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Difficulty Level
This tour has a moderate difficulty; a good level of fitness is required
for hikes averaging 4-6 hours.
Included Highlights
Banff, Jasper, & Yoho National Parks
Jasper Aerial Tramway
Overnight canoe trip in Wells Gray Park
Miette Hot Springs
Accommodation
13 nights camping
Transportation
15-passenger van
Food Included
Most meals while camping.
Tour leader
throughout
Budget
Food kitty CAD$156 covers most meals while camping. Allow CA$50 meals
not included.
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Designed for those who want to get off the beaten
path and into the parks, this tour enables travelers to day hike
some of the most scenic trails in the Canadian Rockies. Our journey explores
six national and provincial parks, including Banff, Jasper and Yoho. Throughout,
we’ll see a wide variety of terrain including spectacular alpine
meadows, sweeping glaciers, hanging valleys and mountain forests and streams.
We include an overnight canoe trip in Wells Gray Provincial Park and entrance
to Miette Hot Springs. Watch for caribou, elk, moose, deer, bighorn sheep,
mountain goat and bears.
Day 1 Whistler, BC
From Vancouver we follow the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler. From hiking
to rafting to mountain biking, Whistler has it all. Free time will be
given to explore Whistler Village when we arrive. We suggest taking the
Gondola to the top of Whistler Mountain for a hike in the high alpine
meadows or rent a mountain bike and explore the area on wheels.
Day 2 Clearwater, BC
Today we travel through Cariboo Country, a region of rolling hills and
prairies, thick forests, granite-walled canyons and impressive river valleys.
We arrive in the late afternoon just outside of Wells Gray Provincial
Park and set up camp at a local ranch in the area.
Day 3 Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC
Wells Gray is more than 520,000 hectares in size and encompasses most
of the Clearwater River watershed in the Caribou Mountains. Plunging 141
meters in a straight drop, Helmcken Falls is about three times higher
than Niagara Falls. Splendidly photogenic, the fast flowing Murtle River
shoots over a volcanic cliff at Helmcken and falls directly into a gorge
in a roaring, misty display. From here we embark on an overnight canoe
trip into the heart of Wells Gray Provincial Park.
Day 4, 5 Mt. Robson Provincial Park, BC
Mount Robson Provincial Park is truly one of the world's crown jewels.
The 3,954 meter high mountain for which the park is named guards the park's
western entrance. One of the best-known trails in the Rocky Mountains,
the Berg Lake Trail has played host to hikers of all abilities who wish
to experience the simple joy of backcountry hiking.
Day 6, 7 Jasper National Park, AB
Spanning 1,078 square kilometers of broad valleys and craggy mountains,
Jasper is the largest of Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks. Within
the park, we hike the alpine meadows of Mount Edith Cavell, which afford
a spectacular view of the Angel Wing Hanging Glacier. On Day 7, on our
way to Maligne Lake, we hike Maligne Canyon and the Bald Hills. We end
our stay in Jasper with a therapeutic soak in Miette Hot Springs.
Day 8, 9 Banff National
Park & Lake Louise, AB
A full day of sightseeing along the Icefield’s Parkway will take
your breath away. The Columbia Icefield is the largest of the chain of
icefields along the Great Divide separating Alberta and British Columbia.
In the late morning we arrive at the Athabasca Glacier. In the company
of certified mountain guides, clients will have the option to strap on
crampons and join a naturalist for a two hour guided walk on the surface
of the Athabasca Glacier, a massive river of ice riddled with an estimated
30,000 crevasses. In the late afternoon we arrive in Banff National Park.
Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometers of mountains, glaciers, forests
and alpine meadows. On Day 9 we hike Johnston Canyon, visit Lake Louise
and Morraine Lake and then make our way into the Banff townsite.
Day 10, 11 Yoho National
Park, BC
The native expression for "awe" and "wonder" is Yoho.
In Yoho National Park, we visit Takakawa Falls, the highest in the Canadian
Rockies, and hike through Yoho Valley to glacier fed Emerald Lake. On
Day 11 travellers have the option to go white water rafting on the Kicking
Horse River, horseback riding from our campground, or visit the Grizzly
Bear sanctuary at Kicking Horse Resort.
Day 12 Revelstoke, BC
Today we will travel the meadows in the Sky Parkway to the top of Mount
Revelstoke. Upon arrival at the top we will be rewarded with the spectacular
view of the ice-clad peaks of the Monashee Mountains and to the east,
the Selkirk Mountains. From here we will enjoy a hike in the alpine meadows
of Revelstoke National Park.
Day 13 Vancouver, BC
After passing through the dramatic Fraser Valley, we arrive in Vancouver,
bordered by the majestic Coastal Mountains and Pacific Ocean.
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