Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf dome cars probably give the best view of Canada's Rockies that you can get... Good to go!  The Rocky Mountaineer at Banff...

In 1990, Canada's national rail operator VIA Rail sold off it's 'Rockies by daylight' scenic train to a private company called Rocky Mountaineer Vacations, who renamed it 'The Rocky Mountaineer'.  The Rocky Mountaineer has now developed into a world-class travel experience, operating on not just one but four different routes in the Canadian Rockies, through spectacular scenery with truly excellent on-board service.  In 1990, the service carried just over 10,000 guests, it now carries over 100,000 each year.  Tourists use these trains as part of tours or packages, but they offer regular scheduled departures April-October and if you're travelling independently you can buy one-way tickets. This page is an insider's guide to the Rocky Mountaineer, explaining the choice of routes, on board service, timetables & prices, and what there is to see on the way.

Information on this page...

Which route should you choose?

Departure dates, timetables & prices

How to buy tickets

What's it like on board the trains?

Rocky Mountaineer Red Leaf Service

Rocky Mountaineer Silver Leaf Service

Rocky Mountaineer Gold Leaf Service

Whistler Route Service

What's the journey like?

First Passage to the West (Kicking Horse) route:  Calgary & Banff - Vancouver

Journey to the Clouds (Yellowhead) route:  Jasper - Vancouver

Rainforest to Gold Rush (Fraser Discovery) route:  Whistler - Quesnell - Jasper

Whistler Sea to Sky (Whistler Mountaineer):  Vancouver - Whistler

On other pages...

VIA Rail's Canadian, (Montreal)-Toronto-Winnipeg-Jasper-Vancouver

Other trains in Canada

Sponsored links...

Which route should you choose?

The Rocky Mountaineer runs on 3 different routes.  Independent travellers can buy one-way or return tickets in either direction between Vancouver & Banff, Calgary or Jasper.

Pyramid Falls, seen from the Yellowhead route between Jasper & Kamloops

• First Passage to the West, Vancouver- Banff & Calgary:   Formerly and more accurately called the Kicking Horse route after the mountain pass it takes through the Rockies, this is perhaps the most scenic & certainly the most historically-significant route to choose, as it travels over t he famous Canadian Pacific Railway, Canada's first trans-continental line opened in 1885.  It's the original 'Rocky Mountaineer' route on which the company first started in 1990, when the last regular passenger trains on the line were discontinued.  You'll pass Castle Mountain, the pretty station at Lake Louise, the continental divide, the much-photographed Stoney Creek bridge, the site of the 1885 'Last Spike' and the wonderfully-scenic Thompson & Fraser river canyons.  You're likely to see bald eagles, ospreys, and maybe even bears.  It departs 3 times a week from mid-April to mid-October, and the journey takes 2 full days with 1 overnight hotel stop included in the fare.  Kicking Horse route timetable & fares   How to buy tickets  What's the train like?   What's the journey like?

• Journey to the Clouds, Vancouver-Jasper:  Formerly and more accurately called the Yellowhead route after the mountain pass taken through the Rockies, this route takes you over the second and later of the two Canadian trans-continental railways, the Canadian Northern line opened in 1917, nationalised as Canadian National in 1921.  It's the same route as that taken by VIA Rail's Toronto-Jasper-Vancouver 'Canadian'.  Between Vancouver & Kamloops, the Rocky Mountaineer Yellowhead & Kicking Horse routes are the same (in fact, the two trains run coupled together).  Also note that this route and the Rainforest to Goldrush route share the section of line past Mount Robson and through the Yellowhead Pass.  So if you want to make a circular tour, the best combination is probably the Kicking Horse route Vancouver-Banff, then by bus between Jasper and Banff via the Columbia Icefields, then the Rainforest to Goldrush route from Jasper back to Vancouver.   The Rocky Mountaineer Yellowhead trains run twice a week from mid-April to mid-October, the journey takes 2 full days with 1 overnight hotel stop included in the fare.  Yellowhead route timetable & fares   How to buy tickets  What's the train like?   What's the journey like?

• Rainforest to Goldrush route, Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper:  Formerly marketed as the Fraser Discover route, this route is all about getting off the beaten track into gold-rush and timber country, rather than taking a famous trans-continental rail line.  It takes you along the mighty Fraser River over the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (PGE), started in 1885 and only fully completed in 1952 - no wonder it was nicknamed the Prince George Eventually!   The scenery is wonderful, especially the Fraser River canyon, and you may see bald eagles, ospreys and possibly bears.  It runs roughly once a week from mid-April to mid-October, and the journey takes 2 full days with 1 overnight hotel stop included in the fare.  Most passengers travel from Vancouver to Whistler a day or two beforehand on the Whistler Mountaineer.  Rainforest to Goldrush route timetable & fares   How to buy tickets  What's the train like?   What's the journey like?

