TvlLeaders: Traveling by Train Onboard Rocky Mountaineer

Traveling by Train Onboard Rocky Mountaineer

Day 1

My co-worker Karen and I arrived in Vancouver and made our way to Georgian Court Hotel and then promptly walked down to the Vancouver Lookout. The glass elevator up to the top was cool and the view was amazing! With our feet firmly planted back on the ground we walked to Gastown. Very cool places to shop. We also saw the whistling steam clock.

Day 2

We were transferred from our hotel to the Rocky Mountaineer rail station. We boarded the train for our Silver Leaf service for our ‘Journey Through the Clouds!’ We departed Vancouver for Kamloops. Hot breakfast and lunch was served to us at our seats. We also received complimentary snacks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages during the rail journey. Highlights of what we saw on the way was the lush fields of the Fraser Valley, forests and winding river canyons surrounded by the Cascade Mountains, the desert-like environment of the British Columbia interior and the rushing waters of Hell’s Gate and the steep slopes and rock sheds along the Thompson River. In Kamloops we spent the night at the Thompson Hotel & Conference Centre.

Day 3

We were picked up at our hotel and brought back to the Rocky Mountaineer train where we headed to Jasper. Once again we were surrounded by dramatic scenery as we followed the banks of the North Thompson River through the Monashee and Cariboo Mountains, climbing nearer to the high peaks of the Continental Divide. The day’s highlights included Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, Pyramid Falls and the climb over the Yellowhead Pass into Jasper National Park. We said goodbye to the train and the wonderful staff. Our hotel for the night in Jasper was the Whistlers Inn.

Day 4

We boarded a motorcoach and traveled along the Icefields Parkway, one of the world’s most scenic highways, on route to Lake Louise. The highlight of our tour was the visit to the Columbia Icefield and the ride on the Ice Explorer on the Athabasca Glacier. We stayed at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise.

Day 5

We had free time to explore Lake Louise on our own. After lunch we had boarded the motorcoach and went to Yoho National Park to view some of its natural wonders. Among them was the Spiral Tunnels, Emerald Lake and a natural rock bridge that spans the Kicking Horse River. From there we headed to Banff where we spent the night at the Banff Caribou Lodge.