Lake Louise and Johnston Canyon on one long day
Rockies Journey packs the big lakes of the Canadian Rockies into one small-group minibus day, and in winter it adds a walk into frozen Johnston Canyon. It is the cheapest tour on this site. The trade is time, since the canyon becomes one stop among many.
A ten-hour loop through two national parks
The Rockies Journey day tour, from ~$58, runs about 10 hours in a small-group minibus. Pickup is in Banff, and the bus also collects guests in Canmore and Calgary.
It holds 4.9 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide and 4.9 from 90+ on Viator. Free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before the start.
The route crosses from Banff National Park into Yoho National Park in British Columbia and back again. Bottled water is included. Lunch is not in the price, so bring a packed lunch or money to buy one.
Every stop on the route
The listing names these stops. Two of them depend on the season, which changes the tour more than the list suggests.
- Castle Mountain, seen as you drive past
- Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park
- Natural Bridge in Yoho, where the river has worn a gap through the rock
- Lake Louise, with about an hour at the shore
- Moraine Lake, in summer only
- Johnston Canyon, in winter only
- Banff town, with the Banff Gondola as an option on a separate ticket
- Vermilion Lakes, just outside Banff
The listing gives no timetable for the single stops. Check the start time on the listing for your pickup town, since it differs between them.
An hour at Lake Louise, and the lakes in Yoho
Lake Louise is the one stop with a clear time in the listing, about an hour. That is enough to walk the shore below the big hotel and take your photos, but not enough for a hike up to the viewpoints above the lake.
The lake sits about 60 km (37 mi) northwest of Banff, past Johnston Canyon on the same valley. In summer the shore gets crowded around midday, and in winter people skate on cleared patches of the frozen lake when conditions allow.
Emerald Lake lies over the provincial border in Yoho, a smaller lake ringed by forest and peaks. Natural Bridge is a short stop on the way, a rock span over a fast river that you look at from a viewing area beside the road.
Neither of these stops is long. If you hope to paddle a canoe or walk the full loop around Emerald Lake, a day tour like this one leaves little room for it.
Summer and winter are two different tours
The route shifts with the season. Moraine Lake is reached by a road that is open roughly from June until mid-October, so the tour goes there in that window. Johnston Canyon appears on the winter version instead.
That matters if the canyon is your reason for booking. A summer date gives you Moraine Lake and no Johnston Canyon stop at all. The summer option on this site for the canyon is the e-bike and hike from Banff.
For how the canyon looks across the year, our guide to the best time for Johnston Canyon has a month-by-month table.
Johnston Canyon on the winter route
In winter the group walks the canyon trail and crawls through the cave to the frozen falls. Crampons are included, which you will be glad of on the icy catwalks.
From the listing's description this is the Lower Falls area, where a short natural rock tunnel opens onto a platform facing the ice. Do not expect to reach the Upper Falls, about 2.7 km (1.7 mi) from the trailhead.
The listing does not say how long the stop lasts. On a ten-hour loop with several lakes, the canyon gets less time than on a dedicated icewalk. Our trail guide explains what lies between the two falls.
The big lakes, plus the frozen canyon in winter
About 10 hours by small-group minibus. Crampons come with the winter version, and bottled water is on board. It rates 4.9 from 100+ reviews on GetYourGuide, and you can cancel for free up to 24 hours before.
Dress for a full day outside in the cold, with time standing by frozen lakes as well as walking. Our winter clothing guide covers the layers.
One day or two?
The other way to see both is to split them. Book the Discover Banff icewalk, from ~$78, for about 4 hours in the canyon with both falls, then see the lakes on another day.
Two days cost more in total and take more of your trip. In return you reach the Upper Falls with a guide whose whole half day is the canyon, and there is hot chocolate along the way. The icewalk holds 4.9 from 530+ reviews on Viator.
One day suits travelers with little time or a tight budget. Two days suit anyone who came to Banff mainly for the frozen falls. Our cost comparison sets the four prices side by side.
Who the long day suits
The day tour works well if you have no car and want the famous lakes without driving mountain roads in winter. The pickups in Calgary and Canmore help visitors who are not staying in Banff.
It suits young children less. Ten hours in a minibus with short stops is a lot for small travelers, as our family guide explains. Ask the operator about age limits before booking.
Lake Louise in winter is frozen and white, not turquoise. The famous colour belongs to summer, when the glacial lakes thaw and fine rock dust from the glaciers tints the water.