• Whistler Sea to Sky, Vancouver to Whistler (formerly the Whistler Mountaineer):  As well as the three Rocky Mountaineer routes, the same company runs a daily 74-mile, 3-hour scenic train service linking Vancouver (North Vancouver, across the Lion's Gate Bridge) with the resort town of Whistler.  Whistler Sea to Sky timetable & fares   How to buy tickets   What's the train like?   What's the journey like?

Here's a summary of Rocky Mountaineer & Whistler Route departure dates, schedules & fares.  The prices may not be cheap, reflecting a 'unique travel experience' rather than regular 'A to B' transportation, but it's worth it for the scenery, the truly excellent on-board service and (especially in the case of the Kicking Horse route) the historical significance of the railway itself.  You can check these times & fares at www.rockymountaineer.com.

First Passage to the West  (Kicking Horse) route

* The day of the week varies, so always check departures with www.rockymountaineer.com for your dates of travel, as days can vary.

Journey Through the Clouds  (Yellowhead) route

* The day of the week varies, so check departures with www.rockymountaineer.com for your dates of travel, as days can vary.

Rainforest to Goldrush  route

Whistler Sea to Sky Climb  (the Whistler Mountaineer)

You can check departure dates, times & fares at www.rockymountaineer.com.

How to buy tickets

For independent travellers, the best way to buy tickets is direct from Rocky Mountaineer, as follows.

Buy tickets online...

• You can book simple one-way train journeys between Vancouver & Whistler/Calgary/Banff/Jasper online at www.rockymountaineer.com

Buy tickets by phone...

• You can book all Rocky Mountaineer train journeys & tours by phone, lines open 04:00-22:00 Pacific Standard Time, 7 days a week:

United Kingdom (free phone):     USA & Canada (toll free): Australia (toll free): New Zealand (toll free): Other countries (charged):

00 800 0606 7372 1-877-460-3200 00-11-800-0606-7372 00-800-0606-7372 1 604 606 7245

Tailor-made holidays from the UK which include the Rocky Mountaineer...

• See www.Railbookers.com for a tailor-made trip including flights, hotels and a trip on the Rocky Mountaineer.

On board the Rocky Mountaineer

The Rocky Mountaineer offers two main classes of service, 'Red Leaf' and 'Gold Leaf'.  The Vancouver-Banff-Calgary route also offers a third class, 'Silver Leaf'.  This section explains the features of each class, and will help you choose.

Red Leaf service...

• On any other train worldwide, Red Leaf service would probably qualify as first class in its own right.  There's certainly no need to pay extra for Gold Leaf service if you really can't afford it, and you're more likely to find other independent travellers and younger travellers in Red Leaf than Gold Leaf.  'Red Leaf' consists of spacious reclining seats in classic 1950s ex-Canadian National coaches, refurbished to modern standards with plush carpet and air-conditioning.  All seats face forward, although pairs of seats can be turned round to form a bay of four for families.  There's loads of legroom, and seat backs have drop-down tables.

• Each car has an attendant who provides a live commentary and keeps the complimentary tea, coffee and soft drinks coming.  Alcoholic drinks costs extra, about Can$7 per glass of wine or miniature of spirits.  The fare includes a light breakfast and packed lunch each day, served at your seat.

• All passengers get a copy of the 'Rocky Mountaineer newspaper', which features a route guide listing points of interest along the way (referenced by mile post), a map, and information about the train, the history of the route, and the wildlife you can see.

• There's no observation car as such, just large picture windows, but in each coach vestibule the top half of the coach access doors swing inwards and locks into place, forming a semi-official sightseeing platform for reflection-free photography or just getting some fresh air.

• The fare includes a hotel room for the overnight stop, and transfers by motor coach to and from the hotel.

• On the Rainforest to Goldrush route, there's usually a separate Red Leaf lounge car attached to the train, with armchairs and tables.

• Travel tips:  On the Rainforest to Goldrush route, request a seat on the left hand side of the train eastbound, right hand side westbound, as that's where the best scenery will be.

Red Leaf seating in classic 1950s cars...		Red Leaf cars on the Rocky Mountaineer.

The light but good breakfast in Red Leaf...		The car vestibule is great for photography

Silver Leaf service...

Silver Leaf service was introduced in 2011, and it's only available on the Vancouver-Banff/Calgary 'First Passage to the West' route, only on some departures as an upgrade from Red Leaf service. Silver Leaf passengers travel in a single-deck dome car with huge panoramic windows.  The fare includes breakfast and lunch with complimentary beer or wine plus non-alcoholic drinks.

Silver Leaf dome cars.  The full panoramic dome treatment...

Gold Leaf service...

• This is the premium option.  It's not cheap, and the scenery is the same as you'll see in Red Leaf, but the onboard experience is excellent and more than meets expectations.  Is it worth the extra over Red Leaf?  If you can afford it, yes, because of the food, wine, service, and not least, those glass domes give the best all-round view of the Canadian Rockies you can get.

