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Alberta

Exploring Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks

Program No. 3856RJ
Explore the Canadian Rockies with local experts, learning about grizzly bears, visiting Chateau Lake Louise and taking an in depth look at UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

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Select your type of room
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Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 10 - Jun 18, 2024
Starting at
4,299
Jun 17 - Jun 25, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Jul 8 - Jul 16, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Jul 15 - Jul 23, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Aug 12 - Aug 20, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Aug 19 - Aug 27, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Sep 2 - Sep 10, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Sep 9 - Sep 17, 2024
Starting at
4,549
Sep 16 - Sep 24, 2024
Starting at
4,549
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 10 - Jun 18, 2024
Starting at
5,539
Jun 17 - Jun 25, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Filling Fast!
Jul 8 - Jul 16, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Filling Fast!
Jul 15 - Jul 23, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Aug 12 - Aug 20, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Aug 19 - Aug 27, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Sep 2 - Sep 10, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Sep 9 - Sep 17, 2024
Starting at
5,969
Sep 16 - Sep 24, 2024
Starting at
5,969

At a Glance

Straddling the Continental Divide for 14,300 square miles, the seven contiguous Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks are richly adorned with mountain peaks, glaciers, waterfalls, limestone caves and fossils. Explore in depth three of these UNESCO World Heritage Sites to see how they each bear distinct ecological, geological and historical characters while sharing a common rugged beauty renowned worldwide.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
Keep the Pace: Walking up to two miles daily on varied terrain. Elevations up to 4,540 feet. Riding between 20 – 150 miles (1-4 hours) in a motorcoach each day.
Small Group
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.
  • Explore Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks with experts and learn about their rich geological history.
  • Experience a bird’s eye view of the Continental Divide atop the Lake Louise Gondola.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Kirsten Schmitten
Kirsten Schmitten has spent over 30 years exploring, researching, writing and working in the Canadian Rockies. From her career as a park naturalist to her adventures with her warden husband, Kirsten’s love and knowledge of the natural and cultural history of Jasper makes her a captivating and sought after speaker. She is the owner of All Things Wild, a company specializing in connecting people to the natural and cultural history of Jasper National Park.

