Canadian Rockies: Lakes, Glaciers and Teahouses

Calgary to Banff, and the gondola at golden hour

Calgary airport to Banff, about 145 km and 1.5 hours

• Repas du soir
• Hébergement : Moose Hotel & Suites ou équivalent
• Environ 1.5 h de route

Soir

Then the group sits down together for a welcome dinner in town.

Compris

• Pick-up at Calgary International Airport (YYC)
• Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain at golden hour
• Welcome dinner

Johnston Canyon and a free afternoon in Banff

Banff to Johnston Canyon and back, about 30 minutes each way

• Petit-déjeuner
• Hébergement : Moose Hotel & Suites ou équivalent
• Environ 1 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive about 30 minutes west up the Bow Valley to Johnston Canyon, early enough to beat the busiest hours. A paved path and steel catwalks fixed to the limestone walls climb gently about 1.1 km up the narrow canyon, with the creek racing below, to the Lower Falls, where a short tunnel through the rock brings you right up to the spray. It is an easy walk of about an hour there and back, and anyone keen can carry on another 1.5 km or so to the taller Upper Falls. Back in Banff, a one-hour trail ride with Banff Trail Riders is included for anyone who would like to see the valley from the saddle.

Après-midi

The afternoon is yours: soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs, follow the Bow River path to Bow Falls, visit the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies or wander Banff Avenue.

Soir

Dinner is on your own tonight, and your leader will happily suggest places.

Compris

• Guided walk to the Lower Falls of Johnston Canyon
• One-hour trail ride with Banff Trail Riders, if you would like to ride

Activités en option

• Banff Upper Hot Springs

Moraine Lake at first light and a canoe on Lake Louise

Banff to Lake Louise, about 60 km and 45 minutes

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Lake Louise Inn ou équivalent
• Environ 45 min de route

Matin

You reach Moraine Lake as first light catches the Valley of the Ten Peaks, before the day visitors arrive, and a short climb up the Rockpile gives the famous view along the water. Breakfast comes with us, and a warm layer is essential: dawn at nearly 1,900 metres is cold even in July. The Lake Connector shuttle brings us back to Lake Louise, where we paddle out together on a guided canoe outing below the Victoria Glacier, weather permitting. Then choose your pace: hike up to the Lake Agnes Teahouse for tea and soup beside a hanging lake, or stroll the flat shoreline path.

Soir

Lunch and dinner are included, and tonight we sleep at the Lake Louise Inn in the village, a short walk from the shops.

Compris

• Parks Canada Alpine Start shuttle to Moraine Lake for sunrise
• Lake Connector shuttle to Lake Louise
• Guided group canoe on Lake Louise, weather permitting

The Icefields Parkway to Jasper

Lake Louise to Jasper on the Icefields Parkway, 233 km, about 3 hours plus stops

• Petit-déjeuner, repas du midi et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Chateau Jasper ou équivalent
• Environ 3 h de route

Après-midi

Lunch is included along the way. At the Columbia Icefield we join the Columbia Icefield Adventure: an Ice Explorer, a giant all-terrain bus, crawls down a steep moraine onto the Athabasca Glacier, and you step out to walk on ice that has flowed down from the icefield above. Next comes the Glacier Skywalk, a glass-floored walkway curving out over the Sunwapta Valley.

Soir

Our last stop is Athabasca Falls, where the river thunders through a narrow gorge, before Jasper, Chateau Jasper and dinner together.

Compris

• Stops at Bow Lake and the Peyto Lake viewpoint
• Columbia Icefield Adventure: Ice Explorer onto the Athabasca Glacier and the Glacier Skywalk
• Athabasca Falls

Maligne Lake and Spirit Island

Jasper to Maligne Lake and back, about 48 km and 1 hour each way

• Petit-déjeuner et repas du soir
• Hébergement : Chateau Jasper ou équivalent
• Environ 2 h de route

Matin

After breakfast we drive the Maligne Road into the valley east of Jasper, where elk often graze beside the road. We pause at Medicine Lake, which has no surface outlet: it drains through sinkholes in its bed into one of the largest underground river systems known in North America, and by late summer it can shrink to mudflats and winding channels. At Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies, we board the cruise to Spirit Island, a small tree-covered island that is a sacred place for the Stoney Nakoda and one of the most photographed views in Canada. Back on shore, the easy Mary Schäffer Loop follows the lake past signs telling how Schäffer reached it in 1908 with a map drawn for her by Samson Beaver, a Stoney Nakoda hunter.

Après-midi

The afternoon is free in Jasper: walk the town, ride the SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain, or rest.

Soir

In the evening we gather for a farewell dinner.

Compris

• Medicine Lake viewpoint
• Maligne Lake cruise to Spirit Island
• Walk on the Mary Schäffer Loop at Maligne Lake

Activités en option

• Jasper SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain

Jasper to Edmonton airport

Jasper to Edmonton International Airport, 389 km, about 4 hours

• Petit-déjeuner
• Environ 4 h de route

Matin

A last breakfast in Jasper, then we head east on the Yellowhead Highway. The road follows the Athabasca River out of the mountains, past lakes and gravel flats where bighorn sheep and elk are sometimes seen near the highway, and leaves the park at its east gate. The Front Ranges fall away behind us as we pass Hinton and Edson and roll on through the forest and farmland of central Alberta.

Après-midi

The drive is 389 km, just under four hours, with a stop to stretch and for lunch on your own. Finishing in Edmonton means we never drive the Icefields Parkway a second time, and it is about an hour shorter than the 412 km run back to Calgary. We aim to reach Edmonton International Airport (YEG) in the early afternoon, so please book a flight that leaves after 3 pm. If you would like more time in the Rockies or in Edmonton, ask us and we can help arrange extra nights before you fly home.

Compris

• Drop-off at Edmonton International Airport (YEG)