Banff:
Do not Miss:
1. Banff Gondola
2. Upper Hot Springs
3. Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel
4. Johnston Canyon Trail (2hr round trip to Upper Falls. You drive along the Bow Valley parkway to get there. This is a scenic parkway.).
If you have more time, see the following (the higher the points, the better)
7. Lake Minnewanka Loop - 6 points (boat tour)
8. Sunshine Meadows - 5 points (You need to take a bus to get there.)
9. Tunnel Mountain - 4 points
10. Bow River Hoodoo Trail (easy) - 4 points
11. Bow Falls - 3 points
Lake Louise area:
Do not Miss:
1. Lake Louise
2. Moraine Lake (you should go to the Rockpiles. This is a very short and rewarding trail.)
Icefields Parkway
Must sees:
1. Columbia Icefield (you take the bus to get there)
2. Drive through the Icefields Parkway
Others:
5. Athabasca Glacier - 5 points (You will see this very closely if you take the Columbia Icefield bus tour).
6. Peyto Lake - 5 points
7. Saskachawan Crossing - 4 points
8. Bow Lake - 4 points
9. Sunwapta Falls - 4 points
9. Bow Summit - 3 points (If you go to see Peyto Lake, you go further up to get to this summit.).
Jasper
2. Mt. Edith Cavelle - 10 points
3. Maligne Lake Cruise - 9 points
4. Maligne Canyon (moderate hiking. You start at bridge 1 parking lot. Go to bridge 4 and come back. Trail to bridge 5 is too long to your family.) - 8 points
Others:
5. Cavelle Madows Loop (moderate hiking) - 8 points
6. Jasper Tramway - 6 points (There is an early bird package. Check the web site.)
8. Path of the Glacier Loop - 4 points
9 . Medicine Lake - 4 points.
10. Lake Annette Loop (easy hiking) - 4 points
Yoho (All are close to Lake Louise)
1. Emerald Lake - 6 points (Natural Bridge is on the same direction just off Trans-Canada Highway 1).
2. Takakkaw Falls - 5 points
3. Upper Spiral Tunnel Viewpoint - 3 points
All points in my listing are comparable only in that area. Do not compare between areas. For example, do not compare a place in Banff with a place in Jasper.