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

Profile Image of Kirsten Schmitten
Kirsten Schmitten View biography
Kirsten Schmitten has spent over 30 years exploring, researching, writing and working in the Canadian Rockies. From her career as a park naturalist to her adventures with her warden husband, Kirsten’s love and knowledge of the natural and cultural history of Jasper makes her a captivating and sought after speaker. She is the owner of All Things Wild, a company specializing in connecting people to the natural and cultural history of Jasper National Park.
Profile Image of Brent MacDonald
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.
Profile Image of Greg Allemang
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.
Profile Image of Michele LaPointe
Michele LaPointe View biography
Michele LaPointe was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and later moved to Banff to fulfill her dreams of being an outdoor enthusiast. She has worked in the travel industry for many years as a ski instructor and interpretive expert. Michele now splits her time between Calgary and Golden. She is a director in the Golden Rotary Club and is on the board of directors for the Kicking Horse Country Chamber of Commerce. Michele is an avid skier, mountain biker and hiker.
Profile Image of Sonya Pollock
Sonya Pollock View biography
Sonya Pollock grew up in Calgary, Alberta and loved taking trips out to the Rocky Mountains as a child. These trips with her family solidified her love of nature and wildlife. Her passion for helping animals resulted in her pursuit of an MSc in animal behavior and welfare where she studied thermoregulation in the Indian rhinoceros. She’s currently a Ph.D. candidate in wildlife ecology at the University of Alberta where she studies grizzly bear habitat selection in Banff National Park.
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.
Selected Stories
by Alice Munro
This collection of 28 short stories represents some of Munro's finest work. A powerful range of emotional, evocative tales set throughout the cities and rural towns of her native country.
Rocky Mountain Natural History, Grand Teton to Jasper, A Trailside Reference
by Daniel Mathews
A comprehensive field guide and handbook covering the plants, animals, insects, geology and history of the region. With 480 color photographs and 11 line drawings.
Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains
by James Halfpenny, Todd Telander (Illustrator)
An essential pocket guide to tracks, scats and signs of not just the mammals of the region, but also of the reptiles, amphibians and birds. Each of 70 species gets a double-page spread, with line drawings of the animal, scat and track, range map and description.
Moon Handbook Canadian Rockies
by Andrew Hempstead
This comprehensive and authoritative guide by Banff-based Hempstead covers where to go and what to do from Jasper to Waterton.
The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook
by Susan Ewing
Ewing's family-friendly guide, with black-and-white drawings throughout, answers the curiosity of engaged visitors about the plants, animals and natural features of the Rockies.
The Trade
by Fred Stenson
1822. The Hudson’s Bay Company, swollen by a merger with its bitter rival, the North West Company, is about to exercise its uncontested monopoly over the lands drained by Hudson Bay. The first step is to find a new source of beaver pelts and profits, and the only hope lies in the unmapped territory held by the Blackfoot-speaking Indian tribes: the Piegan, Siksika and Blood. With little information, the new governor of the territory mounts an expedition into the heart of this unknown land, a journey that will test the mettle of a new generation of Hudson’s Bay Company men. For John Rowand, who goes by the nickname “One Pound One,” the expedition is also a test of patience, a time to wonder bitterly why he has not been chosen to lead the way. For Rowand’s young friend Ted Harriott, a lowly clerk madly in love with his Metis cousin, it is a chance to demonstrate by some act of bravery that her father should allow them to marry. Harriot’s journey on foot to the Missouri in winter begins in danger and ends in the iron grip of cold and starvation. At the far end of the trail, he meets Jimmy Jock Bird, who has gone to make his life among the Piegan and who will become a middleman of increasing power among those who would rule the West. This brilliant novel, written between the lines of official history, tells an incredible story of those who were ruled by the often brutalizing fur trade. It is a story of love and economics, and of the nexus between the two. It is a story of how European culture, including religion, tried to root itself in this anarchic place and often failed. In the end, it is the story of how the mighty fur trade was rolled under by the greater forces of change and history.
A Traveller's History of Canada
by Robert Bothwell
A readable and admirably concise march through Canadian history from prehistory to today, including a timeline.
The Amazing Death of Calf Shirt and Other Blackfoot Stories, Three Hundred Years of Blackfoot History
by Hugh A. Dempsey
A wonderful collection of stories, illuminating the history of the Blackfoot people of the prairies of southern Alberta and northern Montana.
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America
by E.C. Pielou
Eighteen thousand years ago, an immense sheet of ice covered all of present day Canada and northernmost U.S. This story tells of how a harsh terrain was transformed into the environment we know today.
Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
by Ben Gadd
Geology, plants, animals, history and recreation from Waterton/Glacier to the Yukon.
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America
by Jon Dunn
This guide is the veteran's choice for birding anywhere in the United States. Practical to use in the field, it has maps, illustrations and descriptions of the birds on facing pages.
Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, Including Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, and Yoho
by Wayne Phillips
Compiled by a former forest service ecologist and botany teacher at Yellowstone Institute, this handy guide features 300 species, expertly photographed, explained and organized by color and family for quick identification.
Lonely Planet Banff, Jasper & Glacier National Parks
by Lonely Planet Publications
This informative, compact guidebook in the excellent Lonely Planet series includes details on the history, geology and wildlife of the region.
Mountain Home, Tales of Seeking a Family Life in Harmony with Nature
by Adolf Hungry Wolf
PAPER, 168 PAGES, $14.95 Getting back to the land isn’t easy, as Mr. Hungry Wolf will testify, after 25 years of raising his family in the wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. He shares tales of natural foods, wild animals, home schooling his four children, and living without running water, phone, TV or electricity. (Item no. CND31)
This Wild Spirit: Women in the Rocky Mountains of Canada
by Colleen Skidmore
In 1912, Mary Vaux, a botanist, glaciologist, painter, and photographer, wrote about her mountain adventures: “A day on the trail, or a scramble over the glacier, or even with a quiet day in camp to get things in order for the morrow's conquests? Some how when once this wild spirit enters the blood…I can hardly wait to be off again." Vaux's compulsion was shared by many women whose intellects, imaginations, and spirits rose to the challenge of the mountains between the late-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries. This Wild Spirit explores a sampling of women's creative responses—in fiction and travel writing, photographs and paintings, embroidery and beadwork, letters and diaries, poetry and posters—to their experiences in the Rocky Mountains of Canada.
The Outlander
by Gil Adamson
"It was night, and the dogs came through the trees, unleashed and howling." Mary Boulton, 19, is newly widowed, a result of having murdered her husband. The men with the dogs are her twin brothers-in-law, gunslingers bent on avenging their dead sibling. It is 1903, and the only place for Mary to run is west, into the wilderness. She is pursued not only by the vengeful twins but also by visions. Mary was raised in a genteel household but married a brute; now, having divested herself of her husband, she is not altogether sane. From an early benefactress she steals a horse, and together they navigate a gothic, ghostly mountain pass, unlikely to improve Mary's mental state. Desperate, freezing, and alone, Mary is now an outlander, as are most of the characters she encounters. The bird lady, the Ridgerunner, Bonny, the dwarf, and the cat-skinner are all earthbound beings inhabiting unsettled lives.
Switchbacks, True Stories from the Canadian Rockies
by Sid Marty
A native Albertan and park warden in the Canadian Rockies, Marty relates colorful anecdotes from friends, colleagues and his own youth in this collection of tales, which includes A Horse Named Candy.
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9 days
8 nights
19 meals
8 B 6 L 5 D
DAY
1
Check-in, Registration, Welcome Dinner, Orientation
Banff, Alberta
D
High Country Inn

Activity note: Transfer from Calgary Airport to hotel at 3:00 p.m. included in program cost. Hotel check-in available from 4:00 p.m. Remember to bring your nametag (sent previously).

