Marry a girl whose idea of a good time is climbing mountains.

With an unexpected gap in our schedules, Katie and I scrambled together a short honeymoon — three months delayed — to the Canadian Rockies, mostly Jasper and Banff National Parks. It’s a region we’ve been trying to reach, but most of our vacations are in late autumn or winter, far past larch season. Thus, given this free week in late July, we packed in five nights of camping and loads of spectacular day hikes. Here’s a highlight reel.

Lake Moraine: Banff

We thought our hotel concierge was joking when she said parking up at Lake Moraine fills up by 4 am… we didn’t realize a sunrise shot from the Rockpile viewpoint was so sought after. Undeterred, we listened, rolling out of our tent at 3:15 to make the drive. Breathtaking. The Rockpile is the optimal height to view the lake with the ten peaks behind.

That blue water, unreal. I still don’t quite get how the limestone “rock flour” refracts light to make the actually milky-white glacier melt water to appear so freakishly blue, turquoise, or some other otherworldly shade of blue.

Later that day, Katie and I strolled around the lakeshore of Lake Moraine, then hiked up through Larch Valley (green then, not yellow), then to Sentinel Pass, where snowdrifts made for a somewhat hazardous hike (see featured picture). The Valley of the Ten Peaks makes for a great backdrop for the entirety of the hike. Towards the end, we accidentally stopped near a couple of marmots.

Maligne Lake, Jasper

I was told that this beautiful, serene, 22-km lake was named “Maligne,” French for wicked, because an early French-Canadian explorer followed its draining river upstream through a treacherous slot canyon. His American contemporary Mary Schaffer thought the name sounded pretty, so it stuck.

This area filled the first real day of our honeymoon with diverse excursions. We hiked along the steep narrow canyon, crossing many scenic foot bridges. We hiked up the Bald Hills overlooking the lake and valley. We booked tickets on a chartered boat tour, riding to the tiny landmass Spirit Island flanked by majestic mountain ranges on both sides aptly named the Hall of Gods.

Lake Louise: Banff

If you have a mental snapshot of Banff and the Canadian Rockies, it’s this. A blue glacial lake with canoes, flanked by symmetric mountain peaks, a gently flowing glacier far in the background. Oh, and don’t forget the throng of tourists in a variety of outfits and Insta poses.

Lake Louise deserves its reputation. It’s photogenic, memorable, and accessible. The area is dominated by the Fairmont Lake Louise Chateau, a gargantuan five-star resort right on the lakeshore. Katie and I chained together a few day hikes up past two historic teahouses in the mountains to the Upper Victoria Glacier in the background.

Mount Edith Cavell: Jasper

If you ever get a postcard from Jasper, it probably has Mount Edith in the horizon. It has an iconic sloped striped north face that dominates the skyline. There’s a drive up to a hike near its base, but much of the hike was still snowed over.

Icefields Parkway

The Icefields Parkway is one of the world’s most scenic drives. The 225 km between the towns of Banff and Jasper run through a seemingly endless glacial valley. To one side is the Columbia Icefields which you can glimpse as it spills slowly over multiple glaciers. Our surprise favorite hike of the entire trip was Wilcox Pass, climbing up an intermediate peak directly opposite of the largest glacier in the valley, Athabasca.

There are so many other attractions along Icefields Parkway. For instance, Peyto Lake, whose overlook is mere steps from the highway.

Closing Thoughts

The Canadian Rockies are great in several seasons. For day-hikers like us, the prime season is short, mid July to August. Three days felt about right for each of Banff (built-out ski town vibes) and Jasper (smaller, quieter). Park campgrounds are pretty good. Buy bear spray, aka $40 super strength pepper spray, and bring it on hikes.

Other attractions we visited which were totally worth it include Peyto Lake, Pyramid Lake, Athabasca Falls, Mt. Whistler Sky Tram, Emerald Lake in Yoho Ntl Park, and Johnston Canyon. Banff town itself was also quite fun; we dropped by the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, the Whyte historic museum, the Cascades of Time Garden, and the main drag. I regret not canoeing on a blue lake, but prices ranged from $80-$130 CAD for 1 hour.

We ended our trip with a strenuous hike, Heart Mountain in the Kananaskis Area, featuring a 3000-ft rock scramble and some excellent views. If you ask me, I think our shared enthusiasm for such adventures is foundational to our marriage.

Itinerary

• Day -1: LGA->YYZ->YYC. Miss a connecting flight and stay overnight in Toronto airport, ugh.
• Day 0: Rent a car, get supplies. Drive 5 hours from Calgary to Jasper. Stop at Bow Lake, Peyto Lake, Sunwapta Falls.
• Day 1: Pyramid Lake. Maligne Canyon mini-hike. Bald Hills hike. Maligne Lake boat tour.
• Day 2: Whistler Sky Tram and summit hike. Sulphur Skyline Trail hike. Miette Hot Springs. Lakes Annette and Edith. Valley of the Five Lakes mini-hike.
• Day 3: Edith Cavell morning drive. Drive 3 hours through Icefield Parkway toward Lake Louise. Wilcox Pass hike. Lake Louise lakeside tourism. Hotel night.
• Day 4: Lake Louise, Lake Agnes teahouse, Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse long hike. Emerald Lake (Yoho Ntl Park).
• Day 5: Moraine Lake at 3:15 am. Lakeshore stroll. Larch Valley, Sentinel Pass, Eiffel Lake long hike. Consolation Lakes hike.
• Day 6: Highway 1A scenic route through Banff. Johnston Canyon mini-hike. Banff town, including Cascades of Time Garden, Whyte Historic Museum, Banff Springs Hotel. Lake Minnewanka. Drive 1 hour to Canmore.
• Day 7: Heart Mountain Horseshoe hike. Drive 1 hour to Calgary. Return car. Night out in Calgary downtown.
• Day 8: YYC->YYZ->LGA.