• Gold Leaf passengers travel in modern purpose-built double-deck dome cars.  Upstairs under the glass roof there are 72 reclining seats with loads of legroom an drop-down tables.  Downstairs, reached by spiral staircase or wheelchair lift there are toilets, kitchens, a 36-seat restaurant for breakfast & lunch, and a small open-air viewing platform for fresh air and reflection-free photography.

• A pair of attendants in each coach provide live commentary and keep the snacks and complimentary alcoholic & non-alcoholic drinks flowing.  Rocky Mountaineer's excellent own-label Sumoc Ridge merlot is very easy to drink - too easy, probably!

• Breakfast & lunch are served downstairs in the restaurant in two sittings, included in the fare.  There's a choice of excellent main courses freshly prepared in the kitchen and served on real china.  Lunch comes complete with Rocky Mountaineer's own-label British Columbian red or white wine.

• All passengers get a copy of the 'Rocky Mountaineer newspaper', which features a route guide listing points of interest along the way (referenced by mile post), a map, and information about the train, the history of the route, and the wildlife you might see.

• The fare includes a hotel room for the overnight stop, and transfers by motor coach to and from the hotel.

• Travel tips:  If booking by phone, request a seat towards the front of the leading Gold Leaf car, as the upper deck front windows in this car give great views forward over the roof of the rest of the train.  On the Rainforest to Goldrush route, request a seat on the left hand side of the train eastbound, right hand side westbound, as that's where the best scenery will be.

Above:  Gold Leaf passengers travel in purpose-built double-deck dome cars.  Note the viewing platform downstairs at the right-hand end of the car.		Upstairs there are reclining seats under the glass roof.  This is the Fraser River canyon, between Kamloops & Vancouver, with the river right by the tracks.

Downstairs, there's a 36-seat restaurant...		Cooked breakfast in Gold Leaf...

Downstairs at one end, an open-air viewing platform.		Gold Leaf passengers getting the red carpet treatment at Banff...

On board the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb

The Vancouver to Whistler train now only has one class, Whistler Service.  'Whistler Dome class' has disappeared, probably to supply the cars for the new 'Silver Leaf' service on the Banff/Calgary route.  Coach attendants maintain a live commentary and serve drinks and snacks included in the fare. 

Important travel tip:  Request a seat on the left hand side of the Whistler Mountaineer northbound, right hand side southbound, as this is where all the best scenery is!

Whistler service seating.  A simple light breakfast (northbound) or afternoon tea (southbound) is served at your seat...		Whistler service cars arrived at Whistler.  These are classic 1950s ex-Canadian National cars.

Passengers can use this vintage observation car in the centre of the train.  Originally built in 1914, it was converted to an open-air observation car in 1955.		Another shot of Whistler Service seating...

What's the journey like?

This section gives you a flavour of what there is to see on each route.  The route guide in your Rocky Mountaineer newspaper on board the train lists these and other highlights, quoting the nearest milepost - the mileposts are black numbers on small white signs placed next to the track every mile.  The miles reset to zero at every railway divisional point.  Approximate times are used here to give you a better idea of the journey.

In this section:  First Passage to the West (Kicking Horse) route   Journey through the Clouds (Yellowhead) route   Rainforest to Gold rush route   Whistler Sea to Sky Climb route.

	Calgary / Banff to Vancouver...
	Banff station, built in 1910...
	Scenery, soon after leaving Banff...
	Alongside the Bow River...
	Morant's curve, site of countless classic photos, usually taken in better weather!  In Gold Leaf, ask for a seat in the leading double-deck dome car, as you get great views through the front windows along the train...
	The continental Divide, boundary between Alberta & British Columbia...
	Crossing the famous Stoney Creek Bridge...
	Site of the Last Spike, 7 November 1885...
	Avalanche Alley, along the Fraser River...

First Passage to the West (Kicking Horse) route, Calgary or Banff to Vancouver...

This is the most historic and arguably most scenic route operated by the Rocky Mountaineer.  It takes the original Canadian Pacific Railway through the Rockies, opened in 1885.  You can make the journey in either direction, between Vancouver and either Banff (a resort town in the Rockies) or Calgary (a major city just east of the Rockies).  This account assumes you travel westbound, and note that the departure times have changed slightly since I made this trip, with an earlier departure from Calgary & Banff..  From 2010, this route is marketed as "First Passage West".

• 06:30  Calgary.  The train leaves Calgary around 6.30am and heads across the plain and up into the Rockies to Banff, 82 miles away, where the majority of passengers join the train.

• 08:40  Banff:  Originally known simply as 'siding 29' on the Canadian Pacific Railway, Lord Strathcona named it 'Banff' after his home town in Scotland in 1880.  Banff station is just a few minutes walk from the town centre and 30 mins walk from the famous (and highly-recommended) Banff Springs Hotel.  The station building dates from 1910, a replacement for the original 1886 log cabin.  If you're joining the train here, you check in at the Rocky Mountaineer desk placed just outside the station waiting room, you're given your seat allocation and your luggage is taken from you. Tea and coffee are available inside the waiting room until the train arrives from Calgary.  The train is due in around 08:40, with departure around 09:00.  The luggage travels by road and arrives at your overnight hotel before you do.

