Rockies Rail Experience
via Crowsnest

Itinerary

Day 1: VANCOUVER

Guests check into the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel (or similar) in this cosmopolitan city for a one night stay. Tonight we enjoy a welcome dinner. (Dinner included)

Day 2: VANCOUVER – KAMLOOPS - The Canyons

Early morning we depart Vancouver’s Granville Street Station, beneath the original Canadian Pacific Terminal, for Kamloops, some 250 miles away (Note: operational constraints may dictate that we depart from Coquitlam in Vancouver’s suburbs). We follow Burrard Inlet then enter the awesome Lower Fraser River and later Thompson River Canyons before our evening arrival in Kamloops. Throughout the day we will experience the changing scenery of lush greenery, shady maples and alder trees, rugged mountains and barren lands. This evening we stay in the Executive Inn. (All three meals included)

Day 3: KAMLOOPS – GOLDEN - The Lakes

After breakfast we join the Spirit of Kamloops Heritage train for a short journey. On returning to Kamloops we rejoin our private train and continue our journey into the awe-inspiring Rocky Mountains, passing Craigellachie, where the last spike was driven to complete the Trans-Continental rail link on the 7th of November, 1885. We have a private visit to the Railway Museum in Revelstoke before ending our day at the important junction of Golden, which is nestled in the stunning Columbia Valley, and is surrounded by three different mountain ranges and five National Parks where we have dinner and stay overnight. (All three meals included)

Day 4: GOLDEN – FORT STEELE – Columbia River Valley

From Golden the train diverges from the CPR main line and takes the former Kootenay Railway, south along the Columbia River Valley towards the US border. Overnight in Cranbrook. Dinner and period entertainment in the reconstructed Alexandra Hall, the fabulous original dining room from the Canadian Pacific Railway Hotel in Winnipeg. (All three meals included)

Day 5: CRANBROOK – CROWSNEST PASS – LETHBRIDGE – The Rockies

In the morning we have a private visit to the Canadian Museum of Rail Travel before taking the spectacular line through the Crowsnest Pass, where we cross the continental divide. There is an optional visit (at additional cost) to the excellent Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, it celebrates Native American culture and customs and has been used continuously for more than 5,500 years. One of the world's oldest, largest and best preserved buffalo jumps known to exist, it is a remarkable testimony of prehistoric life. We spend the night in Lethbridge. (All three meals included)

Day 6: LETHBRIDGE – CALGARY – The Prairies

This morning we have the opportunity to photograph our train on the spectacular 1 mile long and 314 feet high Lethbridge Trestle. The largest in North America, this amazing steel structure was completed in 1909 to replace the original wooden bridge. We then continue our journey north through the Prairies to Calgary, arriving mid afternoon into the Canadian Pacific Railway Pavilion. The Pavilion is attached to the fivestar Fairmont Palliser Hotel, where we will stay overnight. (Breakfast and lunch included)

Day 7: CALGARY

Our tour ends with breakfast in the Hotel’s Rimrock Room. Before flying out you may have time to explore this lively city. Although very modern, Calgary still retains much of its traditional culture of saloons and western bars and is known by many as the “Nashville of the North”. A drink in one of these bars is a great way to soak up the atmosphere. Some of the many other attractions not to be missed include the Calgary Tower with its glass observation deck, which provides terrific views of the city skyline; Devonian Gardens, one of the largest urban indoor gardens in the world; and Calgary’s Heritage Park, which recreates nineteenth century life. (Breakfast included)