Two national parks, four grand châteaux, the Icefields Parkway end to end — the Canadian Rockies as they should be travelled.
Ten days through the heart of the Canadian Rockies, in a six-passenger Mercedes-Benz Sprinter — not a coach. You'll wake up inside Jasper National Park, cross the Athabasca Glacier on a custom Ice Explorer, walk a glass-floored skywalk hung 280 metres above Sunwapta Valley, and turn in each night at a Fairmont château that's been welcoming travellers since the railway era.
Built for couples, multi-generational families and small groups of friends, this is our most refined Rocky Mountain itinerary. Slow pacing, two-night stays where it matters, every transfer in our own luxury fleet with a Maple Fun driver-guide who knows the trails behind the postcards.
Two nights in the only Fairmont surrounded by a UNESCO Dark Sky Preserve — lakeside cabins with elk on the lawn at dawn.
Board a six-wheeled snow coach and step out onto a sheet of ancient ice that's been receding here for 125 years.
A 30-metre glass-floored walkway cantilevered 280 metres above the valley — vertigo and view in equal measure.
Two nights on the turquoise lake that defines the Canadian Rockies. Sunrise from your room is its own activity.
The lake on the old twenty-dollar bill. We arrive early; we leave before the tour buses.
A short cross-border detour into British Columbia for jade waters and the natural land-bridge over the Kicking Horse River.
A gentle walk on steel walkways pinned to the canyon wall, to upper and lower falls.
Rooftop hot pools facing Mount Rundle. Two nights at boutique luxury in the heart of Banff Avenue.
Your Maple Fun driver-guide meets you at Vancouver International Airport (YVR) arrivals and transfers you the short five minutes to the Sheraton Vancouver Airport. The rest of the day is yours — rest, swim, or take the SkyTrain into downtown Vancouver for an early-evening walk on the seawall.
Early departure inland on the Trans-Canada. The Fraser Canyon delivers two hours of emerald-green river running between mountain walls, the Canadian Pacific Railway tracing the opposite bank. Stop in Hope for coffee and to photograph the historic wooden Othello Tunnels. Lunch in Kamloops on the Thompson River, then a long climb up to Sun Peaks Resort — a true ski village in summer, half the lifts running for mountain bikers.
One of the most scenic driving days of the trip. We pace north on the Yellowhead Highway, stopping in Wells Gray Provincial Park — the “Waterfall Park” — for the short walk to Helmcken Falls, a 141-metre plunge into a basalt amphitheatre. Continue past 3,954-metre Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, often hiding its summit in cloud. Cross the Continental Divide into Alberta and Jasper National Park for two nights at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge.
A full day inside one of Canada's largest national parks. Morning at Maligne Lake — a one-hour interpretive cruise to Spirit Island, the most photographed scene in the Canadian Rockies. Lunch at Maligne Lake Chalet. Afternoon at Maligne Canyon for the slot-gorge walk over six bridges, or upgrade to the optional Jasper SkyTram ride up Whistlers Mountain for a 2,277-metre panorama. Return to the lodge for an early evening at leisure — the spa, the lake, or simply elk-watching on the lawn.
Today is the headline drive of the trip and one of the world's great scenic highways. The Icefields Parkway threads 230 kilometres of glacier-carved valleys, turquoise lakes and roadside wildlife. Morning stop at Athabasca Falls, then the centrepiece of the day: boarding the Brewster Ice Explorer — a six-wheeled glacier vehicle — to drive directly onto the Athabasca Glacier, where you'll step out onto a sheet of compacted snow that's been there for centuries. Next, the Glacier Skywalk: a 30-metre glass-floored cantilever 280 metres above Sunwapta Valley. Arrive Lake Louise in time to see the lake glow turquoise at dusk.
We start before the crowds. First, west into British Columbia and Yoho National Park for Emerald Lake — jade-green water and a small natural-bridge formation where the Kicking Horse River carves under the rock. Back across the Continental Divide for Moraine Lake, the iconic Valley of the Ten Peaks scene from the old Canadian $20 bill. Climb the rockpile for the classic view, then return to Lake Louise for a long afternoon at the Château — canoe the lake, walk to Lake Agnes Tea House (3.4 km, mostly uphill), or simply read on the terrace.
The slow road today — the Bow Valley Parkway runs parallel to the Trans-Canada but at half the speed and twice the wildlife. Possible sightings of black bear, elk, and the occasional grizzly. Mid-morning stop at Johnston Canyon for the walkway to the Lower Falls (1.1 km) or onward to the Upper Falls (additional 1.6 km) on steel catwalks pinned directly to the canyon wall. Lunch in Banff town. Check in to the Moose Hotel & Suites for two nights, with afternoon at leisure to wander Banff Avenue, the Bow Falls, or soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs.
A free day to set your own pace in Banff National Park. Optional add-ons available through your guide: the Banff Gondola up Sulphur Mountain for a 360° ridge walk (75 minutes return), afternoon tea at the Banff Springs Hotel (built 1888, the original Canadian Pacific château), a Bow River float trip (2 hours, gentle), or horseback riding at Warner Stables. For a slower day: the Whyte Museum, Cave & Basin National Historic Site (where the park was born), or the surprisingly good Banff Park Museum (1903 taxidermy).
Morning drive east through the foothills to Calgary International Airport (~90 minutes from Banff). Short 90-minute flight back to Vancouver. Your Maple Fun guide meets you again at YVR arrivals and transfers you to the Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel — perfectly positioned inside the terminal for tomorrow's onward flight home.
Check out at your leisure. The Fairmont YVR is inside the terminal — your driver-guide is not needed for the airport transfer (just an elevator), but is available for any last-minute coffee, photos or paperwork. Safe travels home.
Add a Stanley Park bike day, Granville Island, and a half-day to Victoria via BC Ferries.
30-minute Rockies overflight including a glacier landing. CAD $400–$550 per person.
1903-style high tea in the original Canadian Pacific château, ~CAD $85 per person, reservation required.
Jasper SkyTram up Whistlers Mountain in place of an afternoon at the lodge. ~CAD $60 per person.
Light to moderate. The optional walks (Johnston Canyon, Maligne Canyon, Moraine Lake rockpile) are short and well-graded. Nothing on the standard itinerary requires more than 2 km of walking. The Lake Agnes Tea House hike (3.4 km, 400 m elevation) is optional.
Summer days in the Rockies typically 18–25°C, but glaciers and morning lakeshore can be 5–10°C. Layers and a packable down or fleece are essential.
Yes, age 10 and up enjoy this tour. Younger children may find Day 2 and Day 9 long in the vehicle. We can suggest a shorter-driving variant for families with under-10s.
All Maple Fun driver-guides speak English. We can guarantee Japanese, Mandarin, Cantonese or Vietnamese-speaking guides on request — please mention this at booking.
Yes — fully reversible at no extra cost, subject to flight availability on Day 9.
2 pax minimum on private. The vehicle is the same; the per-person rate scales.
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