Additional departures can be set up on a private basis for individuals, families, or groups, and we can organize to leave the trip open for more people to join. Trips that we have confirmed and are open to more guests will be listed below, but check back often to see if any new departures have been added. Please contact us if you would like to arrange your own departure and we will be happy to provide you with a quote based on your group's size and trip options.
Pricing is based on a minimum group size of 4 guests
Cost includes:
6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, one dinner
welcome reception
6 nights hotels/lodges ranging from 2 to 4 star category
Private transport in mini-van beginning and ending at Calgary
Professional hiking/interpretive guide
National park entry fees and sightseeing as indicated
all taxes
Cost Does Not include:
Personal expenses
Air Fares
Travel insurance
Meals not indicated
Tips
Additional nights can be booked in Canmore or Banff for an extra charge.
Trip Cancellation Insurance is available through Travel Guard.
How difficult is it?
How fit and experienced need you be?
This program is designed for fit walkers. No previous mountain hiking experience required.
This Canadian Rockies walking trip involves hiking for up to 6 to 7 hours per day, usually with distances of 10-14 kilometres. The final walk may be longer with a possible distance up to 21 km. Elevation gains will vary from 300 m up to 800 m. (2,800 ft) on the final day. You will need to carry a daypack large enough for spare clothing, your camera, lunch and something to drink each day.
Make your Rockies walking holiday the best it can be and join the only Banff tour that is planned, and operated by a local Canadian Rockies based company. Drawing from our many lifetimes of experience walking mountain trails, from the red rocks of southern Alberta to the wilds of Jasper National Park, we have created what we think is an itinerary that packs the biggest punch for the first time hiker in the Rockies. The trails have been selected for their diversity of scenery, variety of terrain, easy accessibility and most of all, because they rank highest on our "reward for effort" index. They are but a small sample of what's to be found in the Rockies - but each hike ranks as one of the best!
Of course, covering all of the "Best of the Rockies" in one short week is really quite impossible. We should have included trails in Waterton National Park and around Jasper but have chosen not to - because of the driving distances involved. We want the "Best of the Rockies" to be not just the best walking and hiking trails in the Canadian Rockies but also to be the best use of your limited time. Don't spend time driving when you can be walking!
Day 1: After arrival in Canmore we meet that evening for a welcome reception where we'll spend some time getting to know each other. We'll go over plans and options for the following days, look at maps of the area and check to see that you are properly outfitted. Overnight Canmore Lady MacDonald Country Inn.
Day 2: Your guide will meet you at the hotel for breakfast, following which we'll head out on our first hike - one of the many parks covering Kananaskis country. Perhaps Chester Lake or Indefatigable Ridge. We like to keep plans flexible and we like to choose a hike that's not too hard to let you acclimatize to our higher elevation and dry air. Overnight Lady MacDonald Country Inn.
Day 3: After breakfast we'll head west and into Banff National Park where we'll take a shuttle bus ride up into the world famous Sunshine Meadows. The bus ride up this winding mountain road takes us right to edge of the alpine where we'll begin walking in meadows that will make us think of the Alps and "The Sound of Music". The lakes and flower filled meadows here along the continental divide are ones you'll remember a long, long time! Overnight tonight in Banff at Homestead Inn.
Day 4: Today's hike takes us into Kootenay National Park and the Stanley Glacier Trail. You'll walk through a remarkable valley of "Fire and Ice" - "fire" being the remains of a 1968 wildfire, almost regrown now, and "ice" being the Stanley Glacier overhanging the cliffs at the head of the valley. Overnight Homestead Inn.
Day 5: Enroute to Lake Louise! A one hour drive to Lake Louise brings us to the Canadian Rockies' most famous trailheads, the trails along Lake Louise, the Plain of Six Glaciers and Lake Agnes. It's a popular area but for a very good reason - the scenery is absolutely breathtaking! We have a number of route choices here but at the end of the day all trails will lead directly back to our hotel for the night, the rustic Deer Lodge, located just a few minutes walk from the shores of the lake.
Day 6: For our final day of hiking, we'll have a difficult choice to make: either Moraine Lake and Sentinel Pass or the Iceline Trail in Yoho National Park. It's a difficult choice to make because we consider both of these trails to be in the list of top 3 hiking trails of the Canadian Rockies! Overnight Deer Lodge.
Day 7: Breakfast at Deer Lodge with complimentary shuttle to Calgary included in the morning.
Sample Hikes
Mt. Yamnuska, 25 km east of Canmore in the Yamnuska Natural Park, 12 km of walking , 500m - 800m elevation gain. Yamnuska overlooks the lower Bow Valley and the montane forests of the Rockies' foothills with the prairies in the far distance. Best in early summer when the area blooms with paintbrush, fireweed, fleabane, tiger lilies and orchids or in September when the aspens are turning yellow and alpine shrubs red.
Stanley Glacier, 30 km west of Banff in Kootenay National Park, 8 km of walking,365 m elevation gain. Hike into a beautiful hanging valley above Vermilion Pass. Mt. Stanley and the Stanley Glacier above. A profusion of wildflowers from beginning to end.
Healy Meadows, in Banff National Park 15 km west of Banff. Hike through mature forest to reach extensive alpine meadows with great views.
Sunshine Meadows, 30km west of Canmore in Banff National Park, access by shuttle bus to extensive walking trails on alpine meadows. Wildflower heaven.
Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass, 80km west of Canmore in Banff National Park above Moraine Lake, 12 km walking, 720 m elevation gain. Famous for alpine meadows, Fall colors and alpine scenery both
Yoho Lake, in Yoho National Park 100 km west of Canmore. A beautiful lake nestled in the forest just below Yoho Pass. Great views of Takkakaw Falls and Yoho Valley.
