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2008
Tours of the Rocky Mountains:
"The
Rocky Mountain Explorer" |
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The focus of this adventure tour
is hiking and camping in Canada’s Rockies.
Designed for those who want get off the beaten path and get into the park,
the Rocky Mountain Explorer enables travellers to hike and walk some of
the most scenic trails in the Canadian Rockies. Our "off the beaten path"
takes us on an overnight canoe trip in Wells Gray Provincial Park. We explore
six provincial and national parks and a wide variety of terrain including
spectacular alpine meadows, sweeping glaciers, hanging valleys and mountain
forests and streams.
Join us as we camp in the shadow of snow capped peaks, soak in hot springs
and canoe on a crystal clear mountain lake.
| Duration: |
10 days / 9 nights |
| Activity
Level : |
Moderate. Hikes range from one to
four hours in length |
| Maximum
Group Size: |
8 people |
| Accommodation: |
Camping
and lodge/hotel (two nights) based on double occupancy. Hot showers
are available on all hotel and camping nights except on the overnight
canoe trip.
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| Meals: |
Food kitty on all days (local payment
to tour leader of $120). |
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Tour Dates: |
Tour 1 : June 15 - 24
Tour 5 : August 10 - 19
Tour 2 : June 29 - July
08 Tour 6 : August
24 - Sept 02
Tour 3 : July 13 - 22
Tour 7 : September 07 - 16
Tour 4 : July 27 - August 05 Tour 8: September
21-30
All tours depart on a
Sunday and return on a Tuesday. |
| Departs: |
Vancouver, BC (Day 1
@ 8:00 AM) |
| Arrives: |
Vancouver, BC (Day 10@
5:00 PM) |
| Price: |
$1,445
CDN (July and August departures)
$1,345 CDN (June and September
departures)
Prices do not include
5% GST.
An additional local payment
is required (see above).
|
| Included: |
•
Services of a driver/leader.
• All guiding fees
• All accommodation as listed on the itinerary
• All camping gear and cooking equipment except sleeping
bag
• All National,
Provincial, State and Wildlife Refuge fees
• Overnight
canoe trip
• Entrance Fees: The Jasper Tram, Miette Hot Springs,
Gondola at Lake Louise
• Buffet Lunch at Ten Peaks Lodge.
|
| Not
Included: |
Optional activities, sleeping bag,
gratuities, and 5% GST. |
| Optional
Activities: |
·
Icefield Parkway: Snow-coach or guided Ice walk along Athabasca
Glacier $35.00 - $65.00
· Emerald Lake in Yoho: Boat or Canoe Rentals $25.00 - $35.00
· Yoho: horseback riding $50.00 - $100.00
· Yoho Kicking Horse River: whitewater rafting grade 2 to
3 and 3 to 4, $85.00 +
· Columbia River Valley: jet boat safaris $75.00 + |
Rocky Mountain Explorer Itinerary
Vancouver,
B.C. return
Day 1. Clearwater, BC.
Departing Vancouver we drive
through the Fraser Canyon, following the mighty Fraser River before turning
north near Kamloops. As we follow the North Thompson River we enter
Caribou Country, a region of rolling hills and prairies, thick forests,
granite-walled canyons and impressive river valleys' Here ranching, logging
and mining are the mainstays of the local economy. We arrive in the late
afternoon just outside of Wells Gray Provincial Park. Wells Gray is more
than 520,000 hectares in size and encompasses most of the Clearwater River
watershed in the Caribou Mountains. After dinner we'll prep for our overnight
canoe trip. In the evening we'll take a walk along the volcanic ridge
top of Sphats Falls.
Accommodation: Local hotel or
motel.
·
Day 2. Wells Gray Provincial Park, BC.
The drive to our canoe put-in takes us along the scenic Wells Gray corridor
of rushing rivers and million year old geological rock and volcanic landforms.
In the morning we’ll see Helmcken Falls, Canada's fourth highest
waterfall, and one of it's best-kept secrets. Plunging 141 meters in a
straight drop, this waterfall is about three times higher than Niagara
Falls. Splendidly photogenic, the fast flowing Murtle River shoots over
a volcanic cliff at Helmcken Falls directly into a gorge in a roaring,
misty display. After the falls, we head for Clearwater Lake, one of the
premier canoeing lakes in British Columbia. At the lake we’ll meet
our canoe guide for a safety talk and then board our canoes for an an
overnight trip into the heart of Wells Gray Provincial Park.
Accommodation: Camping
Day 3 & 4. Jasper National Park, AB.
After a morning exploring wilderness
shorelines we return to our point of origin at Clearwater Lake.
