Rainforest to Rockies: Vancouver to Banff (Natural Habitat Adventures)

Arrive in Vancouver, Canada's premier west coast city and seaport. This cosmopolitan commercial hub enjoys one of the most stunning urban settings on Earth. Hugging the inland waters of Burrard Inlet, English Bay and the Strait of Georgia, Vancouver's high-rise towers are ringed by sapphire sea, dense coastal rainforest and the ice-clad peaks of the Coast Range. The city is the largest in the most ethnically diverse province in Canada, and its multicultural population is more Asian than European, with vibrant Chinese and Indian communities. This evening, we gather for an orientation and welcome dinner, with an overview of all the adventures to come.

Early this morning, transfer to the railway station to board the Rocky Mountaineer, a luxury train designed to offer a daylight sightseeing experience of some of the most dramatic mountain landscapes the world has to offer. Though we'll cover just 158 miles from the coast to Kamloops in the interior today, it's a long, leisurely 9-hour journey with ever more striking scenery unfolding around every bend in the track. Enjoy GoldLeaf Service from our bi-level glass dome car featuring seating on top and full-service dining below, with breakfast, lunch and dinner served aboard.

We begin our eastward journey across Vancouver's sprawling suburbs, which eventually give way to the lush farmlands of the Fraser Valley, a bountiful agricultural area growing vegetables, berries, lentils, hops, hazelnuts, grains and more. As we reach the foothills of the Cascade Range, we continue following the Fraser River as the scenery around us transitions from cropland to forested mountains. Soon, the train enters the Fraser Canyon, a deep chasm slashed by the river on its descent from the interior plateau to the Pacific Ocean. The most dramatic portion of the canyon is Hells Gate, an abrupt narrowing of the towering rock walls, creating roiling whitewater. Looking out through our panoramic windows, it's hard to imagine the labor it took for the Canadian Pacific Railway to blast tracks through this sheer-sided gorge to complete a transcontinental railway across Canada in the 1880s.

Our journey continues along the Thompson River, coursing its way between steep, arid slopes. Named after David Thompson—renowned fur trader, surveyor and mapmaker, and one of Canada's greatest explorers—the Thompson is the largest tributary of the Fraser. Eventually, our route opens up as we near our destination of Kamloops. The first European explorers arrived here in 1811, pursuing the lucrative fur trade that would shape the region's history over the 19th century. The Canadian Pacific Railroad was completed through downtown in 1886, and the Canadian National arrived in 1912, making Kamloops an important transportation hub, which it remains today. We disembark and transfer to our hotel for the night. The evening is free to wander around the town on your own. Please be aware that rail travel can be subject to unforeseen delays, and our arrival time may be unpredictable.

Our exclusive GoldLeaf journey aboard the Rocky Mountaineer continues as we board the train at Kamloops station, bound for the mighty Canadian Rockies and the province of Alberta. From your seat in the upper-level glass dome car, survey a passing panorama of ever-changing scenery that gets ever better the higher we climb. Leaving Kamloops behind, we cross tawny grasslands, passing ranches and the rocky shores of Shuswap Lake to Craigellachie, where the last spike of the Canadian Pacific Railway was driven in 1885. Then, we start climbing the western slopes of the Selkirk Range to enter a unique ecosystem: the world's only inland temperate rainforest, dense with western red cedar and western hemlock. Pass through the railway and recreation hub of Revelstoke before reaching Rogers Pass in the heart of Canada's Glacier National Park. Surveying the steep slopes and ice-crowned peaks beyond our dome car, our awe and respect for those 19th-century railway laborers grows as we witness the staggering feat of engineering achieved in the most daunting of wilderness environs.

On the east side of Rogers Pass, the Rocky Mountaineer starts its descent to the valley that holds the upper reaches of the Columbia River. Then it's up again into the Kootenay Rockies, following the Kicking Horse River through Kicking Horse Canyon, one of the most rugged and scenic sections of our rail line. At Kicking Horse Pass on the BC-Alberta border, we are atop the Continental Divide—the division between the Pacific and Atlantic ocean watersheds. The steep grade up the pass, called the "Big Hill" by railway crews building the line in the 1880s, was one of the toughest sections to navigate. Under government pressure to complete the railway, and given the engineering challenges that came along with the geography, Canadian Pacific was not in a position to carve a gradual descent. After too many derailments, a solution was devised in 1909 with the innovative construction of the Spiral Tunnels, creating a gentler grade. As our train curves its way through them, we enjoy retracing this piece of railroad history. From here, it's just a short distance to the terminus of our train ride as we traverse the mountain grandeur of Yoho National Park for an evening arrival at Lake Louise.

