The Ultimate Pacific to the Rockies

The ultimate pacific to the rockies trip

What started as a trip to Spokane for Kayla’s conference quickly turned into an epic road trip through some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies. Rather than simply flying in and out for the conference, we decided to make the most of the trip—and set out on an ambitious 8-day adventure that would take us from the Pacific coast in Seattle into the heart of the Canadian Rockies and back again. Our route carried us north to Jasper National Park, down the breathtaking Icefields Parkway to Banff National Park, through Yoho National Park and Lake Louise, where we were lucky enough to witness the northern lights, before crossing back into the United States to explore Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park. From there, we made our way to Spokane for Kayla’s conference, then continued west to Mount Rainier National Park before finally returning to Seattle. In just eight unforgettable days, we managed to check six national parks off our list, rack up countless miles, chase mountain views and turquoise lakes, and squeeze an incredible amount of adventure into one epic road trip. Join us on the journey through epic landscapes.

“The Canadian Rockies have a way of making you feel wonderfully small—where turquoise lakes, towering peaks, and endless wilderness remind you that some of the world’s most beautiful places are meant to be experienced, not simply seen.”

Our Canadian Rockies adventure officially began the moment we left Seattle. We flew into Seattle, picked up our rental car—an iconic Jeep Wrangler that turned out to be absolutely perfect for this trip—and pointed the tires north toward Canada.

After crossing into Canada, we spent our first night in Kamloops, breaking up the long drive before continuing toward Jasper National Park the following morning. From there, our route would take us onto one of the most legendary scenic drives in the world: the Icefields Parkway to officially start day 1 of our 8 day trip.

Jasper National Park & the Icefields Parkway

Our route through Jasper and along the Icefields Parkway included several incredible attractions:

Jasper National Park – Our first introduction to the Canadian Rockies, including views of areas recovering from the recent wildfire.
Athabasca Falls – A powerful waterfall surrounded by dramatic canyon walls and an easy, short hike.
Sunwapta Falls – A spectacular waterfall fed by the Athabasca Glacier.
Tangle Creek Falls – A beautiful multi-tiered waterfall located directly along the Icefields Parkway.
Columbia Icefields– We hiked to the Toe of the Athabasca Glacier, taking in the enormous ice field and learning about its retreat over time.
Glacier Discovery Centre – A quick stop to see the massive Ice Explorer vehicles and take in the surrounding Columbia Icefield scenery.
Icefields Parkway viewpoints – Throughout the drive, we made countless roadside stops for mountain, lake and glacier views.

The Icefields Parkway itself was one of the biggest highlights of the day. Around nearly every corner was another breathtaking view, making the drive feel less like transportation and more like one continuous scenic attraction.

After a full day of driving, hiking and photography, we continued south toward Lake Louise Village, where we checked into the Lake Louise Inn for the night.

It was an exhausting day—but exactly the kind of exhaustion you hope for on an epic road trip through the Canadian Rockies.

Next up: Lake Louise, Banff National Park and one of the most unexpected highlights of our trip—the northern lights.

Banff National Park

"A lake so vibrant in color that it looks like a fine art painting."

Day 3 began at 3:30 AM with a shuttle from Lake Louise to Moraine Lake. We arrived before sunrise and hiked the Rockpile Trail, famously known as the “Twenty Dollar View,” to watch the sunrise illuminate the turquoise lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks.

We then tackled the Larch Valley Trail, which was especially spectacular during fall larch season when the trees turn brilliant shades of gold.

After returning to Lake Louise, we took a short rest in the car before exploring the Lake Louise Lakeshore and enjoying views of Victoria Glacier and the surrounding peaks.

By the end of the day, we’d covered more than 15 miles of hiking and approximately 2,000 feet of elevation gain.

Travel Tips

🚐 Plan transportation to Lake Louise & Moraine Lake in advance.
These are two of the most popular destinations in Banff, and parking is extremely limited. Personal vehicles are not permitted on Moraine Lake Road, so you’ll need a Parks Canada shuttle, Roam Transit, or an approved commercial operator.

🌅 Get an early start.
If you want to experience Lake Louise or Moraine Lake with fewer crowds—and especially if you’re hoping to photograph sunrise—get there early. Parking lots can fill before sunrise during busy periods.

