Wonders of the Canadian Rockies

Tour begins: 1:00 PM, Calgary International Airport. For guests who are spending the previous night in Calgary, an airport transfer from Calgary International Airport to the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire Hotel is included; pick-up time today is 12:15 PM at the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire Hotel. The ultimate of family Canadian Rockies tours begins as you head west through the part of Alberta called Kananaskis Country; famous for great scenery, a lot of parks and protected areas, and outdoor adventure opportunities. Prepare to be dazzled when you reach your home for tonight, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, set on the banks of a sparkling lake deep in Banff National Park - when you look up, all you can see are the mountains that soar... and we mean really soar... above you! Meet your fellow Canadian Rockies explorers at a welcome reception and dinner tonight.

An interpretive guided hike along the shores of shimmering Lake Louise is a wonderful way to get up-close-and-personal with Mother Nature as you begin your family's most excellent of Canadian Rockies tours. Neat wildlife, like bald eagles, moose and many other animals, make their homes here. How many different kinds of animals and birds will your family be able to count as you hike through this accessible wilderness in Banff National Park together? This afternoon, set off on a memorable ride along a world-famous stretch of highway – western Canada's Icefields Parkway - surrounded by mountains, glaciers and snowfields as far as the eye can see! And keep that eye peeled for glimpses of mountain goats, bighorn sheep, deer and other wildlife all the way to The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, your spectacular lakefront resort in the middle of Jasper National Park, for a three-night stay.

Start off the morning with a guided hike (with a choice of activity level) in Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park, created more than 150 million years ago! One of the most spectacular gorges in the Canadian Rockies, the views way down deep between its steep, smooth canyon walls are memorable. Each bridge you cross brings something new – from lush plant life and ancient fossils to mysterious potholes and cascading waterfalls. Follow your hike, with lunch at Maligne Canyon's Wilderness Kitchen, return to the lodge and spend the rest of the day as you please in the wilderness wonderland of Jasper National Park. Your inside-the-park hotel is set in the magnificent Rocky Mountains, and you'll receive a free Summer Resort Activities Card* to use for activities such as a one-hour bicycle rental, a boat for an hour, or a bucket of balls and club rental at the golf driving range; your card is good for the entire time you're staying at Jasper. Maybe you and your family will go off in search of the wildlife that calls the area home or play in the swimming pool... or perhaps engage in other optional activities (available at an additional charge) like golf or horseback riding. It's up to you! Join us tonight for a private lakeside barbecue at your lodge. If you wish, join us after dinner for a visit to the Jasper Planetarium, where a stop inside the Planetarium Dome Theatre greets you with stories and experiences (including a trip to the edge of the universe... and back) by a local guide. Weather permitting, you'll also have a chance to look through the largest, most powerful telescope in the North American Rockies region.

This morning, your family boards a rubber boat for a wet and wild rafting trip* down the mighty, glacier-fed Athabasca River, encountering both calm waters and "whitewater" along the way as you float through some amazing scenery. Then return to your lodge in Jasper National Park and spend the rest of the afternoon as you wish, perhaps using your free Summer Resort Activities Card* for more included family fun, or engaging in other optional activities available at the lodge for an additional charge. Enjoy dinner at the lodge at your leisure this evening.

Get set for something really cool as you board a specially designed Ice Explorer for an unforgettable ride atop the Athabasca Glacier in the middle of the Columbia Icefields, among the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle... some of the glacier's ice began as snow more than 400 years ago! Before you set off, look up – the people and Ice Explorers you see in the distance might look like ants and toy vehicles. Later... when you're on one... you get the picture of how incredible it is to be on the glacier! After lunch, keep a lookout for mountain goats, bighorn sheep, elk, eagles, hawks and other wildlife as you drive along the Icefields Parkway again this afternoon, through spectacular Canadian Rockies scenery. Arrive at your historic "castle in the mountains" – The Fairmont Banff Springs Resort – to begin a two-night stay in the heart of Banff National Park; spend the rest of the day and evening as you please, enjoying dinner at the resort tonight.

The entire day is yours to enjoy Banff National Park and / or the chic alpine resort town of Banff itself, with its galleries, museums and shops, just as you please. We've included a Banff Heritage Passport to use in town, good for admission to the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies – featuring collections of local art, historic exhibits, and seven restored early Banff cabins and homes – and the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum, dedicated to the appreciation, interpretation, demonstration and display of the cultures, traditions, and values of the First Nations of North America and their trading partners. Or you can choose to stay at your resort and swim, rent mountain bikes* or canoes*, pamper yourself at the Willow Stream Spa or get in a round of golf (both available at an additional charge), or just follow your nose to spot wildlife. Join us late this afternoon for a special farewell reception and bowling party – featuring Canadian-style five-pin bowling – at the Banff Bowling Centre. Then, you and your family will ride up to the "top of the world" on the Banff Gondola for amazing evening views from your gondola car en route to a mountaintop farewell dinner at the Northern Lights restaurant at the summit of Sulphur Mountain! Here, you'll have a bird's-eye view of six mountain ranges and the Bow Valley… and can take in the state-of-the-art Banff interpretive center atop the mountain.

Your family's unforgettable Canadian Rockies adventure ends this morning as you travel back to Calgary (approximately 80 miles) for your flight home. Tour ends: 10:00 AM, Calgary International Airport. Guests spending additional nights in Calgary will be transferred to the Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire upon arrival; a transfer from Sheraton Suites Calgary Eau Claire to Calgary International Airport is included. Please allow 2 hours for airport check-in formalities.