Getting There

Arriving at Banff internationally is easiest through the Calgary International Airport which is only a one hour and 30 minute drive from Banff. Car rentals are available at the airport and prices are relatively inexpensive (around $35/day for an SUV)  especially if you are coming from the US where the exchange rate is favorable. All the roads in the area are nicely paved so if you’re visiting in the spring, summer, or fall a 4x4 won’t be necessary but in the winter it is strongly recommended due to occasionally heavy snowfall and icy roads.

When to Go

As I mentioned the landscapes will be different depending on the time of year. Summer is the most popular time, especially for campers, and you can get shots of amazing lake reflections and beautiful golden hours. There is an abundance of astrophotography opportunities as well. I visited in March which is late winter because I was intent on shooting the snowy scenery and the signature methane ice bubbles. What I found out later was that towards the end of the winter season the ice on the lakes becomes cloudy and heavy snowfall means most of them are covered up. I was able to find a few compositions regardless and a couple of the lakes fortunately weren’t snowed over. In hindsight and what I would recommend to someone trying to shoot these classic winterscapes is to visit in early winter (from December to February) when the lakes have recently frozen, are clearer, and there is less snowfall overall. It might be just as cold or colder though, when I visited the average temperature was 20-30 degrees F (-6 to 0 C) but I was told it can get as low as -40 F (-40 C). Wildlife is less present during the winter as the bears are hibernating and the only animals I saw were Elk and deer.

Lodging

Lodging can be found in the form of Hostels, Hotels, Lodges, and Campgrounds. In the winter there is a large winter sports crowd though vacancy is easier to find than in summer when the campgrounds open up and there's a larger crowd in general. I booked two hostels during my trip, one in Banff and one a little further up in the next town of Lake Louise. The photo locations are mostly within an hour drive or less and basing out of one the towns and driving out to them makes the most sense.

If you do decide to stay at the campgrounds for the outdoors experience I would recommend either going in during the shoulder months of May or August or book well in advance if you’re going in the high season of summer. Campgrounds are only open in the summer and are priced $20-$40, almost the same as the hostels which is another reason budget travelers don’t have to camp unless they really want to. Hotels and lodges are in the $100 range.

Fees

The entire area is a series of National Parks with Banff covering the area around the town of Banff all the way up to Lake Louise. Once you head past that you begin to enter Jasper National Park. This also means for you drone pilots out there that there is pretty much nowhere to fly legally despite how tempting it will be. I did drive to the next town southwards called Canmore which technically falls just outside the park boundary and I got some great shots in a very similar looking landscape at Grassi Lakes. As you near the town of Banff there will be a guard gate where you pay the parks pass which is valid daily for Banff and Jasper National Park. The fee is $10 per person with a group discount for up to 7 people in a single vehicle for $20.

Bow Valley Parkway

Bow Valley Parkway is a scenic road that runs parallel to the Trans Canada Highway which is the main highway to locations in the area. It’s still accessible in the winter and there are occasional pullouts where you can stop and get shots of the views and wildlife which tend to be more common here than the highway.

Vermilion Lakes

Right beside Banff is Vermilion Lakes which is 3 main lakes with a view of Sulphur Mountain in the background. This makes for a great spot on your first day in the area or when you’re short on time. Although it can be shot at sunrise or sunset I would recommend going for sunrise because due to the accessibility it fills up quickly. On my trip the lakes were snowed over and I had to use the texture of the snow for my foreground element but it makes for great reflection shots in the summer and cracked ice shots in early winter.

Castle Mountain

Castle Mountain is a photogenic peak about 25 minutes north of Banff. The most common location to shoot it from is the bridge before Castle Junction on the Banff-Windermere Highway. There are two pullouts before the bridge where you can park and walk down through a wildlife gate and to the river’s edge. Here you can find foreground elements in the stones, snow formations, or reflective puddles with Castle Mountain in the background. This makes for a great sunrise location though when I visited it happened to be a cloudy morning so I made a moody edit out of it.

Johnston Canyon Falls

Johnston Canyon Falls is a spectacular gorge with cascading rapids and two waterfalls. In the winter the rivers are mostly frozen and snowed over as well as the waterfalls and while it makes for an interesting shot I think it’s more worth visiting in the summer or spring when you can get shots of the rushing river. If you do decide to make the hike in the winter be sure to wear crampons as the trail is covered in hard packed snow and can be slippery. The upper falls are bigger and require an hour hike. The lower falls are smaller and after squeezing through a small tunnel there’s a platform overlooking the falls which doesn’t make for the best shot but since it is only about a 15 minute hike it can be an option if time is limited. The upper falls are also viewable from a platform but there are many side trails and ways to get the base of the falls for a better photo.

