Secrets of the Rockies and Glacier National Park
Experience Overview
Experience the exhilarating thrill of walking on the Athabasca Glacier and delve into the rich heritage of Glacier National Park with a captivating Blackfeet and Cherokee guide. Travel along the picturesque Going-to-the-Sun-Road in the comfort of a private Red Jammer and immerse yourself in cultural authenticity with a Be My Guest experience.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 3 Dinner (D)
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 1 Lunch (L)
Be My Guest
- Calgary: Join a Be My Guest experience with one of the Painted Warriors Tracey Klettl, owner of Painted Warriors ranch -- an indigenous owned and operated tourism company. Born and raised hiking and horseback riding, Tracey’s ancestors were the indigenous guides and scouts that originally inhabited the mountains and valleys of Jasper National Park. Tracey will escort you on a Gathering Walk along an easy path leading to Mother Earth’s “grocery store” sharing information on plants used for foraging and to add an earthy and spicy flavor to your meal with your hosts.
Dive into Culture
- Banff: Dive Into Culture and embrace Canada's national sport, learning the secrets and superstitions of hockey players as a team member walks you through a day in the life of a player. Go inside the players' dressing room and put on the full hockey gear. Grab your stick and it's onto the ice where you'll soon find out whether you are a lefty or righty and learn how to score the big goal.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Glacier National Park: Join Mariah Gladstone of the Blackfeet and Cherokee nations as she welcomes you onto traditional Blackfeet territory. Learn about Blackfeet history, culture and the connection Mariah and her ancestors have had to this land -- that is now part of Glacier National Park -- for thousands of years. You’ll also discover contemporary Indigenous life including Mariah’s work within food advocacy re-imagining Native foods and her connection to the youth and their native culture and teachings. This experience directly supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore Columbia Icefield Adventure, learn to play hockey like a pro with a professional hockey coach in Canmore
- Visit Waterton Lakes National Park, Glacier National Park, Banff National Park, Maligne Canyon, Lake Louise
- See Sinclair Canyon & Kootenay Canyon National Park
- Scenic Drive along Going-to-the-Sun Road aboard iconic Red Jammers & Icefields Parkway
Trafalgar Difference
- Banff: Stay at The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, located in the heart of Banff National Park. Modeled after a Scottish baronial castle, it is known as the 'Castle in the Rockies'.
Trip Details
Product Code: 19127
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Deluxe
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Family, 55+
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 491.1455A
Starts: Calgary, Canada
Finishes: Calgary, Canada
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing and surprise extras
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- All transport and transfers shown
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $6,176 ($686 /day)
Itinerary
Tip your Stetson to Canada’s ‘Cowboy Country’, kick-starting your adventure through the inimitable Rockies in Calgary. This evening, join your Travel Director and fellow travelers for dinner.
Accommodation: Hilton Garden Inn Calgary Downtown
Meals: Dinner
Kick off your first full day with a Be My Guest Experience meeting Painted Warrior Tracey Klettl who’ll share her love for horses, archery, being outdoors and connecting with nature through traditional skills learned through her indigenous cultures with you. Join Tracey for a gathering walk learning about plants used for foraging and that add an earthy and spicy flavor to your shared lunch. Next, journey toward Waterton Lakes National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Tucked into the southwestern corner of Alberta, this national park boasts majestic Rocky Mountains and lakes carved out of rock by ancient glaciers. Discover its blend of unusual geology, mild climate, rare wildflowers and abundant wildlife that has remained unchanged for centuries.
Accommodation: Waterton Lakes Lodge Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
The Big Skies of Montana beckon this morning as you cross the international border and travel along the shore of Lower St. Mary Lake and enter Glacier National Park, touted as the Crown of the Continent. Join a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER ® Experience with Blackfeet and Cherokee member Mariah Gladstone as she welcomes you onto traditional Blackfeet territory for storytelling and history. After your visit, continue in a restored 1930s vintage touring red “jammer” up into the cirques of the St. Mary Valley along the Going-to-the-Sun Road and stop at the Continental Divide continuing over Logan Pass (seasonal).
Accommodation: Hilton Garden Inn Kalispell
Meals: Breakfast
Today, we leave Montana. Travel along the Banff-Windermere Highway, one of the most scenic drives in British Columbia. Then, enter Kootenay National Park and drive through Sinclair Canyon. Make the climb up to Vermilion Pass at the Continental Divide, reaching an elevation of 1,680 m (5,510 ft) and enter Alberta and Banff National Park, Canada’s oldest National Park. Descending into the Bow River Valley, arrive in Banff where you Check in at your Stays With Stories, the iconic Fairmont Banff Springs, the 'Castle in the Rockies'.
Accommodation: Fairmont Banff Springs
Meals: Breakfast
Our day begins with a Dive Into Culture excursion experiencing the thrill and excitement of being a real Canadian hockey player. Learn the secrets and superstitions as a professional coach walks you through a day in the life of a player. Go inside the players' dressing room where you have the opportunity to try on full hockey gear before grabbing your stick and heading onto the ice. Then choose to take this time to relax or join one of our optional experiences. Choose to view the alpine forest from above during an optional helicopter ride or optional gondola ride. Later, spend the afternoon exploring the rugged beauty of Banff, from its postcard viewpoint of Surprise Corner to Bow Falls before dinner at a local restaurant.
Accommodation: Fairmont Banff Springs
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Take the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in North America through Canada's breath-taking glaciers, sweeping valleys, cascading waterfalls and majestic mountain ranges along Continental Divide. Stop at glacier fed Peyto Lake, named for pioneer, mountain guide and early park warden Bill Peyto. Continue your adventure with a ride onto the Athabasca Glacier in an all-terrain Ice Explorer—a massive vehicle specially designed for glacier travel. On this thrilling trip, an experienced driver-guide will share fascinating information about glaciers and their impact on our environment. Take a sip of ice-cold glacier water and admire the surrounding snow-capped panorama before continuing your journey and heading to Jasper.
Accommodation: Chateau Jasper
Meals: Breakfast
Embark on a leisurely walk admiring the sheer limestone cliffs of Maligne Canyon, the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park. Learn about the underground river system that flows out to Medicine Lake and see how the power of water has eroded and carved this gorge over the years. Immerse yourself in more natural beauty on an optional cruise of Maligne Lake (seasonal), the largest glacially fed lake in the Canadian Rockies. Cruising these brilliant blue waters, discover world-famous Spirit Island, the crown jewel of Jasper National Park and one of the most photographed locations in the Rockies, accessible only by boat. Head back into Jasper where the rest of the day is free to relax or join a scenic float trip down the Athabasca River on a route that was once used by fur traders. Note: Maligne Canyon is currently closed due to safety concerns following significant fire damage from the 2024 Jasper wildfire. Assessments are ongoing, and the canyon will stay closed until further notice.
Accommodation: Chateau Jasper
Meals: Breakfast
Head to the glacier-fed waters of Lake Louise where you can join your Travel Director for a walk along the lakeshore with a photo-worthy setting of rugged mountain backdrop and turquoise waters or set out exploring on your own. Consider joining an Optional Experience this afternoon to visit nearby Moraine Lake on a gentle stroll with your Travel Director. Cap off your trip with a dinner reminiscing about the highlights of your trip with your fellow travelers.
Accommodation: Lake Louise Inn
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
This morning make your way to Calgary International Airport where you will be dropped off by 11:30am or choose to extend your stay at the Hilton Garden Inn Calgary.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Jean Mcrae - Traveled, June 2024
Great guide! Great guide!!! Charlotte was professional, with charm and grace. The tipping policy needs attention. We were advised to prepay tipping, but on the last day we were informed that the guide and driver received very little of the $306 that we already paid. So we didn’t want our guide and driver to be short, and it was a significant added expense that wasn’t expected and we felt we were mislead by the company. Good itinerary. We love the hockey experience, Mariah Gladstone, and the Painted warrior day.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/13/2024
Jonah Bowles III - Traveled, June 2024
Canadian Rockies! They always have the best tours and tour guides. Great time with a great group of new friends.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/06/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, July 2024
Outstanding Tour! Outstanding! We were well informed on what was happening each day and given time for each experience. The Canadian Rockies and Glacier National Park were breathtaking. Our Travel Director Sheryl was superb. She shared a wealth of knowledge about the areas we visited and was friendly and so personable. We loved how excited she got when spotting bears, elk, deer and moose. Our Coach driver Greg was outstanding. He made us feel safe with his driving and making sure we were comfortable. We enjoyed listening to Tracey Klettl and Tim Mearns talk about their background and heritage. We also enjoyed our time with Mariah on the Blackfeet Reservation and listen to the stories passed down from multiple generations. Each story had a meaning you could learn from. The Hockey experience in Canmore was both educational and a fun experience. Our grandkids who play hockey enjoyed seeing pictures of their grandparents dressed up for hockey and on the ice hitting pucks. We have a new appreciation for hockey. The Glaciers were a site to see as was walking on a glacier. An experience we will not forget. I would highly recommend this tour.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/22/2024
Barbara Cupp - Traveled, July 2024
Price was very reasonable for all the wonderful places we went and all the memories for last a lifetime.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/18/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, July 2024
Canada by bus! Tour guide was excellent, he had wild fires to navigate and an injury of a passenger that was not caused by trafalger to handle. He made our time excellent. I was impressed how much we saw during this trip, it was fun and interesting and the tour was great.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/22/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, July 2024
Great sights and hotels. Excellent tour guide. Comfortable coach with ample time for breaks.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/17/2024
Raymond Feller - Traveled, June 2024
Too many miles on the bus. Lunch at the Leaning Tree was poor. Ice truck was the best part.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/20/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, June 2024
Awesome Scenery! Second trip with Trafalgar and I’d highly recommend them for group tours. This was a wonderful trip with an awesome tour guide and bus driver. Never imagined the sights we would see. The drive through the Icefields parkway was unreal with all the scenery. Highly recommend this itinerary.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/24/2024
Linda Catino - Traveled, April 2024
