- Banff National Park
Banff is Canada’s first National Park, established in 1885. It is also the most visited park in Canada. The two most famous lakes in Banff are Moraine Lake and Lake Luis. Both are dog-friendly, except for the kayak rentals. Moraine Lake is only accessible via shuttle bus and there is one company, Fairview Limousine, that offers a dog-friendly shuttle. Lake Luis is accessible by car, but the parking lot fills up very early, like by 6:00 AM, so most people opt to take a shuttle bus here as well. Banff National Park is also well known for the town of Banff, with its many walkable restaurants and shops. I found the town of Banff to also be extremely dog-friendly. There were water bowls outside many of the shops and restaurants for dogs and Max was allowed in every store we went into, as well as inside Nourish, where we had lunch. While hiking in Banff, we primarily visited lakes. See my blog post “7 Dog-Friendly Lakes in Banff National Park” for all the details. You can also check out “Why Your Dog Will Love Banff National Park” for more information about the park.
2. Yoho National Park
Yoho National Park is a smaller, less visited National Park in Canada, but adjacent to Banff and a better option if you are looking to avoid crowds and stand a better chance at getting parking at the trailheads. Yoho is known for Takakkaw Falls, Emerald Lake, and the Burgess Shale fossils. Emerald Lake is almost as popular as Banff’s Lake Luis and Moraine Lake, but parking is much more accessible and the prices of staying at the lodge on the lake are much more affordable. We hiked to four waterfalls and six lakes in Yoho National Forest. I have blog posts on both that you can check out for more information.
3. Jasper National Park
Jasper National Park is the largest of these three parks. With it being more spread out, it feels less crowded. We never had an issue with parking and the trails never felt crowded. Jasper has many lakes that are used for recreational activities, and it felt like a lot of the crowds were on the lakes and lakeshores, leaving the trails less crowded. Jasper National Park is famous for the Icefields Parkway, Athabasca Glacier, and Maligne Lake. In July of 2024, multiple wildfires broke out across Jasper National Park and on many hiking trails you can see the devastation it caused, as well as the new growth beginning on the forest floor. We hiked to three waterfalls and seven lakes in Jasper. For more information, check out my blog posts. I did visit the small town of Jasper, which has some restaurants and shops, although nothing like Banff. Because Banff was so dog-friendly and Max was greeted with such kindness and hospitality, I was disappointed to find that Jasper is not so dog-friendly. None of the stores were dog-friendly and we ended up leaving rather quickly.