We continue our drive, rejoining the North Thompson River to meet up again
with the mighty Fraser River near Mt. Rob son Provincial Park. This park,
the second oldest park in British Columbia’s park system, is truly
one of the world's crown jewels. The 3,954 meter high mountain for which
the park is named guards the park's western entrance. We stop for a 1.5
hour hike to glacier fed Kinney Lake. Our day concludes as we cross into
Alberta and Jasper National Park.
Spanning
1,078 square kilometers of broad valleys and craggy mountains, Jasper
is the largest of Canada's Rocky Mountain National Parks. On Day 4, We'll
take the Jasper Tram to the mountain's upper terminus where much of the
Canadian Rockies can be seen as far away as 80 kilometers. Later in the
day we visit Maligne Lake and hike Maligne Canyon and the Bald Hills.
We end our stay in Jasper with a therapeutic soak in Miette Hot Springs,
the hottest hot spring in the Rocky Mountains.
Accommodation: Camping
Day 5 & 6. Banff National Park & Lake
Louise, AB.
A full day of sightseeing along the Rocky Mountains Icefield Parkway will
take your breath away. The Columbia Icefield is the largest of the chain
of ice fields along the Great Divide separating Alberta and British Columbia.
This 325 square km. accumulation of ice feeds six large glaciers. You
can see three of them - the Athabasca , the Dome, and Stutfield - from
the Icefields Parkway. In the late morning we arrive at the Athabasca
Glacier. In the company of certified mountain guides, clients will have
the option to strap on crampons and join a naturalist for a two hour guided
walk on the surface of the Athabasca Glacier, a massive river of ice riddled
with an estimated 30,000 crevasses. Afterward, we’ll have free time
to visit the Icefield’s interpretive centre. Other scenic stops
include Sunwapta Falls and Mystya Canyon. In the late afternoon we arrive
in Banff National Park. Banff encompasses 6,641 square kilometers of mountains,
glaciers, forests and alpine meadows.
We start the morning of Day
6 with a one hour hike of Johnston Canyon. After a brief stop at camp
we'll head out to world famous Lake Louise. Here we'll board the Gondola
and ascend to an elevation of 2088 meters where we'll enjoy a buffet lunch
at Ten Peaks Lodge. After our visit to the Lake Louise area we'll stop
at the townsite of Banff, where travellers will be given free time in
the late to explore Banff on their own and take dinner at their own expense.
Other highlights of the day include Bow Falls and views of Castle Mountain.
Optional highlights include Sulphur Mountain Tram, Tour of Banff Springs
Hotel or horseback riding
Accommodation: Camping
Day 7 & 8. Yoho National Park, BC.
The native expression for "awe" and "wonder" is Yoho.
In Yoho National Park, we stop at Spiral Tunnel before visiting Takakawa
Falls, the highest in the Canadian Rockies. After the falls we'll continue
on to Emerald Lake for a 2 hour hike. Later in the afternoon passengers
will have the option to hone their paddling skills with an optional canoe
paddle. Jet boat tours are on the Columbia River are also available.
On Day 8 travellers can pursue
a number of nature-based optional activities including: white water rafting
on the Kicking Horse River, horseback riding from our campground, a wetland
wildlife safari or a visit to the Grizzly Bear Sanctuary at Kicking Horse
Resort. The Kicking Horse Grizzly Bear Refuge operates a wilderness centre
for research, education, and conservation. The 22-acre sanctuary is the
largest protected enclosed grizzly bear refuge in the world and provides
a home and a second chance at life for orphaned grizzly bear cubs. Passengers
not wishing to take part in the optional activities can take either the
Leanchoil Hoodoo or Wapta Falls Trail, a 2-3 hour hike.
Accommodation: Camping
Day 9. Shuswap Lake, BC.
Today we will travel the through several mountain passes, including Roger's
Pass at Glacier National Park. Here we'll stop and tour the visitor centre
and enjoy the local nature trails in the area. We then continue on through
the Monashee Mountains before arriving at our last stop along Shuswap
Lake. Our last night is at a First Nation resort located on the shores
of Salmon Arm, where passengers can enjoy a swim in the lake or soak up
the sun on a white sandy beach. Optional spa facilities are available.
Dinner at lodge at clients expense.
Accommodation: Lakeside Resort
Day 10. Vancouver, BC.
Our last leg of the journey takes us along the Trans Canada Highway from
Salmon Arm to Kamloops and over the scenic Coquihalla Highway to Hope.
We arrive in Vancouver, bordered by the majestic Coastal Mountains and
Pacific Ocean.
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Call toll free
1-800-255-5057
for info on tour availability |
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Rocky Mountain Explorer Photo Gallery
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