A Christmastime Road Trip through the Canadian Rockies and Vancouver
- Karen Israel
- Dec 20, 2025
- 9 min read
This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
During Christmastime last year we spent two weeks exploring the Canadian Rockies at Christmastime and Vancouver for New Years. Between weekends and days off for the holidays, I managed to go this entire trip with only taking a couple days off of work. I spent much of my working hours in the passenger seat of the car while Justin drove us from beautiful location to beautiful location.
In this blog, I'll be sharing experiences and insights for fellow road trippers, hikers, snowshoers, and remote workers.
Preparing for a Winter Road Trip
I just purchased my Honda Passport Trailsport in June and was itching to take it out on a big adventure. Luckily since it was a new car, I didn't have to worry too much about getting it prepared for a long trip or winter driving.
Since we were going to be in several different climates on this trip, we needed to be prepared for the cold weather of Banff and Jasper and wet weather of Vancouver. Luckily, I was able to bring a little bit of everything since we were driving. I would just leave most of my extra layers in the car unless I needed it. The weather turned out to be quite pleasant during our stay, and I didn't need as much gear as I initially expected.
Days 1-2: Denver to Calgary
It's a long drive from Denver to Calgary so we decided to stop for the night in Great Falls, Montana. We stayed at the historic Hotel Arvon in downtown Great Falls near the Missouri River. After grabbing dinner at the Celtic Cowboy on-site we took a walk down by the river. It was dark so we couldn't see a lot but it was still a nice walk after driving all day. We really enjoyed checking out all the artwork along the River's Edge Park and in town.
The next day we only had a few hours left in our drive to Calgary. Don't ask me why, but when we arrived at the border I was so nervous! Border patrol, TSA, a random cop car on the highway - I always think I'm going to get in trouble for absolutely no reason... Anyway... They asked a handful of questions about our itinerary, reason for visiting, etc. and sent us on our way.
We arrived in Calgary with enough time to check out the Once Upon a Christmas festival at Heritage Park. This living history museum depicts life as it was from the 1860s through the 1930s. There was also a Christmas market to explore and several farm animals. After the sun had set, we went to the zoo lights at the Calgary zoo. This is probably one of the more impressive displays I've seen.
Days 3-4: Exploring Banff National Park in Winter
Banff has been on my list for quite some time, and it's breathtaking in winter! I still need to come back here in the summer but getting to see the park nestled in a blanket of snow was an experience I will never forget! There was no way we could do all the things I wanted to in 2 days so I had to be picky about what we did. We arrived pretty early so I wanted our first hike Johnston Canyon to Lower and Upper Falls. I'd read about how quickly this parking lot could fill up, even in winter. Luckily, even on a Sunday mid-morning, the parking lot was only 1/3 to 1/2 full. We brought our crampons with us for fear of icy trails. I used mine pretty much the whole way but Justin didn't find them necessary. I typically use these if the snow/ ice isn't very deep but I have other ones with more of a spike on them for very icy conditions. The 3.5 mile round-trip hike was like wandering through a snowglobe. Both waterfalls were frozen and stunning, but Upper Falls had several ice climbers, which was exciting to watch.
By this time, we were ready for lunch, so we headed back into town to find some food. After a hike through the cold and snow, we were craving something warm. Pho House was exactly what we needed! We sat at a table with a fantastic view of the town, happily enjoying our warm pho. After grabbing lunch in town, we hiked to the top of Tunnel Mountain. The road to the trailhead of this 2.8-mile out-and-back trail was currently closed, so we had to park down the road a ways, adding a little extra to the hike.
Our next day started at Lake Louise! While I plan to come back someday and experience it in the summer, it was still amazing in the winter. Today was one of the days I took off work as I wasn't about to miss out on time at Lake Louise. We had rented snowshoes to use at the lake but ended up not really needing them as the trail was so packed down from use. After walking the trail across the lake, we finally reached a less traveled area where we needed to use them for a little bit. We only saw a couple of other people at this point, and I loved every second of the quiet and solitude of the Rocky Mountains in the winter. I also rented a pair of ice skates to skate on the lake, but I'm not skilled enough for this sort of ice skating. At least I can cross ice skating on Lake Louise at Christmastime off my bucket list.
Days 5-6: Discovering Edmonton’s Festive Spirit
Today was Christmas Eve, and luckily we generally get an early release from work the day before a holiday. This worked out perfectly. I worked from the car on the drive from Banff to Edmonton, and we arrived right around lunchtime. I was so excited to check out the Christmas markets in Edmonton, only to find that most of them had just closed! Instead, we opted to check out West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in Canada and the second largest in North America! We wandered around for a while, checking out all the shops, the water park, the amusement park, and all the other things this mall had. As if this wasn't enough walking, after we checked into our room at the Varscona Hotel on Whyte, we wandered towards the river and over to the Alberta Legislature Building before grabbing dinner at a local pub.
