• Breathtaking Rocky Mountain scenery
• Stunning Glacier National Park
• Ride in “Red Jammers” along scenic Going-to-the-Sun Road
• Whitefish Trail hike with lake views
• Canada’s Banff and Jasper national parks
• Stunning Lake Louise
• Ice Explorer vehicle ride and walk on Athabasca Glacier
• Maligne Canyon and lake cruise
• Dramatic scenery from Glacier Skywalk
• Banff Gondola ride to top of Sulphur Mountain
• Stays at unique mountain lodges within national parks

Day 1: Depart the U.S. for Calgary, Canada We depart the United States today for our flight to Calgary. Upon arrival, we check in to our centrally located hotel then have time to explore this cosmopolitan Canadian city on our own. Tonight we gather for a briefing on the journey ahead followed by dinner at our hotel. D

Day 2: Calgary/Waterton Lakes National Park/Glacier National Park, U.S. We leave Calgary by coach this morning for the scenic drive to Glacier National Park in northern Montana. For lunch we stop at a local restaurant located on the shores of Waterton Lake, the deepest lake in the Canadian Rockies and where the prairie meets the mountains. After time to take in the splendid lake views here, we cross the 49^th parallel and enter the United States. We arrive at our lodge late this afternoon and enjoy dinner there together tonight. B,L,D

Day 3: Glacier National Park Today we get our first look at Glacier National Park, a 1,583-square-mile swath of wilderness in Montana’s Rocky Mountains encompassing rugged mountains, thunderous waterfalls, still lakes, and glacial valleys stretching to the Canadian border. We begin with a morning hike along St. Mary Lake, the park’s second largest and the clear divide between the Great Plains to the east and the Rocky Mountains to the west. Movie buffs may recognize the lake from the iconic opening shot of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Then we embark on a cruise for panoramic views of the lake and its surroundings. This afternoon is at leisure amidst the majesty of America’s 10^th national park before dinner together at our lodge. B,D

Day 4: Glacier National Park/Whitefish We enjoy a travel highlight today as we step back in time and board one of Glacier National Park’s legendary sightseeing buses: the Red Jammers, in use here since the 1930s. With roll-back canvas convertible tops, these buses take their name from the sound of the early drivers jamming the manual transmission into low gear to negotiate steep roads. Our ride this morning takes us along the fabled Going-to-the-Sun Road, a winding mountain pass that offers breathtaking views and hair-raising turns. After time for lunch on our own we meet up with our motorcoach and continue southwest across the Continental Divide. After arriving late this afternoon in the resort town of Whitefish, Montana, we dine together tonight. B,D

Day 5: Whitefish, MT  This morning, we head to the popular ski area of Whitefish Mountain Resort, where we board chairlifts bound for the mountain’s summit. After taking time to enjoy the 360-degree views and crisp summit air, we visit the Summit Nature Center to learn more about the mountain and its local environment. We then enjoy lunch on our own  before heading to nearby Kalispell for a guided tour of Conrad Mansion, one of the Pacific Northwest’s most outstanding examples of luxurious pioneer living. We dine tonight on our own. An authentic mountain town, Whitefish boasts an abundance of restaurants to choose from. B

Day 6: Whitefish/Lake Louise – Banff National Park Today’s full day of travel presents some of the most striking scenery of our tour. We begin the day passing through forests, by lakes, and across high plains before crossing from the U.S. back into Canada – this time, into British Columbia. After a stop for lunch and a drive along the western edge of the Canadian Rockies, we enter world-famous Banff National Park and ascend to Lake Louise, and our hotel, late this afternoon. Before dinner here, we take an easy hike for our first view of the photogenic lake, originally named Emerald Lake for its brilliant hue. B,L,D

Day 7: Lake Louise/Jasper This morning we visit the viewing area to see the lake in the early morning light. Then we depart via the Columbia Icefields Parkway for the drive to the 125-square-mile Columbia Icefields in Banff National Park, a UNESCO site. Here we bundle up for a tour highlight as we board the Ice Explorer all-terrain vehicle for the ride to Athabasca Glacier, the most visited glacier in North America. Equipped to drive right onto the glacier itself, the massive Ice Explorer boasts super-sized tires specially designed for glacier travel. Upon reaching Athabasca, we disembark to explore, take photos, and fill our water bottles with the pure water from the glacier. Then we descend to the base station for lunch before we begin our drive northward again, arriving at our hotel centrally located in the town of Jasper, which is within Jasper National Park (also a UNESCO site). We enjoy dinner together at our hotel. B,L,D

