Best 1-Day Private Banff Tour

We had the chance to finally visit the wonderful Banff National Park and we took an awesome private Banff Tour that took us around to all the best sites with the best views in just ONE day.

I first discovered Banff only last year in 2018. Yes, I know, I must have lived under a rock. I had never heard of the place and I did not know where it was. But a friend of mine attended a wedding there. She posted a simple silly photo of herself in front of Moraine Lake and listed the location as Banff. I thought to myself, what the heck is Banff? I googled it quickly out of curiosity and BOOM! The husband and I immediately started to plan a trip for it the following year. The views and the color of the lakes had me speechless!

So where in the world, and what in the world is Banff? Banff is a National Park located in Alberta, Canada. It is located about 90 minutes West of Calgary.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage site known for both its stunning mountainous landscape and numerous aqua marine glacier lakes. Just go visit! No need for 20 questions. Just GO!

Quick Tour Description

Normally, we like to take our time and explore places on our own. But this time around, we only had 3 full days set aside for our trip, we had to make the most of what we could get! I discovered this great Banff Tour Experience via AirBNB. (Update May. 2020: Check back frequently for tour dates availability!)
It was approximately an 8-hour Sightseeing & Photography Banff Tour! I was looking for a photographer to take couples photos of my husband and I for our 13-year anniversary anyway. So this particular Banff Tour sounded right up our alley! And the tour guide had a fantastic Instagram gallery! Sign me up!

Basically this particular Banff experience took you around to all the infamous spots that all the tourists visit. But he may veer off the trail and will take you off to spots that are not crowded by the bus loads of visitors that swarm the area. He’ll take photos of you and your companions and even teach you about photography if you are interested. This is essentially a semi-private Banff tour, at most you might be in a group of 4-5 if other people book on the same day. We got lucky and it was completely private for us, so it was just my husband, the guide and me. No giant buses are involved. Score!

Find out what else we did during the rest of our Banff trip on my Top Things to do in Banff Canada.

Banff Tour Breakdown

Banff National Park is known for their beautiful cerulean blue lakes that are fed by the mineral rich waters melted from the many glaciers high up in the peaks surrounding the area. The minerals are what gives the lakes the incredible rich color. This convenient Banff Tour takes you to all the following glorious lakes:

(Note that routes subject to change due to weather or closures.)

Banff Tour Description

Our private Banff Tour drove us around in a large spacious SUV vehicle and stopped at each of the above locations and we took about 15-20 min to take photos, enjoy the scenery/view or to just take it all in and savor Mother Nature’s spectacular creations. Each location is different so you may spend more time at one and less time at another. And there’s plenty of convenient stops in between for restroom breaks, lunch or snacks.

Rob, our guide, was very informative about each location. He knows all the best times to visit each place, and all the secret trails or spots that are less crowded. There are no long strenuous hikes involved but you should still make sure to wear appropriate clothing, shoes and weather protective jackets/gear. Make sure to bring a pack so you can carry your essentials. And don’t worry about Bear Spray, Rob will carry some with him. (I personally don’t think you’ll ever need to use bear spray though. If you see a bear, you turn around and go in the other direction as fast as you can!)

If you want to spend more time at each location and want to go hiking off on your own, then this private Banff Tour probably isn’t for you. But it’s definitely what we were looking for because it gave us a taste of the best locations that we might want to go back and visit again. This way, we can spend more time there if we wanted to, at a later time or day. Such as hiking up to Lake Agnes from the backside of Lake Louise where there is the famous little Teahouse.

Moraine Lake

Our Banff tour started early in the day with a meetup point in the town of Banff. Because of the time of year we took our trip in mid June, it was the beginning of the peak season. Our meetup time was 5:15am in order to get access to Moraine Lake. Oh, that was a painful morning! But we rallied, otherwise the roads would start closing off to private vehicles at around 8-9am. And they will only allow shuttle buses in and cycle through vehicles every 30-minutes or so. Was the early morning worth it? Yes, it was.

Lake Louise

Next we stopped by Lake Louise which is a hop and a skip away from Moraine Lake. These two lakes are the most famous in Banff, so it’s best to get these two out of the way early in the mornings to avoid the crowds that get herded in by the bus loads.

Depending on the time of year you’re visiting, the environment at these two locations can change dramatically. I heard the week before we visited, snow still covered the landscape at ground level. And a month before that, some parts of the lakes were still iced over. We were super lucky and visited during a warm spell where it was sunny, bright and in the 60-70s Fahrenheit. It drizzled rain here and there but it was nothing to cry about. After our trip, we heard it started snowing again! Banff just can’t make up its mind about which weather it enjoys more.
After Lake Louise, we took a quick walk about the Fairmont Banff Springs and grabbed a bite to eat since we had skipped breakfast earlier.

Peyto Lake

The next stop on our Banff Tour, we made our way to Peyto Lake, which is also known as the Bow Summit Viewpoint. From here, we can view Peyto Lake from above and see all the mountain peaks that surround it. The main viewpoint is fenced and very crowded. Most everyone that visit is bused in and they all crowd by this fence to quickly take photos. But if you venture off the left for a short 5-7 minute hike, you’ll come across a small rocky clearing that very few people know about. And you get a fantastic unobstructed view of everything.

Herbert Lake, Bow Lake & Morant’s Curve

Driving along the Icefields Parkway, we next went to Bow Lake which had an amazing view of stunning mountain peaks with glacial caps. Plus more waterfalls in the distance that you can hike to.

Herbert Lake was a beautiful emerald green color. It is an easy and quick stop along the Icefields Parkway. You can hike, canoe and even swim in this lake.
Morant’s Curve is a bend in the Bow River. It has spectacular views and a small picnice area, and a busy body Big Boss grizzly bear that likes to visit the site so be careful! The train tracks also run along this curve so if you time it just right, you would get some amazing photos of a train going by.

Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake and Vermillion Lake

Our last few stops as the weather began to change and it got cloudier and darker, was Lake Minnewanka, Two Jack Lake and Vermillion Lake.
At Lake Minnewanka, you can buy tickets for a boat cruise that will cruise around the large lake. It is also a great site for marriage proposals. Who am I kidding, the entire national park of Banff is great for marriage proposals!

We didn’t stop for very long at Two Jack Lake. We only pulled over on the side for a quick view. And Vermillion Lake was right next to the town of Banff, so it was our last stopping point. By then, we were feeling the effects of the early morning wake-up call for our Banff Tour. But we actually went back to Vermillion Lake the next day for sunset photos. Because according to Google, it was the best spot for it.

In Conclusion – BEST DAY EVER!

All in all, this one day spent touring all the beautiful lakes of Banff was incredible and totally worth it. This Banff Tour is great for couples who are short on time but want to see it all. I wouldn’t recommend it for families with young children though since it moves pretty fast and the wake-up call may not suit them. If you’re interested in this Banff Tour, make sure to click here and ask for Rob!

Find out what else we did during the rest of our Banff trip on my Top Things to do in Banff Canada.

And for those asking, my burgundy red lace sheath dress is from Laundry by Shelli Segal. I rented it from Rent the Runway. It’s a super fun service that lets you rent designer clothes and accessories. I have used it several times already. I highly recommend it.

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