Canadian Rockies
Feb 23rd, 2008, 04:52 PM
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Canadian Rockies
My wife and I are 60 and 58 years old. We enjoy a mixture of activities and scenery, and would like to visit the Canadian Rockies this summer. We have never been on an escorted tour. Different friends have recommended Globus Tours (which has a rail component as part of the tour), Club ABC tours, and Caravan Tours. Has anyone had experiences with any of these companies, or with a company that I haven't mentioned?
Another friend has recommended renting a car and doing the trip ourselves.
I like the possibility of meeting new friends and having guided tours of the must-see places, but I'm a little leery about the rigidity of an escorted tour.
I'm also wondering if there are people who provide a customized private or small-group tours.
I'd appreciate any and all recommendations with regard to the various possibilities.
Thank you very much.
rteach1
Another friend has recommended renting a car and doing the trip ourselves.
I like the possibility of meeting new friends and having guided tours of the must-see places, but I'm a little leery about the rigidity of an escorted tour.
I'm also wondering if there are people who provide a customized private or small-group tours.
I'd appreciate any and all recommendations with regard to the various possibilities.
Thank you very much.
rteach1
Feb 23rd, 2008, 09:37 PM
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I have been to the Canadian Rockies many times in the past 20 years and always did it on my own after considerable planning. We have rented cars for our excursions and made overnight reservations in advance.
Around Lake Louise, we have opted for an apartment in Field, B. C. which is not far over the Great Divide from Lake Louise Village. In Jasper we have stayed at Jasper House Bunaglows and my son and his family stayed at Patricia Lake, which he endorses highly.
I have taken "canned tours" in other areas and in general found them unsatisfactory mainly because I had to do what they wanted rather than doing what I wanted.
Except for two short tours of Wales with Backroads Touring Co where the groups were small (6 or less) and we, as tourists, had some input into the daily itinerary, I would take a "canned tour" only for known, specific objectives such as one we plan for this June: a day tour from Prague to Cesky Krumlov.
In all honesty, I see absolutely no reason to take a guided tour of the Canadian Rockies. The roads are limited in nunber, easy to find, well engineered, and the driving is easy.
Better yet, you can stop as you please, see what you want, and enjoy the beautiful scenery at your pace.
Guide books to the Rockies exist in profusion. In my experience, however, only two are absolutely essential if you are going to do any hiking at all, even short ones.
These books are: Handbook of the Canadian Rockies by Ben Gadd and The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson.
Ben Gadd's book is essential to my thinking if you want to do any more than just pass through the Rockies like they were a curiosity. Ben lays out the detail of the geology, the plants, the animals and the weather in accurate detail.
The trail guide is the best of its kind in English, and it gives you minute detail of all the trails that are even worth considering.
As a published author myself, I regard both of these books with deep admiration because they were crafted from a depth of knowledge that only years of experience, detailed study, and a love of the area can produce.
If you do your homework, you will not miss any of the so-called "must see places" and you may well find that you have discovered for yourselves more than you will ever see on a lock-step tour.
Don't forget when you say Canadian Rockies, you are talking about an area that extends from Glacier National Park in the USA northward to the Liard River in British Columbia.
The national park areas are extensive and lie on both sides of the Great Divide. In Alberta, you have both Banff and Jasper National Parks. On the British Columbia side you have Kootenay and Yoho National Parks. Adjacent to the national parks are provincial parks, the most noteworthy of which are Peter Lougheed park south of Canmore and Mt. Robson park west of Jasper.
It is a huge area and seeing it all on one trip, or even two or more trips, is not possible unless you spend whole summers on the go.
In the final analysis, I cannot think of thing a guided tour can do for you that you cannot do for yourselves, given proper preparation.
Around Lake Louise, we have opted for an apartment in Field, B. C. which is not far over the Great Divide from Lake Louise Village. In Jasper we have stayed at Jasper House Bunaglows and my son and his family stayed at Patricia Lake, which he endorses highly.
I have taken "canned tours" in other areas and in general found them unsatisfactory mainly because I had to do what they wanted rather than doing what I wanted.
