Road Trip through the Canadian Rockies
I’m no stranger to Canada, I’ve visited 6 times and have been right across the country from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island. So when my husband Robert had a big birthday to celebrate, I surprised him with a road trip through the Canadian Rockies.
We took a direct Air Canada flight from Dublin to Vancouver at the start of September and arrived during the Labour Day holiday.
We began our trip with one night at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. It is close to the subway station for the airport metro train and in a super downtown location. The following morning we picked up a hire car and made our way along the “Sea to Sky Highway” to Whistler where we spent our next two nights in the Fairmont Chateau Whistler. (This hotel is a short walk away from the ski lift and ski rental shops so if you’re coming for a ski break this location is excellent.) Whistler is a gorgeous mountain town and there are many shops and restaurants to choose from. We took the opportunity to ride the famous peak to peak gondola that connects Whistler and the Blackcomb mountains – the sun was shining and the scenery was spectacular, what a feat of engineering it must have taken to build it!
We then headed for the quaint resort of Sun Peaks where we stayed for one night in the Sun Peaks Grand Hotel. The drive from Whistler to Sun Peaks boasts the most amazing mountain scenery but the roads are very bendy and steep in places.
From here we made our way to Jasper where we stayed for 3 nights in Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. Jasper is a good base for a few days as there are plenty of activity opportunities in the area. We tried out white water rafting and took a trip to Maligne Lake where we went on the boat ride here, the scenery was breathtaking. Our hotel in Jasper had lots of activities available onsite and an amazing heated outdoor pool which was lovely to relax in, especially in the evening whilst star gazing. In the early evenings we took a drive into the Jasper Townsite and were amazed by the wildlife we encountered so close to the town. We were so lucky to spot a Bear and two cubs, Moose and Deer.
Enroute to Lake Louise we stopped off at the Columbia Icefields and took the specially built Explorer Bus up to the Glacier which was a unique experience. We had lunch in the onsite café and bumped into some people from Donegal Town – it really is a small world! We spent the night in the Lake Louise Inn as we had booked the Parks Canada shuttle bus very early the following morning to be able to access Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. Due to the volume of visitors, personal vehicles are not permitted on some roads and you are advised to plan ahead and book your shuttle if you want to see this area. Our next 2 nights were spent in the Fairmont Banff Springs, where there is a shuttle bus service which takes 5 minutes to bring you into the town centre. There is a lovely atmosphere in Banff, the streets are full of beautiful flowers and lots of shops and restaurants. We spent a glorious afternoon canoeing on the river and got some amazing pictures.
My husband thought he had struck gold on our drive from Banff to Calgary when he came across a vintage American/Canadian car rally! We spent our final night in the Fairmont Palliser in Calgary before flying home.
Most Memorable Moment It’s hard to decide on one memorable moment but I would say it had to be stumbling on a local small town country fair and rodeo. It was captivating – we sat for hours watching the cowboys and girls compete for first prize. A truly Canadian experience and has whet my appetite to visit the famous Calgary Stampede.
Important to note Attractions can be expensive! We stopped off at the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park outside Vancouver and the entry fee was around $75 per person. The boat tour on Maligne Lake was around $80 per person.
The scenery in Western Canada and the Rocky Mountains is spectacular and no photograph can do it justice, you simply must go and see for yourself! Please get in contact with me so I can help arrange your magical trip to Canada.