🏔️ Consider visiting both lakes on the same day.
A Parks Canada shuttle reservation can include access to both Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, with the Lake Connector Shuttle allowing you to travel between them. This can save valuable time on a packed itinerary.

🚗 Don’t give up a good parking spot unnecessarily.
If you’re driving and manage to secure parking at Lake Louise, think twice before leaving. Parking can be extremely difficult to find later in the day—something we learned firsthand during our trip.

Yoho National Park

After finally allowing ourselves to sleep in, we started Day 3 around 8 AM and headed back onto the Icefields Parkway to explore several attractions we had missed earlier.

Our first stop was Peyto Lake, followed by:

Peyto Lake
Bow Lake
Herbert Lake
Spiral Tunnels Viewpoints
Emerald Lake
Natural Bridge
Takakkaw Falls
Morants cufrve
Johnston Canyon – Lower Falls

The day took us through Banff National Park and Yoho National Park, with turquoise glacial lakes, waterfalls, mountain passes and historic railway engineering along the way.

Takakkaw Falls was one of the major highlights, followed by the incredible turquoise waters of Emerald Lake, which quickly became one of our favorite lakes in the Canadian Rockies.

We ended the day with a short hike to the Lower Falls at Johnston Canyon before returning to Lake Louise.

Of course, we couldn’t end our day here. We had heard rumors of a powerful G4 geomagnetic storm triggering a stunning display of the aurora borealis through Banff National Park. We couldn’t miss this. We bundled up and headed out in search of the dancing lights in the sky, and we were not disappointed.

Waterton Lakes National Park

We said goodbye to the Lake Louise and Banff area and began making our way toward Waterton Lakes National Park, getting closer to the U.S. border.

Before leaving Banff, we stopped at:

Cascade of Time Gardens
Banff Town Sign
Vermilion Lakes

We then continued to Waterton Lakes National Park, part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park shared by Canada and the United States.

With only a few hours of daylight remaining, we packed in several more attractions:

Cameron Falls
Red Rock Canyon
Blakiston Falls
Driftwood Beach

We ended the day at Driftwood Beach watching the sunset over Upper Waterton Lake, surrounded by mountains and the iconic Prince of Wales Hotel.

It was another packed day, with more than 10 miles of walking and several hikes.

Glacier National Park

Day 6 became our transition from Canada back into the United States.

We crossed the border and continued to Glacier National Park in Montana, where we revisited Lake McDonald and finally tackled the Avalanche Lake Trail, which we had missed on a previous visit.

Our Glacier National Park highlights included:

Going-to-the-Sun Road
Lake McDonald
Trail of the Cedars
Avalanche Lake

After the hike, we had approximately a 5-hour drive to Spokane, where we arrived in the evening and prepared for Kayla’s conference.

Spokane

After Kayla attended her conference during the day, we used our free time to explore Spokane over two evenings.

Our Spokane highlights included:

Riverfront Park
Spokane Falls
Riverfront Pavilion
Looff Carousel
Manito Park
Summer Night Market & Street Fair
Russell Peters Comedy Show

Mount Ranier

Our final day was another road-trip adventure.

Rather than taking the most direct route from Spokane back to Seattle, we decided to make one last detour through Mount Rainier National Park.

The fall colors made the drive especially beautiful, with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows contrasting against Mount Rainier’s snow-covered peaks.

Our main stops included:

Mount Rainier National Park
Scenic mountain viewpoints
Reflection Lake
Fall foliage viewpoints

After exploring Mount Rainier, we continued toward Seattle, completing our incredible loop.

By the time we arrived, we were exhausted—but incredibly happy with how much we had managed to experience in just eight days.

Route at a glance

Seattle → Kamloops → Jasper → Icefields Parkway → Lake Louise → Moraine Lake → Banff → Yoho → Waterton Lakes → Glacier → Spokane → Mount Rainier → Seattle

In just 8 days, we crossed two countries, explored six national parks, drove some of North America’s most spectacular scenic roads, hiked more than we probably should have, chased waterfalls and turquoise lakes, watched the Northern Lights, and squeezed an incredible amount of adventure into one unforgettable road trip.

The individual destinations deserve much more than a few paragraphs—which is why we’ll be breaking them down into separate guides covering the hikes, attractions, photography spots, logistics and tips for each stop along the way.