• 09:30  Castle Mountain:  On leaving Banff, the train winds through the pine trees along the Bow River, with snow-capped mountains on either side of the broad valley.  Look out for the impressive and imposing Castle Mountain to your right, around milepost 99.  It's an appropriate name!

• 10:10  Morant's Curve:  At milepost 113, 3 miles east of Lake Louise, the train snakes through what has become known as 'Morant's Curve', although strangely it isn't mentioned anywhere in the Rocky Mountaineer route guide or on any map.  Nicholas Morant was a photographer with the publicity department of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and this was one of his favourite spots for taking PR shots of CPR trains.  If you've ever had a 'railway encyclopaedia' or 'boys book of trains', the chances are that it has an illustration of a Canadian passenger or freight train on 'Morant's Curve', and even today, many of Rocky Mountaineer's brochure photos are taken here.  The other classic location for PR shots of Canadian trains in the Rockies is the Stoney Creek bridge, which we'll come to later.

• 10:15  Lake Louise:  The Rocky Mountaineer passes the beautiful 'log cabin' style station at Lake Louse, on the left on a track slightly lower than the one that westbound trains now use.  Lake Louise station was used for the station scenes in the film 'Dr Zhivago'.  The lake itself is up in the mountains, out of sight.  The train now crosses and briefly runs alongside Highway 1, the Trans-Canada Highway.

• 10:25  Continental Divide:  A small monument and wooden sign on the left mark the Continental Divide, and the boundary between Alberta & British Columbia.  Rainwater falling east of the divide flows to the Atlantic, rainwater falling to the west makes its way to the Pacific.  It's the highest point on the trip, 5,332 feet above sea level.  Travelling west, you now put your watch back an hour, as BC is an hour behind Alberta.

• 09:40 (BC time)  Spiral Tunnels:  The train passes Wapta Lake and enters the first of the two famous 'Spiral Tunnels'.  Inside the Upper Spiral Tunnel, the train describes a complete spiral and emerges further down the mountainside, facing the opposite way.  The train then crosses the deep wooded valley and plunges into the Lower Spiral Tunnel to descend even further.  Long freight trains can even cross over themselves here!  There's a cut-away diagram of the spiral tunnels in your route guide, and the commentary from your carriage attendant will explain it, but it's still disorientating.  The spiral tunnels were built in 1907, replacing a dangerously steep section of line known as the 'Big Hill', where many CPR trains and staff came to grief.

• 10:15  Kicking Horse Canyon:  The train calls at Field, an important operating centre for the Canadian Pacific Railway, then heads through the Kicking Horse canyon, crossing and re-crossing the Kicking Horse river several times.  The river is narrow, fast running, and blue with meltwater sediment.  The train follows the Kicking Horse river for 30 scenic miles, with many bridges and tunnels.

• 11:40  Rocky Mountain Trench:  The train now runs through a wide flat valley full of pines - the Rocky Mountain Trench.  The Columbia River is on the left.

• 13:00  Stoney Creek bridge:  This is the other classic location for illustrations of trains crossing Canada.  It's a beautiful arched steel girder bridge at milepost 76.2, 484 feet long and 325 feet above the creek bed below, built in 1929.  It's the latest of three bridges built on this spot.  The approach to the bridge is dead straight, so there's little opportunity to see or photograph the bridge, and although the line curves sharply to the left immediately afterwards there are so many trees in the way that it's still difficult to get a clear view of the bridge.  A new tunnel (the 9-mile long MacDonald Tunnel) was built in 1988 to increase capacity by by-passing both the Stoney Creek Bridge and the shorter 1916-built Connaught Tunnel, but the Rocky Mountaineer deliberately takes the original route.

• 15:55  The Last Spike:  The train passes Craigellachie, where on 7 November 1885 the last ceremonial rail spike was driven in, completing the Canadian Pacific Railway and linking Montreal to Vancouver by rail.  Here there's a monument and small museum by the tracks, on the right hand side.

• 16:20  Lake Shuswap & Osprey Alley:  The train passes Sicamous, 'The houseboat capital of the world' and for some miles runs along the shore of the huge and beautiful Lake Shuswap.  It passes 'Osprey alley', a long line of osprey nests in the tops of telegraph poles and trees by the lake.  Watch out for bald eagles, too.  After Lake Shuswap comes Lake Mara.

• 18:50.  The mountain give way to gentle hills along the South Thompson River.  The hills are volcanic, but at their feet lie sandstone mounds or 'hoodoos', which are the moraines left by ancient glaciers.  The country is more arid here, rocky and sandy with fewer trees, very different from the morning's scenery.

