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
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Protecting the Environment
We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more
7 days
6 nights
16 meals
6B 5L 5D
2
Hike Sunshine Meadows in Banff National Park
Canmore, AB
3
Icefields Parkway
Canmore, AB
4
Johnston Canyon, Banff, Bow Valley
Canmore, AB
5
Yoho National Park, Emerald Lake
Canmore, AB
7
Shuttle to Calgary, Program Concludes
Canmore, AB
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
We want every participant to have a safe, enjoyable and rewarding program experience. The travel and activities of the Hiking Banff, Lake Louise and Yoho program require participants to be in good general health and capable of performing all program activities described by the program description and its corresponding Activity Level. Although we offer 3 levels of hiking each day, participants must be able to hike 4 miles with an elevation gain of 850 feet on uneven rocky and rooty terrain in potentially inclement mountain weather at an absolute minimum. Registered participants who are unable to do so may be asked to stay back at the hotel during the hiking activities for their own safety and the safety of other participants of the program.
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 trip experts
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.
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.
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.
Suggested Reading List
(7 books)
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.
Choose Your Pace: Hike the Canadian Rockies, Banff & Lake Louise
Program Number: 5339
After the Ice Age: The Return of Life to Glaciated North America
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.
Rocky Mountain Natural History, Grand Teton to Jasper, A Trailside Reference
Offers in-depth scientific information on the natural world found between Grand Teton, Wyoming, and Jasper, Alberta. It is beautifully illustrated with color photographs and line drawings, covering a thousand species of plants, animals, fish, birds, and insects found in the northern Rocky Mountains.
Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains: A Field Guide to the Signs of 70 Wildlife Species
Scats and Tracks of the Rocky Mountains will help you determine which mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians have passed your way and could still be nearby. Clearly written descriptions and illustrations of scats, tracks, and gait patterns will help you recognize seventy Rocky Mountain species
Northern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers, Including Glacier, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, Mount Revelstoke, and Yoho
This field guide features more than 300 species found in the northern Rockies of Montana, Idaho, Washington, and adjacent British Columbia and Alberta, including Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks. Packed with vivid photos and informative text, this field guide will help you identify and appreciate the varied flora of these wooded mountains, deep valleys, and rugged canyons.
The Great Rocky Mountain Nature Factbook
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.
Wonderful Life, The Burgess Shale and the Nature of History
PAPER, 347 PAGES, $15.95
A now-classic – and still provocative – study of the 600 million-year-old fossils found in the Burgess Shale of British Columbia. (Item no. CND86)
Switchbacks, True Stories from the Canadian Rockies
Marty recalls the colorful tales of his friends, colleagues and his own youth in this collection of tales.