Bow Valley Parkway
Bow Valley Parkway
4.5
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Best nearby
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Attractions
1 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
  • WendyLP8888
    Saint-Lazare, Canada20 contributions
    Beautiful landscape
    Driving through this valley is breathtaking. It is so tranquil and beautiful. I have been through this valley three times, in November 2018, November 2020 and December 2022. I have seen it with snow and without snow and as the picture depicts you can see beautiful clear blue water.
    Visited December 2022
    Written March 29, 2023
  • Vacationer557537
    3 contributions
    A little pricey but worth the visit
    Made a quick (2 overnight visit with adult son and 2 children, 8 & 12). View of mountains wonderful. Town of Banff has done fairly good job of creating alpine architecture (better than 50 years ago when I spent a winter there). One grandson and I took gondola up Sulfur Mountain (other grandson gets motion sickness). Ride and vistas were spectactular! There are also some nice walking paths along the water in the town.
    Visited April 2023
    Written April 14, 2023
  • MPP2703
    Caythorpe, United Kingdom1,763 contributions
    A better route to/from Jasper.
    If you are planning to go to/from Jasper, please use this road instead of the main road. It's quieter with some stunning scenery and if you are lucky, some local wildlife. It is a far better route than the main trans Canada road. The only issue for us, is that the beginning of the road just iutside Banff did not open until later in June, shame.
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 17, 2023
  • Journey4two
    191 contributions
    Majestic Scenary!
    My wife and I rented an e-bike in Banff and rode the Bow Valley Parkway, which was closed to vehicular traffic for the summer. We began our ride at 8 am and practically had the Parkway to ourselves. We saw deer, mountain goats and a bear, which made it memorable. The e-bikes made the 30+ mile ride a breeze (especially during the uphill portions), and it gave us a chance to casually observe the scenic ride. It is truly one of the most beautiful rides in the world! When the road splits, just stay on the right (as the sign indicates) and you'll get to enjoy both sides of the majestic beauty throughout the ride. After exploring the Johnston Canyon, we had lunch at the cafe, which had great food. (Johnson Canyon is just past the end of the closed portion of the Parkway.) This was an awesome experience, so be sure to do it!
    Visited June 2023
    Written June 26, 2023
  • AnnBlaine
    Lexington, South Carolina6 contributions
    Definitely worth the drive
    Very peaceful drive from Johnston Canyon up to Lake Louise/Icefield Parkway entrance. Some scenic overlooks. Nothing compared to the Icefield Parkway, but definitely worth doing, especially since the Trans Canada highway was doing road construction. Unfortunately when we were there, they had the lower part of the parkway closed to vehicle traffic.
    Visited June 2023
    Written July 7, 2023
  • TennisStar602
    New Jersey612 contributions
    This is not turn on the road and I did get to see a big-horn sheep.
    I took this road as a more local route throughout some of the attractions in Banff National Park. Johnston Canyon was off of this route, for example. This roadway has a lower speed limit than Highway-1, and it was only one (1) lane in both directions. This road does have some sharp turns and curves. I saw a big-horn sheep, and that was a very cool encounter.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled solo
    Written July 13, 2023
  • Christina B
    Louisiana2,712 contributions
    Beautiful Drive
    We drove along here a few times. Heading to explore Banff from Castle Junction. Then we also stopped to see Silverton Falls .. park by Rock Bound Lake hike. Also went to Johnston Canyon. A must see.. do the full 1 1/2 miles if you can. We did not see any wildlife, but the views were great !!
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written July 23, 2023
  • Martin C
    Thornhill, Canada17 contributions
    Beautiful quiet drive
    In November, this was a mostly deserted drive through trees and lakes and mountains. It's not fast and it's not crowded, which was perfect for our purposes. If you have the time, this is a much more relaxed and scenic way to go between Banff and Lake Louise.
    Visited November 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written November 29, 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

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2,420 reviews
Excellent
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Very good
662
Average
168
Poor
28
Terrible
12

Martin C
Thornhill, Canada17 contributions
Nov. 2023 • Family
In November, this was a mostly deserted drive through trees and lakes and mountains. It's not fast and it's not crowded, which was perfect for our purposes. If you have the time, this is a much more relaxed and scenic way to go between Banff and Lake Louise.
Written November 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

LostInTime
Pittsburgh, PA11,608 contributions
Oct. 2023 • Business
This road is pretty nice. There are great views. It doesn’t take a lot of extra time as it runs parallel to the highway. And I saw a bear. Pretty nice.
Written October 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Ryan O
2 contributions
Sep. 2023 • Couples
Beautiful scenery but not much wildlife. Long slow drive up the parkway was relaxing but a but boring compared to previous reviews
Written September 3, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chantel C
Edmonton, Canada88 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
Absolutely beautiful. The hike to the falls at the lake was gorgeous. We got rained on the in, but it was so worth not turning around.
Written August 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Christina B
Louisiana2,712 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Couples
We drove along here a few times. Heading to explore Banff from Castle Junction. Then we also stopped to see Silverton Falls .. park by Rock Bound Lake hike. Also went to Johnston Canyon. A must see.. do the full 1 1/2 miles if you can. We did not see any wildlife, but the views were great !!
Written July 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

TennisStar602
New Jersey612 contributions
Jul. 2023 • Solo
I took this road as a more local route throughout some of the attractions in Banff National Park. Johnston Canyon was off of this route, for example. This roadway has a lower speed limit than Highway-1, and it was only one (1) lane in both directions. This road does have some sharp turns and curves. I saw a big-horn sheep, and that was a very cool encounter.
Written July 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

AnnBlaine
Lexington, SC6 contributions
Jun. 2023
Very peaceful drive from Johnston Canyon up to Lake Louise/Icefield Parkway entrance. Some scenic overlooks. Nothing compared to the Icefield Parkway, but definitely worth doing, especially since the Trans Canada highway was doing road construction. Unfortunately when we were there, they had the lower part of the parkway closed to vehicle traffic.
Written July 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Journey4two
191 contributions
Jun. 2023
My wife and I rented an e-bike in Banff and rode the Bow Valley Parkway, which was closed to vehicular traffic for the summer. We began our ride at 8 am and practically had the Parkway to ourselves. We saw deer, mountain goats and a bear, which made it memorable. The e-bikes made the 30+ mile ride a breeze (especially during the uphill portions), and it gave us a chance to casually observe the scenic ride. It is truly one of the most beautiful rides in the world! When the road splits, just stay on the right (as the sign indicates) and you'll get to enjoy both sides of the majestic beauty throughout the ride. After exploring the Johnston Canyon, we had lunch at the cafe, which had great food. (Johnson Canyon is just past the end of the closed portion of the Parkway.) This was an awesome experience, so be sure to do it!
Written June 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

MPP2703
Caythorpe, UK1,763 contributions
Jun. 2023
If you are planning to go to/from Jasper, please use this road instead of the main road. It's quieter with some stunning scenery and if you are lucky, some local wildlife. It is a far better route than the main trans Canada road. The only issue for us, is that the beginning of the road just iutside Banff did not open until later in June, shame.
Written June 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vacationer557537
3 contributions
Apr. 2023
Made a quick (2 overnight visit with adult son and 2 children, 8 & 12). View of mountains wonderful. Town of Banff has done fairly good job of creating alpine architecture (better than 50 years ago when I spent a winter there). One grandson and I took gondola up Sulfur Mountain (other grandson gets motion sickness). Ride and vistas were spectactular!
There are also some nice walking paths along the water in the town.
Written April 14, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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BOW VALLEY PARKWAY - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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