• 19:55 Kamloops:  The train pulls into Kamloops for its overnight stop.  Motor coaches meet the train and transfer passengers to their hotels.  There is a choice of two evening entertainment shows (with food) whilst in Kamloops, both bookable through Rocky Mountaineer, but don't overestimate how sprightly you'll feel on arrival at your hotel at 8pm after a day travelling with so much to take in.  Banff to Kamloops is 309 miles.

----- day 2 -----

• 07:20  Kamloops: Motor coaches pick you up from the hotel and transfer passengers to the station.

• 07:55  The Rocky Mountaineer leaves Kamloops, combined with the Jasper-Vancouver train.  It veers right and crosses the Thompson River onto Indian ('first nation') territory, passing a small wooden church on the left that was allegedly used in the film 'Unforgiven' with Clint Eastwood.

• Canadian National or Canadian Pacific?  Between Kamloops & Vancouver, the 1885 Canadian Pacific (CP) and the later 1917 Canadian National (CN) trans-continental routes run parallel, usually on opposite sides of the river.  For the first 58 miles west of Kamloops, the Rocky Mountaineer uses CN tracks in both directions, but between Basque and Vancouver there is 'directional running' where CN & CP co-operate, sending all westbound trains including the westbound Rocky Mountaineer down CN tracks on one side of the river, and all eastbound trains including the eastbound Rocky Mountaineer down the CP tracks on the other side.  You see the same scenery, of course, from a slightly different angle, but if you really want to travel on the original 1885 CP tracks (almost) all the way between Vancouver and Banff, you'll need to take an eastbound Rocky Mountaineer.

• 08:40 Kamloops Lake:  The train runs along the shore of Kamloops Lake - watch out for more bald eagles, and for the coloured rocks at 'Painted Bluff' on the right.

• 09:25  The train reaches the end of the lake and runs alongside the Thompson River.  The countryside here is even more arid than before - indeed, it passes Ashcroft, the driest town in Canada.

• 10:35  Black Canyon:  The train passes 'Black Canyon', a section of black lava cliff on the right, with the Thompson river on the left.  After Black Canyon Tunnel, the Rocky Mountaineer crosses the Thompson on a steel girder bridge.

• 11:30  The scenery now changes again, from dry & sandy back to rocky with pine trees.  The train enters the Thompson River canyon, with CP tracks one side of the river, CN tracks on the other side.

• 11:55  Avalanche alley:  The Rocky Mountaineer travels at the very edge of the river under a sheer cliff wall with avalanche protection sheds in several places.  One section of the rock wall is attractively coloured, known as 'rainbow canyon'.

• 12:05, confluence of Thompson & Fraser Rivers:  Just after Lytton the train curves to the left over a bridge across the Fraser River.  The confluence of Thompson & Fraser rivers is now on the right.

• 12:15 Cisco crossing:  At Cisco, CP and CN tracks swap sides of the river.  The CN line crosses first on an distinctive arched orange-painted girder bridge, the CP tracks then crossing in the opposite direction on a squared-off black steel bridge lower down on the right.  Being the first, the CP engineers built their line down whichever was the easier side of the canyon, the later CN engineers had to made do with the opposite, trickier side.

• 13:35 Hells' Gate:  This is the narrowest and fastest-flowing point of the Fraser River.  On the right on the far bank is the Hell's Gate cafe, with a suspension footbridge across the river below the train and a cable car over the river and up the mountain.

• 15:15:  We're no longer right next to the Fraser River, which has become very broad.  The train is in a wide flat valley, with farms and greenhouses starting to appear.  The historic site of Fort Langley is just visible through the trees on the left.

• 16:50  approaching Vancouver:  The train slows through the freight cars in Thornton Yard, finally curving right over a very long, low steel bridge across the Fraser River with a much higher arched road bridge on the left, which also carries the Vancouver 'Skytrain' metro.  Once across the river the Rocky Mountaineer curves sharply right again, weaving its way through the Vancouver suburbs.

• 17:40 Vancouver:  The Rocky Mountaineer slowly passes, then reverses into, the Rocky Mountaineer terminal, a block away from the Pacific Central station where VIA's 'Canadian' arrives.  Their impressive and spacious terminal building was once a diesel locomotive maintenance shed.

• You've now travelled a total of 594 miles from Banff or 676 miles from Calgary.

Journey through the Clouds (Yellowhead) route, Jasper to Vancouver via Kamloops...

	Jasper to Vancouver (Yellowhead)...
	Mount Robson, seen from the train...

This train travels over the second trans-continental line built across Canada, the Canadian National route between Jasper (in Jasper National Park) and Vancouver, opened in 1917.    From 2010, this route is marketed as "Journey through the Clouds".

• The Rocky Mountaineer leaves Jasper station around 8am, and heads up through the Yellowhead Pass.  This is the easiest pass through the Rockies (in other words the lowest, at 3,718 feet above sea level).  The Canadian Pacific chose a more difficult route through the Kicking Horse pass to the south because of political tensions between Canada and the USA at the time, and a desire to safeguard Canadian territory.

