This scenic drive will take you straight from Banff to Lake Louise - it might take a bit longer than the highway as it has more speed restrictions. You can expect to travel at approx 50k/h. Great place to spot wildlife, including bears and wolves. Remember that speeding fines are doubled in the park so obey the laws and you'll have a good time!

Really attractive drive away from the busy Highway 1. If you are traveling north of Banff then we highly recommend you take the Bow Valley Parkway, it is obviously going to be slow going but the views and wildlife spotting are great.

Can be hit or miss - only saw a single big horned sheep the first time through but drove through again the next day and saw lots of black bears and elk. Get used to impatient drivers wanting to pass you if you're going too slow trying to spot wildlife.

We took the Bow Valley Parkway to Lake Louise. It takes longer than the highway, but it is the more scenic route. Take it if you are interested in wildlife, want to take a nice drive. We saw a black bear and a deer while driving it. I think a lot of the nature tours take that road, so if you don't want to pay for the tour you could just drive yourself to a lot of the areas where wildlife is spotting and look on your own.