Except for two short tours of Wales with Backroads Touring Co where the groups were small (6 or less) and we, as tourists, had some input into the daily itinerary, I would take a "canned tour" only for known, specific objectives such as one we plan for this June: a day tour from Prague to Cesky Krumlov.
In all honesty, I see absolutely no reason to take a guided tour of the Canadian Rockies. The roads are limited in nunber, easy to find, well engineered, and the driving is easy.
Better yet, you can stop as you please, see what you want, and enjoy the beautiful scenery at your pace.
Guide books to the Rockies exist in profusion. In my experience, however, only two are absolutely essential if you are going to do any hiking at all, even short ones.
These books are: Handbook of the Canadian Rockies by Ben Gadd and The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide by Brian Patton and Bart Robinson.
Ben Gadd's book is essential to my thinking if you want to do any more than just pass through the Rockies like they were a curiosity. Ben lays out the detail of the geology, the plants, the animals and the weather in accurate detail.
The trail guide is the best of its kind in English, and it gives you minute detail of all the trails that are even worth considering.
As a published author myself, I regard both of these books with deep admiration because they were crafted from a depth of knowledge that only years of experience, detailed study, and a love of the area can produce.
If you do your homework, you will not miss any of the so-called "must see places" and you may well find that you have discovered for yourselves more than you will ever see on a lock-step tour.
Don't forget when you say Canadian Rockies, you are talking about an area that extends from Glacier National Park in the USA northward to the Liard River in British Columbia.
The national park areas are extensive and lie on both sides of the Great Divide. In Alberta, you have both Banff and Jasper National Parks. On the British Columbia side you have Kootenay and Yoho National Parks. Adjacent to the national parks are provincial parks, the most noteworthy of which are Peter Lougheed park south of Canmore and Mt. Robson park west of Jasper.
It is a huge area and seeing it all on one trip, or even two or more trips, is not possible unless you spend whole summers on the go.
In the final analysis, I cannot think of thing a guided tour can do for you that you cannot do for yourselves, given proper preparation.
Feb 24th, 2008, 04:01 AM
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One more book to add if you decide to go on a self-guided tour. "Walks and Easy Hikes in the Canadian Rockies" by Graeme Pole is perfect for us that are no longer teenagers and don't live in mountainous terrain. It gives you details on places that most tourists may not go but will give you a taste of the trails without giving you a coronary.
Feb 24th, 2008, 08:42 AM
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Have you tried www.rockymountaineer.com
They do a wide range of tours which also give you the option of escorted or self drive.
They do a wide range of tours which also give you the option of escorted or self drive.
Feb 25th, 2008, 06:51 AM
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i think renting a car is the best way to do the rockies. then you can stop for as long as you want, do whatever hikes you want. the roads are very good so driving is not an issue. if you want a day off of driving and to mingle with other people, consider a one day tour - brewsters bus company.
Mar 2nd, 2008, 03:32 AM
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Probably responding too late with regards to your current trip, but I wanted to get in my 2 cents... The main advantage I see to booking an escorted tour is that they appear to be quite a bit cheaper than doing it yourself. That being said, however, my husband and I have only used escorted tour options twice to date and in both of those instances we were traveling to areas of the world (China & Russia) where we were not completely comfortable with the idea of being first time, independent travelers. Having toured the Canadian Rockies independently shortly after retiring in ' 02, I see no reason why at your current ages, you couldn't/shouldn't experience this area as solo travelers. We have found all of the Canadian proviences to be extremely 'user friendly' and have also enjoyed independent travel to Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and PEI since retirement.
If you did opt for the escorted tour option, we found that you can still obtain brief periods of freedom by obtaining a detailed trip itinerary ahead of time so that you can plan/make alternative side trips within the structured tour group setting. Recognize that by doing this, you will miss some or all of the scheduled (and prepaid) group tours for that day, so chose carefully. OAT Tours is another small tour company and you may also want to take a look at the Road Scholar programs that are available through Elderhostel, although I cannot recomend either personally.