Lake Minnewanka/Two Jack Lake

Lake Minnewanka is 20 minutes from Banff with Two Jack Lake on the way there. I had a frustrating time at Lake Minnewanka as the sun never really hit the right angle at sunrise or sunset. This changes throughout the year of course so apps like Photopills and The Photographer’s Ephemeris will help you when you decide to visit. I did, however, have great success shooting astrophotography there and even though it’s near the town the light pollution is all blocked by the mountains. As with most lakes on my trip this one was snowed over so the only foreground elements at my disposal were a few rocks poking up out of the snow. There are also a number of hiking trails there. Two Jack Lake faces the opposite direction to the south with Mount Rundle in the distance. I had the same issue here with the snowed over lake but the sunrise and sunset lit up the sky and mountains better at this location. There’s also a campground near Two Jack Lake open in the summer. The photos I saw on Google of both locations in the summer showed amazing potential with lake reflections and even some of the early winter shots had methane ice bubbles though they’re more prominent at another lake I’ll mention later in this guide.

Mount Norquay Lookout

For those looking for a large vista shot of Banff the viewpoint at Mount Norquay is perfect. You can get a shot of the whole valley with Mount Rundle in the distance. I stopped by after a snowstorm passed through and managed to get some nice close up shots and time lapses of the wispy clouds on the mountain. This spot is just 10 minutes from the center of town and from what I hear Bighorn Sheep can occasionally be seen in the summer.

Surprise Corner

The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel is a historic landmark in the town of Banff and lends itself to a nice shot from a location called Surprise Corner. It’s a five minute drive from the center of town and you will see the signs along the way and a small parking lot. There’s a viewing platform you can walk up to but I found the best angle without trees blocking the way is from right beside the road. This makes for a great twilight or predawn composition with the blue of the landscape contrasting with the yellow lights of the hotel though when I visited occupancy was low due to the coronavirus scare and I ended up photoshopping in some lights in the windows.

Lake Louise

Lake Louise is a popular ski resort 40 minutes north of Banff with a lake that looks quite photogenic during the summer when it’s thawed out but during the winter it’s used as a skating rink. From what I hear it’s great to shoot at sunrise. There’s a hostel in Lake Louise that I based out of while visiting the locations nearby so logistically it makes sense to stay here a few days of your trip at least.

Lake Agnes

A few hiking trails begin from the shores of Lake Louise including the one to Lake Agnes which is a steep hour long hike up into the mountains. While it isn’t steep like Reinbringen in Norway the grade never lets up so be sure to give yourself plenty of time and don’t start too close to planned shoot time like I did. I’ve seen some great photos of Lake Agnes in the summer and early winter but when I finally made it to the top it was snowed over and the angle of the sunset didn’t work for any compositions therefore I’d recommend it more as a sunrise location. You also get a view of the valley and hotel below but there are too many trees to make a good shot out of it.

Morant’s Curve

This spot is named after Nicholas Morant, a staff photographer for the Canadian Pacific Railway in the mid 20th century who first took the classic photo from this location. There are no signs to this unassuming looking corner but it appears on Google maps and you will find a small parking lot directly across from it. The ideal composition is with the train coming down from the north so you get the curve with the mountains in the background. Unfortunately these are freight trains so there’s no schedule they adhere to. I visited the location three times and from my experience the train runs about every hour and usually going north. Fortunately most trains have an engine in the front and back (although one of the trains I waited for didn’t) and with a fast shutter speed you can take a well timed shot of the rear of the train and pretend it was going south. I was told that in the morning there is a higher chance of the train coming from the north but I was unable to confirm. Either way this spot is only five minutes from Lake Louise and so pretty easy to make repeated visits at different times of the day.

Peyto Lake

One of the most popular locations in Banff National Park is Peyto Lake known for its turquoise blue water during the summer and its wolf head shape. The viewpoint for this lake is actually from Bow Summit a short 10 minute hike from the parking lot and 35 minute drive from Lake Louise. The lake was snowed over when I visited so I focused more on the classic wide shot and also picked off some close ups of the alpine glow on the surrounding peaks which I actually ended up liking more than the wide shot. This location is great for sunrise and, from what I hear, astrophotography as well though probably later in the year because when I was there the Milky Way didn’t line up for the composition. Under the right conditions Auroras can be seen here too.

