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Alberta

Best of Banff: Our Mountain Heritage

Program No. 13178RJ

Delve deep into Canada’s history as you visit Banff National Park, and take expert walks through the Canadian Rockies to learn about artists and outdoorsmen.

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6 days

5 nights

11 meals

5B 3L 3D

Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation

Banff, Alberta

Cave & Basin Historic Site, Gondola Ride

Banff, Alberta

Icefields Parkway, Kootenay National Park

Banff, Alberta

Women of the Rockies, Historic Banff & Museum, Free Time

Banff, Alberta

Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Yoho National Park

Banff, Alberta

Transfer to Airport, Program Concludes

Banff, Alberta

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At a Glance

Established in 1885, Banff National Park is Canada’s oldest national park. Join us in Banff and Lake Louise, where history echoes through its pine forests and mountain peaks. Hear about the colonists who arrived in the 19th century and learn how the Canadian Pacific railway was instrumental in transforming the pristine landscapes of Banff into a Victorian resort. Explore rocky peaks and vast forests, and experience expert-led walks to see how this natural paradise inspired voyagers, artists and outdoorsmen alike. Discover the incredible geological history and rich ecology at the Cave and Basin Historic Site, and leave mesmerized by the ubiquitous beauty of the land.

Activity Level

Keep the Pace

Walking up to two miles, some stairs, standing. Elevations up to 5,700 feet.

Small Group

Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

Celebrate the environmental efforts that led to the establishment of Banff National Park, Canada’s first national park, and its unique geothermal hot springs.
Witness the Whyte Museum’s collection of art dedicated to the cultural heritage of the Canadian Rocky Mountains.
Uncover the geological history of the Canadian Rockies on an in-depth field trip with a local expert.

Featured Expert

All trip experts

Cory Gross

Cory grew up in the Calgary area, living both in the city and on the ranches where his father worked. In 2005 he received a bachelor’s in Museum and Heritage Studies from the University of Calgary and currently works as an educator at the Glenbow Museum. Cory is also a volunteer with the Western Art Gallery at the Calgary Stampede and with several other heritage organizations throughout the city.

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Cory Gross View biography

Brent MacDonald View biography

Brent Macdonald has been a resident of the Canadian Rockies for almost 30 years. As a geology expert, he provides a wealth of knowledge about geography and geomorphology. Brent has had a diverse career as a freelance natural history interpreter, also working as a consultant for a geotechnical engineering company. He has shared his knowledge of geology and natural history as an interpreter and guest lecturer. Brent is also a certified mountain leader and ski instructor.

Greg Allemang View biography

Growing up in the military has brought Greg across Canada and given him a real taste of everything the country has to offer. Finally settled now in the Calgary area, Greg has followed his passions for his country to study travel management and become a certified hiking instructor. Greg also enjoys climbing and enjoying the beautiful wilderness that surrounds his home. His love of nature has fueled his passion for connecting people to their environment and showing off his country to visitors.

Routes Adventures Mobile Phone View biography

Please call the toll free line at 1-866-745-1690 during regular business hours or for non-urgent matters (Mon - Fri 8:30 - 4:30 EST). The mobile phone #1-613-331-5777 is for after hours and weekends for emergency use only. The phone is carried by a staff member.

Pamela Manning View biography

Pamela Manning grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. She studied tourism and business management at the Cape Technicon; she also attended the University of the Witwatersrand, where she studied zoology, botany and geology, and later worked as a technician in the biology department. Pamela moved to Canada in 1993 and settled in the Canadian Rockies, where she obtained her Professional Guides License in 1994. In 2009, she was awarded the Outstanding Heritage Interpretive Award by the Interpretive Guide Association.

Pamela Schewe View biography

Pam Schewe grew up in the beauty of the West Kootenay region but left for the big city life, working as a radio DJ in Vancouver for more than 25 years. Pam gave herself the challenge of seeing 60 countries by the time she was 60, which seemed attainable; she later decided to use her passion for travel to make a living instead, becoming a full-time group leader. She has now visited more than 85 countries, still before reaching the age of 60.

Linda Craig View biography

Linda Craig was born in Vancouver and grew up in Calgary. She worked for 17 years with WestJet Airlines, gaining invaluable experience in customer service. She more recently worked as a concierge and valet team manager at two prestigious Calgary hotels. Linda loves to explore the outdoors, whether in her kayak or on her Harley.

Suggested Reading List (5 books)

Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop

You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.

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Best of Banff: Our Mountain Heritage

Program Number: 13178

Handbook of the Canadian Rockies

by Ben Gadd

Geology, plants, animals, history and recreation from Waterton/Glacier to the Yukon.

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest

by Suzanne Simard

A world-leading expert shares her amazing story of discovering the communication that exists between trees, and shares her own story of family and grief. Suzanne Simard brings us into her world, the intimate world of the trees, in which she brilliantly illuminates the fascinating and vital truths—that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own.

The Place of Bows

by E.J. (Ted) Hart

The Place of Bows is a story rich in character and often dramatic in events, and helps to shed light on how Banff National Park became such a focus of world attention. For those seeking to understand the contemporary debate over conservation versus development in Canada's first national park, many of the answers lie within this book.

Epic Wanderer: David Thompson and the Mapping of the Canadian West

by D'Arcy Jenish

This full-length biography of David Thompson, is set in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries against a broad canvas of dramatic rivalries—between the United States and British North America, between the Hudson’s Bay Company and its Montreal-based rival, the North West Co., and between the various First Nations thrown into disarray by the advent of guns, horses and alcohol. Thompson spent nearly three decades (1784–1812) surveying and mapping over 1.2 million square miles of largely uncharted Indian territory.

Stone by Stone: Exploring Ancient Sites on the Canadian Plains

by Liz Bryan

Author Liz Bryan explores archaeological sites that are accessible to today’s inquisitive travellers and provides enough detailed information, striking photographs, maps, and illustrations to satisfy any armchair archaeologist.

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