• Look out for the highlight of the trip, views of snow-capped Mount Robson to the right of the train.  At 12,972 feet it's the highest mountain in the Rockies.

• After running alongside Moose Lake, the train crosses the Fraser River.

• For almost 20 miles, the train passes some of Canada's most magnificent mountains in the Premier range, named after early Canadian prime ministers.

• The train passes the site marked by a small cairn, where 12 members of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery were killed when two CN trains collided.

• The train passes Pyramid Falls (see photo above), where water cascades 300 feet beside the tracks.

• The train stops overnight at Kamloops.

----- day 2 -----

• Day 2 is identical to the Kicking Horse route above, both trains run coupled together between Kamloops & Vancouver.

	Rainforest to Goldrush route...
	The scenery soon after leaving Whistler...
	The Rocky Mountaineer rounds Anderson Lake...
	The beautiful Seton Lake...
	Climbing alongside the Fraser River canyon...
	The world's longest wooden truss footbridge, Quesnel.

Rainforest to Goldrush route, Whistler to Jasper via Quesnel

This is a less well-known but remarkable route, through the gold rush & timber country of the Cariboo.  Before 2010, this route was marketed as the 'Fraser Discovery' route.

• Vancouver-Whistler:  You can travel from Vancouver to Whistler the previous day (or any day you like) using the daily Whistler Sea to Sky Climb (the Whistler Mountaineer).  Whistler is one of Canada's biggest ski resorts, a sort of North American Zermatt.  Cable cars run up the mountains, seaplanes run scenic flights, and there are many outdoor activities in both summer and winter.  The centre of Whistler village is pedestrianised, with many bars and restaurants.  Stay in Whistler overnight.

• 07:30 Whistler:  The Rocky Mountaineer Fraser Discovery train leaves Whistler at 07:30 on day 1.  Whistler station is in the Creekside area of Whistler between Alta and Nita lakes, a few minutes' taxi or motor coach transfer from Whistler village itself.  Check-in opens at 06:30, you hand over your luggage (which travels by road) and you are given a boarding card with seat allocation.

• 08:10 Green River, Birkenhead River:  Breakfast is served as you pass through snow-capped mountains and run alongside the Green River.  The scenery is beautiful, although there are still houses and occasional timber yards here, not to mention a few power pylons!  The Green River soon gives way to the Birkenhead River, also on the right, but flowing in the opposite direction.

• 08:35 Nairn Falls:  The train crosses a low bridge just above the top of a waterfall in the pine trees, Nairn Falls.

• 10:00 Anderson Lake:  The train skirts the blue waters of Anderson Lake right by the water along the cliffs.  The tracks follow the shore for 15 miles, with many photo opportunities.

• 10:30 Seton Lake:  The train passes the end of Anderson Lake and crosses the spit of land known as Seton Portage separating it from another lake, Lake Seton.  Originally one big lake, lakes Anderson and Seton were separated by a landslide over 1,000 years ago.  Lake Seton is a luminous turquoise colour, an effect caused by the sediment washed down by meltwater from the mountains.  The train passes the BC Hydro Bridge River hydro electric plant and a timber yard.

• 11:20 Lillooet:  Lillooet is a major railway town, and there's a 10-minute locomotive crew rest stop here in the freight yards. 

• 11:35  Fraser River Canyon:  After leaving Lillooet, the train crosses the wide and brown Fraser River on a massive and dramatic girder bridge, 800 feet long and 190 feet above the river.  Immediately after the bridge the train snakes left onto the Fraser's left bank and starts climbing a steep 2.2% gradient for the next 30 miles.  It's one of the longest sustained 2.2% rail gradients in America.  This 30 mile stretch is the highlight of the trip:  The train follows the Fraser River canyon, high up on the mountainside with the river far below.  The sheer scale of the canyon is spectacular.  There are few trees, the landscape is arid an sandy here.

• 13:00  Cariboo Plateau:  The train finally leaves the Fraser River canyon.  It's now on the Cariboo plateau, and pine trees make a welcome reappearance.  These are the gentle rolling hills of cattle country.

• 16:00-17:00:  Still on the Cariboo plateau, this is also timber country.  You can smell the sawdust from the many lumber yards.  You pass Lac La Hache and Williams Lake.

• 18:00 Deep Creek bridge:  1,194 feet long, 312 feet high, one of the highest rail bridges in North America (in fact, only the Stoney Creek bridge on the Kicking Horse route is higher).  You pass many cattle ranches, and can spot many deer in the wooded areas.

