Canadian Rockies Multisport

Day 1

Meet your Backroads Trip Leaders (the folks wearing Backroads T-shirts) at 8:30 a.m. at Rundlestone Lodge in Banff. Please arrive in your hiking clothes and have a daypack containing your rain gear and other items you might need on today’s walk (e.g., sunglasses, camera, swimsuit, etc.).

Shuttle to Jasper National Park 3½ Hours
Valley of the Five Lakes Hike 4.3 Miles (250-foot elevation gain)

Welcome to the Canadian Rockies! After meeting we shuttle up the scenic Icefield Parkway to Jasper National Park. Once there, stretch your legs in pristine mountain wilderness at the Valley of the Five Lakes. Hike along the shore of the valley’s jade-green namesakes and through the habitats of mule deer, elk, beaver and coyote. In midsummer you may be lucky enough to see mountain orchids in bloom. For the brave of heart a dip in Lake Four is a bracing way to inaugurate your Canadian adventure.
Our home for the next two evenings is The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, ranked among the world’s best resorts by Condé Nast Traveler. After settling in, we gather for a wine reception followed by an elegant dinner at the hotel.

Lodging: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 2

Shuttle to Maligne Lake 1 Hour
Maligne Canyon Biking Route 23 Miles with Shuttle (2,000-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Jasper Park Lodge 29 Miles(2,500-foot elevation gain)
Optional Maligne Canyon Hike 1.6 Miles (200-foot elevation gain)
Athabasca River Rafting 2 Hours

This morning we shuttle to Maligne Lake, one of Jasper National Park’s best-known attractions. The Canadian Rockies’ longest and deepest lake, Maligne is world renowned for its intense blue-green color. Here your leaders fit your bike and give a brief talk on biking techniques and safety. Then you’re off on an exhilarating, predominantly downhill ride interspersed with a series of rolling hills. The route provides great opportunities for spotting bear, moose, deer and elk. Stop along the way for a short hike at Maligne Canyon—250 feet deep in places, yet sometimes scarcely more than 3 feet wide. It’s said to be the most inspiring and interesting canyon in the Rockies.

Next we head to the chilly Athabasca River, where a guided Class II float provides a different perspective on the landscape, as well as more chances to see wildlife. Climb into sturdy rafts and follow a route used by early fur traders and explorers, riding the Athabasca’s mellow glacier-fed rapids. Back at the hotel, take advantage of the amenities: canoe on Lake Beauvert, investigate the picture-perfect surroundings on horseback or indulge in a spa treatment. (These activities are not included in the trip price. Advance reservations are recommended; see ―During Your Trip‖ in your Travel Planner for more information.)

This evening you’re on your own for dinner; sample the fare in downtown Jasper or choose from among our lodge’s several restaurants.

Lodging: The Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Day 3

Kerkeslin Biking Route 24 Miles (2,400-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Athabasca Falls 21 Miles (2,000-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Athabasca Glacier 1 Hour
Athabasca Glacier Walk 2 Hours
Shuttle to Num-Ti-Jah Lodge 1¼ Hours

After breakfast, pedal along a quiet road to Athabasca Falls, one of the Rocky Mountains’ most powerful and breathtaking cascades. The force of the water has carved intricate features into the soft limestone, including potholes and a small canyon.
After a picnic lunch we head to the austere terrain of the Columbia Icefields, the largest of the chain of ice fields along the Great Divide separating Alberta and British Columbia. The meltwater generated by this giant ice field eventually flows down to feed the Pacific, Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. In the company of certified mountain guides, we strap on crampons and set out on an interpretive walk on Athabasca Glacier, a massive river of ice riddled with deep-blue crevasses. The slow-moving giant, which rolls along at a blistering 50 feet a year, is in places more than 900 feet deep—about the height of a 60-story building.

Today ends at the modest Num-Ti-Jah Lodge, situated on the shore of stunningly blue Bow Lake. Jimmy Simpson, a mountain guide associated with many legends and tall tales, founded this historic pioneer lodge.

Lodging: Num-Ti-Jah Lodge

Day 4

Optional Bow Falls Lookout Hike 4 Miles (500-foot elevation gain)
Great Divide Biking Route 37 Miles (1,100-foot elevation gain)
Shorter Option: Post Hotel Route 25 Miles (600-foot elevation gain)

This morning you can sleep in and enjoy the cozy lodge or head straight out the front door to the shore of Bow Lake for an optional hike. Walk along the beautiful waters before traversing the lake’s alluvial fan to the face of a thundering 328-foot waterfall, fed by the Wapta Icefield and Bow Glacier high above.
Today’s bike ride in the shadow of the Continental Divide traces the Icefields Parkway over rolling hills, with sweeping views of glaciers and forests. The route offers some of the most stunning scenery of the entire trip, not to mention a generous six-foot-wide shoulder that keeps vehicles at a comfortable distance. Beginning at a high pass at the edge of the treeless alpine tundra, it’s a mostly downhill ride to our picnic lunch. Then it’s time for a spin along a car-free route to the top of the Continental Divide—from here, a raindrop that falls on the western slope will roll on to the Pacific Ocean and one that falls to the east will end up feeding the Atlantic.

Pedal on to the Post Hotel & Spa, lauded on Condé Nast Traveler’s Gold List and winner of a Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Award. This luxurious retreat is praised for its impeccable service, superlative cuisine and stylish interiors—not to mention the newly renovated 3,200-square-foot Temple Mountain Spa. (Spa treatments are not included in the trip price; see ―During Your Trip‖ in your Travel Planner for details.) This evening we savor an epicurean meal in the renowned dining room, praised by Travel + Leisure as one of the best hotel dining experiences in North America.

Lodging: Post Hotel & Spa

Day 5

Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse Hike 6.2 Miles (1,200-foot elevation gain)
Longer Option: Lake Agnes Teahouse 8 Miles (1,800-foot elevation gain)

A ten-minute shuttle brings us to lovely Lake Louise, a World Heritage site located at 5,680 feet and one of the most photographed areas in the Rockies. You’ll understand why when you see the reflection of Mount Victoria in its shimmering blue-green waters. Walk along the shoreline before ascending through the barren rocky landscape created by Victoria Glacier. Keep an eye out for mountain goats, pikas and hoary marmots that make their homes in the boulder fields, and be sure to take in the spectacular vista behind you.

After a 1,200-foot climb you arrive at the Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse, nestled among pine trees with amazing views of Mount Victoria and six surrounding glaciers. The teahouse was built in the 1800s by the Canadian Pacific Railway with the help of Swiss guides. It’s still a cozy spot for a lunch break—fancy some chocolate cake? Then forge ahead to Lake Agnes along the Highline Trail and past Mirror Lake, also known as ―the Goat’s Looking Glass.‖ Back at the hotel we reconvene for a celebratory farewell dinner.

Lodging: Post Hotel & Spa

Day 6

Johnston Canyon Biking Route 22 Miles (1,000-foot elevation gain)
Optional Johnston Canyon Walk 1.4 Miles (150-foot elevation gain)
Shuttle to Banff 30 Minutes

Head out this morning for the final ride of the week. From the hotel, bike past towering peaks, virgin forests and the teal water of the Bow River, so named because the early Cree Indians found wood for making hunting bows near its banks. In Johnston Canyon, a short scenic hike takes you to a series of stunning waterfalls. After a picnic lunch we shuttle back to Banff, where we say our goodbyes.