Western Canada Tour
Grand Tour of the Canadian Rockies
The tour of the Canadian Rockies is packed with breathtaking scenery, adventure and natural history as you explore Banff, Jasper and Yoho national parks. Climb up the surface of a glacier on an Ice Explorer… learn park history, legends and folklore… keep an eye out for elk, bighorn sheep, moose and grizzlies… discover the Icefields Parkway… explore Jasper National Park … and stay in the Canadian Rockies’ best resorts – at The Fairmont Banff Springs, The Jasper Park Lodge, and in lake-view rooms at The Chateau Lake Louise.
Day 1 – Calgary
Your tour starts from Calgary, across the last few miles of Canadian prairie to Kananaskis country, the foothills of Canada’s Rocky Mountains.
Lodging: Delta Lodge at Kananaskis
Day 2 – Glacial Lakes 
From Kananaskis, head high up into the Canadian Rockies and cross the Continental Divide through Kicking Horse Pass on a day of Alberta travel on which you’ll see three of the most beautiful lakes in North America. Enter Yoho National Park, where Emerald Lake sparkles with the surrounding peaks reflected in the green waters. See the Spiral Tunnels, a century-old railway engineering feat; Natural Bridge, a rock formation over the Kicking Horse River; and Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Arrive at your chateau-style hotel on the edge of Lake Louise overlooking Victoria Glacier in Banff National Park, where you’ll enjoy lake-view accommodations.
Lodging: The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Day 3 – Journey along the Icefields Parkway 
Set off along the Icefields Parkway, featuring jaw-dropping views of mountains, waterfalls, glaciers, and snowfields around every turn. Watch for bears, moose, elk, bighorn sheep, and mountain goats – especially in the spring and fall – en route to your lodge in the heart of Jasper National Park. Attend a presentation by a Parks Canada official to hear the history, legends and folklore that are the very essence of Canada’s magnificent national parks.
Lodging: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Day 4 – Jasper National Park 
Explore magnificent Jasper National Park with your choice of an included “Jasper Your Way” discovery tour. You may choose from among an “Experience Maligne Valley” tour offering a guided walk along the beautiful Maligne Lake shoreline; a “Wildlife Discovery Tour,” joining a wildlife interpreter to search for bear, elk and more; an Athabasca River whitewater rafting adventure led by Rocky Mountain River Guides; or a trip on the Jasper Tramway through alpine tundra, leading to the interesting alpine town of Jasper. Or you may want to engage in some of the optional activities at your lodge including horseback riding, biking, tennis, golf, fishing or boating.
Lodging: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge
Day 5 – Athabasca Falls 
View powerful Athabasca Falls and Glacier on the Columbia Icefield – the largest ice cap in the Canadian Rockies – as well as the two majestic peaks that frame it. Then take a memorable ride across the surface of Athabasca Glacier on an Ice Explorer, a specially designed vehicle, for a close look at the glacier’s geological features. Arrive in Banff National Park, the first national park in Canada; your grand hotel, one of the Rockies’ finest resorts, was built more than a century ago to resemble a Scottish baronial castle.
Lodging: The Fairmont Banff Springs
Day 6 – Banff National Park 
Explore Banff National Park and environs. You may wish to check out the village of Banff, which, with its spectacular scenery and trendy shops and boutiques, has grown over the decades to rival the chic alpine villages of the American Rockies. There are many optional activities to choose from: ride the Banff gondola, take a guided nature walk, go horseback riding, mountain biking, or canoeing on the Bow River. Play a round of golf at your world-famous resort, or perhaps book an alpine aromatherapy massage at the Willow Stream Spa, ranked among the top spas in Canada.
Lodging: The Fairmont Banff Springs
Day 7: Homeward Bound
Your tour ends with a trip back to Calgary or you could extend your vacation west towards Vancouver, with beautiful islands and seashore.
