Canadian Rockies by Rail: 9 Days Rocky Mountaineer Banff Jasper Lake Louise

Tour Overview

Itinerary Highlights

Day 1: Arrive Vancouver — Pacific Gateway

Touch down at Vancouver International Airport. Vancouver is consistently ranked among the world’s most livable cities — a place where glass skyscrapers are framed by snow-capped mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Transfer to your downtown hotel. Afternoon: explore Stanley Park, a 1,001-acre urban oasis larger than New York’s Central Park. Walk the Seawall (the world’s longest uninterrupted waterfront path at 28km) past the iconic Nine O’Clock Gun, the Brockton Point totem poles (one of the world’s most visited Indigenous art collections), and views across to the North Shore Mountains. Welcome dinner at a restaurant in Gastown, Vancouver’s oldest neighborhood of cobblestone streets, its famous steam clock, and converted Victorian warehouses filled with some of Canada’s best restaurants. Overnight in Vancouver.

Day 2: Board Rocky Mountaineer — Vancouver to Kamloops

The journey begins. Board the Rocky Mountaineer at Vancouver’s Pacific Central Station. This is not ordinary train travel — the Rocky Mountaineer is one of the world’s most celebrated rail experiences, with glass-domed coaches (SilverLeaf or GoldLeaf Service) designed for maximum views of the spectacular scenery. The train departs at 7:30 AM. The first leg follows the Fraser River through the fertile Fraser Valley, past dairy farms and hop fields, before entering the dramatic Fraser Canyon. Here the river squeezes through narrow gorges where the walls close in to just 34m — Hell’s Gate. The train passes Cisco Crossing, where two railway bridges cross at different levels, and continues through the avalanche sheds and tunnels of the Thompson River canyon. The landscape transitions from coastal rainforest to semi-arid interior — the rain shadow of the Coast Mountains. You’ll pass through areas only accessible by rail, seeing scenery invisible from any road. Arrive Kamloops by early evening. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Kamloops.

Day 3: Kamloops to Banff — Into the Rockies

Re-board early for the most spectacular day of rail travel. The train leaves Kamloops and follows the South Thompson River eastward, through ranchlands dotted with cattle. The first glimpse of the Rockies comes as you pass through Craigellachie, where the “Last Spike” of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in 1885 — the single event that united Canada from coast to coast. The transformation is sudden: the rounded hills of the interior give way to the jagged, snow-dusted peaks of the Canadian Rockies. The train crosses Rogers Pass in Glacier National Park, where the CPR built spiral tunnels through the mountains — engineering marvels that reduce the gradient by looping inside the mountains. The scenery is relentless: Castle Mountain, the Victoria Glacier, the turquoise Bow River racing alongside the tracks. The final approach to Banff passes through the Bow Valley with the Three Sisters peaks as your welcoming committee. Arrive Banff in the evening. Transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Banff.

Day 4: Banff National Park — Canada’s First

Banff National Park was established in 1885 after railway workers discovered natural hot springs — Canada’s first national park and the third in the world, now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site spanning 23,000 km² across four connected national parks. Morning: ride the Banff Gondola to the summit of Sulphur Mountain (2,281m). The 360-degree panorama from the observation deck is breathtaking — six mountain ranges visible, the Bow River winding through the valley below, and the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, the “Castle in the Rockies” (1888), looking like a miniature castle from this height. Walk the boardwalk to Sanson’s Peak (2,333m) for even better views. Afternoon: explore the Banff townsite — the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, the historic Cave and Basin (the hot spring that started it all), and Banff Avenue with its charming mountain-town vibe. Optional: soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs with mountain views. Evening: wildlife drive along the Bow Valley Parkway — this road is one of the best places in the world to spot elk, bighorn sheep, black bears, and grizzly bears. Overnight in Banff.

