Self-Drive Mountain Glory

Day 1

Calgary to Banff (72 miles)
Upon arrival into Calgary, pick up your rental car and begin your Rockies adventure. Take the short (2-hour) drive from Calgary to Banff on either the Trans-Canada Highway or the more scenic 1A Highway. Once in Banff proceed to your selected hotel to check in and the remainder of the day is yours to explore at your own leisure.
Included in your FlexiDrive package is the Parks Canada Discovery Pass allowing admission to:
Cave & Basin National Historic Site
The birthplace of Canada’s National Parks System. Visitors can walk into the Cave and learn the fascinating story of the springs’ discovery. Historical exhibits, geological displays, and videos tell the park’s history. Explore the effect of heated spring water on the surrounding marshes and the flora and the fauna. Interpretive displays, self-guided trails accessible year-round.
Banff Park Museum
One of Canada’s oldest and grandest Natural History Museums. This turn of the century museum displays an extensive collection of birds, mammals, insects, and curiosities of Banff National Park. The site is well known for its fine wood architecture. It also offers a reading room plus a hands-on discovery room.
Overnight Banff
Standard: Brewster Mountain Lodge (Standard Room)
Superior: Rimrock Resort (Deluxe Room)

Day 2

Banff
A full day to explore Banff and area. In town you’ll find lots of excitement - shopping, cafes, nightlife, museums. Check out the Cave and Basin National Historic Site, Banff Gondola (Included) where you will see a panoramic view of the Bow Valley, and then take a dip in the hot mineral pools at the Upper Hot Springs.
Overnight Banff
Standard: Brewster Mountain Lodge (Standard Room)
Superior: Rimrock Resort (Deluxe Room)

Day 3

Banff to Jasper (164 miles)
Take the short drive from Banff to Lake Louise. Choose the Bow Valley Parkway, beside the Bow River with an option for you to take a stop at Johnston Canyon and walk along the paved footway to either the lower or upper waterfalls before continuing to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. From Lake Louise your scenic drive takes you through the spine of the Canadian Rockies. View a never-ending procession of mammoth mountains, jagged peaks, over 100 glaciers and pristine emerald colour lakes. Along the way see such sights as the Sarbach Glacier, Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, with the Bow Glacier providing the backdrop, and Crowfoot Glacier before your arrival at the Columbia Icefield for a snocoach ride out onto the glacier (Included). Leaving the Athabasca Glacier, your camera should be ready to capture the majesty of the Athabasca Falls prior to your arrival into Jasper.
Overnight Jasper
Standard: Lobstick Lodge (Standard Room)
Superior: Sawridge Inn (Standard Room)

Day 4

Jasper
Explore this charming mountain village close to many terrific scenic highlights. Take a tram ride up Whistlers mountain, or visit Maligne Lake, one of the most photographed lakes in the world, and enjoy a 90 minute cruise heading toward the south end of this postcard setting (Maligne Lake cruise not included). You will marvel at the magnificent shoreline with dense forest and glacial peaks rising abruptly from the water’s edge. Stopping at Spirit Island, you will have the opportunity to take your own version of the world famous photograph of the lake.
Overnight Jasper
Standard: Lobstick Lodge (Standard Room)
Superior: Sawridge Inn (Standard Room)

Day 5

Jasper to Lake Louise (129 miles)
Depart Jasper today and travel once more along the scenic Icefields Parkway to the "Jewel of the Rockies," Lake Louise. Lake Louise is the most famous glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies, and one of the most beautiful in the Western Hemisphere. The lake, named for Princess Louise Caroline Alberta, daughter of Queen Victoria, is 1,730 metres (5,680 feet) above sea level. You may wish to enjoy a hike on one of the numerous trails or paddle a canoe on the lake.
Overnight Lake Louise at Deer Lodge (Heritage Room)

Day 6

Lake Louise
Today cross the Great Divide and enter Yoho National Park. The word Yoho is an aboriginal term for awe and wonder, as in Wow! Visit the scenic Yoho Valley and such sights as Takakkaw Falls (one of the highest in the world), Emerald Lake, Kicking Horse Pass, Spiral Tunnels and the Natural Rock Bridge that spans the Kicking Horse River. Return to Lake Louise.
Overnight Lake Louise at Deer Lodge (Heritage Room)

Day 7

Lake Louise to Calgary (110 miles)
Departing Lake Louise, you will travel through the foothills of the Rockies to the city of Calgary. Your tour concludes with the return of your rental vehicle either to the Calgary International Airport or a downtown location.

What's Included

• Hotel accommodation for 6 nights in your chosen category
• Car rental (economy category) for the whole itinerary
• Admission to either Banff Upper Hot Springs or Miette Hot Springs Jasper
• Ice Explorer ride onto the Athabasca Glacier
• Sulphur Mountain Gondola Ride
• Exclusive travel documentation package including personalized maps, itinerary and driving directions