If you did opt for the escorted tour option, we found that you can still obtain brief periods of freedom by obtaining a detailed trip itinerary ahead of time so that you can plan/make alternative side trips within the structured tour group setting. Recognize that by doing this, you will miss some or all of the scheduled (and prepaid) group tours for that day, so chose carefully. OAT Tours is another small tour company and you may also want to take a look at the Road Scholar programs that are available through Elderhostel, although I cannot recomend either personally.
Mar 2nd, 2008, 07:58 AM
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In 2005, another couple and we (we are in your age bracket) took a Rocky Mountaineer "tour", which included the 2-day train ride from Vancouver to Banff, with 2 nights at the Banff Springs hotel. For the last 2 days of the official tour, we took the option of having a rental car - this is one of the Rocky Mountaineer available tours. We extended our rental car for another 4 days, and drove ourselves around the area and up to Jasper, then finally to Calgary to fly home. We had done a lot of reading and research, and knew where we wanted to go and where we wanted to stay - thank goodness for the internet and a selection of the books already mentioned!
We had such a great time that my husband and I have been back each year since then, and have another trip planned for this next September. Touring the area on your own is very do-able - it is wonderful to be able to get out of the vehicle whenever and for however long you want.
This forum is a wealth of information, and you can probably plan your tour just by reading here and doing searches for specific subjects.
Either way you go, you will fall in love with the area, and will have a great time!
We had such a great time that my husband and I have been back each year since then, and have another trip planned for this next September. Touring the area on your own is very do-able - it is wonderful to be able to get out of the vehicle whenever and for however long you want.
This forum is a wealth of information, and you can probably plan your tour just by reading here and doing searches for specific subjects.
Either way you go, you will fall in love with the area, and will have a great time!
Apr 10th, 2008, 04:27 PM
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again not sure of the timing. i am a club abc tour member but i wouldn't use them for this type of trip. they are better for arranging safari, or european tours, they esp. do italy. the canadian rockies can be done on your own, but use outfitters for day trips...
Apr 12th, 2008, 08:51 PM
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We've done road trips in western Canada a number of times, and I would definitely recommend driving yourselves. The Canadian highways are excellent -- 4 lane highways with little traffice in the middle of the Rockies, so easy to drive in a passenger car. Not alot of roads, so very easy to navigate, as well! Everything you'd most like to see is very accessible from Calgary. Also, very nice lodges, cabins in all the parks, as well as B & B's and hotels if you don't want to camp.
Jul 1st, 2008, 09:37 AM
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I hope to take my first tour of Canadian Rockies arriving into Calgary in September. Is it possible to see some of the popular scenic places by using public transportation? Calgary/Banff/Lake Louise/Jasper or other "must see" areas. We are seniors preferring not to drive. We will return from either Kalispell or Vancouver. I looked at some of the escorted tours and found them very pricey. Might try Caravan Tours if we decide to go with group. Has anyone used YMT Tours?
Jul 1st, 2008, 03:08 PM
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Public transit is not very plentiful in the Rockies, and the parks are large areas with a lot to see.
There are a few companies that offer day tours that can take you around to the various scenic places - try Sundog Tours and Brewster Tours, also both Banff Lake Louise Tourism bureau (www.banfflakelouise.com) and Jasper Tourism - www.jaspercanadianrockies.com for names of other companies.
In Jasper, Maligne Tours offers a shuttle between town and Maligne Lake & the boat cruise. There is also a shuttle from town to the Jasper Tramway. Jasper Adventure Centre and others offer wildlife viewing tours by small van.
There are a few companies that offer day tours that can take you around to the various scenic places - try Sundog Tours and Brewster Tours, also both Banff Lake Louise Tourism bureau (www.banfflakelouise.com) and Jasper Tourism - www.jaspercanadianrockies.com for names of other companies.
In Jasper, Maligne Tours offers a shuttle between town and Maligne Lake & the boat cruise. There is also a shuttle from town to the Jasper Tramway. Jasper Adventure Centre and others offer wildlife viewing tours by small van.
