Lake and visited Apgar Village on Lake McDonald. I hiked Avalanche Lake the past four summers in a row, so it’s safe to say it never gets old!
Since the Sun Road was closed, we drove around the park and stopped at Two Medicine on our way to East Glacier. There were some stunning views on the road heading into Two Medicine. Two Medicine Lake is beautiful, and there’s a nice gift shop.
In Two Medicine, we hiked the Aster Park trail to the falls and lookout.
That evening, we stayed at the East Glacier Lodge in Saint Mary. We were just outside the park entrance, so we took an evening drive on the Sun Road to the closure at Jackson Glacier Overlook. Going for a sunset drive is one of the best ways to spot wildlife in Glacier, and, sure enough, we saw a black bear!
We spent our second day in Glacier in Many Glacier Valley, the best place in the entire world.
We took a morning hike to Apikuni Falls, a short and steep trail that I did not love. We had lunch at the Swiss Lounge in Many Glacier Hotel, and my mom said I should apply to be a server there. (So I did! And I worked in Glacier for two summers.) In the afternoon, we took the Glacier Park Boat Company boat tour across Swiftcurrent Lake and Lake Josephine to shorten our hike to Grinnell Lake.
We took a short evening walk to Fishercap Lake to look for moose, but we were out of luck. I have seen moose here many times, though, so I still recommend checking it out!
We were fortunate to spend the night at my most beloved Many Glacier Hotel. There are few sensations better than sipping a huckleberry smash—one of our signature cocktails at the Swiss Lounge—while watching the sunset on the balcony of Many Glacier Hotel.
We had booked a stay at Granite Park Chalet, so we woke up early on our third day to drive back to West Glacier. Even though the Sun Road was closed past Avalanche Creek, we were able to take the Granite Park shuttle past the closure to the Loop trailhead. We were practically the only people on the trail, and it was one of the most special experiences I’ve had in Glacier! If you ever visit Glacier before the Sun Road fully opens to cars, I highly recommend biking it for a similar experience.
The hike to Granite Park Chalet was gorgeous, and it started pouring rain as soon as we arrived.
We saw two rainbows at Granite Park Chalet. It was pure magic.
Granite Park Chalet is rather rustic. We pre-ordered dinner at the chalet, but we had to cook it ourselves in their kitchen. There is no plumbing, only a pit toilet. Our room was a single bunk bed, and the walls were very thin—meaning it was freezing cold and we could hear our neighbors breathing at night. However, I adored my stay at Granite Park Chalet, and I would recommend it to anyone who doesn’t mind roughing it a bit!
The chalet is a great jumping point to access trails that the average hiker may not be able to complete as a day hike. However, between seasonal trail closures and rain, we mostly spent our afternoon playing board games in the chalet lobby. A guest brought his guitar and played for us after dinner.
Our fourth and final morning in Glacier, we hiked back down to the Loop, took the shuttle to West Glacier, and drove to Canada.
Waterton Lakes National Park
It was only a couple hours’ drive over the border to reach Waterton Lakes National Park. We stayed at Prince of Wales Hotel, so we were able to shower and put on nice dresses before our tea time.
Tea time at Prince of Wales Hotel is divine! The tea and food is fantastic, and they made an entire vegan spread for me. (The United States just does not make tea like Canada.) Plus, the hotel has a beautiful view overlooking Waterton Lake.
After tea, we took a short afternoon hike along Red Rock Canyon to Blakiston Falls. Many people were swimming in the cascades of Red Rock Canyon.
Waterton is pretty small compared to the other parks on this list, so this was the only day we spent in the park. It was a truly fantastic day!
Banff National Park
This is the park I was most excited for! We drove five and a half hours from Waterton to our next hotel in Banff. And Moraine Lake Lodge absolutely blew me away.
I remember seeing a photo of Moraine Lake as a child and thinking it was the most beautiful in the world, but also that the water color was photoshopped. I am happy to confirm that the water really is this blue, and Moraine Lake is, to this day, the most beautiful place I’ve seen in my life.
In the afternoon, we hiked to Consolation Lakes, aptly named because they are beautiful but far overshadowed by Moraine Lake.
Moraine Lake Lodge was fantastic, and the staff were so personable. Plus, the parking area was only open for guests at the lodge. Everyone else had to take shuttles in, and they left before sunset—meaning lodge guests had the entire place to ourselves!
The next morning, we climbed the “rock pile” to watch the sunrise and it was just everything.
While the lodge is pricy, a benefit was using the canoes for free. They’re usually $160 CAD for an hour. I was mesmerized by our paddles slicing through the glacial blue water.
A woman on a paddle board fell into the frigid water of Moraine Lake, and we paddled over to help her. We had taken a polar plunge the previous evening, so I recall how shocking the water is. Your limbs go numb, so it would’ve been nearly impossible for her to climb back onto her paddle board. We blew our emergency whistle to alert the rescue team while she clung to the side of our canoe. I was afraid she was going to tip us into the water, too!