While most places were closed for Christmas, Elk Island National Park was open! This park is a great place for wildlife viewing and plays an important part in the conservation of the plains bison. In fact, before we had even entered the park, we spotted several bison! We walked along Tawayik Lake, where we saw two more bison out on the frozen lake and the rest of the herd across the lake. We then headed to Astotin Lake, where we spotted an owl hunting a mouse for its Christmas dinner.
We didn't have a lot of food options for Christmas dinner, but we were able to get reservations at Gyu-Kaku, a Japanese BBQ place in downtown Edmonton. We had one of their holiday packages, and all the food was amazing! After dinner, we stopped by the Alberta Legislature Building again to see it all lit up.
Days 7-8: Seasonal Beauty in Jasper National Park
We left Edmonton and headed to Jasper National Park. As usual, I worked from the car while Justin drove us to our destination (I really do owe him for all the miles he drives so I can work!). For a while now, we've talked about getting snowshoes and decided to buy some here so we wouldn't have to rent again and would have them as a souvenir. We only had a few hours of daylight left, so we headed to Pyramid Lake since it was close to town. On the drive, we passed several bighorn sheep (including some standing right on the road) and a large herd of elk. There was a large trail system by the lake, so we mapped out our course and hit the trail. At one point, we accidentally ended up off trail, and as I'm staring at the map on my phone trying to figure out where we went wrong, Justin comes up beside me and tells me to look to my left... There was a whole group of bighorn sheep just hanging out there that I hadn't even noticed!
The next day, I once again took a day off work, so we had a full day to explore Jasper. Unfortunately, due to a bad fire earlier this year, there were still a number of places that were closed. We drove out to Maligne Lake, stopping at a few scenic points along the way. At one point, we had to stop because there was a large moose in the middle of the road! It appeared to be eating something on the road, and we assumed it was probably salt that was put down because of the snow. The lake itself was beautiful, and we were finally able to use the snowshoes we had bought!
Day 9: The Road Trip from Jasper to Vancouver
We had a long drive today from Jasper to Vancouver, made even longer by less than ideal weather and traffic as we approached the city. I think we had a little of every kind of weather on this drive. By the time we finally made it, the sun had already set. We found a place near our hotel for dinner, the Carolina Restaurant. Justin had the squid ink pasta, and I had the apple and ricotta stuffed ravioli. While both were delicious, we found ourselves still hungry after finishing and ended up with a quick stop for a snack later in the evening. After dinner, we walked along the harbor, enjoying the water and the lights, both city and Christmas.
Days 10-12: Winter Wonders of Vancouver
After all our time in the Rockies, being by the coast seemed like entering a different world. The weather was warmer, yet significantly wetter. The damp, chilly days felt much colder than the ones we experienced in the mountains!
We knew pretty quickly that we wanted to escape the city and get more into nature. Our first stop was at a nearby falls, Cypress Falls, to do a little hiking. Forests like these always make me feel as if I'm in a fairytale, and I absolutely love it! From here we drove up to Squamish. The drive itself was amazing, with views out over the water on one side of the road and the foliage and waterfalls on the other. We stopped at Shannon Falls along the way, which is the third highest falls in British Columbia. After grabbing lunch in Squamish, we headed to Alice Lake Provincial Park. This park is a local landmark known for its surrounding mountain views, dense forests, grassy areas, and four freshwater lakes (Edith, Stump, Fawn, and Alice). While there are several trails in this park, we opted to hike the Four Lakes Trail. This 4-mile loop took us past all four of the lakes.
The next day, I had some work to do, so we weren't able to do as much adventuring as I would have liked. Our hotel, Paradox Vancouver, was probably the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in, so I didn't mind spending a little extra time enjoying it. We did find some time to check out the aquarium in Stanley Park, though. I always love going to aquariums wherever we go. This one had a section dedicated to the local sea life around Vancouver. My favorite thing was definitely watching the seals or the otters play!
I had to work again today, New Year's Eve, so we stayed close to the hotel in the morning. We did take a walk through Stanley Park when I was ready for a break! I really wanted to see the totem poles. While we were walking along the seawall, at one point a seal could be seen swimming nearby. In the evening, we headed to Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. We picked a time slot early enough to be able to see the park in the daylight but late enough that the sun would set while we were there because I really wanted to see it lit up with all the Christmas lights! This park was even more stunning than I hoped, and the pictures just don't do it justice! While we weren't able to find a good spot to ring in the New Year, I enjoyed hanging out on the balcony of our hotel and toasting to the people in the city below.
Days 13-14: The Trip Home
We had another couple of long days of driving ahead of us. We chose to stop for the night in Boise, where we were fortunate enough to meet up with my aunt and uncle for dinner. I hadn't seen them since they moved out to Idaho, and it was so good to see them. Such a great way to start off the new year!
Comments