Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
The Rockies by Rail and Helicopter
7 days from Vancouver to Calgary: two days on the Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf, a private heli-hike, and two nights each at Banff Springs and Chateau Lake Louise.
7 days · Vancouver to Calgary · up to 8 guests
Early light on Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks Photo: Andrea Belvedere, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Moraine_Lake_-_36964910112.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Vancouver to Calgary
- Group size
- 5 to 8 guests
- Where you sleep
- HotelsA real bed every night, no tents
- Activity level
Moderate
You are happy with about 3 hours of guided walking on an alpine ridge after the helicopter lands, an optional 11 km return walk with roughly 370 m of climbing to the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse (a flat lakeshore stroll is the alternative) and one start before dawn. The two rail days are seated.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 4 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 4,495 (estimated price)
- Season
- June to September
Highlights
Why this trip
- Two days on the Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf, under a glass dome from the Fraser Canyon to the Continental Divide
- A private heli-hike from Canmore: the group lands on an alpine ridge with a mountain guide
- Moraine Lake at sunrise with a private guide, on a road closed to private cars
- A canoe on Lake Louise and tea at the Plain of Six Glaciers teahouse
- Two nights each at the Fairmont Banff Springs and the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
- Emerald Lake and the Kicking Horse valley in Yoho National Park
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 4,495 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Vancouver
Vancouver airport (YVR) to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia, about 30 minutes
- Dinner
- Stay: Rosewood Hotel Georgia or similar
- Drive about 30 min
Your host meets you in the arrivals hall at Vancouver International Airport (YVR), and a private car takes you about 30 minutes into the city, over the north arm of the Fraser River to the Rosewood Hotel Georgia on West Georgia Street. The hotel first opened in 1927 and reopened after a long restoration in 2011. It is a short walk from the Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Street and the Coal Harbour seawall, where floatplanes take off in front of Stanley Park and the North Shore mountains.
Afternoon
The afternoon is yours to rest after the flight or stretch your legs by the water.
Evening
In the evening the group meets for a welcome dinner, and your host talks you through the week ahead and tomorrow's early start for the train. Pack a small day bag tonight: your suitcase travels separately to Kamloops.
Included
- Private pickup at Vancouver International Airport (YVR)
- Welcome dinner with your host
Free time: Afternoon free
Rocky Mountaineer: the Fraser Canyon to Kamloops
Vancouver to Kamloops on the Rocky Mountaineer, GoldLeaf
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay: Kamloops hotel booked with the Rocky Mountaineer journey or similar
- By train
An early transfer takes you to the Rocky Mountaineer station and your GoldLeaf coach: an upper deck under a full glass dome, a dining room below and an open-air platform for photographs. The train runs only by daylight, so you miss none of the route. It leaves the city through the farms of the Fraser Valley, then climbs into the Fraser Canyon, where the river squeezes through Hell's Gate, a gap about 35 m wide. Past Lytton the line follows the Thompson River through steep, dry canyons, rock sheds and tunnels, and the forest gives way to sagebrush hills around Ashcroft and the long shore of Kamloops Lake.
Afternoon
Breakfast and lunch are cooked on board and served downstairs, with drinks included.
Evening
You reach Kamloops, where the North and South Thompson rivers meet, in the early evening, and your bags are waiting at the hotel. Dinner tonight is your own; your host can suggest a place nearby.
Included
- Transfer to the Rocky Mountaineer station
- Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf, first day: Vancouver to Kamloops
- Luggage taken by road to your Kamloops hotel
Free time: Evening free in Kamloops
Rocky Mountaineer: over the Rockies to Banff
Kamloops to Banff on the Rocky Mountaineer, GoldLeaf
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay: Fairmont Banff Springs or similar
- By train
Back on board after an early transfer, the train follows the South Thompson River and the shore of Shuswap Lake, then passes Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven on 7 November 1885 and the line first joined the country coast to coast. It crosses the Monashee Mountains by Eagle Pass and the Selkirks through tunnels beneath Rogers Pass; east of Revelstoke the clocks move forward an hour to Mountain Time. After Golden the line climbs the Kicking Horse River into Yoho National Park. Near Field it loops through the Spiral Tunnels, two tunnels that curl back on themselves inside the mountains to ease the grade, then crosses the Continental Divide at Kicking Horse Pass into Alberta and runs past Lake Louise and down the Bow Valley to Banff.
Evening
You arrive in the evening, and a short transfer takes you to the Fairmont Banff Springs, opened by the railway in 1888, for dinner together.
Included
- Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf, second day: Kamloops to Banff
- Transfer to the Fairmont Banff Springs
A private heli-hike above Canmore
Banff to the Canmore heliport, about 25 minutes each way
- Breakfast
- Stay: Fairmont Banff Springs or similar
- Drive about 45 min
Morning
After breakfast your private guide-driver takes the group about 25 minutes down the Bow Valley to the heliport at Canmore, a former coal-mining town just outside Banff National Park. Helicopter landings for sightseeing are not allowed inside the park, so heli-hiking here starts from Canmore. The group flies in two small parties of up to five, a flight of a few minutes up a narrow canyon to an alpine ridge above the treeline. A certified mountain guide then leads about three hours of walking across open ground, at the pace of the group, with the Bow Valley and the peaks around Canmore spread out below. The ridge is yours alone.
Afternoon
The helicopter brings you back down by early afternoon, and the rest of the day is free: book a treatment at the Willow Stream spa in the hotel, ride the gondola up Sulphur Mountain, or walk from the hotel to Bow Falls and into town along the river.
Included
- Private heli-hike from Canmore, about 3 hours with a certified mountain guide
- Private guide-driver to and from the Canmore heliport
Optional experiences
- Willow Stream spa treatment at the Fairmont Banff Springs
- Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain
Free time: Afternoon free in Banff
Activity: The flight runs only in safe weather; the pilot decides on the morning.
Lake Louise: a canoe and the Plain of Six Glaciers
Banff to Lake Louise, about 45 minutes
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise or similar
- Drive about 45 min
Your guide-driver takes you about 45 minutes up the Bow Valley to Lake Louise, where the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise stands at one end of the lake facing Victoria Glacier at the other. First you take a canoe out from the boathouse onto water coloured green and blue by rock flour, the fine silt carried down in glacial meltwater. Then walk the Plain of Six Glaciers trail, about 5.5 km each way from the hotel with roughly 370 m of climbing, first along the flat lakeshore and then up through the forest to a log teahouse that has served walkers for close to a century.
Afternoon
Lunch is there, with tea on the balcony. Strong walkers can go a little further to a viewpoint over the glaciers. If you would rather keep the day gentle, stroll the lakeshore path instead and have lunch at the Chateau.
Evening
Your room is ready when you are back, and dinner is together in the evening.
Included
- Canoe on Lake Louise
- Plain of Six Glaciers walk with lunch at the teahouse
Easier option: A gentle stroll along the Lake Louise shoreline instead of the teahouse walk, with lunch at the Chateau.
More active option: Continue past the teahouse to the viewpoint over the glaciers.
Free time: Late afternoon free
Activity: The teahouse is open in summer only and takes cash.
Moraine Lake at sunrise and Emerald Lake
Moraine Lake, then Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise or similar
- Drive about 2 h
Morning
An early start: your private guide drives you about 14 km up the Moraine Lake Road in the dark, a road closed to private cars, so the group is there before first light. A short climb up the Rockpile path brings you above the lake to watch the sun reach the Valley of the Ten Peaks and the water turn from grey to deep blue. Back at the Chateau for a late breakfast, then cross the Continental Divide at Kicking Horse Pass into British Columbia and Yoho National Park, about 40 minutes away. On the way you stop at the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint, where freight trains loop through the mountains you rode through on day 3, and at the Natural Bridge, where the Kicking Horse River has cut through solid rock.
Afternoon
Lunch is by Emerald Lake, under Mount Burgess.
Evening
The afternoon is free back at Lake Louise, and the week ends with a farewell dinner.
Included
- Moraine Lake at sunrise with a private guide, road access included
- Spiral Tunnels viewpoint and the Natural Bridge
- Lunch at Emerald Lake in Yoho National Park
- Farewell dinner
Free time: Afternoon free
Activity: The Rockpile path is short but rocky and steep in places; take a torch for the dark.
Lake Louise to Calgary
Lake Louise to Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 2 hours 15 minutes
- Breakfast
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
A slow last morning. Early risers can walk down to the shore while the canoes are still stacked on the boathouse dock and the lake lies flat under Victoria Glacier. After breakfast your private driver takes you east on the Trans-Canada Highway, down the Bow Valley past Banff and the Three Sisters at Canmore, and out of the mountains into the rolling foothills to Calgary International Airport (YYC), about 205 km and roughly 2 hours 15 minutes. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm, and tell us your flight time so we can set the pickup to suit it. The trip ends at the departures door.
Evening
If you would like more time in the mountains or a night in Calgary before you fly, ask us and we can add it to your booking.
Included
- Private transfer to Calgary International Airport (YYC)
Free time: Early morning free
- Vancouver1 night
- Kamloops1 night
- Banff2 nights
- Lake Louise2 nights
- Calgaryend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: Summer days in the Rockies are mild and the nights cool, and mountain weather turns quickly, with afternoon thunderstorms common in July and August. Smoke from distant wildfires can haze the views on some summer days. Elk, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and black and grizzly bears are sometimes seen from the train and the road, but no sighting is certain.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the Canadian Rockies at an easy pace, in the railway hotels at Banff and Lake Louise
- Rail travellers who want the whole Rocky Mountaineer route to Banff in daylight
- Couples and friends marking an occasion who would like a small group or a private trip
Not for you if you want
- Travellers looking for Jasper and the Icefields Parkway: this trip stays around Banff, Lake Louise and Yoho
- Anyone who would rather not fly in a small helicopter
- Travellers on a tight budget
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Named stays, or similar where we are still confirming.
