Rocky Mountain Glory Self Drive

Upon arrival into Calgary International Airport, collect your hire car and begin your Rockies adventure. Take the short (2-hour) drive from Calgary to Banff on either the Trans-Canada Highway or the more scenic 1A Highway. Once in Banff proceed to your hotel to check in and the remainder of the day is yours to explore at your own leisure.

You have a full day to explore Banff and the surrounding area. In town you’ll find lots of excitement - shopping, cafés, nightlife and museums. Check out the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Banff Gondola (included) where you will see a panoramic view of the Bow Valley, and then take a dip in the hot mineral pools at the Upper Hot Springs (included).

Take the short drive from Banff to Lake Louise. Choose the Bow Valley Parkway, beside the Bow River with an option for you to take a stop at Johnston Canyon and walk along the paved footpath to either the lower or upper waterfalls before continuing to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. From Lake Louise your scenic drive along the Icefields Parkway takes you through the spine of the Canadian Rockies. View a never-ending procession of mammoth mountains, jagged peaks, over 100 glaciers and pristine emerald coloured lakes. Along the way, see such sights as the Sarbach Glacier, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, with the Bow Glacier providing the backdrop, and Crowfoot Glacier before your arrival at the Columbia Icefield for an Ice Explorer ride out onto the glacier (included). Leaving the Athabasca Glacier, your camera should be ready to capture the majesty of the Athabasca Falls prior to your arrival into Jasper.

Explore this charming mountain village close to many terrific scenic highlights. Take a tram ride up Whistlers Mountain, or visit Maligne Lake, one of the most photographed lakes in the world, and enjoy a 90-minute cruise heading toward the south end of this postcard setting (Maligne Lake cruise not included). You will marvel at the magnificent shoreline with dense forest and glacial peaks rising abruptly from the water’s edge. Stopping at Spirit Island, you will have the opportunity to take your own version of the world famous photograph of the lake.

Depart Jasper today and travel once more along the scenic Icefields Parkway to the “Jewel of the Rockies,” Lake Louise. Lake Louise is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies, and one of the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere. The lake, named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, is 1730 metres above sea level. You may wish to enjoy a hike on one of the numerous trails or paddle a canoe on the lake.

Today cross the Great Divide and enter Yoho National Park. The word Yoho is an aboriginal term for awe and wonder, as in Wow! Visit the scenic Yoho Valley and such sights as Takakkaw Falls (one of the highest in the world), Emerald Lake, Kicking Horse Pass, Spiral Tunnels and the Natural Rock Bridge that spans the Kicking Horse River. Return to Lake Louise.

Departing Lake Louise, you will travel through the foothills of the Rockies to the city of Calgary where you will return of your hire car and board your flight back to the UK.