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Have you been watching Yellowstone and are now dreaming of a road trip around some of the best national parks in the world? Then this one is for you!
I’ve travelled all around the world and this is still to this day my favourite road trip of all time. I loved every second of it and can’t recommend it enough.
It starts in Calgary, Canada, and will take you around the Rockies and the great national parks of West Canada, Montana and Wyoming.
So, are you ready to get started? Let’s go!
Alberta–Montana–Wyoming National Parks Road Trip Itinerary
Let’s start with the actual itinerary and the things you can do in each location.
📍Calgary
Calgary is the largest city in Alberta and therefore the easiest to get to so I would recommend starting there; however, if it’s easier to get to Edmonton, that’s also a good option as it will avoid a bit of back and forth.
Calgary is the only ‘proper’ city experience you’ll have during this road trip so if you think you need specific supplies, I would highly recommend getting them there.
Once that’s done, you can explore Calgary and discover the sights. Here are some ideas:
- Roaming around Kensington and Inglewood
- Rafting on the Bow River
- Going up the Calgary Tower
- Walking the RiverWalk
- Visiting the Studio Bell
💡If you are visiting in July, don’t miss the Calgary Stampede. It’s the largest rodeo in Canada!
From Calgary, you can then start driving to Banff which takes around 90 minutes.
💡PRO TIP: I would highly recommend downloading the Calgary to Banff Audio tour by Guide Along. All their guides are amazing and I can’t recommend them enough as a general thing but this one is entirely free so it gives you a good idea of whether it’s something you’d enjoy or not.
📍 Banff National Park (Alberta, Canada)
Banff was the first national park in Canada and for good reason, it’s absolutely stunning!
There are no words that can actually describe how magical it feels to get to the Rockies and see these beautiful mountains. It simply never gets old!
To enter Banff, you will need a National Park Pass which you can buy online or at the park gates.
💡PRO TIP:I would recommend getting online as it will save you some time at the gate.
That said, admission to Banff National Park is going to be free from June 19 to September 7, 2026 so if you are visiting then, that will save you some money!
Here are some of the best things to do in Banff:
- Going to Lake Louise (you can take beautiful photos and hire a canoe – though that’s rather expensive)
- Seeing / Staying at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
- Hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House
- Going to Johnston Canyon
- Discovering the stunning Lake Moraine
- Taking the views of the beautiful Lake Peyto
- Exploring Banff town
📍 Yoho National Park (British Columbia, Canada)
This one is often skipped by visitors who focus on Banff and Jasper but it’s such a stunning small national park and you definitely shouldn’t miss it!
Yoho National Park is only 1 hour drive from Banff town and is home to some of the most beautiful lakes in the area (Emerald Lake was actually my favourite on this trip and we even got to see a moose which is incredibly rare!).
Here are some of the things you can do in Yoho National Park:
- Walk around Emerald Lake
- Go to the beautiful Takkakaw Falls
- See the waterfall of Natural Bridge
- Hike the Iceline Trail
- Walk along the turquoise Kicking Horse Rive
📍 Icefields Parkway
Your next adventure will be to drive the Icefields Parkway. This is one of the most beautiful drives in the world (no kidding, it was actually described as the ‘drive of a lifetime’ by National Geographic).
It’s a section of Highway 93 that connects Banff to Jasper and it’s home to beautiful waterfalls, lakes, wildlife, glaciers and simply incredible scenery.
It’s 144 miles long and will take you about a day to complete. Well, technically you only need 3 hours but you will (and should!) want to stop in many places so that will require a bit more time.
Here are some of the best stops and things to do:
- Herbert Lake
- Bow Lake
- Peyto Lake
- Waterfowl Lakes
- Mistaya Canyon
- Sunwapta Falls
- Parker Ridge
- Columbia Icefield
- Athabasca Falls
📍 Jasper National Park (Alberta, Canada)
Jasper is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies and one of the best places to see wildlife (though you can also be spoiled in Banff!).
It’s also the world’s second largest dark sky preserve, making it an excellent place for stargazers.