After our exciting morning paddle, we returned to the lodge for tea time. It was after our checkout time, and, when we were approached by a staff member, we thought we were going to be kicked out. Instead, she gave me a vegan pastry that they had set aside for me at breakfast, but I had never showed up because we were watching the sunrise. They really went above and beyond at Moraine Lake Lodge—it was the most wonderful place I’ve ever stayed!
I was so sad to say goodbye to Moraine Lake Lodge, but we had plans at Lake Louise. We stayed at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, and our room had a view of the lake. The ambiance of the Lake Louise is more commercialized than Moraine Lake. The Fairmont is a massive high rise, and the lakefront was crowded with visitors. While Lake Louise was completely stunning, we preferred Moraine Lake.
The following morning at Lake Louise, we set out on the greatest hike of our trip: Lake Agnes Tea House, the Big Beehive, and the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea House. It was around a 12-mile day, and it was worth every step.
The tea houses are adorable and offer opportunities to rest with a hot tea and a snack.
The Big Beehive had been on my bucket list for years, and it looked just like the pictures.
Unexpectedly, the Plain of Six Glaciers was our favorite part of the trail. We pushed past the tea house to get a closer view of the glacier, and we witnessed a distance avalanche! It was such a cool moment.
That night, we rested up at Lake Louise Inn. The hotel was conveniently located but nothing special after our previous three stays. It did, however, have a hot tub, which our aching muscles greatly appreciated!
After three perfect days in Banff, we continued north on the Icefields Parkway, the scenic highway that runs through Banff and Jasper. We passed Bow Lake on the way to our final stop in Banff: Peyto Lake.
We arrived early and had the overlook of Peyto Lake all to ourselves! From there, we hiked to an overlook of Bow Lake that was lovely but not one of my top recommendations.
Just before exiting Banff National Park, we saw a black bear on the roadside! Of all the views on the Icefields Parkway, the bear was our favorite.
Jasper National Park
After seeing those pictures of Banff, you won’t believe this…, but Jasper was our favorite of the three Canadian national parks. The sights and trails were less crowded and felt like more “untouched” rugged wilderness.
Shortly after entering Jasper, we arrived at Athabasca Glacier. We took a tour with Columbia Icefield Adventures and rode an “ice explorer bus” out onto the glacier. I would recommend buying tickets in advance, as we ended up waiting for hours.
Despite being around the same elevation, the air temperature is much colder on the glacier than at the visitor center. I was freezing, and it was thrilling! If you bring a water bottle, the tour guides will tell you where to capture clean water from the glacier. I missed out on this, and I hear it was the best water ever.
Our glacier tour ticket included a visit to the Columbia Icefield Skywalk, a floating glass observation platform.
We stopped at Sunwapta Falls, Goat Lick (no goats, but a pretty overlook), and Athabasca Falls on the way to the Town of Jasper.
We stayed at Jasper House Bungalows all three nights in Jasper, and we absolutely loved it. Tragically, it was destroyed by the devastating wildfire in 2024. Jasper is still recovering from the wildfire, so do take this into consideration if you are planning a trip.
Our second day in Jasper, we visited Maligne Canyon and Maligne Lake.
The narrow gorges, cascading river, and lush foliage at Maligne Canyon were beautiful in a quieter way than the other sights on our trip. We spent the most pleasant morning criss-crossing the various little bridges over the canyon.
At Maligne Lake, we took a boat tour to Spirit Island. Maligne Lake rivaled Banff’s glacial blue lakes, and it was significantly larger.
Dare I say we liked Maligne Lake better than even Moraine Lake? People take multi-night canoe trips to campgrounds along the massive lake, and that’s definitely going on my bucket list.
We took a little hike from Maligne Lake to Moose Lake to look for, you guessed it, moose. The only wildlife we encountered were mosquitos. It was a darling little lake, but not much to see without any moose present.
Our third day in Jasper, we hiked the Edith Cavell Meadows trail to see Angel Glacier.
There was too much snow on the trail to hike to the actual meadow, but Angel Glacier was stunning and we still spotted some lovely wildflowers.
In the afternoon, we visited the Town of Jasper and checked out Beauvert Lake. We ate a lot of good food on this trip, and I was happy to try Canada’s ketchup-flavored potato chips.
This is the end of our perfect Northern Rockies road trip. I feel so fortunate to have visited Jasper before the wildfire, and my heart goes out to the people, animals, nature, homes, and local businesses that were impacted.
We drove all the way back to West Glacier to return our rental car and flew out of Whitefish. Thanks for coming on this journey with me, and I hope it inspires you to take your own trip! Take care of the parks, and, as always, leave no trace!
Latitudes with Lucy 
Leave a reply to acevisiontrek Cancel reply