Day 8: Jasper The scenery on display today is nothing short of breathtaking. First we view Maligne Canyon, a geological marvel where the limestone bed-rock has been eroded by an underground river to a depth of 160 feet. Only six feet wide at some points, the plunging canyon offers a dramatic (and heady) view from the top. We continue on to cerulean Maligne Lake, the largest glacially formed lake in the Canadian Rockies. Here we board our boat for a morning cruise, taking in the sky-scraping mountain peaks, dark green forests, and three glaciers all visible from the lake. We cruise by Spirit Island, a tiny yet acclaimed islet of a few trees which makes for a wonderful – and uniquely Canadian – photo opportunity. Early this afternoon we return to Jasper, where we have the rest of the day at leisure. B

Day 9: Jasper/Banff We return today to the Columbia Icefields Parkway for more scenic views, and a thrilling expedition. This dramatic road parallels the Continental Divide, running down the spine of both Jasper and Banff national parks. Mid-day we enjoy an exhilarating experience as we tiptoe across the Glacier Skywalk, a cliff-edge walkway that leads to a transparent-bottomed observation deck suspended nearly 1,000 feet above the valley floor. Here the vast glaciers, snowcapped mountain peaks, and thundering waterfalls seem close enough to touch. We enjoy a picnic lunch amidst this jaw-dropping scenery then continue on to our hotel in lower Banff National Park. B,L,D

Day 10: Banff Our last full day in the Canadian Rockies begins with a ride aboard the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain, so named for the hot springs on its lower flank. This 8,000-foot peak overlooking the town of Banff affords stunning mountain views in every direction; indeed, we can see six mountain ranges during this excursion. Then we travel Tunnel Mountain Road to visit two more natural wonders: the Hoodoos, a collection of eroded limestone spires strung along a wooded hillside; and Bow Falls, a wide waterfall just outside Banff. The afternoon is free to explore Banff before we celebrate our outdoor adventures with a farewell dinner at our hotel. B,D

Day 11: Banff/Depart for U.S. We transfer this morning to the Calgary airport for our flights home. B

Please note: This trip involves considerable walking on uneven terrain in a natural environment. You should be in good physical condition to enjoy the tour to the fullest. Elevations at hotel locations are not severe, ranging from 3,400 ft. to 5,200 ft. The relatively high altitude reached on two excursions – Columbia Icefields (9,800 ft.) and Going-to-the-Sun Road (6,700 ft.) – could pose problems for guests with certain health conditions. You should consult your personal physician if you have concerns.

B = Breakfast included L = Lunch included D = Dinner included

• Round-trip air transportation from listed cities
• 10 nights’ accommodations in Deluxe, Superior First Class, First Class, and unrated hotels
• 22 meals: 10 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 8 dinners
• Extensive sightseeing as described, including all entrance fees
• Services of an Odysseys Unlimited Tour Director
• Private motorcoach transportation throughout your trip
• Luggage handling for one bag per person
• Gratuities for local guides, dining room servers, airport and hotel porters, and all drivers
• $100 frequent traveler credit towards your next Odysseys Unlimited tour ($200 after 3 tours; $300 after 10 tours)

2023 Tour Dates & Prices
including international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees

Please call if your city is not listed or for land only prices. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and include airline taxes, surcharges, and fees of $156, which are subject to change until final payment is made.

Single travelers please add $1,595 Jun, Sep; $1,795 all other dates. Your $475 deposit is fully refundable up to 95 days before departure. All 2023 tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, surcharges, and fees) are guaranteed.

*Accommodations: Fairmont Palliser Calgary

⁺Alternate itinerary. Call for details.

2024 Tour Dates & Prices
including international airfare and all taxes, surcharges, and fees

Please call if your city is not listed or for land only prices. Prices are per person based on double occupancy and include airline taxes, surcharges, and fees of $156, which are subject to change until final payment is made.

Single travelers please add $1,595 Jun, Sep; $1,795 all other dates. Your $475 deposit is fully refundable up to 95 days before departure. All tour prices above (excluding airline taxes, surcharges, and fees) are guaranteed.

Sid Marty
Switchbacks, True Stories from the Canadian Rockies
A native Albertan and park warden in the Canadian Rockies, Marty relates colorful anecdotes from friends, colleagues, and his own youth in this collection of tales, which includes A Horse Named Candy.

