Gentle Walking Canadian Rockies

Day 1 - Fly London to Calgary. Group transfer to hotel.

Fly from London to Calgary. On arrival you will be greeted at the airport by your local guide and transferred to your hotel. The remainder of the day is at leisure, for you to recover from your flight and to enjoy downtown Calgary.

Overnight: Ramada Hotel Or Similar, Calgary

Day 2 - Drive to Kananaskis - 150km, 1¾ hours. Walk Ptarmigan Cirque. 2-2½ hours, 210m ascent/210m descent. Drive to Canmore - 100km, 1¼ hours.

Today you will drive to Kananaskis. Known as Kananaskis Country it is an area which offers some of the most beautiful landscapes of the Rockies but is quieter than the main national parks which you will visit later. The first walk of your Rockies adventure will be the Ptarmigan Circuit. As with most trails in this region, the climb starts in spruce-fir forest. Several switchbacks lead you to an area lined with larch trees before the trail branches off into a loop. You emerge in a wide open meadow, a fine example of a recently de-glaciated valley in the Rockies. Most of the landscape looks like desert, yet, if you look closely, you will find it remarkable. The bedrock reveals fossilized remains of an ancient seabed, complex lichen colonies cover rocks and boulders, and gullies and avalanche debris offer forms of shelter for small birds and rodents. The fauna and flora of this harsh habitat rely on survival strategies and biological adaptations to survive - you are lucky visitors who get to catch a glimpse at its most pleasant time of the year!After your walk you drive on to Canmore and your hotel for the next three nights.

Overnight: Chateau Canmore Or Similar, Canmore

Day 3 - Cascade Amphitheatre walk - 13.2km, 640m ascent/descent, 4-6 hours. Free time in Banff.

it's a short drive of about half an hour this morning to reach the trailhead for Cascade Amphitheatre at the Mount Norquay Ski Resort. The trail is set within an alpine valley tucked into the mountains near Banff. The first part of the hike is a gentle walk along a service road then through dense forest before crossing a stream (Forty Mile Creek) on a footbridge. Turning right after the creek you start to gain elevation quite quickly before beginning to climb steeply up the slope of Cascade Mountain on a long series of switchbacks. It's hard work but eventually you reach the Cascade Amphitheatre meadows and are greeted by incredible views of the summit of Cascade Mountain ahead. The mountain is both a natural beauty and one of the impressive geologic features of the Canadian Rockies. The rest of the route up to the summit is a challenging scramble so you will stop at the meadows and spend some time relaxing and enjoying the views. You then descend on the same trail and return to your vehicle. The rest of day is free for you to enjoy the attractions of Banff before returning to your hotel.

Overnight: Chateau Canmore Or Similar, Canmore

Day 4 - Stanley Glacier hike in Kootenay National Park - 8.4km, 385m ascent/descent, 3 hours. Return to Canmore.

It's a 45 minute drive this morning to reach the Stanley Glacier trailhead for one of the most popular hikes in Kootenay National Park. You begin by crossing over the Vermillion River on a footbridge and you will note the 'bare' forest that characterises this area due to forest fires over the previous decades. The lack of foliage though allows for more frequent viewpoints. This is also an area rich in wildflowers during the late spring and summer months. Shortly after the bridge you start to climb steadily up a series of gentle switchbacks, then a flatter section, until you reach a small river formed by the runoff of the Stanley Glacier. You cross and continue briefly uphill, with a huge waterfall coming into view as it cascades down the cliff wall to your right. As the forest around you slims, the surrounding mountains come increasingly into view until you enter a pristine alpine meadow with incredible, far-reaching vistas in all directions. There's time to rest awhile and take in the magnificent scenery before heading back down the trail and returning to Canmore.

Overnight: Chateau Canmore Or Similar, Canmore

Day 5 - Drive to Jasper along the Icefields Parkway - 300km, 4-5 hours. Stop en route for short walks to view Athabasca Glacier, Bow Lake and Peyto Lake.

