loading spinner
Alberta

Choose Your Pace: Hike the Canadian Rockies, Banff & Lake Louise

Program No. 5339RJ
Hike Banff and Yoho National Parks at your pace with experts as you learn about Lake Louise, giant glaciers, pioneer history and the impact humans have on these alpine environments.

Enroll with Confidence

We want your Road Scholar learning adventure to be something to look forward to—not worry about. Learn more

Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
Plan ahead.
What kind of weather can you expect? Take a look!
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Jul 16 - Jul 22, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Jul 23 - Jul 29, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Aug 6 - Aug 12, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Aug 13 - Aug 19, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Aug 20 - Aug 26, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Sep 3 - Sep 9, 2023
Starting at
3,499
Sep 10 - Sep 16, 2023
Starting at
3,499
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jul 9 - Jul 15, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Jul 16 - Jul 22, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Jul 23 - Jul 29, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Aug 6 - Aug 12, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Aug 13 - Aug 19, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Aug 20 - Aug 26, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Sep 3 - Sep 9, 2023
Starting at
4,199
Sep 10 - Sep 16, 2023
Starting at
4,199

At a Glance

Hike the alpine trails of the Canadian Rockies at the national parks of Banff and Yoho. Expert-led hikes selected based on your desired level of difficulty will explore the clear streams, turquoise glacial lakes and mountain vistas while learning about glaciology, human history and the unique wildlife of each region. Admire the world-famous Lake Louise at your pace as you learn about the challenges the future holds for these gems of Canada’s wilderness.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Choose Your Pace
Each day, choose from three levels of hiking options (mellow, moderate or motivated) based on your desired level of challenge and pace, ranging from 3-9 miles on varied terrain. Elevations of 4,200-8,600 feet.
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…

  • Explore alpine meadows, forests and mountain wildflowers on expert-led hikes as you learn about the region’s ecology, history and biodiversity.
  • Learn about the remarkable Spiral Tunnels and witness the amazing engineering feats of early railway construction.
  • Discover treasures such as the Victoria Glacier and the Grand Chateau Lake Louise on the shores of Lake Louise.

General Notes

Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Jack Burns
Jack Burns is pursuing his life’s passion, hiking, after nearly 40 years as a Canadian Army Officer, domestic and international disaster response specialist and businessman. He has extensive hiking and some climbing experience throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Jack’s involvement with the Central Alberta Mountain Club and the Great Divide Trail Association has helped him absorb the challenges of passionate non-professionals who pursue outdoor adventures.

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

Profile Image of Jack Burns
Jack Burns View biography
Jack Burns is pursuing his life’s passion, hiking, after nearly 40 years as a Canadian Army Officer, domestic and international disaster response specialist and businessman. He has extensive hiking and some climbing experience throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Jack’s involvement with the Central Alberta Mountain Club and the Great Divide Trail Association has helped him absorb the challenges of passionate non-professionals who pursue outdoor adventures.
Profile Image of Bryce Willigar
Bryce Willigar View biography
Born in a small farming community situated on the western edge of the Canadian prairie, Bryce found his calling in the outdoors at a young age while exploring the many wild places close to his childhood home. This led him to pursue a degree in outdoor leadership. Bryce has worked as both a snowshoeing and hiking leader, and has also taught cross-country skiing to a broad range of ages and ability levels. He is also a paddling instructor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Field Guide to Banff National Park
by James Kavanagh
This fold-up, laminated card features 133 color drawings and short descriptions of commonly encountered wildlife and a map.
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.
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.
Wonderful Life, The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
by Stephen Jay Gould
A now-classic -- and still provocative -- study of the 600 million-year-old fossils found in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia. An intriguing look at a heated scientific debate, and an eloquent account of paleontology.
Handbook of the Canadian Rockies
by Ben Gadd
The definitive guide to the Canadian Rockies, winner of national and international awards. Everything from bears to butterflies, rocks to ravens. Sections on hiking and biking, backpacking, mountaineering, back-country skiing, boating, human history and safety considerations.
How Old Is That Mountain?
by Chris Yorath
A geological field guide for the visitor, this handy book explains the faults, glaciers, hot springs and mountains of Banff and Yoho National Parks.
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.
Stories of Ice: Adventure, Commerce and Creativity on Canada’s Glaciers
by Lynn Martel
From a mother/daughter duo who spent five months skiing across icefields from Vancouver to Alaska, to scientists discovering biofilms deep inside glacier caverns, to protesters camping for weeks to protect their beloved local glacier, western Canada’s glaciers are dynamic, enigmatic, exquisitely beautiful, sometimes dangerous environments where people play, work, run businesses, explore, and create art every single day.
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.
With You by Bike
by Katrina Rosen
After many years together Katrina and Mike's marriage has unravelled. In a quest to mend their relationship they embark on a year long, 13,000 kilometre cycling tour with the hope of strengthening their commitment to one another. Katrina is an adventure athlete who craves the wild; her husband, Mike, watches sports with his buddies. Like many couples, after 11 years in a relationship they’ve grown apart and have become mere acquaintances, as opposed to husband and wife. When they hit rock bottom they realize it's time for a change and they make the dramatic decision to travel the world by bike.





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.