C.W. Guthrie
Going-to-the-Sun Road: Glacier National Park’s Highway to the Sky
Guthrie (Glacier Park, The First 100 Years) tells the intriguing tale of the history and the construction of Glacier National Park’s epic Going-to-the-Sun Road, an engineering marvel and “one of America’s most beautiful highways.”

Andy Bezener
Rocky Mountain Nature Guide
This guide includes information on mammals, fish, birds, trees, shrubs, wildflowers, insects, and reptiles from the entire span of the Rockies – Alaska to New Mexico. Featuring over 300 exact full-color illustrations.

Andrew Hempstead
Moon Handbook Canadian Rockies
This comprehensive and authoritative guide by Banff-based Hempstead covers where to go and what to do from Jasper to Waterton.

Gem Trek Maps
Canadian Rockies Explorer’s Map and Guide
A driver’s map of Banff and Jasper National Parks in Alberta, at a birds-eye scale of 1:400,000.

National Geographic Maps
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve Map
This folded, full-color map covers Glacier Bay and the surrounding area (1:94,000), including Chicagof Island and the Alexander Archipelago.

Becky Lomax
Moon Handbook for Glacier National Park
A comprehensive, non-nonsense guide in the popular series, with good background information about history, culture, and popular attractions.

Daniel Mathews
Rocky Mountain Natural History, Grand Teton to Jasper, a Trailside Reference
A comprehensive field guide and handbook covering the plants, animals, insects, geology, and history of the region. With 480 color photographs and 11 line drawings.

Robert Bothwell
A Traveller’s History of Canada
A readable and admirably concise march through Canadian history from prehistory to today, including a timeline.

Mike Grandmaison
Beautiful Alberta
This overside, photographic portrait of Canada’s most prosperous province reveals the natural beauty of the Canadian West. From towering mountains to crystal clear lakes, Grandmaison’s photos capture the beauty of Alberta.

Joseph Kinsey Howard, William Kittredge (Introduction), Alfred Guthrie (Introduction)
Montana, High, Wide, and Handsome
This delightful book is a spirited, appreciative testimony to the great prairie, its indigenous peoples, geography, climate, turf battles, economy, and environment by an early newspaperman.

Hugh A. Dempsey
The Amazing Death of Calf Shirt and Other Blackfoot Stories, Three Hundred Years of Blackfoot History
A wonderful collection of stories that illuminates the history of the Blackfoot people of the prairies of southern Alberta and northern Montana.

Will Ferguson
Why I Hate Canadians
This is the 10th anniversary edition of Ferguson’s wickedly astute cultural salvo, the collection of humorous essays that launched his career. As you might guess, the title is tongue-in-cheek.

Alice Munro
A Wilderness Station: Selected Stories, 1968-1994
This powerful collection of 28 works of short fiction was penned by one of Canada’s best writers. The emotional, evocative tales are set throughout Canada and exhibit the depth and range of the Nobel Prize-winning author.

James Willard Schultz
Blackfeet Tales of Glacier National Park
Blackfoot legends and tales gathered by a man who lived among them during the turn of the 20th century in what is now Glacier National Park.

E.C. Pielou
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America
Eighteen thousand years ago, an immense sheet of ice covered all of present-day Canada and the northernmost U.S. This story tells of how a harsh terrain was transformed into the environment we know today.

C.W. Guthrie
Glacier National Park, The First 100 Years
Celebrating the designation of Glacier as our nation’s 10th national park on May 11, 1910, C.W. Guthrie traces the history of the park from its Native American heritage and earliest settlers to the present in 240 vintage paintings and stunning historical color photographs.

Susan Ewing
The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook
Ewing’s family-friendly guide, with black-and-white drawings throughout, answers the curiosity of engaged visitors about the plants, animals, and natural features of the Rockies.

James Kavanagh
Field Guide to Banff National Park
This laminated, fold-up card features a map, 133 color drawings, and short descriptions of commonly encountered wildlife.

James Kavanagh
Glacier National Park Wildlife
Take it along! This handy, fold-up plastic card includes color illustrations of commonly encountered birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and butterflies.

Wayne Phillips
Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, Including Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, and Yoho
Compiled by a former Forest Service ecologist and botany teacher at Yellowstone Institude, this handy guide features 300 species, expertly photographed, explained, and organized by color and family for quick identification.

James Halfpenny, Todd Telander (Illustrator)
Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains
An essential pocket guide to tracks, scats, and signs of not just the mammals of the region, but also of the reptiles, amphibians, and birds. Each of the 70 species gets a double-page spread, with line drawings of the animal, scat and track, range map, and description.