Canadian Rockies
Airing Date: Sep 12th, 2005
The Canadian Rockies are divided up into seven National Parks. One way to experience this incredible landscape is on an APT World Discoveries tour. The tour includes stops in Vancouver, Banff, Jasper, Ice Explorer ride on the Athabasca Glacier, Freedom of Choice side tours and two days on the Rocky Mountaineer train.
The Rocky Mountaineer runs along The Rocky Mountain Railroad, starting in Vancouver and winding through the Canadian Rockies to Banff or Jasper. Several services operate along this stretch, however, The Rocky Mountaineer travels only by day, so you aren't sleeping through the best of the scenery. Cabin attendants give a running commentary and extensive written guides are available to give you more information on what is flashing by. The high bridges, cliff-hugging lines, steep grades, long tunnels, and zigzag climbs traverse high mountains, as well as the scenery of sheer peaks, black rock-faces glistening with snow, deep valleys and vertical slopes, all with rivers swirling through gorges and foaming over boulders. You can also get into some wildlife spotting, maybe see an osprey bearing a salmon in its talons, a glimpse of a bear or a flash or a deer.
Banff started its days as a modest train stop called Siding 29, however, the railway builder William Cornelius Van Horne renamed the town Banff, after Banffshire, Scotland, the homeland of the railway lines' founders.
In Banff, you can ride the Banff Gondola to the top of Sulphur Mountain. In just eight minutes, you'll be transported to an elevation of 2,281m above sea level, by glass enclosed, four passenger cabins. This offers the best view in the Canadian Rocky Mountains - an unobstructed 360 view!
At the summit, there are three observation terraces as well as several scenic hiking trails that lead away from the summit complex. One of the most popular trails is a 60-90 minute walkway to Sansom's Peak on which you can follow in the footsteps of Norman Sansom, who walked to the top of the mountain every week for 30 years to check the weather!
The Columbia Icefield is located on the boundary of Banff and Jasper National Parks. One of the largest accumulations of ice and snow south of the Arctic Circle, it covers an area of nearly 325 square kilometres.
The continuous accumulation of snow feeds eight major glaciers including the Athabasca, Dome and Stutfield Glaciers - all visible from the Icefields Parkway. The Columbia Icefield is a true continental divide, for its meltwater feeds streams and rivers that pour into the Arctic, Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Jasper National Park was established in 1907, and is the largest national park in the Canadian Rockies with 10,878 square kilometers of mountain wilderness. Jasper is the wildest of the mountain parks, and is internationally-renowned for wildlife viewing, playing host to some of North America's rarest animals, including healthy populations of grizzly bears, moose, caribou and wolves.
Further information
APT World Discoveries 14 day tour. From $8725 ex Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, $9075 ex Adelaide, $9420 ex Perth. Twin share. Prices include surcharges, fees & taxes. Conditions apply. Includes flights with Air Canada, accommodation, two days on Rocky Mountaineer, Freedom of Choice tours & meals.
Book by 30/9/05.
Travelworld
Telephone: 13 14 35
Prices correct at 12/9/05