• 20:00  Quesnel:  The train passes lumber yards and the occasional osprey nesting in telegraph poles or tall trees, and arrives at Quesnel (pronounced 'kwanell') for the overnight hotel stop.  Quesnel is the local centre for the Cariboo, and if you've never seen small-town Canada it's well worth an evening wander.  This is easier to do if you're at a town centre hotel (Red Leaf passengers currently use the centrally-located Best Western), less easy if you're in a hotel a few miles out (Gold Leaf passengers are currently bussed a few miles out to the Sandman's hotel in an industrial/retail area).  Personally, I'd suggest requesting the town-centre Best Western even if you're in Gold Leaf.  In Quesnel you'll find the longest wooden truss footbridge in the world across the wide and fast-flowing Fraser River - check out the steak house & pub on the hill the other side!  There's also a Greek restaurant, a casino built to look like an old paddle steamer, and a gift shop by the river that's often open in the evenings when the train arrives.  There's a town museum (complete with allegedly haunted doll 'Mandy') which you may or may not find open when the train comes in.

----- day 2 -----

• 07:40  Quesnel:  Motor coaches transfer you from the hotel around 06:45, and the Rocky Mountaineer leaves Quesnel around 07:40 when everyone is on board.

• 08:00  The train crosses the dramatic Cottonwood bridge, 1,023 feet long and 236 feet high, over a valley full of pine trees with a river racing beneath.  The bridge was only completed in 1952, the last major link in the railway from Vancouver to Prince George and Prince Rupert.  The 'last spike' was driven in 8 miles further on, at the slightly smaller Abhau Creek bridge, on 31 October 1952.  Since they started building the line in 1912, it was no wonder the Pacific Great Eastern Railway became known locally as the 'Prince George Eventually'!

• 09:10:  The Fraser River is sighted again, on the left.  Endless pines and birch trees, and the odd sawmill including a fully automated one at Dunkly.

• 10:20  Prince George (almost!):  The Rocky Mountaineer makes slow progress through the yards approaching Prince George.  The train heads for a long low steel bridge across the Fraser into Prince George, which is the route passengers trains (when there were any) would normally take.  But immediately before the bridge the train turns right at a triangular junction onto the line leading out of Prince George towards Jasper.  The train is no longer on the Pacific Great Eastern but on the Grand Trunk Pacific.  The GTP is Canada's third trans-continental line, built from Jasper through Prince George to the pacific ocean at the port of Prince Rupert.  Although not in the same league as Vancouver, much freight is still shipped overseas via Prince Rupert.  The GTP was nationalised after its bankruptcy in 1921 and is now part of Canadian National Railways.

• 12:30:  Lunch is served as the train enters the Rocky Mountain trench, a wide valley between the mountains.  The train follows the meandering brown river through the pines and birches.

• 16:00:  The train passes McBride, with agriculture now in evidence across the valley.

• 17:50 Mount Robson:  Another highlight of the trip, the train passes Mount Robson, the highest mountain in the Rockies at 12,972 feet.

• 18:10:  The Fraser river is now narrower, cleaner and greener.  The valley narrows, with snow-capped mountains on each side. 

• 18:50:  The train joins the Jasper-Kamloops-Vancouver main line, and passes through the Yellowhead Pass.  This is the easiest and lowest pass through the Rockies at 3,718 feet above sea level.  The train crosses from British Columbia into Alberta, and the clocks go forward an hour.

• 20:30 (19:30 BC time):  The train arrives at Jasper, at the heart of Jasper National Park.  The station is right at the front of this small town, which grew up around the railway.

	Whistler Sea to Sky Climb...
	Howe sound, seen from the Whistler Mountaineer...
	The Cheakamus canyon, up in the mountains...

Whistler Sea to Sky Climb (Whistler Mountaineer), Vancouver to Whistler

This daily service is a little scenic gem, the most comfortable way to travel the 74 miles between Vancouver & Whistler.  Formerly known as the Whistler Mountaineer, it's now marketed as the Whistler Sea to Sky Climb.

• 06:15-07:15:  Passengers are collected by motor coach from central Vancouver hotels, and driven through Stanley Park and across the Lion's Gate Bridge to the North Vancouver Whistler Mountaineer station, a simple siding a block or two away from the original BC Rail passenger station.  BC Rail stopped normal passenger service on his route in 1999.

• 07:30:  After leaving Vancouver, the train passes right under the Lion's Gate Bridge and over a girder bridge across the Capilano River (Vancouver's famous Capilano footbridge, www.capbridge.com, is out of sight further up the valley).  In Whistler Dome class, sit back and enjoy some complimentary Bucks Fizz, then a welcome cooked breakfast.  A packed light breakfast is served in Coast Classic class, with complimentary tea or coffee.

• The train runs alongside the sea (on left hand side) until it heads off into the mountains.  It passes through the mile-long Horseshoe Bay Tunnel, built to eliminate a difficult section of line around the headland, emerging onto the banks of Howe Sound.  For some miles the train run along the banks of this beautiful sound (also on left hand side) past the BC Ferries terminal serving the islands.  The trains passes waterfalls and an old copper mine, once the largest copper mine in the British Empire and now a museum.

