Great Parks of the West

Tour Itinerary

• Day 1 • Harrison Hot Springs

  Arrive at Vancouver International Airport, pick up your hire care and make the short drive to Harrison Hot Springs. This small village, at the bottom end of mountain framed Harrison Lake, is a beautiful introduction to Western Canada. Get into holiday mode and spend your evening relaxing in the Hot Springs, strolling the lakefront path and enjoying dinner with a view over the water.

• Day 2-3 • Summerland

  Travel east through the Coastal Mountains and EC Manning Provincial Park towards the Okanagan Valley, a region famous for its lush orchards and vineyards. The town of Summerland has a compact downtown where you'll find a wide choice of restaurants to choose from as well as a craft brewery. The next day spend the morning exploring the soon to be South Okanagan-Similkameen National Park, an area of rolling hills and shrub at the northern tip of North America's Great Basin Desert, and the afternoon on a wine tour sampling the local produce!

• Day 4 • Revelstoke

  Head north up the Okanagan Valley and then join Highway 1 as it enters the Columbia Mountains and winds past spectacular waterfalls, towering peaks, and beautiful lakes enroute to Revelstoke. Open seasonally, the Meadows in the Sky Parkway is a paved road that takes you up to over 1800mt in elevation and into the heart of Mount Revelstoke National Park. Marvel as you travel through forests of cedar and hemlock, spruce, and fir to the renowned subalpine wildflower meadows where spectacular views await.

• Day 5 • Radium Hot Springs

  Back on Highway 1, continue exploring Mount Revelstoke National Park and stop at the Giant Cedars Boardwalk Trail and enjoy a stroll through towering, 500-year-old trees. Soon you will enter Glacier National Park, an area of jagged mountain peaks and roaring glacier-fed rivers. Take in the scenery at the many trails and make a stop at the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre, designated as a national historic site in 1971, due to its pivotal role in the construction and development of the main line of the Canadian Pacific Railway and Trans-Canada Highway. Step out onto the Golden Skybridge before ending the day relax at Radium Hot Springs, the pools are filled with naturally heated water containing a unique blend of scentless minerals that relax the mind and rejuvenate the body!

• Day 6-7 • Banff

  Start early and drive through the Kootenay National Park, keeping your eyes peeled for the myriad of wildlife that live here. Be sure to stop and marvel as Mother Nature puts on her best face at the Kootenay Valley Viewpoint and at the confluence of the Kootenay and Simpson Rivers. Marble Canyon is an ideal place to stretch your legs and explore the trails that criss-cross over the deep canyon. After you cross the continental divide head south on Highway 1 to the bustling mountain town of Banff, where you have a free day to explore. Start by taking the Banff Gondola up to the top of Sulphur Mountain to enjoy incredible views of the 6 mountain ranges that surround the town and then stroll the riverside path to the beautiful Bow Falls. Have lunch downtown, in one of the many different restaurants and bistros, before taking a cruise on nearby Lake Minnewanka.

• Day 8 • Lake Louise

  As you journey up to Lake Louise, we recommend leaving the highway and driving on the Bow Valley Parkway, stopping at viewpoints over Morant's Curve and Castle Mountain and taking a walk at Johnston Canyon to see spectacular waterfalls. Drop down into Yoho National Park and have lunch by Emerald Lake and end the day at Lake Louise, one of the most photographed lakes in the world. You'll understand why when you see the turquoise lake, with the distant mountains and Victoria Glacier providing the perfect backdrop.

• Day 9 • Icefields Parkway

  Travel from Lake Louise to Jasper on one of the most scenic highways in the world, the Icefields Parkway. Enjoy the ride and stop at the many viewpoints along the way before arriving at the Columbia Icefield, one of the largest accumulations of ice south of the Arctic Circle and one of the most accessible icefields in North America. Here you can ride on an Ice Explorer to the middle of the Athabasca Glacier before stepping out on to the Glacier Skywalk for unobstructed views of the Sunwapta Valley. Afterwards, continue north towards Jasper, making a stop at Athabasca Falls.

• Day 10 • Jasper

  Today you have a free day in Jasper to explore the surrounding national park and its majestic scenery. We recommend you book an excursion to nearby Maligne Lake and cruise to Spirit Island, an iconic vista of the Canadian Rockies with distant jagged mountains providing the perfect backdrop. On the outskirts of Jasper and easily reached by local transport are lakes such as Pyramid Lake, where you can hire a canoe, and Lake Annette, with its enticing beach. Look out for wildlife, Jasper is known for the herd of Elk that graze on the outskirts of town.

• Day 11-12 • Clearwater

  Follow the Yellowhead Highway as it takes you through the mountains, past Mt. Robson, the tallest peak in the Canadian Rockies and make a stop in Blue River to join a River Safari in search of resident black bear. You will stay the next 2 nights in Alpine Meadows Resort, in an authentic log cabin set amongst splendid forest around a lake. Spend next the day exploring the stunning Wells Gray Provincial Park, famous for wildlife, waterfalls, and wilderness. There are many lakes and waterfalls to see but don't miss Helmcken Falls, which plunges 141m down into a mist-filled gorge.

• Day 13-14 • Whistler

  As you pass Lillooet, you leave the semi-arid rolling hills of the BC interior behind and enter the Coast Mountain range. Be amazed by the spectacular scenery as you travel alongside fast-flowing rivers and past vibrant blue lakes and gushing waterfalls on the way to Whistler. The next day is free to allow you to explore this vibrant year-round resort. Stroll the pedestrianised downtown, which is home to fabulous restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops, take the gondola up Whistler Mountain and enjoy breath-taking views, take a canoe out on Alta Lake or join a bear-watching tour to go in search of local black bears.

• Day 15 • Sea-to-Sky Highway

  Today you will drive the famous Sea-to-Sky Highway, a stunning drive with the soaring Coastal Mountains on one side and blue waters of Howe Sound on the other. Although it's only 2 hours from Whistler to Vancouver, be prepared for this drive to take all day as there are plenty of attractions off the highway such as Brandywine Falls, Alice Lake, and the Britannia Mine Museum.

• Day 16 • Vancouver

  Spend the day exploring this enchanting coastal city. Take a stroll round Stanley Park, head over to Granville Island to discover a world of food, art and culture or take a shuttle bus over to the North Shore and join a whale watching tour and go in search of BC's resident orcas.

• Day 17 • Fly Home

  Your adventures in Western Canada have come to an end. After some last-minute shopping and sightseeing, transfer independently to Vancouver International Airport for your flight home.