Afternoon: Transfer from the airport to the hotel will arrive at approximately 5:00 p.m. En route, our Group Leader will conduct Program Registration. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. After you check in to the hotel and get settled, take some time to freshen up and relax before dinner.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: Orientation: 7:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

DAY
2
Banff Geology, Cave & Basin, Bow River
Banff, Alberta
B,L,D
High Country Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 20 miles, approximately 1 hour time. Walking about 2 miles throughout the day; paved and gravel paths, some stairs at historic site (can be avoided).

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will board our motorcoach and ride to the Cave and Basin National Historic Site. We’ll be joined in a private room by a local expert who will give us a presentation on the geology of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. We’ll also learn about the amazing thermal hot springs that resulted in the creation of Canada’s national parks system. As we explore the site’s thermal waters and the surrounding wetlands, we will learn about the wildlife that resides here. We’ll stroll down to the warm marshes below the springs, easily accessible along a boardwalk, and observe introduced tropical fish and warm-water plants. Bring binoculars if you have them.

Lunch: At a local restaurant.

Afternoon: Back aboard the motorcoach, we’ll ride to the town of Banff and set out with our Group Leader to learn about its history. We will stop along the way and disembark to explore points of interest. Located within Canada’s First National Park, Banff lies in a mountain-rimmed valley carved by the Bow River. Its development has always been determined by the federal government, tourism, and the railway. In 1930, the Rocky Mountain Parks Reserve was renamed Banff National Park, Canada’s first nature reserve, to encompass 2,564 square miles of valleys, mountains, glaciers, forests, meadows, and rivers. While on our exploration, we’ll see the famous Banff Springs Hotel and, beneath this famous Banff landmark, the gushing Bow Falls. The spectacular falls are fed by the Bow Glacier upstream and, in turn, they feed the Bow River. An easy stroll along the Bow Falls Trail will get us up close to the rapids and roaring waterfalls.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. You are welcome to go out and explore the sights and sounds of Banff independently. For live entertainment, check out one of the local pubs or the Banff Centre. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
3
Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake, Moraine Lake
Lake Louise, AB
B,L,D
Lake Louise Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 60 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Walking about 1.5 miles, approximately 2 hours over the course of the day; flat lakeside trail, no elevation gain. Optional steep hike up a rock scramble at Moraine Lake.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll check out of the hotel and begin our ride to experience some of the foremost geological highlights between Banff and Field, B.C. We’ll learn about area geology in trailside discussions with a local expert naturalist.

Lunch: At a spot along the way, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: We will visit Moraine Lake, one of the most photographed places in the Rocky Mountains and stop at Emerald Lake, another jewel of the Canadian Rockies. We’ll set out on an expert-led walking field trip to learn about the interesting plant species found here and at the Burgess Shale quarries along Fossil Ridge. Thanks to its position on the west side of the Great Divide in Yoho National Park, a 360-degree view from Emerald Lake showcases four very different environments: a huge avalanche path, the pine forest, a dry and dramatic alluvial fan, and the towering trees of the rainforest. We will visit the nearby Field Visitor Centre where there are exhibits to explore including one that displays and explains fossils from Burgess Shale. Parks Canada staff will be available to provide information and answer questions. We’ll then head to our Lake Louise hotel.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: At leisure. You might like to head out on your own, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, or just relax at the hotel.

DAY
4
Grizzly Bears, Lake Louise
Lake Louise, AB
B,L
Lake Louise Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 37 miles, approximately 1.5 hours riding time. Getting on/off a gondola. Walking about 2 miles; paved and gravel paths.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will be joined by an expert wildlife biologist and conservationist who will give us a presentation on how to share the land with grizzly bears. The Bow Valley is considered an internationally significant wildlife migration corridor within the Park and the Lake Louise area is notable for its critical grizzly bear, elk, lynx, bighorn sheep and mountain goat habitat. As protected areas, the mountain national parks make a weighty contribution to grizzly bear conservation in the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. These parks can contribute refuge in the greater landscape but this requires special considerations for how humans share the landscape with bears. During the presentation, we will also learn how Parks Canada is conducting land use and management policies. We will ride to board the Lake Louise Gondola, one of the best places for a chance to see grizzly bears in their natural environment. If we’re lucky, we may experience this rare and awesome spectacle of nature from the comfort of the gondola. From atop a mountain, we’ll have views of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake surrounded by peaks and a deep teal color: nothing less than stunning as it sits in the gorgeous Valley of the Ten Peaks.

