Banff Guided Hiking Tour with Hotels – 7 Days, Price, Route
Not everyone wants to spend a week in a tent, and that is the gap this tour fills. The Guided Banff Hiking Tour, listed by the operator as "Banff & Beyond", is a 7-day trip with six nights in three-star hotels and lodges and a full programme of guided day hikes. It runs a slightly different route from the camping tour, with a day in Glacier National Park at Rogers Pass instead of Kootenay.
All information below was checked on the operator's tour page and booking calendar in October 2026. Prices are in Canadian dollars, plus 5% local tax.
The tour in short
- Length: 7 days, 6 nights in hotels (double occupancy)
- Group: maximum 12 guests, two guides
- Start: 2 pm at the Marriott Downtown Hotel, Calgary, or join in Banff or Canmore at around 3:30–4 pm
- End: 2 pm at Calgary airport or 2:30 pm at the Marriott Downtown; drop-off in Banff or Canmore is also possible
- Activity level: Level 3, "Active": 4–6 hours of walking a day, 10–18 km, up to 1,000 m of elevation gain
- Season: summer, with 2027 departures from late June to late September
Where you sleep
| Nights | Hotel | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | The Crossing Resort | Icefields Parkway, near the Columbia Icefield |
| 3–4 | Prestige Inn | Golden, British Columbia |
| 5–6 | Fox Hotel | Banff |
Two nights in each place is the main comfort gain beyond the bed itself: you unpack three times, not six. The Crossing is a roadside lodge in the middle of the Icefields Parkway with little else around it. Golden is a small working town between Yoho and Glacier National Parks. The Fox Hotel is in Banff itself, within walking distance of Banff Avenue.
Day by day
| Day | Where | Typical hike | Driving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calgary to the Icefields Parkway | none | 2.5 h |
| 2 | Columbia Icefield, Peyto Lake | Wilcox Pass, 10 km, 500 m | 2 h |
| 3 | Yoho: Takakkaw Falls, on to Golden | Iceline Trail, 12 km, 500 m | 2 h |
| 4 | Glacier National Park, Rogers Pass | Great Glacier Trail, 10 km, 400 m (or Balu Pass) | 2 h |
| 5 | Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, on to Banff | Plain of Six Glaciers loop, 16 km, 500 m | 2 h |
| 6 | Kananaskis Country | Picklejar Lakes, 9 km, 500 m | 2 h |
| 7 | Grotto Canyon, back to Calgary | short canyon walk | 1.5 h |
Day 2 offers a choice: the hike up Wilcox Pass for a view down onto the Athabasca Glacier, or a guided walk on the glacier (around C$120, not included). Day 3 is the Iceline Trail in Yoho, which climbs past Takakkaw Falls to a bench below the Emerald Glacier. Day 4 is the most unusual day: Glacier National Park lies in the Columbia Mountains west of the Rockies, with old-growth forest, heavy snowfall and far fewer visitors. Day 5 is the longest hike: up to the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse above Lake Louise, then over to the Big Beehive and down past Lake Agnes and its teahouse, followed by Moraine Lake. Day 6 goes south to the Picklejar Lakes in Kananaskis, with a soak in the Banff hot springs that evening. Day 7 finishes with an easy walk through Grotto Canyon near Canmore.
As always, the operator calls these hikes "typical"; conditions decide.
Price
| Price | With 5% tax | Roughly in EUR (with tax) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tour, per person sharing | C$4,995 | C$5,245 | €3,450 |
| Single room upgrade | C$1,495 | C$1,570 | €1,050 |
The page lists C$4,995 without a year, and the 2027 booking calendar shows the same price. There is no mandatory single supplement: if you travel alone and are happy to share a room, you pay the standard price.
Included: guiding by two guides, the van, six nights in hotels, park passes, hot springs entry and six lunches (picnics on the trail or local cafés).
Not included: breakfasts and dinners, alcohol, the optional glacier walk (around C$120) and rafting (C$160), travel to and from Calgary, travel insurance and gratuities. The operator calls C$10 per guest, per guide, per day typical, so around C$140 for the week.
The group usually eats dinner together, at restaurants in Banff and Golden and at the Crossing, but you pay for your own. Budget for six breakfasts and six dinners on top of the tour price. Banff is not a cheap place to eat.
Hotel or camping: the direct comparison
The obvious alternative is the 7-day camping tour, which visits many of the same places.
| Banff hotel tour | 7-day camping tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price 2027 | C$4,995 | C$3,295 |
| Solo without sharing | +C$1,495 | +C$300 |
| Meals included | 6 lunches | all meals |
| Nights | hotels on the Icefields Parkway, in Golden and Banff | campgrounds at Lake Louise and Banff |
| Parks | Banff, Jasper (Icefield), Yoho, Glacier, plus Kananaskis | Banff, Jasper (Icefield), Yoho, Kootenay, plus Kananaskis |
| Chores | none | tents, some cooking help, dishes |
| Group | up to 12 | up to 12 places in the 2027 calendar |
So the hotel tour costs at least C$1,700 more per person, plus most of your meals. For a solo traveller who wants a room alone, the difference against a solo tent is closer to C$2,900 before meals. What you buy with that money: a bed, your own bathroom, no tent to pitch, no cold nights, and evenings in town. The hikes themselves are at a similar level.
Who it suits
- People who would like the camping tour but know they will sleep badly in a tent.
- Couples or friends sharing a room, for whom the price gap per person is smallest.
- Hikers who want the Glacier National Park day at Rogers Pass, which the 7-day camping tour does not include.
- Travellers coming in September, when nights at the campgrounds get properly cold.
It is less of a good deal if you travel alone and want your own room, or if the main reason you are going is the hiking rather than the comfort.
Practical notes
Two nights in Golden and two at the Crossing mean you are far from shops; bring what you need from Calgary or Canmore, where the van stops on day 1. You can travel with a normal suitcase, since you never carry your luggage. The operator suggests packing a casual outfit for restaurants alongside your hiking gear.
The 2027 calendar lists starts on 27 June, 11, 18 and 25 July, 8, 15, 22 and 29 August, and 12, 19 and 26 September. When we checked, the June date had only four places left. The Banff hiking tour page shows live availability.
For the parks on the route, see our guide to Banff, Jasper, Yoho and Kootenay. If you are still deciding between formats, how to choose a guided Rockies tour compares all options, including the cheaper camping version on the operator's site.