Our Epic 7-Day Alberta Family Road Trip
Sharing everything we did on our road trip to Alberta this summer! Where we stayed, what we did, what our kids loved and a full cost breakdown. We filled our days pretty full, but still had some down time for swimming and relaxing! It's the first long road trip we took with the girls and I'm so glad we waited until they were older because the drive was so easy. It went by so fast and they entertained themselves with a mix of dollarama activities and their tablets. If your kids have tablets, get them these. They loved making bracelets, things with pipe cleaners, coloring, word search and playing hangman, tic tac toe and other games on a small whiteboard. Our girls are 7, 8 and 10 for reference. Scroll through the pics below to see some of what we got up to! Final cost of everything is at the bottom!
If you want to do White Water Rafting or the Lake Louise/Moraine Lake tour, they gave me a discount code to share! STACEY10, and I believe it's good for any of their tours.
Our Route
Winnipeg - Regina - Canmore - Calgary - Lethbridge - Winnipeg
We left on the 29th and stopped in Regina for one night on the way there to visit Jason's sister, and it also broke up the drive. Then spent 4 nights in Canmore, two nights in Calgary and then one night in Lethbridge on our last night to visit family and drove all the way back to Winnipeg on Sept. 6th. It was the perfect amount of time!
Where we stayed
I was looking in Canmore/Banff area, and honestly they were both basically priced the same. The hotels were super expensive because it was over September long weekend and I booked pretty last minute. I was able to find a VRBO for almost half the price and it was perfect! It was at The Lodges in Canmore. We got a two bedroom, and the one bedroom had a double bunk bed so all the girls could fit. The views were amazing, it had an older gym but a heated pool and two hot tubs! It was about a 20 minute walk from the downtown area, which was totally doable with the girls. Plus there were some ice cream shops and restaurants even closer. We did a big grocery shop the first day and made most of our breakfasts, lunches and a couple of dinners. This saved a ton of money.
In Calgary we stayed at the Sheraton Eau Claire and it was perfect! The area is gorgeous and super walkable, just 2 minutes from the Bow River and a really cool playground right next door. There was also a Club Level where you could get snacks and drinks all day, a gorgeous gym, heated pool, water slide and hot tub! Plus great outdoor areas with a big jenga game. Their breakfast buffet was really amazing as well. Also request kids robes, it was the girls favorite part!
What we did
Day 1: We woke up early and did the Moraine Lake & Lake Louise tour with Banff Tours. You can't drive in yourself anymore and there are a ton of crowds so this made it super easy. They drop you off right at the entrance to the lakes and you get about an hour at each spot. Just enough time to enjoy and snap pictures. They also show you Morant's Curve and Castle Mountain. They have pick-up spots in Canmore and Banff but we chose to drive into Banff. We just parked at the train station, which is free and pick-up was right there. Then after the tour we walked around Banff looking at shops and grabbing a matcha and exploring. Then we drove back to our VRBO, had a few snacks and then did Grassi Lakes hike. It was super close to where we were staying and ended up being one of my favorite things we did! The top was so beautiful and it was a really fun hike. Then we went back to our rental, made dinner and went for a night swim!
Day 2: We went horseback riding at Boundary Ranch. This place was absolutely stunning and the guides were super nice. We did a 1 hour ride which was mostly through the trees, you couldn't see many mountains, but was so fun and the girls fell in love with horses (they had never been). They don't require you to wear helmets while you ride here. When we got back we walked for dinner in Canmore. We went to Tavern 1883 and the food was incredible. Definitely recommend. Then we spent the next 1.5 hours just walking around and exploring. We hit up the candy store (which was better than the Banff ones IMO), walked to Engine Bridge and then back to our VRBO. It is such a beautiful little town.
Day 3: We did the Johnston Canyon Hike. This is super popular, so get there early at like 9am or wait until maybe 4pm to beat the crowds. The lower falls has a 30 minute wait just to see them close up, so we skipped that and went to the upper falls. The hike was full but not too crowded, and pretty easy because it has railings and a walkway and lots of little waterfalls along the way. When we got back we went for a swim and then drove into Banff to see the Banff Springs hotel. It is really beautiful and you get amazing views. Then went for dinner at Three Bears Brewing, and again they had amazing food and ambiance, definitely recommend! Then we just walked around Banff for a bit, got Beaver Tails and Ice Cream at The Scoop. We tried to drive along the Bow River at dusk to find wildlife, but couldn't spot anything sadly.
Day 4: The girls loved horseback riding so much, we found another ranch and booked another one hour ride! This one was called Rafter 6 ranch and it was incredible. A lot more rustic when you check-in, but the views when you're riding are so much better. It's basically all mountains. She even let the girls try trotting which they loved! Then from there we went straight to White Water Rafting at Chinook rafting. They were only 15 minutes apart. This was such a fun experience. The first half was amazing, but by the end the girls got a bit cold because they got splashed a ton and didn't paddle, which is what kept us warm. Our guide was super fun though and we had such a good experience! They provided all of the wet gear we needed as well and gave us hot chocolate and snacks after! After that we drove straight to Calgary, checked into our hotel and then had dinner at Flower & Wolf in the hotel and it was amazing. Then we walked down to the Bow river and played at the park before having a night swim and heading to bed!
Day 5: We had breakfast at the hotel which was amazing, and then drove 8 minutes to the Calgary Zoo! This came highly recommended. The animals were amazing and way better than what we have at home, but honestly I think we're over zoos. The animals are always in such small cages and don't look super happy. I honestly think you could skip this unless your kids LOVE animals. Then we went for dinner at The Porch, where I had been before with my mom. The aesthetic was 10/10, food about 8/10. Not sure I'd go here again with kids, but we did go during happy hour so it was less expensive!
Day 6: This day was a bit chilly and rainy, but we did Downhill Karting at the olympic park which was super fun. Definitely recommend, just try and go when the weather is good! You get to go up on the chairlift and then ride a go-kart down the hill. Zara rode with me, and Rosie and Everly took their own cars. On the second run Rosie went with Jason because she got a little scared. I'd say ages 9+ for this one to ride alone. After that we headed to Lethbridge for the night to visit my family!
Day 7: We drove straight back to Winnipeg! The girls did so well and the drive went by so fast. Shout out to Jason for driving the entire way, and through a storm for half of it!
COST
Gas: $487.72
White Water Rafting: $571.40
Horseback Riding: $900 (we went twice)
Kananaskis Park Pass: $31.50
Banff Tours Lake Louise & Moraine Lake tour: $634.20
Canmore VRBO: $2160
Calgary Hotel: $1200
Downhill Karting: $146
Calgary Zoo: $187
Groceries: $264.52
Eating out: $449.88
Candy/treats/extras: $100
TOTAL: $7032.22
*Banff Tours gifted our white water rafting experience and Lake Louise/Moraine Lake tour and our stay at the Sheraton was also complimetary as I worked with both of them.
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