Saskatchewan River Crossing

One hour from Lake Louise up the Icefields Parkway lies a well known junction called Saskatchewan River Crossing. It’s a bridge from where you can get amazing views on either side into the beautiful valley with a river running through it. The river is frozen in the winter but still catches a nice reflection though when I stopped by for sunrise the snowfall quickly overtook the scene and the colors faded. Because it faces north east and south west it can be shot at both sunrise and sunset. While I was driving out to Abraham Lake for astrophotography I saw several photographers standing there late in the night and I can only assume there is a Milky Way composition to be found there as well. 

Abraham Lake

Abraham Lake was my favorite and most successful shoot location on my trip to Banff. It’s most known for the methane ice bubbles beneath its frozen surface. While I saw some when I was there I found out later that the best time of year to photograph them is actually early winter because later in the season the ice becomes cloudy and the bubbles less visible. I didn’t end up using any of the bubble shots I took but the lake has an amazing texture of cracks and patterns which make for great foreground elements. Abraham Lake is quite large and there are many pullouts where you can walk to the lake’s surface but I ended up shooting from a location called Preachers Point Staging Area. The lake itself is one hour and 30 minutes from Lake Louise. It’s a shallow lake so there isn’t much concern walking around on the surface but it can be very slippery and I fell a few times before I figured out the technique for walking on it. Crampons can be used for grip but I didn’t want to ruin the lake’s surface. This location is great for sunrise and sunset as well as astrophotography and Auroras which are common there. From my research I learned that it’s usually windy and cold though when I visited there was no wind.

Emerald Lake Lodge

Emerald Lake Lodge is a resort 30 minutes from Lake Louise. This location is most known for a composition from the lake shore facing the Cilantro Cafe restaurant next to the bridge. With lights of the restaurant glowing warmly this composition looks best at blue hour or twilight with the yellow and blue tones contrasting. The lake on the south side of the bridge was actually thawed when I visited in the winter even though the main body of the lake to the north was frozen and covered in snow so I was fortunate to get the shot I was aiming for. What I didn’t take into consideration was that the restaurant itself would be closed due to Covid 19 and so I ended up photoshopping the lights in the restaurant and I’m quite happy with the look. Due to the surrounding mountains I wouldn’t imagine this location to be good for sunrise or sunset unless you’re lucky enough to have the low hanging clouds light up for pre or post burn effect.

Sunwapta Falls

Sunwapta Falls is in Jasper National Park about two hours and 20 minutes north of Lake Louise. I saw this location on Google and it looked so spectacular I couldn’t resist making the drive up there to shoot it. It’s a small island with trees and a river running around it dropping into a waterfall. A slight miscalculation on my part was not checking what the location looked like in the winter and as I walked up I noticed the rivers were frozen and snowed over as well as the waterfall. It still could’ve made for a nice composition for sunset but as I set up my time lapse cameras the snowfall moved in. For this reason I would mostly suggest this location during the summer. After parking in the lot there’s a path that leads down to a bridge where it looks like you can get a clear shot of the island but most photos I saw were actually shot down a path right next to the edge of the canyon where it places you dead center of the island. If you’re visiting in the summer it’s definitely worth the drive.

Bow Lake

This location is off Icefields Parkway 25 minutes from Lake Louise. I had actually stopped by here while scouting during the day but the lake was frozen and covered in snow. The mountain in the center of the location makes for a great background but without anything in the foreground I decided to skip it. I have seen some great sunrise, sunset, and astrophotography shots here so be sure to check it out in the summer or early winter.

Moraine Lake

Moraine Lake is one of the most popular locations in Banff but it’s only open between May and October. Any other time of year the road is not plowed open and therefore inaccessible. My research did tell me that if you decide to visit try to make it for sunrise because it fills up quickly.

Sulphur Mountain

This is another very popular location mostly with tourists visiting the area. There are gondolas that take you up the mountain for about $50 round trip. At the top there are hot springs and a couple restaurants. From what I’ve seen on Google the views are quite nice but photographing wide vistas can be challenging. When I was in Banff this location was also closed due to Corona lockdown though I’m not sure I would’ve bothered to shoot there because I didn’t see any impressive shots worth getting.

About

Chris Crass is a landscape photographer and travel filmmaker whose passion for creativity draws from his jetsetting lifestyle. Born in San Francisco, growing up in Dominican Republic, and now living in Miami for the last 8 years he has always sought out new experiences in far flung and exotic places and cultures. This pursuit of adventure combined with a knack for the visual arts has culminated in the founding of Boss Talk Productions and bred an artistic style that showcases locations through a flattering lens and hopefully inspires viewers to embark on their own journeys.