Canadian Rockies Tour

Canadian Rockies Tour

Tours Starts: Calgary, AB

Tours Ends: Calgary, AB

Day 1

Arrive in Calgary, AB

If you booked your flight with YMT, you will be met by a representative at the airport and transferred to the hotel. Calgary is the third-largest city in Canada, located in a scenic and decidedly rural setting amongst Western Canada’s foothills and dense prairie. Spend the evening relaxing on your own!

Sandman Calgary City Center or similar

Day 2

Edmonton via Elk Island National Park

Today you’ll travel Edmonton, with a stop at Elk Island National Park en route. Elk Island National Park is a sanctuary of rolling woodlands and meadows dotted with lakes, bogs and ponds. It was originally established as a fenced-in reserve in 1906 to save a number of Western Canada’s most iconic animals, including the then critically-endangered elk. Over the decades, the elk population recovered, and the reserve grew into the stunning Elk Island National Park.

Continue to Edmonton, where we encourage you to enjoy the evening relaxing in this city because tomorrow you head deep into some of Canada’s wilderness. (B)

Hilton Garden Inn West Edmonton or similar

Day 3

Jasper National Park via Hinton

Enjoy a peaceful cruise on a narrated panoramic tour across the crystal waters of glacier-fed Maligne Lake. Glide past jagged mountain peaks as we cruise to Spirit Island, a world-famous destination only accessible by boat. Next, experience Jasper National Park, the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies. Its landscape covers an expansive region of rugged backcountry and mountainous terrain across numerous protected ecosystems, including the world-renowned Columbia Icefield. It’s also home to some of North America’s largest populations of grizzly bears, moose, and elk. The night will be spent in Hinton. (B)

Holiday Inn Hinton or similar

Day 4

Icefields Parkway and Banff National Park

After an included breakfast, travel along the Icefields Parkway en route to stunning Banff. Stop to experience the breathtaking Athabasca Glacier, the most visited glacier in North America, nestled at the bottom of the Columbia Icefield. Board a massive Brewster Ice Explorer and take a remarkable excursion onto the surface of the Athabasca Glacier. Experience the full magnitude of this enormous icefield as you take in the view and feel the glacier underfoot. You'll also have the opportunity to join one our most exciting optional tours by stepping onto the “Glacier Skywalk,” a glass floor observation platform suspended 918 feet over the Sunwapta Valley. (B)

Coast Hotel Canmore or similar

Day 5

Banff National Park

Spend the day absorbing the beauty of Banff. Enjoy a stop at Bow Falls, where you will take in the sparkling water dancing in the sunlight, and hear it roar as it cascades down the limestone ledges. Peyto Lake is a perennially popular spot for visitors. Significant amounts of glacial rock flour flow into Peyto Lake from a nearby glacier, and these suspended rock particles are what give the lake a unique bright, blue-green color. Finally, see Canada's "Diamond in the Wilderness," Lake Louise, known for its glacier fed turquoise waters. The lake’s tranquil surface mirroring the magnificent peaks and lush forest all around will leave you speechless, making Lake Louise a perfect location to take a picture worth much more than a thousand words. (B)

Coast Hotel Canmore or similar

Day 6

Waterton Lakes National Park

Drive the scenic route from Banff to Waterton Lakes National Park, which features a mild climate, rare wildflowers, wildlife, and unusual terrain that abruptly transitions from the prairie grasslands to the rugged, wind-swept peaks that form the Continental Divide. Enjoy the scenery and a leisurely afternoon in Cranbrook! (B)

St. Eugene Resort or similar

Day 7

Kalispell via Flathead Lake

En route to Kalispell, enjoy a memorable sightseeing trip to Flathead Lake. One of the biggest lakes in the United States, Flathead covers nearly 200 square miles. Its water is remarkably clean, you can often see more than 20 feet down, which, locals love to tell visitors, allows you to see the Flathead Lake Monster that much more clearly. (B)

Red Lion Kalispell or similar

Day 8

Lethbridge Via the Going to the Sun Road

From Kalispell, take the breathtaking Going to the Sun Road to Lethbridge, with a memorable stop at the Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump along the way. Learn about the Blackfoot people and their traditions at this buffalo jump that was used for 5,500 years by the indigenous peoples of the plains to kill buffalo by driving them off the 36-foot-high cliff. (B)

Sandman Hotel Lethbridge or similar

Day 9

Fort MacLeod and Calgary

Start your final full day with an educational visit to Fort MacLeod’s Fort Museum, which houses a range of exhibits celebrating local history and First Nations traditions in a way that is interactive and fun for all ages. This reconstructed institution provides an amazing window into the way life was in this once far-flung outpost. Continue to Calgary and enjoy the evening on your own in one of the world’s most livable cities.

This morning enjoy Fort Macleod, a remarkable town that is visually stunning, full of history, and bursting with activities for visitors to enjoy. Fort Macleod's main street is an exhibit in itself, with historic buildings dating back to the 1800s. As the first outpost of the North West Mounted Police, you can imagine the kind of heritage to be discovered just by walking around this lovely community. (B)

Sandman Calgary City Center or similar

BONUS: CALGARY STAMPEDE:

July 2, 2021 departure will visit the Calgary Stampede, an event that celebrates Canada's western heritage, culture and community spirit. Experience midway rides, bucking broncos, live music, and delicious food on the annual event that bills itself as "The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth."

Day 10

Depart for Home (B)

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tours vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights.