Canadian Rockies walking vacation, Alberta
| country: | Canada |
| location: | Canadian Rockies, Alberta |
| trip type: | Moderate walking vacations |
| departures: | 2007: 9 Sep |
| price: | CA $2695 (6 days) excluding flights, CA $450 single supplement |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A fully guided, all-inclusive walking and hiking adventure tour on the best hiking trails in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Enjoy fine accommodations & dining and responsible small group travel.
Soaring peaks and vast open meadows; Mount Assiniboine rises 10,000 feet above a sea of wildflowers. In Banff National Park, travel the Plain of Six Glaciers to the dazzling waters of Lake Louise, an emerald encased in a valley. The terminal moraine is a gift left by the Lower Victoria Glacier during the Little Ice Age, its waters flowing through a steep, narrow gorge. Quartzite cliffs and meltwater streams give way to a splendid view of all six glaciers.
The Columbia Icefields…extraordinary mountain vistas, walls of ice, stunning lakes and waterfalls en route to Jasper National Park. At Stutfield Glacier, the interlacing channels of a braided river flow along the valley floor and evolve into the majestic Sunwapta Falls. The Sunshine Meadow Trail…a sub-alpine paradise of wildflowers. At Maligne Lake, an open forest of lodgepole pine and spruce are a haven for wildlife; the Brewers sparrow sings in the willows. A journey that expands the soul.
Soaring peaks and vast open meadows; Mount Assiniboine rises 10,000 feet above a sea of wildflowers. In Banff National Park, travel the Plain of Six Glaciers to the dazzling waters of Lake Louise, an emerald encased in a valley. The terminal moraine is a gift left by the Lower Victoria Glacier during the Little Ice Age, its waters flowing through a steep, narrow gorge. Quartzite cliffs and meltwater streams give way to a splendid view of all six glaciers.
The Columbia Icefields…extraordinary mountain vistas, walls of ice, stunning lakes and waterfalls en route to Jasper National Park. At Stutfield Glacier, the interlacing channels of a braided river flow along the valley floor and evolve into the majestic Sunwapta Falls. The Sunshine Meadow Trail…a sub-alpine paradise of wildflowers. At Maligne Lake, an open forest of lodgepole pine and spruce are a haven for wildlife; the Brewers sparrow sings in the willows. A journey that expands the soul.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | We’ll pick you up at your accommodations in Calgary at 10am and we’ll begin our day along the trails at Sunshine Meadows near the famous Sunshine ski resort. Sunshine Meadows offers alpine vistas and a colourful array of wildflowers. Arriving in the open meadows, we get our first views of Mount Assiniboine. This signature landmark rises an impressive 3600 meters, (almost 12,000 feet). Its snowy crown is a magnet for the eyes and the first of many peaks we’ll enjoy in our view over the next six days. Tonight we’ll enjoy the hospitality of the Caribou Lodge in Banff. The hand-hewn logs framing the lodge and the massive fieldstone fireplace set the ambience of this mountain lodge and spa. (Hike up to 10 km or 6 miles, Drive up to 2 hours) |
| Day 2: | Today we’ll cross the provincial border into British Columbia and another national park of hanging glaciers and breathtaking summits. Kootenay National Park was once a meeting place for Plains and Mountain First Nations as well as fur traders and explorers. Pictographs and ancient paint pots used by the Kootenai Indians to decorate themselves and their teepees years ago are found in this park. Our hike takes us on a well travelled trail in the Rockies to Stanley Glacier. Stanley Peak/Glacier was named in 1901 after Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, Canada's 6 th Governor General. Well-known in hockey circles, the NHL's Stanley Cup also carries Lord Stanley's name. We’ll enjoy the same lodge this evening. (Hike up to 10 kms or 6 miles, Drive up to 1 hour) |
| Day 3: | Today we’ll hike the Plain of Six Glaciers in the area of Lake Louise, often referred to as the “Hiking Capital of the Rocky Mountains”. The Stoney Indian people knew the lake as Ho-run-num-nay, the "Lake of the Little Fishes," which lies in a valley close to some of the higher peaks in the Canadian Rockies.Lake Louise has been a famous region for tourists since the late 1800’s upon the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway and accommodations near the lake. In 1902, Lake Louise, Moraine Lake and the surrounding area were protected as Banff National Park. The trail gives views of the terminal moraine left by the most recent advance of the Lower Victoria Glacier during the Little Ice Age, which peaked circa 1850. The present outlet stream flows through the steep, narrow gorge it has breached in the material deposited at the toe of the receding glacier. Quartzite cliffs and rushing glacial meltwater streams will guide our way to our arrival at – yes - a teahouse. The view here reveals the complement of six glaciers that gave rise to the name: hanging glaciers on Mts. Aberdeen, Lefroy, and Victoria; the Lefroy and Lower Victoria valley glaciers; and finally the bulge of a hanging glacier on Popes Peak to the north. We’ll enjoy the same lodge this evening. (Hike up to 14 kms or 8 ½ miles, Drive up to 1 ½ hours) |
| Day 4: | Today we’ll travel the Icefield Parkway through the Columbia Icefields on our way to Jasper National Park. Dramatic mountain vistas, huge walls of ice, beautiful lakes, and spectacular waterfalls make this one of the world’s classic mountain drives. Look for bighorn sheep and goats at Tangle Falls, Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint and Goat Lookout. Stutfield Glacier Viewpoint offers a view of the Sunwapta River, an excellent example of a braided river. The valley bottom is filled with sand and gravel spreading the river across the valley floor in interlacing channels. The Stutfield Glacier features a picturesque pair of ice falls, which spill down the face of Mt. Stutfield. We’ll enjoy the majestic beauty and power of Sunwapta Falls and Canyon and see where the Sunwapta River changes its course abruptly from northwest to southwest, then plummets into a deep canyon producing a spectacular waterfall. We’ll hike at Wilcox Pass. The view across the Icefields is spectacular. Tonight we’ll relax in the wilderness setting of the Tekarra Lodge in Jasper. (Hike up to 6 kms or 4 miles, Drive up to 4 hour) |
| Day 5: | Today’s hike takes us to the most photographed area in the Rocky Mountains. Maligne Lake is not only the oldest attraction in Jasper National Park but also the largest lake in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Our trail to the Bald Hills, overlooking Maligne Lake, will take us along the open forest of lodgepole pine and spruce, home of moose, caribou and Harlequin Ducks and many other types of wildlife. Listen for the trilling of the Brewers sparrows that nest in the willows here. We’ll enjoy the same lodging tonight. (Hike up to 10 kms or 6 miles, Drive up to 2 hours) |
| Day 6: | As we travel back to Calgary today we’ll enjoy stops and short walks along the way. We’ll arrive in Calgary and the end of our adventure at approximately 5pm.(Sightseeing with short walks, Drive up to 6 hours) |
how this holiday makes a difference
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This is a fully guided, all-inclusive walking and hiking adventure tour on the best hiking trails in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. On this tour we practice "no-trace" hiking which means we travel on durable surfaces and use existing trails to minimize the impact on the environment. Our guests use only reusable dishes and containers, our guides make ever effort to gather garbage along the trails we use.
We practice a strict you pack it in; you pack it out policy and even supply our guests with potty packs while hiking. Due to the delicate ecology of the remote areas we travel while in Alberta, we promise small group travel with typically no more than 12 hikers at one time in an effort to reduce the impact on the landscape. While in Alberta, we will employ local guides, purchase food locally and stay in locally owned and operated small scale inns in our effort to enhance the economy of the smaller, more remote areas of the province. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |