Washington and Lee University
To those wishing to explore the scenic wonders of our own continent, the Canadian Rockies offer vistas of unparalleled majesty.We invite you to join W&L’s exclusive 10-day journey from Vancouver to Calgary, enjoying the breathtaking panoramas of North America’s most spectacular mountains. Our journey includes two days aboard the Rocky Mountaineer’s luxurious, bi-level, domed rail car, which allows travelers an unobstructed view of the passing scenery.
We’ll begin our tour with three nights in Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest city and home to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Vancouver is consistently rated one of the top three most livable cities in the world. After a tour of this cosmopolitan city, we’ll travel by ferry to Victoria, British Columbia’s capital. Here we’ll enjoy the famous Butchart Gardens, whose extraordinary botanical array flourishes in Victoria’s temperate climate. A traditional British high tea awaits you after the kaleidoscopic color of the Gardens.
Over the next two days, we’ll travel in the style and comfort of the Rocky Mountaineer’s deluxe Gold Leaf Service.We’ll take in the verdant fields of the Fraser Valley before winding along the splendor of the Fraser River canyon. The magnificent scenery of the mountains rises to a crescendo at Mt. Robson, the highest peak of the Canadian Rockies. After an overnight in Kamloops, our train trip continues to Jasper, Alberta, where we’ll explore the Maligne Canyon and view the crystal clarity of Maligne Lake, the Canadian Rockies’ largest natural body of water.
After two nights in Jasper, we’ll head to Lake Louise along the spectacular Columbia Icefields Parkway. Here, as we keep a sharp eye out for bear, elk, and moose, we’ll behold the majestic waterfalls thundering down from the towering cliffs and snow-capped peaks that have made the Canadian Rockies so famous. Along the way, we’ll set foot on the 1,000-foot thick Athabasca Glacier. For the next two nights we’ll enjoy lake view rooms at the famous Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, perhaps the most enchanting of all of Canada’s deluxe mountain lodges. Among many other pleasures, we’ll enjoy a day trip to Banff, experiencing the stunning alpine views of the saw-toothed mountains surrounding the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Our journey ends in Calgary, with a festive farewell dinner on our final night.
Download the complete itinerary and reservation form (.pdf)
