The Best Banff Itinerary with a Toddler

Are you planning a trip to Banff? And you’re looking for the best Banff itinerary with a toddler? Yes? I am so pumped for you and your family. You are going to love it. And you’re in the right place. We took our 3 year old to Banff and had an incredible time. I’ll map out a 6-7 day itinerary (including travel days) with options for each day.

I do an absurd amount of research before every trip I take, especially now that I have a kiddo. This Banff itinerary with a toddler really allows you to see the best that Banff has to offer.

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First, Is Banff Toddler-Friendly?

YES. Many of the destinations you’d hit without a toddler are accessible WITH a toddler. The prettiest lakes, the tops of mountains, and cool hikes – all doable with your little one. It’s also safe, there are kid-friendly hotels, and it’s not difficult to get to. People were also very friendly towards our toddler.

Check out my comprehensive post for everything you need to know to do Banff with a Toddler.

How to Get to Banff

Fly into Calgary, rent a car, and drive the 1.5 hours to Banff. It’s worth it to have a car in Banff, especially with a toddler. They have lots of buses/public transportation, but having your own space with a wild toddler can be less stressful.

This trip does involve a bit of driving, so make sure you bring some easy road trip activities with you; your driving will be way more enjoyable.

Tips for Visiting Banff with a Toddler

  • Visit in the summer. Winter can be very cold, you won’t have access to all the lakes, and it wouldn’t be as pleasant of an experience with a toddler. Being outside with a toddler is better when it’s warm.
  • Read my 20 Toddler Travel Tips to prepare, especially if you haven’t traveled much with your kiddo.
  • Don’t over-plan your days. Leave rest times in the middle of the day. Even if your toddler won’t nap, it will help all of you if you have some downtime to relax.
  • Banff isn’t cheap. Try to save money by getting a place with a kitchenette and cooking some meals at your accommodations, limit tours and expensive activities, and bring diapers/pull-ups or things that might be pricier in Banff.
  • Pack layers. Summer is nice in Banff, but it’s still the mountains. Bring warmer layers, rain attire, etc.
  • Banff is technically IN a national park, so they regulate Airbnbs. You’ll likely be sharing a hotel room with your toddler, so consider bringing a slumber pod to put over their pack n play/sleep areas. It will keep their area dark and keep them from seeing you when they wake up.
  • Use this packing list to make sure you have everything you need!

How to Plan the Best Banff Itinerary with a Toddler

Consider what everyone in your family likes to do, check out what Banff has to offer, and pick your best options for each day. Or just use this post 🙂

Once you have your flights, you should start with finding a place to stay in Banff. You can also check out Canmore – it’s 15 minutes away and offers cheaper accommodations.

We stayed at Tunnel Mountain Resort, and it was a good choice with a toddler. It had a pool, a playground, and a little kitchen area. It was pretty close to downtown Banff and had a bus stop right outside the resort, which we used.

Other kid-friendly options I read about were: Hidden Ridge Resort, Banff Springs Hotel, and Moose Hotel & Suites.

Once you know the days you’ll be there, have a rough plan for what you want to do. Weather can really affect your time in Banff, so check the weather as your trip gets closer. Try to plan the outdoorsy/most important things on the days when it will be nice out.

Sometimes I like to have multiple options for a given afternoon. We can then play it by ear and do what we’re feeling that day. It helps to be flexible when traveling with a toddler.

Banff Itinerary with a Toddler —

Day 1: Arrive in Calgary

Unless you fly in relatively early in the day, I recommend spending 1 night in Calgary. A plane ride is a lot of sitting for a toddler, so you might benefit from saving the 1.5 hour drive to Banff for the next day. Also, Calgary is pretty cool!

So for this day – fly into Calgary, pick up your rental car, settle into your hotel, and either go to sleep or explore Calgary a bit.

Pro Tip: I ordered groceries from Walmart in Calgary before our trip. This way, we had snacks, some stuff for meals, etc. without having to spend a ton of time grocery shopping. I was also way more organized doing the order ahead of time rather than trying to get through a foreign grocery store after a long travel day. We just picked it up when we arrived!

We stayed at the Days Inn by Wyndham Calgary Airport. We loved the affordability, pool with a slide, and free continental breakfast. Would definitely recommend with a toddler!

Here are some ideas for Calgary – you can use these for this day or for the next morning if that works better for you.

  • Prince’s Island Park Playground – on the way to Banff from Calgary, toddler-friendly, and it’s a beautiful park with a bridge crossing to get to it.
  • Calgary Zoo – admission isn’t too expensive, and it looks like a really nice zoo.
  • Swim at your hotel! – I purposely picked a hotel with a pool because I knew I could wear my toddler out after/before long plane rides/drives.
  • Calgary Farmyard – this place looks awesome, and I wish we would have gone. Petting zoo, fun kid activities, mazes, tube slide, jumbo jumper, and more.
Johnson Lake Banff hike

Hiking Johnson Lake – this is a must do with a toddler!

