All aboard the Rocky Mountaineer!
(uplifting orchestra music)
The Rocky Mountaineer is a two day
luxury train journey through the
Rocky Mountains from Vancouver to Banff, Alberta.
Welcome to Alberta!
We hopped aboard and spent two fun-filled days
on the train followed by a self drive tour
of Banff and Jasper, taking in the best
of Canada's Rocky Mountain landscape.
- We are in Vancouver, Canada and we are
about to take off on the Rocky Mountaineer.
It's a train journey that goes from
Vancouver to Banff and we're very excited.
We did our first night here at
The Sutton Place Hotel, and it's
very exciting, it's very ritzy.
When Dave and I used to work in the
Vancouver film industry I used to
drive the movie stars to stay here.
So hey, you're starting off with luxury.
- So we're all checked in, we have our bag tags,
our boarding passes, and we're ready to go.
- So when you go on the Rocky Mountaineer
your luggage does not come with you.
You get a tag on it and then they
send it on to the hotel and you
never see it again, so you wanna
pack everything that you need.
You're going up into the Rocky Mountains,
so it can get a bit chilly on the
viewing platform, so wear some layers,
and bring your camera gear, and then
get ready to enjoy the day ahead.
- Off we go.
The Gold Leaf Service Class took us
on a trip in a bi-level dome car
with seating up top and dining below.
We also had access to an outdoor
viewing platform exclusive to our car.
Looking for my seat.
- Well we have our seats here on
the Rocky Mountaineer, what do you think Dave?
- It's pretty cool to be up in the dome.
You can see everything all around you.
It's a great way to ride the rails.
- To a great two day adventure on board the train.
Cheers.
- [Passengers] Cheers.
(easygoing acoustic guitar music)
- So the dining cart is downstairs,
and there are two servings, they split
you up half and half when you go to eat,
but it's great because they keep you
occupied while the other group is eating
and we're having these delicious cinnamon scones
which I hear are the best with some coffee.
So bon appetit everyone.
- Breakfast time.
Dining is a large part of the onboard experience.
Meals are inspired by Western Canada's
diverse culinary landscape using
locally sourced ingredients.
The menu offers many choices from
vegetarian to grade A alberta beef for
a unique dining experience to remember.
Yum, that looks good.
Hot tip, get the light breakfast
'cause you'll be eating all day.
So we've come across our first
major sight here which is Hell's Gate.
There are many historic sites and
scenic views along the railway route,
and our servers and guides Kiki, May, and Tyler
did an amazing job keeping us informed.
- So the staff on board doesn't only
work really hard to keep you eating
and drinking and having a good time,
they also entertain, the have a lot
of great stories mixed in with a lot
of information about the area, so you are
never bored, you're never tired, and the
scenery just keeps getting better and better.
- [Dave] They even let us know about
important wildlife sightings.
- So it's really great here on the
Rocky Mountaineer because there are the two levels.
You can sit up top and watch from the dome
which gives you a great view over all
the trees, and then when you come to any
of the major scenic spots, they slow down
a little bit so that you can see them and get
your photographs from the viewing deck below.
So it's all really done well.
(easygoing acoustic guitar music)
Hi!
We're on the Rocky Mountaineer!
- Beautiful scenery.
Well we made it to our first stop here on
the Rocky Mountaineer which is Kamloops,
and has a really beautiful waterfront, riverfront here.
So if you get a chance come on down,
grab something to eat, have a little
picnic along the waterside, it's beautiful.
The landscape is ever changing.
As we weave through the Fraser Valley
to the Cascade Mountains, and then follow
the Fraser River towards the great Canadian Rockies.
Sharing the track with cargo trains,
it feels like a true adventure as we
trace the fur trading route of the
Hudson Bay Company, follow the footsteps
of the great Gold Rush, and relive
the history of the early settlers.
- We are going through the Spiral Tunnels.
Completed in 1909, two spiral tunnels
were carved into the mountains to help
with the steep grade at Kicking Horse Canyon.
The tunnels increase the length, and instead
of one steep climb, the trains spiral within
and come out a at higher elevation with each pass.
So that's pretty cool, when you go
through the Spiral Tunnels it's like
you've done a complete reverse,
so now everything that was on our
left hand side is on our right hand side.
- The Rocky Mountaineer is a fascinating
journey through history and some
of Canada's most beautiful scenery.
The train journey ends at Banff, but many people
continue on with their experience, and we
had another few days to explore
Alberta in our self drive tour.