Lunch: At Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise.

Afternoon: With our group leader we will explore Fairmount Chateau Lake Louise hotel and grounds.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
5
Icefields Parkway, Jasper
Jasper, AB
B,L,D
Maligne Lodge

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 150 miles throughout the day, approximately 5 hours riding time.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After checking out of the hotel, we will board a motorcoach and ride along the Icefields Parkway, one of the most spectacular stretches of scenic driving in Canada. The highway follows a lake-lined valley along the Continental Divide. We’ll spend the majority of the day in the Main Ranges; the mountains here are the highest, craggiest and arguably the most scenic in all the Rockies. En route, we’ll stop at scenic overlooks and our Group Leader will provide an overview of the surrounding area.

Lunch: At a spot along the way, we’ll have boxed lunches.

Afternoon: This afternoon we continue on to Jasper National Park. This scenic drive is lined with beautiful mountains, lakes and more than 100 glaciers providing a dramatic backdrop. Keep an eye out for mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the cliffs along the way. In the spruce forest above the Sunwapta River, watch for grizzly bears during spring, summer, and fall. We’ll check in to our hotel upon arrival.

Dinner: At a local restaurant.

Evening: At leisure. You might like to head out on your own, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, or just relax at the hotel.

DAY
6
Maligne Canyon, Pyramid Lake, Jasper National Park
Jasper, AB
B,L
Maligne Lodge

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 50 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Walking up to 2 miles throughout the day; paved or maintained trails.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will gather in the hotel for a presentation by a local expert where we will learn about the abundance and diversity of wildlife in Jasper Park. We will then board the motorcoach, accompanied by the local expert to explore Maligne Canyon in Jasper National Park. We’ll walk along the Maligne Canyon Trail that is rich in natural history, impressive geologic features, and wildlife. On our walk, we’ll search for fossils and find out how this deep canyon formed during glacial ages. The forests of this wilderness area are home to mountain goats, elk, moose, and bears as well as a variety of birds including bald eagles. Along this scenic trail, we will explore spectacular vantage points, flower meadows, and sapphire blue mountain lakes.

Lunch: At a spot along the way, we’ll enjoy our boxed lunches.

Afternoon: We’ll continue our field trip in Jasper National Park by motorcoach with stops along the way for expert interpretation. Pyramid Lake located at the foot of the iconic Pyramid Mountain will be one of our stops.

Dinner: On your own to explore local flavors. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure. Prepare for check-out and transfer in the morning.

DAY
7
Jasper Yellowhead Museum, Return to Banff
Banff, Alberta
B,L
High Country Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 190 miles, approximately 4 hours riding time. Walking about 1 mile, approximately 2 hours; standing in museum.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We will check out of the hotel, board the motorcoach, and set out on a field trip to Jasper Yellowhead Museum. Before our local expert leads us around the museum, we will have a presentation on Jasper from a historical perspective and talk about some of the early settlers and the First Nations.

Lunch: Boxed lunch en route.

Afternoon: Back aboard the motorcoach, we will ride on to Banff and check in to our hotel. The remainder of the afternoon will be free.

Dinner: On your own to enjoy the cuisine of your choice. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure. You might like to head out on your own to see more of Banff, spend time with fellow Road Scholars, or just relax.

DAY
8
Whyte Museum, Free Time
Banff, Alberta
B,D
High Country Inn

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; city driving. Walking about 1 mile, approximately 1.5 hours riding time; paved streets and trails.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: We’ll transfer by motorcoach to explore the Whyte Museum, one of Banff's most culturally significant museums, and learn about the remarkable history of some of the locals and their cultural past through a self-led exploration. The museum features an art gallery and a vast collection of photographs telling the history of early explorers, artists, and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Then, we’ll take a walk back in time and get to know the colorful individuals who built the town of Banff. This expert-led walk meanders through history to take us near the riverside site where Tom Wilson established one of the first outfitting operations in the area, St. Georges-in-the-Pines Anglican Church with its unique stained glass windows, and the Luxton Home and Garden. These and many other intriguing stops reveal the fascinating history of this town.

Lunch: On your own to savor the local flavors of your choice. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Afternoon: Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.

Dinner: At a local restaurant. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Evening: We’ll have a wrap-up session at the restaurant then return to the hotel. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

DAY
9
Airport Transfers, Program Concludes
Banff, Alberta
B

Activity note: Getting on/off a motorcoach; transfer from hotel to Calgary Airport included in program cost. Hotel check-out by 11:00 a.m.

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: We’ll check out of the hotel and transfer to Calgary International Airport (YYC); approximate arrival time is 10:30 a.m. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!






Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.