Road Tripping the Rockies

Banff National Park, Alberta

There are several ways of getting to Banff and the Rockies. If you are flying into Edmonton, the best way to get to Banff is via car. The drive is not the most exciting in the world but if you do it the right way and have some decent cd’s, it will take you between 4 or 5 hours. You can rent a car from the airport. The distance between Edmonton International Airport and Banff is 450km (280 miles). Trust me when I say, following these directions will save a lot of frustration. I have spent far too many hours trapped in Calgary suburbia on my way to Edmonton. Though the houses are lovely, everyone wants to make it to Banff as soon as possible.

Driving a car from Edmonton is the quickest way to make it to the Canadian Rockies.

The shortest way to go about things from Edmonton is to drive south on Queen Elizabeth II Highway (it used to be called Highway 2) to Calgary and then go west before you reach Calgary. This is important as you want to avoid the city traffic at all costs. The best way to do this is to go to Airdrie which is the last town before you reach Calgary. When you reach the end of Airdrie, turn west onto Big Hills Springs Road. When you reach the T – junction with Highway 22, go south. Drive all the way through Cochrane and when you reach the interchange that connects to the TransCanada Highway (Highway 1), turn west towards Canmore and Banff.

Alternatively, below are the Google Map directions. Now all that remains is to enjoy your stay in Banff.

Edmonton International Airport

Leduc, AB, Canada

1. Head south on Airport Rd 1.8 km

2. Merge onto Hwy 2 S/AB-2 S via the ramp to Red Deer/Leduc 264 km

3. Take exit 258 to merge onto 16 Ave NE W/HWY-1 W 3.3 km

4. Slight right at HWY-1 W 120 km

5. Take the exit toward Banff 0.5 km

6. Turn left at Banff Ave 4.2 km