Day 5: Lake Louise & Moraine Lake — The Jewels of the Rockies

Full day at the two most photographed lakes in Canada. Morning: Lake Louise, a gem of impossibly turquoise water backed by the Victoria Glacier. The color comes from “rock flour” — fine glacial silt suspended in the water that reflects blue and green wavelengths of light. Walk the lakeshore trail (2km, flat) for classic views, or hike to the Lake Agnes Tea House (3.5km, 385m ascent) — a rustic log teahouse built in 1901 at 2,105m, serving tea and homemade treats with no electricity or running water, supplied entirely by helicopter and mule train. Afternoon: Moraine Lake in the Valley of the Ten Peaks — so iconic it was featured on the Canadian $20 bill for decades. The rockpile trail provides the classic viewpoint: ten peaks reflected in water so vividly blue it seems digitally enhanced. Rent a canoe and paddle on the lake (the rental dock was featured in countless Instagram posts). Evening: return to Banff. Overnight in Banff.

Day 6: Icefields Parkway — Banff to Jasper

One of the world’s greatest drives: the 232km Icefields Parkway connecting Banff and Jasper. This road threads through the heart of the Rockies, past glaciers (over 100 visible from the road), turquoise lakes, waterfalls, and wildlife. The road was built during the Great Depression as a make-work project, and every kilometer rewards with a new panorama. Stop at Bow Lake (source of the Bow River, fed by Bow Glacier), Peyto Lake (the wolf-head-shaped lake of intense turquoise), and the Columbia Icefield. Here, board an Ice Explorer — a massive six-wheeled vehicle specifically designed for glacier travel — and drive onto the Athabasca Glacier. Walking on ice that fell as snow 400 years ago, on a glacier that’s been retreating since 1844 (and accelerating dramatically since the 1980s), is both awe-inspiring and sobering. Stand on the boundary between the Pacific and Arctic watersheds at the Big Bend. Continue past Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls to Jasper. Overnight in Jasper.

Day 7: Jasper National Park — Dark Sky Preserve

Jasper is the largest and wildest of the Rocky Mountain parks. Morning: ride the Jasper SkyTram to the upper station (2,277m) then hike to the summit of Whistlers Mountain (2,470m) for a panorama that includes Mount Robson (the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies at 3,954m) and the Columbia Icefield. Afternoon: Maligne Lake, the largest natural lake in the Canadian Rockies (22km long) and one of the most photographed locations in the world. Take a boat cruise to Spirit Island — a tiny, impossibly scenic island of spruce trees framed by mountains, accessible only by boat. The island is so iconic it has graced millions of postcards and is one of the most important images in Canadian tourism. Evening: Jasper is the world’s second-largest Dark Sky Preserve (11,000 km²). Join a stargazing program at the Jasper Planetarium or simply step outside — the Milky Way is visible with the naked eye, and with binoculars the Andromeda Galaxy (2.5 million light-years away) is unmistakable. Overnight in Jasper.

Day 8: Maligne Canyon & Return Journey

Morning: Maligne Canyon, the deepest accessible canyon in the Rockies — up to 55m deep but only 2m wide in places. The trail crosses six bridges over this slot canyon carved by the Maligne River through Devonian limestone, with waterfalls thundering below your feet. The limestone has been dissolved by water over thousands of years, creating potholes (some 30m across), underground streams that emerge as springs, and the strange phenomenon of a “disappearing” Medicine Lake (which drains like a bathtub each autumn through an underground cave system). Afternoon: begin the drive back along the Icefields Parkway — the opposite direction reveals entirely different views and wildlife opportunities. Evening: arrive in Calgary for a farewell dinner at a restaurant specializing in Alberta beef and Canadian wines from the Okanagan Valley. Overnight in Calgary.

Day 9: Depart Calgary

Morning at leisure in Calgary — perhaps visit the Glenbow Museum for its exceptional collection of Indigenous art and Western Canadian history, or the Calgary Tower for a final mountain panorama. Transfer to Calgary International Airport.

Inclusions

• 8 nights (1 Vancouver + 1 Kamloops + 3 Banff + 2 Jasper + 1 Calgary)
• 2-day Rocky Mountaineer (SilverLeaf Service): Vancouver-Kamloops-Banff with gourmet meals, complimentary beverages, and onboard storytelling
• Banff Gondola + Jasper SkyTram + Maligne Lake cruise
• Columbia Icefield Ice Explorer tour
• Lake Louise + Moraine Lake guided visits
• Maligne Canyon guided walk
• Jasper Dark Sky stargazing experience
• 7 dinners incl. welcome Vancouver + farewell Calgary (Alberta beef)
• Private vehicle + English-speaking driver-guide (Banff-Jasper-Calgary section)
• All National Park passes