This morning we make a scenic two-hour drive to the heliport that is our jumping-off point into one of North America's most dramatic wild realms. Crossing from Alberta back into British Columbia, we drop down into the Rocky Mountain Trench: Formed by a fault in the earth's crust, this thousand-mile-long flat valley on the western flank of the Rockies extends from the Yukon Territory to northern Montana. In 1807, intrepid explorer and cartographer David Thompson was tasked by the North West Company to open up a trading route to the Pacific Northwest, and he became the first European to find the confluence of the Kicking Horse and Columbia rivers near the present-day town of Golden. At this juncture, we turn south to follow the Columbia to the helipad near Spillimacheen, where we depart on a 10-minute flight to our wilderness lodge.

In the never-ending jumble of mountain ranges, it's hard to tell we've technically left the Rockies to re-enter the Columbia Mountains, which are in turn divided into various sub-ranges of which the Bugaboos are a part. Our flight offers a tantalizing preview of what is to come, as we land at our alpine lodge in view of the Bugaboo Spire, one of Canada's most famous alpine rock-climbing challenges. On arrival, the staff provides an orientation before we sit down to lunch, followed by our first heli-hiking excursion. Later, dinner is served in the glass-walled dining room overlooking the peaks and glaciers beyond.

Over two more full days, explore a part of the greater Canadian Rockies region that very few people get to see. The Columbia Mountains are comprised of the Cariboo, Monashee, Selkirk and Purcell ranges, all of which are world-famous helicopter skiing destinations. Bugaboo Lodge, in the Purcells, was the original heli-ski base, and its summer hiking offerings are equally spectacular. Each morning, we take to the sky to access the awe-inducing heights of Bugaboo Provincial Park. Several guided hikes of varying lengths and ability levels are offered each day, so you can choose the physical level that’s right for you. The helicopter provides transfers to remote valleys and high alpine meadows where we walk over trailless terrain, stopping for lunch at a spot of special beauty.

Amid the dazzling scenery, keep an eye out for wildlife: we might see marmot, ground squirrel, pika, mountain goat, golden eagles, or possibly moose or grizzly bear. Choose to stay out all day, moving to a different hiking area in the afternoon, or return earlier to relax at the lodge and indulge in the sauna, steam room and hot tub, or book a massage (additional cost) to reward your efforts. Each evening, dinner is served family-style as we join our Expedition Leader and local guides for convivial conversation.

Over two more full days, explore a part of the greater Canadian Rockies region that very few people get to see. The Columbia Mountains are comprised of the Cariboo, Monashee, Selkirk and Purcell ranges, all of which are world-famous helicopter skiing destinations. Bugaboo Lodge, in the Purcells, was the original heli-ski base, and its summer hiking offerings are equally spectacular. Each morning, we take to the sky to access the awe-inducing heights of Bugaboo Provincial Park. Several guided hikes of varying lengths and ability levels are offered each day, so you can choose the physical level that’s right for you. The helicopter provides transfers to remote valleys and high alpine meadows where we walk over trailless terrain, stopping for lunch at a spot of special beauty.

Amid the dazzling scenery, keep an eye out for wildlife: we might see marmot, ground squirrel, pika, mountain goat, golden eagles, or possibly moose or grizzly bear. Choose to stay out all day, moving to a different hiking area in the afternoon, or return earlier to relax at the lodge and indulge in the sauna, steam room and hot tub, or book a massage (additional cost) to reward your efforts. Each evening, dinner is served family-style as we join our Expedition Leader and local guides for convivial conversation.

After breakfast, depart by helicopter for the helipad in the Columbia Valley, where our vehicle awaits for a scenic journey to the famous mountain town of Banff at the heart of Banff National Park. Established in 1885, Banff is Canada’s first national park, created to protect its incomparable scenery, abundant wildlife and geothermal features. Banff plus six other national and provincial parks in the region comprise the UNESCO Canadian Rocky Mountain World Heritage Site. Enjoy some time to explore Banff on your own this afternoon. Time permitting, you may wish to visit Cave and Basin National Historic Site, the birthplace of Canada's national park system. These geothermal springs have been a special place for Indigenous peoples for over 10,000 years and remain significant today. In 1883, three railway workers found the springs, sparking a series of events that led to the creation of Banff National Park. We cap off our mountain sojourn this evening with a farewell dinner.

After breakfast, depart via group transfer to the Calgary airport for homeward flights. Calgary, Alberta’s prairie metropolis that blends Old West cowboy heritage with a booming contemporary skyline, lies less than two hours' drive from Banff via a scenic transfer through pine-studded foothills to the rolling plains. In our rearview mirror, the monolithic peaks of the Canadian Rockies rise, an imposing gray barrier dividing the vast prairie from the terrain we have just come through: range upon range of mountains that extend all the way to the Pacific Ocean—and some of the grandest scenery on Earth.