Today you drive along the spectacular Icefields Parkway Highway to Jasper. Jaw-dropping scenery surrounds you for the duration of this unforgettable drive. The landscape is peppered with more than 100 ancient glaciers, majestic waterfalls falling from dramatic rock spires and turquoise emerald lakes. En route you'll make several stops to walk to some of the most outstanding viewpoints along the Parkway. Roughly an hour and a half from Canmore, your first stop is at Bow Lake which sits right beside the road. This small, yet perfectly formed lake is nestled in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Fed by meltwater from the Bow Glacier, Bow Lake is best known for its incredible turquoise hue, a result of glacial silt mixing with the cold waters. The gorgeous waters provide the perfect mirror for the surrounding mountains on clear, calm days, and you’ll definitely want to get a picture of the dazzling reflections in the lake. There is an easy trail around the lake which takes around an hour to complete. Continuing your drive, your next stop at Peyto Lake is just a few miles further along the road. For many visitors, this is one of the most iconic, and most photographed places in the entire Canadian Rockies. The first thing that stands out to most people is the vibrant colour of the Lake. Why is Peyto Lake so blue? The answer lies in its source. The water in Peyto Lake comes from the Peyto Glacier. Many glacier-fed lakes take on this incredible color due to “rock flour” or fine rock particles that the movement of the glacier grinds like flour. The way the sunlight reflects off of these particles suspended in the water gives the lake its stunning color. You'll walk up from the parking lot to Peyto Lake Overlook from where the views really are awe-inspiring. Make sure your phones and cameras are fully charged! Your final stop along the Parkway is at Athabasca Glacier where you'll take a gentle hike to view the toe of the glacier. As you walk past the glacial lake at the snout, the receding of the glacier becomes obvious. The striated bedrocks tell the story of its advance, while stone markers identify the location of the snout in past decades. You'll marvel at the wall of ice at the far end of the valley interconnected with the extensive Colombia Icefield, a remnant of the last ice age. Returning to your vehicle, you drive along the final 100km stretch of the Icefields Parkway to your accommodation near Jasper. For your first night here your guide will suggest a local restaurant in Jasper for dinner. Breakfasts will be taken in the dining room or at the chalets, and lunch will be out on the trail.

Overnight: Becker's Chalets Or Similar, Jasper

Day 6 - Drive to Cavell Meadows - 60 km, 1½ hours. Walk Edith Cavell Meadow trail - 6-7km, 500m ascent/ 500m descent, 4-5 hours. Visit Athabasca Falls.

The Cavell Meadows hike is a Jasper favourite, displaying colourful floral meadows, dominant glaciers and jagged towering cliffs. Your hike today starts by climbing over a terminal moraine, the furthest advance of the now receded glacier, and works south through the quartzite debris of the glacier forefield. Part of this area was covered by ice less than 50 years ago. Delightful chipmunks, ground squirrels and pikas live in the nooks and crannies of this moraine and add a sense of 'wild' to this wonderful trail. Cottonwood poplar grows from the rocks to the right of the trail and reaching the top of the moraine marks an immediate change to subalpine forest. Your trail switchbacks into the trees. The forest here is an ancient one, dominated by Engelmann spruce and subalpine fir. One fir is half a metre thick at the base.

The first of your viewpoints provides an excellent sight of Angel Glacier and its 40m thick ice cliffs. Soon the trail emerges from the trees to reveal the beautiful Edith Cavell Meadows - amateur botanists are particularly fond of these meadows for their displays of pink, yellow, and white mountain heather which provides the most spectacular setting.

Retracing your steps, you descend back down the trail and then return to Jasper, stopping at the spectacular Athabasca Falls - known as the most powerful waterfall in the Canadian Rockies, the falls are completed by an exceptional setting of tall alpine forest with the mighty Mt. Kerkeslin in the background.

Overnight: Becker's Chalets Or Similar, Jasper

Day 7 - Drive to Maligne Lake – 100 km, 2hrs. Walk Bald Hills – 10.4km, 500m ascent/500m descent, 4-6 hours.

The Bald Hills hiking trail has some of the most breathtaking panoramas that Jasper has to offer. Today's hike is a moderate climb but very rewarding - you will take lots of breaks to ease the ascent. The trail initially follows a fire road through a pine forest. Upon reaching the subalpine life zone, views to the north begin to open with the Queen Elizabeth Range visible across the valley, and Little Shovel Pass in the Maligne Range to the north. This sample of mountains encapsulates two different themes in local geology, younger, grey front-range limestone; older colourful main range quartzite underfoot. Passing a small pond as you enter the tree line glades, you may hear a surprising concert of birds: juncos, thrushes and sparrows to name a few. You reach the old fire lookout site, rewarded with magnificent views of Maligne Lake complete with six summits above 3,000m. You hike back down at your own pace, reflecting on how this trail was well worth the effort!

Overnight: Becker's Chalets Or Similar, Jasper

Day 8 - Drive from Jasper to Lake Louise - 232km, 3 hours. Walk Parker Ridge en route - 5-6km, 2-3 hours, 250m ascent/250m descent.