1 night · Day 1
Rosewood Hotel Georgiaor similar
Vancouver · Hotel
Downtown, on West Georgia Street
1 night · Day 2
Kamloops hotel booked with the Rocky Mountaineer journeyor similar
Kamloops · Hotel
Assigned by Rocky Mountaineer and included in the rail fare
Photo: Ron Cogswell, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Banff_Springs_Fairmont_--_Banff,_Alberta,_Canada_September_2019_(49396667462).jpg) 2 nights · Days 3 and 4
Fairmont Banff Springsor similar
Banff · Hotel
Above Bow Falls, a short walk from Banff town
Inside the park
2 nights · Days 5 and 6
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louiseor similar
Lake Louise · Hotel
On the shore of Lake Louise
Inside the park
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights, twin share: 1 in Vancouver, 1 in Kamloops with the rail journey, 2 at the Fairmont Banff Springs and 2 at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Transport
- Private pickup at Vancouver airport (YVR)
- Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf, two days from Vancouver to Banff with a night in Kamloops
- Rail station transfers, with your luggage taken by road to the hotels
- Private vehicles with guide-drivers in the Rockies, from Banff to Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and Emerald Lake
- Private transfer to Calgary airport (YYC)
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours host with the group throughout
- Private guide-drivers in the Rockies
- A certified mountain guide on the heli-hike
Activities
- Private heli-hike from Canmore, about 3 hours with a mountain guide
- Canoe on Lake Louise
- Plain of Six Glaciers walk with lunch at the teahouse
- Moraine Lake at sunrise with a private guide, road access included
- Emerald Lake, the Natural Bridge and the Spiral Tunnels viewpoint in Yoho National Park
Meals
- 6 breakfasts, 2 of them on the train
- 4 lunches: 2 on the train, one at Lake Louise and one by Emerald Lake
- 4 dinners: a welcome dinner in Vancouver, dinner in Banff, dinner at Lake Louise and a farewell dinner
- Drinks served on board the Rocky Mountaineer
Not included
- Flights to Vancouver and from Calgary
- Travel insurance
- Dinner in Kamloops on day 2 and in Banff on day 4
- Lunch on days 1, 4 and 7
- Drinks with meals off the train
- Spa treatments and other optional activities
- Tips
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 4,495 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the trip include?
Six nights, twin share, including two at the Fairmont Banff Springs and two at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise; two days on the Rocky Mountaineer in GoldLeaf; a See Sight Tours host throughout with private guide-drivers in the Rockies; a private heli-hike with a mountain guide; the canoe, the Plain of Six Glaciers walk, Moraine Lake at sunrise and Emerald Lake; every transfer; 6 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 4 dinners.
What is GoldLeaf service on the Rocky Mountaineer?
GoldLeaf is the upper service on the Rocky Mountaineer. You sit on the upper deck of a two-level coach under a full glass dome, eat breakfast and lunch in a dining room on the lower deck, and can step out onto an open-air platform for photographs. Meals are cooked on board, and drinks are included.
Do we sleep on the train?
No. The Rocky Mountaineer travels only by daylight, so you see the whole route. After the first day you spend the night in a Kamloops hotel booked by Rocky Mountaineer and rejoin the train the next morning. Your suitcase goes ahead by road to the hotel.
How fit do I need to be for the heli-hike?
If you can walk for 2 to 3 hours on uneven ground with some short climbs, you will be fine. The mountain guide sets the pace for the group, and the flight itself takes only a few minutes. Wear sturdy shoes and bring layers. If you have questions about mobility or flying, tell us when you book.
Which airports do I fly into and out of?
Fly into Vancouver International (YVR), where your host meets you on day 1, and home from Calgary International (YYC), about 2 hours 15 minutes by road from Lake Louise. Book a flight leaving after about 2 pm on day 7. Flights are not included.
When does the trip run?
From June to September. The heli-hiking season starts in late June, and the Moraine Lake Road, the Lake Louise canoes and the teahouse open during June as the snow and ice clear, so departures from late June to mid-September keep every day as planned.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 5 to 8 guests and a See Sight Tours host.
Can we travel privately or on our own?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose that matches a Rocky Mountaineer departure. If you would rather travel on your own on your own dates, ask us from the dates section: we can book the same train, hotels, heli-hike and guided days for you.
How much does it cost?
Prices are per person sharing a room, with taxes, and differ by style: small group or private. The small group starts from CAD 19,595 per person, and a room of your own is from CAD 4,495 more. Pick your start date when you request to book, and we confirm your trip within 24 hours. Nothing is charged until then.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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