All right, let's go, Deb's driving.
(easygoing acoustic guitar music)
- The rail portion of our journey is over
and now we are starting the self drive.
There's a lot of different things
that you can do, you can get on
an organized tour with the Rocky Mountaineer,
you can just go stay in a hotel, or you can
rent a car and do a self drive like we're doing.
We're staying at the Elk & Avenue
and the great thing about Rocky Mountaineer
is that your luggage is here and
in your room when you arrive.
They have a well-oiled machine, so all we
had to do was get off the train, get our
rental car, and come on over to the hotel,
and everything was ready for our check in.
When visiting Banff, one of the things
you cannot miss is coming down to Lake Louise.
It's one of the most beautiful views in the world.
The Banff Lake Louise Fairmont is right on here.
It's a great place to stay, you can go
paddling on the lake, we did that
a few years ago and it is really a lot of fun,
but be warned, it is $100 for an hour, so you
have to really wanna go on a canoe in Canada.
It's a bit of a bucket list item, so I do suggest it.
And if you wanna come out and see
Lake Louise without all of the crowds,
get here first thing in the morning.
We arrived at 6 AM and it's already pretty busy,
but you can still get those epic views
without the crowds at this time of day.
There are so many stops along
the Icefields Parkway to take in the views.
We stopped at the Num-ti-Jah Lodge which has
great views and reflections of Bow Lake.
Make sure that you pull off and come on out
and take a hike along the trails
to explore the beautiful sceneries
and see the reflections on the lake.
(easygoing acoustic guitar music)
So we're going on the Glacier Skywalk.
- All right, we're ready for this.
The Columbia Icefield Skywalk is a glass walkway
arching over a nearly 1,000 foot drop.
Step outside for a bird's eye view of the
mountains, glaciers, and the Sunwapta Valley.
- It's pretty cool because when you walk around
you can actually feel it moving a little bit.
I think if you have a fear of heights
you might not like it, but really
it's not that's scary, it's very safe.
So like everything here in Banff and Jasper,
you wanna get here early.
Otherwise the crowds get bigger
and bigger as the day go on.
When taking your road trip here along
the Icefields Parkway, make sure
you pull over at every stop.
You won't be disappointed.
It'll take you all day, but it's worth it.
When you're driving along the Icefields Parkway
there's very limited internet, but if you
wanna catch up on e-mail or send
those selfies and Instagram stories
off and everything, you can stop here
at the Visitor Center at the Athabasca Glacier,
and you can get some wi-fi, and you can
order a very expensive burger and fries.
We're about to go on our Lake Minnewanka tour,
this is a great excursion here in Banff.
It's with Pursuit Adventures, and I think it's
a good day to be on a boat, covered from the rain.
And yeah, we're really gonna look forward
to finding all about Lake Minnewanka.
So the cruise has been a lot of fun don't you think?
- It has been, definitely.
- Yeah, you come out for about half an hour
with commentary about the history
of the lake, the lake monster.
This water is only three degrees, it's freezing.
But like everything in Banff, the guides are really
a lot fun and that's what's making it exciting.
And even in the rain it's nice scenery don't you think?
- It is, I think that's the beauty
of the Rocky Mountains is it doesn't matter
what kind of weather is out there,
they still show off their beauty.
(upbeat mandolin music)
Now that's a good way to spend an hour in Banff.
There are so many things to do in Banff.
From the Icefields Parkway in Lake Louise
to the Banff gondola and Banff hot springs.
And if you like hiking, there are many
trails in the area going up mountains
and around beautiful glacier lakes.
Don't forget to visit the outdoorsy town of Kenmore.
We highly recommend the self drive edition
to the Rocky Mountaineer so you can see it all.
And when it's all said and done, make sure
to spend a night or two relaxing
at Kananaskis Lodge so you can unwind
before your flight home from Calgary.
- Kananaskis Mountain Lodge is an excellent
ending to the Rocky Mountaineer.
There are six restaurants here,
it's a luxury hotel, and the star attraction
is the Nordic Spa where you can spend
an afternoon going in the hot and cold pools
and the saunas and steam rooms to get rid
of those aches and pains from the train.
- Off to the Nordic Spa we go.
No cameras allowed.
Well there's nothing like a little bit of spa
finished off with a little bit of champagne.
Cheers!
- It has extraordinary views that are
comparable to Banff and Lake Louise.
I highly recommend ending your trip here
before you head on to Calgary to fly home.
- It's been a blast.
Thanks a lot.
See you on the next one.
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