Today you make the drive from Jasper back along the breathtaking Icefields Parkway to Lake Louise. On the way you'll stop just off the highway so that you can walk up the must-do trail to Parker Ridge. The route is very straightforward, and you can enjoy good views along the way as you ascend, via a series of well-established switchbacks, to Parker Ridge overlook. Here there are exceptional vistas of the impressive Saskatchewan Glacier - a prominent toe of the Columbia Icefield.

Descending back the way you came, you continue your journey to Lake Louise, one of the premier visitor centres of the Rockies. You'll be able to settle into your accommodation before heading out for dinner locally.

Overnight: Lake Louise Inn or Similar, Lake Louise

Day 9 - Drive to Morraine Lake - 30 minutes. Hike Larch Valley/Sentinel Pass - 11.6km, 725m ascent/descent, 4-5 hours.

After breakfast today you will make the drive to beautiful Morraine Lake and the trailhead for the Larch Valley hike. The hike into Larch Valley and Sentinel Pass is a must for anyone wanting to have an experience that closely resembles the backcountry of Banff National Park. The trail begins on a good uphill path, winding through cool, evergreen forest with lichen hanging from the tree branches. You cross several small mountain streams and see wildflowers growing alongside the trail. Early on you will start to see the jagged peaks of the surrounding mountains including the glacier-topped Mount Fay. After the first kilometre the trail steepens into a series of switchbacks to ease the gradient, and the turquoise waters of Morraine Lake can be glimpsed through the trees. Climbing for a further 1.5km the trail flattens out and enters a large larch tree forest with Mount Temple looming ahead. As you venture deeper into the Larch Valley meadow there are remarkable views of the soaring Ten Peaks around Morraine Lake with some well placed benches to sit and take in the vista.

The Larch Valley trail ends after 4.7km but you can then continue up the zig-zagging Sentinel Pass trail that leads between Pinnacle Mountain and Mount Temple. If you reach the top of the trail you'll enjoy sweeping views of the Minnestimma Lakes as well as the Ten Peaks and dreamlike Paradise Valley. Look closely and you may see climbers on the face of the Grand Sentinel. You return via the same route and drive back to Lake Louise.

Overnight: Lake Louise Inn or Similar, Lake Louise

Day 10 - Drive to Yoho National Park - 80km, 1½ hours. Walk to Laughing Falls 7.8km, 3½ hours, 125m ascent/125m descent. Walk at Emerlald Lake - 5km, 1½-2 hours, 213 m ascent.

Today you cross from Alberta into British Columbia. Yoho National Park lies on the western slopes of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Glaciers carved an immense and deep u-shaped valley, later named Yoho by the Cree tribe, leaving the water flowing down its tributary valleys no other choice than to plunge down soaring cliffs. Takakkaw Falls, one of Canada's highest at 254m in one stretch and 384m in total, is simply mesmerising especially on sunny days, when a mist rainbow appears midway up. You depart north and walk across an alluvial plain into the forest. Moose frequent this area. You may opt for a little side trail for a view of Angel's Staircase Falls. The main trail continues up a hill and past a little canyon for good views of Laughing Falls from the north bank of Little Yoho River.

On your way back to your hotel you will stop at Emerald Lake one of the largest of Yoho's 61 lakes and ponds, as well as one of the park's premier tourist attractions. The Emerald Lake Trail is a scenic out-and-back hike with a couple of uphill sections. The path leads through aspens and lodgepole pines passing two other shimmering lakes - Nymph Lake and Dream Lake - before finally reaching Emerald Lake. The lake sits in Tyndall Gorge with the steep, craggy slopes of Hallett and Flaptop Mountains rising from its shores. After enjoying the lovely views, you walk back along the trail and return to Lake Louise.

Overnight: Lake Louise Inn or Similar, Lake Louise

Day 11 - Morning at leisure. Drive to Calgary - 130km, 1.5 hours, stop en route at Lake Minnewanka for a last lakshore hike - 2-3 hours.

Sadly this is your final day in the Rockies and your last morning is free to enjoy the many charms of Lake Louise before hitting the road one last time. On the way to Calgary you will have time for one more hike along the picturesque shores of Lake Minnewanka. The trail is part of a long distant route so you will just head out for an hour or so before returning to the vehicle and on to your hotel in Calgary.

Overnight: Ramada Hotel Or Similar, Calgary

Day 12 - Group transfer to the airport for flight back to London.

You may have time for some last minute shopping today before transferring to the airport for your overnight flight home.

Overnight: In flight

Day 13 - Arrive in the UK.