• 09:50:  The train starts to climb, away from Howe Sound up into the hills.  This is the most scenic part of the journey, as the train passes over several high trestle bridges along the Cheakamus canyon with the narrow fast-flowing river way down below. 

• The train passes over the top of 195-feet-high Brandywine Falls.

• 11:30:  A few minutes late on this example, arrives at Whistler station.  This is in the Creekside area of Whistler, near Nita Lake.  A fleet of buses meets the train and transfers passengers to their hotels in Whistler Village a mile or two away.

• A top tip on this route would be to request a seat on the left hand side of the train northbound, right hand side southbound, as both Howe Sound and the Cheakamus Canyon are on this side.

Bear, bear, bear!

You may see ospreys, bald eagles and deer from the train, and if you're lucky maybe a bear or two.  There are two sorts of bear, black bears are more common, grizzly bears less so.  Keep your eyes peeled!  In Jasper, you'll see many elk just wandering about the outskirts of the town.  Below, the best bear sighting they've had for several years on the Rainforest to Goldrush route, approaching Jasper near Mt Robson.

The locomotive engineer radios the train attendants and the cry goes up, "Bear on the right, right next to the train".

It's eating the grain dropped from a passing freight.  Our train stops, then draws slowly forward past the bear.  "It's a grizzly!"

The bear is oblivious to the train, but as the passengers in the open-air Gold Leaf viewing platform get within a few yards, it spots us and bounds off into the woods.

Trans-Canada tour by train...

Great Rail Journeys (www.greatrail.com)

Probably the best-known UK-based operator of train journeys worldwide, Great Rail Journeys offers a classic Canada coast-to-coast tour from £2,600 per person, with a range of departure dates every year.  The tour includes:

• Flights UK to Toronto;

• A day trip to Niagara Falls;

• A journey across Canada Canada from Toronto to Jasper aboard VIA Rail's trans-continental 'Canadian' in Silver & Blue sleeper class;

• A coach tour from Jasper to Banff with a Columbia ice fields glacier visit;

• A journey on the Rocky Mountaineer Kicking Horse route from Banff to Vancouver.

• Flight Vancouver to UK.

It's an escorted tour with fellow travellers and a professional tour guide.  Great Rail Journeys also offer rail-based holidays to other countries.  Check the tour details online, then call 01904 527120 to book or use the Great Rail Journeys online booking form.  Seat61 receives some commission to help support the site if you book your holiday through this link or phone number, so please mention seat 61 when you book.

Other UK holiday companies offering the Rocky Mountaineer...

• Page & Moy holidays, www.pageandmoy.com...

• Travelsphere holidays, www.travelsphere.com...

Recommended guidebooks...

Paying for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's a tiny fraction of what you're spending on your whole trip.  You will see so much more, and know so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a decent guidebook.  For the independent traveller this means either the Lonely Planet or the Rough Guide.  Both guidebooks provide the same excellent level of practical information and historical background.

Buy Lonely Planet Canada from Amazon.co.uk 

Buy Rough Guide to Canada from Amazon.co.uk

Or buy direct from the Lonely Planet website, with shipping worldwide.

The Trans-Canada Rail Guide...

Trailblazer's Trans-Canada Rail Guide is well worth buying if you're planning a trans-Canada train trip.  It will help you plan your journey, and best of all it includes mile-by-mile lineside route guides showing what to see from the train on all the main VIA Rail & Rocky Mountaineer services.  Buy online from Amazon.co.uk.

Hotels & accommodation

Hotels in Vancouver, Banff, Calgary or Jasper...

A good guidebook like the Lonely Planet or Rough Guides will point you at some good hotels in each town or city when you get there.  Alternatively, you can pre-book hotels (budget, mid-range and upmarket) in almost any Canadian city through www.hotelscombined.com, just use the search box below.  It's the best hotel search system I've seen.  This is not a hotel booking website, but a free search tool which checks all the main hotel booking sites for you (AsiaRooms, Opodo, Expedia, Travelocity, LateRooms and many others) to find the cheapest hotel rates on the net.  Set up in 2005, it's an amazing system and probably the best place to start for booking any hotel online in any country, worldwide.

Personal recommendations...

The famous Royal York Hotel in Toronto is a classic, and so handy for train departures as it's across the road from the station!  It may be Can$260 per room, but it's well worth splashing out on if you can manage it.  Another highly-recommended classic is the Banff Springs Hotel in Banff from around Can$228 per night.  Both were originally built by the Canadian Pacific Railway, both are now run by Fairmont Hotels.

Flights...

Finding the cheapest flight...

Overland travel around Canada by train & bus is an essential part of the experience, so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!  But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Canada in the first place.  To compare prices for flights to Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver, check Skyscanner.

Lounge passes...

Make the airport experience a little more bearable with a VIP lounge pass, it's not as expensive as you think!  See www.loungepass.com.