north america · 4 days · 9 stops

Icefields Parkway — Banff to Jasper

One of the great mountain drives, 230 km between Banff and Jasper: Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, the Athabasca Glacier and the falls along the way.

Days
4
Stops
9
Driving
247 km
Behind the wheel
4h 47m

Driving figures are measured road distances between the stops listed for each day, not straight lines. The transfer from wherever you sleep to the first stop of the day is not included.

Daylight on this route, by season

The single number that decides whether a self-drive day works. Almost every guide tells you to "check the daylight hours"; here they are for this route, on the solstices and equinoxes.

Day Driving 21 Jun21 Sep21 Dec21 Mar
Banff → Moraine Lake 1h 11m 16h 38m 12h 16m 7h 51m 12h 14m
Peyto Lake → Sunwapta Falls 3h 11m 16h 46m 12h 16m 7h 43m 12h 15m
Athabasca Falls → Jasper 0h 25m 16h 55m 12h 17m 7h 35m 12h 15m
Maligne Lake 0h 16h 52m 12h 17m 7h 38m 12h 15m

Measured at the midpoint of each day's stops. "Midnight sun" means the sun does not set; "polar night" means it does not rise.

Day by day

Day 1: Banff → Moraine Lake

3 stops · 73 km · 1h 11m driving

In winter: About 1h 11m of driving inside 7h 51m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Banff

    The parkway starts here — stock up before you leave town

  2. 2

    Lake Louise

    Turquoise lake under the Victoria Glacier

  3. 3

    Moraine Lake

    The Valley of the Ten Peaks — go early, the road fills

Legs and times
  • Banff → Lake Louise: 58 km, 0h 42m
  • Lake Louise → Moraine Lake: 15 km, 0h 29m

Day 2: Peyto Lake → Sunwapta Falls

3 stops · 142 km · 3h 11m driving

In winter: About 3h 11m of driving inside 7h 43m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Peyto Lake

    The viewpoint on the climb above the lake

  2. 2

    Athabasca Glacier

    Walk up to the toe of the glacier

  3. 3

    Sunwapta Falls

    Roadside falls where the river drops into a gorge

Legs and times
  • Peyto Lake → Athabasca Glacier: 88 km, 1h 55m
  • Athabasca Glacier → Sunwapta Falls: 54 km, 1h 16m

Day 3: Athabasca Falls → Jasper

2 stops · 32 km · 0h 25m driving

In winter: About 0h 25m of driving inside 7h 35m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Athabasca Falls

    The most powerful falls on the parkway

  2. 2

    Jasper

    The northern end of the parkway

Legs and times
  • Athabasca Falls → Jasper: 32 km, 0h 25m

Day 4: Maligne Lake

1 stops · 0 km · 0h driving

In winter: About 0h of driving inside 7h 38m of daylight — comfortable.

  1. 1

    Maligne Lake

    Spirit Island — a side trip east of Jasper

When to drive it

21 Jun

16h 45m

of daylight

21 Sep

12h 16m

of daylight

21 Dec

7h 44m

of daylight

21 Mar

12h 15m

of daylight

Longest days are around 21 June, shortest around 21 December. On this route the swing is large enough that the same day's driving can be comfortable in June and entirely after dark in December — which is why the table above is per day.

Plan this route with the daylight in view

Tseril builds the multi-day route on a map, warns you about the legs you would drive at night, and shows the snow and weather at every stop. Free to use.

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