7 Day - Best of Banff and Jasper Hiking Tour | CA-FA602

We pick you up from your hotel in Calgary or the Marriott Downtown Hotel if you're flying in today and blast off, heading West for the mountains. As you chat with your new tour friends we travel from a prairie landscape to a world of dramatic mountains. You check into your hotel for the next two nights, and we meet for our first group meal where we talk about the days to come. During the walk to dinner you can get your first glimpses of Banff and it's mountain-chique bustle. Hit a bar after dinner or head back to the hotel for a soak in the Grotto hot tub before bed.

Today is our first full day of your hiking tour in Banff and we mean to make it count! We will likely head a bit south to Kananaskis Country for an off the beaten path hike deep in the mountains. As we escape into the wild you can relax and immerse yourself in this beautiful natural world. We are unlikely to come across more than 10 people during the entire hike today and we can finally take some time to reconnect with nature, soaking in the silence and breathing that fresh air in deep. Enjoy the views as we stroll through hanging valleys and rolling meadows painted with too many wildflowers to name, before heading back down to town for a well deserved feast. Once you are nice and bloated from a delicious dinner we head to Sulphur Mountain Hot Springs for a therapeutic soak in the healing waters of this sacred place. Long before Europeans arrived to the mountains, Indigenous people travelled from far and wide to soak in this mineral rich water, which was believed to heal almost any kind of ailment. Now you can try for yourself!

Today we check out of the hotel and head North to Lake Louise for one of the best guided hiking tours in the Canadian Rockies. On the way we stop off at Moraine Lake for a must-see photo opportunity at one of the most famous scenes in the world (and for good reason). We arrive at Lake Louise and where most people stop we continue along the lake and eventually up into the alpine following a path taken by mountaineers for some of Canada's most daring mountain exploits. Along the way you will feel like an ant, gazing up at 2000 foot high rock faces, and if you are lucky the morning sun will melt off chunks of ice that go hurtling down the cliffs with a thunderous roar that shakes the ground. (It's a safe distance away, promise and it's incredible). As we reach the top of the guided hike we arrive at a teahouse, steeped (pun?) with a rich history of serving many of the early visitors to the area. From here your guide will tell you stories of the Swiss mountaineers that came here, pioneering countless alpine routes and helping make the mountains in Canada a world wide sensation for travellers. Did I mention this talk will be paired with Swiss fondue to ensure it feels authentic? After the hike we head a bit North on the Icefields Parkway and check in to our home for the next two nights.

This is a big day for history buffs, nature lovers and hikers alike. We are going off grid to a secret place (too secret to name on here) and taking you to a world on our own. You could lay in the middle of the road and not worry about a car coming (please don't) and trust me, there's not a tour bus for miles and miles. On today's guided hiking trip we are following the footsteps of the early fur traders that were the first Europeans to set foot in this land, blazing a brave new path to open Canada to trade and bring the Orient closer to England. The place is virtually unchanged since they came through, so it's easy to put yourself in their shoes. We hike through deep valleys and up a panoramic ridge, reaching a peak with a jaw dropping view and stand where David Thompson once stood as he hand drew the first maps of our country, and maps that we still use today!

Today we check out and continue our journey North on the Icefields Parkway. Did you know that the Icefields Parkway is one of the most photographed travel routes in the world? Today you will find out why! Your guided hiking tour continues as we reach the next of the best hikes in the Rockies, Parker Ridge (which has the most bang for your buck- or view for your effort of all the hikes in the Rockies). We stop on the ridge and settle down for a scrumptious picnic, enjoying world class views of the Saskatchewan Glacier directly below us. With this view, you will learn how the melt water from this glacier trickles down and becomes the headwaters for the Saskatchewan River, flowing all the way across our country to the Atlantic Ocean, and how that river shaped our country and is still vital today! After the guided hike, we head over the the Athabasca Glacier for some up close views of the Columbia Icefield (one of the largest remaining Icefields in the world), and continue to Jasper, keeping our eyes peeled for bighorn sheep and elk. We check into our home for the next two nights and have some time to explore town after dinner.

After a tasty breakfast at one of Jasper's best cafes, we head out for an action packed day of sightseeing and exploration. We take a quick stop at Maligne Canyon, soaking in the dramatic drops and curves of the slot canyon, with waterfalls rushing out of tight holes and dropping out of sight. Here is becomes apparent how the water shapes the landscape and we learn a thing or two about geology. We carry on to Maligne Lake, looking out for bears that are often seen on this drive, and go for a breezy, picture perfect hike up Opal Hills or Bald Hills, getting million dollar views of the lake far below and the surrounding mountains all around. After dinner we head over to the Jasper Skytram and spoil ourselves with an easy ride to the top of the mountain, soaking in the sunset and golden light on the surrounding peaks, and possibly a surprise round of Prosecco on top of a mountain (pretend you don't know!).

This morning we hop back in the van and head back down the Icefields Parkway, soaking in the gorgeous views and stopping for one or two last attractions on our way back to Calgary. We stop for one last picnic on the way back and aim to have you back in Calgary by 2 pm to allow time for travel today. We can drop you off at the airport or any hotel in Calgary. Though our adventure may be finished, you will be in our family forever and we hope to see you back!