Trip of a Lifetime! Our Travel Director Ben and Bus Driver John were fantastic together and made the trip very enjoyable. They were knowledgeable and fun to be with. The Hotels were great especially Fairmont Banff Springs. Our stay there was amazing. The local specialists were very good. The meals on the Rocky Mountaineer Goldleaf were great. The scenery was spectacular. The itinerary was fantastic. The excursions were great. We loved our trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/27/2024
Heather B - Traveled, July 2024
A great trip! it’s all about the travel director and she was amazing! it was fabulous a little overpriced especially since provided meals were weak but overall were very happy with the trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/26/2024
Eileen Handzus - Traveled, March 2024
Secrets of the Rocky Mountains and Glacier National Park! We had a Wonderful trip, the places we stayed were Great especially our stay at Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel. All breakfasts got better and better and free dinners were also good especialky the lunch at Maligna Lake. Our guide and bus driver were the best, they made our trip even better with their knowledge of the area. We had Ben for our guide and John was our driver they were both awesome. We had a Wonderful trip, the places we stayed were Great especially our stay at Fairmount Banff Springs Hotel. All breakfasts got better and better and free dinners were also good especialky the lunch at Maligna Lake. Our guide and bus driver were the best, they made our trip even better with their knowledge of the area. We had Ben for our guide and John was our driver they were both awesome.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/20/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, March 2024
Excellent and knowledgable tour guide and driver. The meals and activities provided were awesome. The stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs was absolutely amazing! It was a special treat to have such a luxurious hotel. The parks covered were exactly what we had hoped to see when we were planning on doing the driving ourselves. The tour and bus ride made it so much easier and relaxing.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/19/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, April 2025
Name tags would help with getting acquainted! I would purchase from Trafalgar again. Suggestions. Have name tags for the first few days so everyone gets to know each other. To economize hand in name tags at the end of the trip. Tour guide was available but while on the trip had to look in previous emails to get his contact number. Maybe it could have been on the next day screen of our itinerary - most took a picture so you would have it available if needed. Hotels were excellent - variety in age and character , breakfasts at hotels were delicious with lots of choice. Dinner choices were always delicious. Most days there was enough free time to explore on our own. Occasionally we felt rushed to quick look around at our stop and then back on the bus - just to be at the hotel by 4:30 ish why not give us 20 more minutes at a stop and arrive by 5:00
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/25/2024
Deborah Guaragna - Traveled, August 2024
Greg, our bus driver was great. I was amazed that he could park a huge bus into such a limited space perfectly and negotiate curvy mountain roads with traffic so well. He was also very nice! Sheryl Galpin was exceptional. She was the best tour director we’ve ever had. She was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic, kind and very organized. She seemed like she wanted to give everyone the best experience possible!!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 08/25/2024
Joseph Kennedy - Traveled, March 2024
This is a Don't Miss Trip !!! Awesome trip !!! Our Travel Director( Ben), and Coach Driver (John) were an excellent team. They were both funny and knowledgeable about the history, geography, and geology of the areas of this itinerary. The Local Specialists at Glacier NP, Buffalo Jump NP, Maligne Lake cruise, Jasper float trip, and the Ice Explorer were all excellent. The scenery was stunning, our group was small (25), and the itinerary was perfect !! The addition of the Goldleaf Rocky Mountaineer at the end was an added treat to this perfect trip. The itinerary was perfect !! Not too long, but long enough to give us the history of this area, and the astounding beauty of the Canadian Rockies !! John, our driver, kept our coach clean on both the inside and the outside. He was proud of his Coach !!! Ben provided lots of local Canadian treats for our coach travels. The hotels and staff were excellent choices.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 04/21/2024
Mervyn Erb - Traveled, February 2024
Great coach, great driver, great tour guide, great itinerary. Ex scenery and train staff. Ex food.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/15/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, March 2024
Wonders of the Canadian Rockies for Retirees. Excellent director and driver. Excursions were ideal and hotels were exceptional. The smaller number of guests made it very personal. Our Directro, Ben, allowed us just the right amount of time to visit the various locations and short stops.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/31/2024
Evita Viajar - Traveled, February 2024
Canadian Rockies! The hotel accommodations are good , included dinners are also great. The travel guide and driver were excellent. The trip is well planned>
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 03/21/2024
Karen Kibler - Traveled, January 2024
Greatest trip. Kept things rolling and interesting. Did alot and saw amazing sights. Dinner choices could have been better. Several times we could'nt visit somewhere because the guide went by his last tour in 2019 instead of researching before this trip. The guide also was not very helpful in dinner choices or telling us about shuttles into towns when on our own.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 02/26/2024
Ali - Traveled, February 2024
Travel with Trafalgar - you will love it! Everything was top notch! Our holiday really felt like a holiday. Busy but easy. Nancy, our Tour Director worked very hard to make sure we were always happy. Ted, the driver, was cheerful, knowledgeable and generally good company. We saw everything we hoped and more considering it was the end of summer with no fresh snow. The optional flight over the Rockies was a highlight.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 02/28/2024
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