Canadian Rockies at it’s best (cont’d)
So we are about halfway through our Canadian adventure and so having visited Calgary, Banff and travelled the Icefield Parkway we stayed for a few days in Jasper which was a most-welcome break from the hectic-ness of trying to fit in as much as possible!
I heard a nice little story about Jasper whilst I was there – I’m not sure it it was folklore or had some degree of truth to it but apparently McDonalds opened one of their fast-food outlets in the town a few years ago and the locals rejected the whole thing so strongly that they all boycotted it so it closed rather suddenly soon after!
Fast food outlets aside this is certainly one of the most beautiful areas you are likely to see and is renowned for it’s wildlife. Depending on the time of year you visit, you can have sightings of elk, black bear and grizzlies, lynx and bobcat, coyote, pine marten, whitetail deer, wolves, porcupine and raccoons amongst many others. A must see is the stunning ‘Spirit Island’ which is one of the most photographed places in Canada on the shores of beautiful Maligne Lake. Apparently late afternoon is the best time to photograph it as the sun moves west across the sky it can be seen to shine directly on the island like a spotlight. Also in this area is Medicine Lake which is also know as the ‘disappearing lake’ as at certain times of year it reduces dramatically and disappears underground as a losing stream. This is Mother Nature at her best!
At this stage of our trip we chose to travel back to Banff on the Icefield Parkway taking time to visit places we had missed on the way up and then took the most amazing Rocky Mountaineer train journey from Banff to Vancouver. It does not matter what level of service you book – whether it’s SilverLeaf or the glass-domed coaches with GoldLeaf service you will be delighted by the magnificent views and the excellent service. The ‘host’ in our carriage was extremely knowledgeable – he knew every twist and turn in the track and where the eagle nests were and gave a fantastic commentary no doubt helped by the fact that we did this journey at the very beginning of October which is significant as we caught the ‘salmon run’. This is when the salmon who have migrated from the ocean swim up-river to their spawning grounds to lay their eggs before they die and so there is lots of wildlife out to catch the salmon before hibernating for the winter especially bears and eagles! Delicious breakfast and lunches are served on the train and the depending on the route the journey normally takes two days with an overnight stop in Kamloops. There are other routes that can be shorter but whichever one you do – I am positive you will enjoy it!
Vancouver is a great city for exploring – take a seaplane ride or a whale-watching trip around the harbour or maybe an excursion to see the famous Butchart Gardens on Vancouver Island. For the more intrepid take a walk over the Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain, or for the less adventurous maybe a visit to Granville Island to go to the artsy market to buy souvenirs and the Aquarium is a great call if it’s raining. There are a fair amount of ex-pats living in Vancouver so you might well hear some familiar accents. From here you could well take a cruise up to Alaska to continue your adventure and why not indeed? There is lots to explore in this beautiful part of the world and I can help you get the best experience!
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Hello there! I have worked in the wonderful travel industry for longer than I care to think about (more than 25 years) how on earth did that go so fast? I have spent the past 5 years specializing in both ocean and river cruising and I have a real passion…
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Hi we are thinking of booking this tour next year which cruise line did u use. I usually book with Jenna at cruise.co.uk but really really reading your blog if you have any further info that would be great