The Iceline, in Yoho National Park 100 km west of Canmore, is a hiking tour de force. Hike adjacent to glaciers and high above the valley, magnificent view of Takkakaw Falls.
Accommodation and Meals
Accommodation is double occupancy. Each of the accommodations we've chosen have been selected for their unique character and relatively easy access to other amenities. Canmore, Banff, and Lake Louise are all very interesting communities and we have found over the years that most people who visit the Canadian Rockies also want to get a feel for the local culture. Canmore is known for its arts community and local galleries, Banff for its tourism heritage going back to the 1880's and Lake Louise for its spectacular scenery. All 3 have excellent choices for restaurants and pubs - which is why we have not included dinner, except for the last night's farewell dinner. The Lady Macdonald Inn is a small country style Inn run by a longtime Canmore couple. The Homestead Inn in Banff is a small hotel/motel in downtown with a great restaurant and local's pub upstairs with easy access to everything in town. The Deer Lodge in Lake Louise is a rustic lodge with an excellent restaurant and best of all, is just a few minutes walk from the lake itself.
We will be happy to book rooms for you in before and after the tour.
All breakfasts are included as are picnic lunches and trail snacks. Dinner on the final night is included. Please specify any special dietary requirements you have on your application so we can incorporate them into our lunch menus.
Guides and Group Size
Yamnuska Mountain Adventures is licensed by Parks Canada and Alberta Provincial parks to conduct hiking tours in both National and Provincial Mountain Parks of the Canadian Rockies.
Your guides are experienced professional hiking guides with certification from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides and from the Mountain Parks Heritage Interpretation Association. They are chosen for their enthusiasm and interest in sharing their knowledge of these mountains.
The minimum group size will be 4, maximum 10.
Getting to Canmore and Transportation
We will arrange a shuttle for you from Calgary or Calgary Airport to Canmore and from Lake Louise back to Calgary. Once the final group is confirmed your guide will plan a group shuttle departure that fits most arrivals. If your arrival does not fit this departure we will arrange a shuttle for you with one of the scheduled services. Return to Calgary will be arranged in the same manner. Driving time from Calgary to Canmore is approx. 1.5 hours and driving time from Lake Louise to Calgary is approximately 2.5 hours.
Clothing and Equipment
This trip operates during the main months of summer, though snow can linger at high elevations until well into the season. Weather is unpredictable at any time of year, but is generally quite warm in July and August. Daytime highs range from 15-25 C and nighttime temperatures can drop to 5-10 C. Temperatures in June and September can be cooler with nighttime temperatures occasionally dropping below freezing. As with alpine environments throughout the globe, the higher you go, the lower the temperature becomes. Ensuring that you have the correct clothing for an alpine environment is crucial. Please see below for information on clothing and equipment requirements.
Your guide will be carrying a full emergency and first-aid kit. You will need to bring your own daypack and personal clothing. Cotton clothing is NOT recommended as an insulating layer as it causes rapid heat loss when wet.
What to Bring
HIKING BOOTS: These should be 'broken-in' and have good ankle support and tread. Your boots will make or break your holiday so some time spent getting used to them is time well spent.
DAYPACK large enough to carry extra clothing (rain jacket & pants, sweater, gloves, hat), lunch and snack food, water bottle and camera plus accessories (rental available).
TREKKING POLES
SUNGLASSES
WATER BOTTLE (1 Litre)
SMALL BLISTER & FIRST AID KIT
SUN BLOCK & LIP BALM
INSECT REPELLENT
Hiking Clothing
Wool or fleece HAT
SUNHAT
3 TO 4 WARM LAYERED TOPS (1.Light weight polypro top. 2. medium or expedition weight polypropylene top. 3. fleece jacket or sweater
T-SHIRT for warm, dry sunny days
RAIN JACKET with HOOD (sufficient to withstand a day of rain or snow)
Light GLOVES or MITTS
SOCKS, several changes. We suggest a wool blend for comfort.
SHORT PANTS can be very comfortable for hiking, they should be quick drying, and preferably not cotton.
HIKING PANTS (comfortable and quick drying, not cotton)
RAIN PANTS (sufficient to withstand a day of rain or snow)
RUNNING SHOES OR OTHER LIGHT WEIGHT FOOTWEAR (backup in case you get blisters).
We have daypacks for rent. Please book in advance.
If you have any questions or need clarification don't hesitate to call or email.
Please book as early as practical to avoid disappointment. Up to 8 weeks before the trip, we require a CAD$400 per person deposit, after that, full payment is required. Should Yamnuska Mountain Adventures cancel a program your entire payment will be refunded. Should you cancel your booking for any reason the following penalties apply:
If cancelling up to 8 weeks before the program start, $200 per person will be withheld. Between 8 and 6 weeks before program start deposit is forfeited.
Cancellation less than 6 weeks before program start or during program will result in loss of entire amount paid.
Cancellations must be received in writing (letter, fax or email). Cancellations are only effective once your notification is received by Yamnuska Mountain Adventures.
For detailed Booking Instructions and Conditions, click here.
Please note that you will be required to sign our waiver before commencing the trip. Click here for waiver copy.
In some Provincial Park you may have to pay for evacuation should you hurt yourself or fall ill (not astronomically expensive). In the National Parks, there is no charge for rescue so long as you have a valid National Park Entry Pass (included in cost). However, it is wise to ensure that your health plan will cover you in case of illness or accident while here.
Yamnuska offers a "Visitors to Canada Plan and Gold Trip Cancellation and Interruption Plan" through Travel Guard insurance. These plans offer comprehensive coverage for all your travel needs including trip cancellation/interruption, emergency medical expenses, and personal effects loss. For more information and to purchase this coverage visit Travel Guard's website.