Here are some of the best things to do:
- Jasper Skytram (Canada’s highest and longest tram)
- Maligne Canyon
- Medecine Lake
- Maligne Lake
- Cruise to Spirit Island
- Whitewater Raft the Athabasca River
- Valley of the Five Lakes
- Edith Cavell Meadows Hike
- Bald Hills Hike
- Jasper Planetarium
- Sunwapta Falls
📍 Waterton Lakes National Park (Alberta, Canada)
From Jasper, drive all the way back to Calgary and head towards the US border to visit Waterton Lakes National Park.
It is part of the first international peace park that united the parks of Waterton and Glacier in 1932. It was also added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site list in 1995.
Here are some ideas of things to do:
- Drive the Red Rock Canyon Parkway
- Crypt Lake Hike
- Bear’s Hump hike
- Walk to the Red Rock Canyon
- Take a photo from the Prince of Wales Hotel Viewpoint
- Go on a cruise on the Upper Waterton Lake
- Drive the Akamina Parkway
- Drive the Cameron Falls
Once you are done in Waterton Lakes National Park, make your way to the border and enter the United States to go to Glacier National Park.
📍 Glacier National Park (Montana, USA)
Glacier National Park is often in the shadow of Yellowstone but it’s such a beautiful national park and definitely one you shouldn’t miss! It’s home to some of the best scenery in the US as well as one of the most scenic drives in the world!
Here are some of the things you should do:
- Drive the Going-to-the-Sun road (a 50-mile mountain road going through the national park). Please note that this road is only open in summer and requires a reservation.
- See the colorful pebbles at Lake McDonald
- Go to Lake McDonald Lodge and on a cruise with a ranger
- Hike up to Avalanche Lake
- Walk the trail of Cedars
📍 Drive from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone
Once you’re done with Glacier National Park, you can start making your way down to Yellowstone.
Now this is a bit of a drive, around 6 hours) but there are plenty of places where you can stop at.
I would recommend going to the North Entrance as it will allow you to see Bozeman and Livingston which is worth it.
Alternatively, if you are aiming for the West Entrance, I’d recommend going to Virginia City and Nevada City which are two beautiful Wild West ghost towns.
Here are some places I’d recommend checking out on the way:
- Columbia Falls (they have a good rodeo there)
- Whitefish
- Kalispell
- Flathead Lake
- Missoula
- Deer Lodge
- Butte
- Bozeman
- Livingston
📍 Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming, USA)
Well done for making it to Yellowstone! Not only was it the first national park in the world but it’s truly one of the most beautiful and unique places you’ll get to see in your entire life.
I can’t even start to describe how much I love Yellowstone. You have to see it to understand it!
From the North Entrance, you can start the upper loop of Yellowstone. Make sure to set aside a few days so you can truly experience the place.
You can check out my Yellowstone itineraries here but here are some of the highlights of the upper loop:
- Mammoth Hot Springs (beautiful limestone terraces)
- Lamar Valley (for wildlife spotting)
- Tower Fall (132-foot waterfall)
- Calcite Springs Overlook
And the highlights of the lower loop:
- Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Upper Falls, Lower Falls and Artist Point – make sure to visit both the south and north rim)
- Old Faithful Geyser (this is the most reliable geyser in the park)
- Grand Prismatic Spring (the most colourful hot spring in the park)
- West Thumb Geyser Basin
- Hayden Valley (for wildlife watching)
- Mud Volcano
- Norris Geyser Basin
You can then drive south to the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway to get to Grand Teton National Park.
📍 Grand Teton National Park (Wyoming, USA)
This one is also often skipped because it’s in the shadow of Yellowstone National Park but it really shouldn’t because it’s absolutely beautiful and you can see a lot of things in only a day or two.
Here are some of my favorite spots and things to do in Grand Teton National Park:
- Go to Jenny lake (you can either take the boat to the Inspiration Point and walk to the Hidden Falls or walk around the lake to get there)
- Admire the scenery from the beautiful Oxbow Bend
- Schwabacher Landing
- Snake River Overlook (made famous by Ansel Adam’s photo)
- Go to Mormon Row
Map of this itinerary
I hope this itinerary has helped you planning your trip (or just inspiring it!). Please note that I would recommend a minimum of 3 weeks to do this trip (and that’s providing you like intense travelling).
Have fun!
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