7 best day trips from Calgary

Day trips compared

The day trips

128 km · About 1 hour 30 minutes by car

1.Banff

The mountain town inside Banff National Park has the Banff Gondola, the Upper Hot Springs, Bow Falls and the Fairmont Banff Springs. It is possible as a day trip, but most visitors stay several nights.

Getting there

Car via the Trans-Canada Highway, or airport and downtown shuttle coaches

Best for

First-timers, Couples, Families

105 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

2.Canmore

Canmore sits just outside Banff National Park below the Three Sisters peaks, with hiking trails, the Canmore Nordic Centre from the 1988 Olympics and a walkable main street of cafés and restaurants.

Getting there

Car via the Trans-Canada Highway

Best for

Couples, Quiet stays, Families

185 km · About 2 hours by car

3.Lake Louise and Moraine Lake

The turquoise glacial lakes beneath Victoria Glacier and the Valley of the Ten Peaks are the most photographed places in the Rockies. Access to Moraine Lake is by shuttle, tour or bike rather than private car.

Getting there

Car to Lake Louise, then Parks Canada shuttle; or a guided tour

Best for

First-timers, Couples

135 km · About 1 hour 45 minutes by car

4.Drumheller and the Royal Tyrrell Museum

Drumheller lies in the Badlands of the Red Deer River valley, with hoodoo rock formations and the Royal Tyrrell Museum, one of the world's leading palaeontology museums with dozens of dinosaur skeletons.

Getting there

Car via Highway 9

Best for

Families, Culture

90 km · About 1 hour 15 minutes by car

5.Kananaskis Country

A network of provincial parks south of Banff with lakes, hiking trails and wildlife; quieter than the national park. A Kananaskis Conservation Pass is required for vehicles.

Getting there

Car via the Trans-Canada and Highway 40

Best for

Quiet stays, Families, Couples

175 km · About 2 hours by car

6.Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump

A UNESCO World Heritage Site where Blackfoot peoples drove bison over a sandstone cliff for thousands of years. An interpretive centre built into the cliff explains the hunt and Plains culture.

Getting there

Car via Highway 2

Best for

Culture, Families

220 km · About 2 hours 30 minutes by car

7.Dinosaur Provincial Park

A badlands landscape and UNESCO World Heritage Site where many important dinosaur fossils have been found. Guided hikes and fossil programmes run in summer and usually need booking.

Getting there

Car via the Trans-Canada Highway

Best for

Families, Culture

Day-trip tips

• Leave early: most trips are more relaxed with a morning departure and a return before dinner.
• Calgary Transit buses fill the gaps, including the Route 300 express to the airport and MAX rapid bus lines across the city.
• For trips over about 270 km, an overnight stay or an organised tour saves a lot of travelling.

Questions travellers ask