Day 2: Drive to Banff from Calgary

We spent the morning in Calgary and planned for Jovie’s nap during the drive to Banff. We ate and swam at our hotel, walked at Prince’s Island Park, and visited the playground there. Once Jovie was thoroughly worn out, we picked up food, ate, and drove to Banff while Jovie napped.

Grab lunch at PBnJ YYC. Delicious sandwiches, nice workers, and what kid doesn’t love grilled cheese or PBnJ?

Once you arrive in Banff, check in to your hotel, pick up groceries if you need to/if you have a kitchen, and walk around downtown Banff. You can explore the shops, get ice cream, have dinner, walk along the river, or check out a playground.

Mom and toddler in front of Lake Louise Banff

Lake Louise – isn’t it stunning??

Day 3: Lake Louise & Moraine Lake, Afternoon Hike or Picnic

Plan to visit Lake Louise and Moraine Lake in the morning. Read my post about Moraine Lake to learn everything about getting to these epic lakes. You should try to book a shuttle ahead of time, it’s a 30-ish min drive to the Lake Louise parking area for the shuttles, and then 15-30 mins to the lakes.

Pro Tip: While I am putting this activity here, it might be worth looking at the weather for when you’re in Banff. If the weather will be crappy when you’re planning to visit the Lakes and you can be flexible, consider trying to get shuttle passes for a better weather time.

Half Day vs Whole Day at the Lakes: You can just walk around a little at each lake if you want this to only take half a day. If you want to spend your whole day at the lakes, pack a lunch and do some hiking. There’s also a playground at Lake Louise you can check out. Do a carrier nap for your kiddo or allow for some down time at some point.

If you only spend a half-day at the Lakes, have some rest time on the drive back to Banff and/or at your hotel.

In the afternoon/evening, hike up Tunnel Mountain – a 2.7 mile round-trip hike up a mountain. Relatively toddler-safe, but you might want to hold their hand in a few areas just to be safe. If your kiddo is not up for this long of a hike and/or you didn’t bring a hiking carrier, check out Cascade Ponds. Very toddler-friendly, pretty area with grills if you want to do a dinner picnic.

Emerald Lake Yoho National Park

Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park

Day 4: Yoho National Park

I had never heard of Yoho National Park, but if you’re in this area you NEED to see it. It’s around 1 hour from Banff, and there are a few highlights you shouldn’t miss. Again, you could do this as a half day trip or make it last all day with some hiking and a packed lunch.

Plan to visit Takkakaw Falls first. It’s around 30 mins off the highway and a 1 mile toddler-friendly walk to the base of the falls.

Next, head to Emerald Lake. You can park and just view the gorgeous lake or you could hike the 3-ish mile trail all the way around.

On your way out from Emerald Lake, stop at Natural Bridge. It’s a cool natural bridge with rushing water. It was worth the quick stop.

If you want to spend more time in Yoho, check out Wapta Falls. It’s a 3 mile round-trip hike.

If you have time in the afternoon, do a 2 mile hike around Johnson Lake. It’s beautiful, toddler-friendly, and not crowded at all. It was one of our favorite activities we did in Banff.

Banff gondola ride with a toddler

I meannnn could she be having a better time on the Banff gondola?

Day 5: Johnston Canyon & Banff Gondola

Wake up and head to Johnston Canyon as early as you can. It’s Banff’s most popular hike, so it gets really crowded in the summer. Waterfalls and cool catwalks through the canyon. It’s a 30 min drive, and you can do either a 1.5 mile hike to the lower falls or the full 3 mile hike to the upper falls.

In the late afternoon, take the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain. Book this ahead of time. Parking is 15 mins from downtown Banff, and it’s an 8 minute gondola ride. Once you’re at the top, check out the interactive floor for kiddos, do the boardwalk outside with epic views, and have dinner at the buffet.

Day 6: Head Home

Plan to leave Banff at least 4 hours before your flight. It’s a 1.5 hour drive to the Calgary airport.

Optional Extra Activities – Banff Itinerary with a Toddler

If you didn’t get a chance to do Cascade Ponds, the hike up Tunnel Mountain, or the hike around Johnson Lake, stay an extra day and do those. You could also walk to Bow River Falls in downtown Banff, check out Two Jack Lake or Lake Minnewanka, or find another hike in the area.

We spent 2 nights in Golden, around 2 hours from Banff. Accommodations were cheaper, and there were some great things to do in their little downtown. But it’s definitely not a necessary addition to a Banff trip.

Here are some things to check out if you do spend some time in Golden:

Enjoy this Banff Itinerary with a Toddler!

I hope you have a phenomenal trip. If you have any questions or thoughts, please comment below or email me [email protected]. I really just want people to see the world – especially the outdoors 🙂 And Banff is a perfect place to do that.

Happy Toddler Travel!

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