A Wonderful Train Trip in Canada

A Wonderful Train Trip in Canada

The Rocky Mountaineer – One of the top four World train journeys

I came home from the travel agency one day recently and my husband Roy said, “ Mo, we are going on a train trip.” I was so surprised, since he had been told no travelling until his doctor gave permission. He spent four months in hospital after a massive heart attack and was still very frail. He loves trains, and the Rocky Mountaineer has four unique trips in Canada thru British Columbia and Alberta. I have done a journey with them six times with groups, as well as on my own, and he has done it three times with me. They have four different routes, and you can do it in both directions. It is a great journey for a solo traveler, and we always have British, Australian and New Zealand passengers on board, of all ages. We had one passenger in a wheelchair, and several on walkers or canes. The staff are superb in looking after passengers who need help. We also had several honeymooners on board as well.

Our favorite time of year to do a train trip was over Christmas. We did the trip twice, and they cancelled the route. Apparently they got snowed in for 3 days one year and they decided it wasn’t worth the stress.

We saw lots of wildlife, such as wolves, moose, bear, cougar, porcupine, lynx, snowshoe hare, deer, bighorn sheep, eagles, hawks, osprey, and many wide fast flowing rivers and breathtaking fall foliage colors in various shades of red, yellow and gold. They make an announcement thru the train, look on the left, two bears, so you are kept abreast of what’s out there.

This company is extremely well organized. You get picked up from your hotel, and taken to the train station. You don’t touch your luggage, and it is taken by truck to the next place you stop at. You take on board a small bag you can keep at your feet as there is no overhead or under seat storage You are on the train during the day, and each night you stop around 5.p.m. and go to a hotel and your luggage is already in the room when you arrive by bus from the station. The passengers were spread out at several different hotels at each stop. You are handed your room keys on the short bus ride to your hotel. I would recommend going Gold Leaf Service, which means you are in the domed car, glass roof, and go downstairs for breakfast and lunch. You buy your own dinner at whatever hotel you are staying at. The Silver Leaf Service is also good, the main difference is you eat in your seat and pay a lower price for the trip. The food, wine, drinks, snacks all on board are free of charge and you can have as much as you like.

They operate from April1 to the end of October, and any time of year is good. We were blessed since the week before our adventure, it snowed so the Rocky Mountains looked absolutely gorgeous. Most of the world’s fur pelts came from this area and this is definitely the place to buy a fur coat or hat.

This itinerary was Vancouver, 2 nights, Kamloops, 1 night, Jasper, 2 nights, Lake Louise, 1 night Banff, one night, and Calgary one night where we flew home from on Westjet which was outstanding. Low priced, and you paid for your luggage and a meal on board which was worth it. A delightful trip of eight days, and very relaxing. You could add nights to the beginning or end of the trip. We had some wonderful experiences on the route, like a ride in the Banff gondola, and a helicopter ride, and a visit to the Columbia ice fields.

They operate in five Canadian National Parks and have four routes. First Passage to the West, the Journey through the Clouds which is the one we took, which shows you the tallest mountains, 12,970 ft, and 200 glaciers, the Rainforest to Gold Rush, and the Coastal Passage.

We had 220 passengers on this train, but they can have as many as 1400 in peak season.

The meals were excellent, and well trained staff.

No matter what your age, this train trip is good value to a wonderful part of the world. Having been to 130 different countries, trust me when I say that Western Canada is well worth seeing.

Put a train trip on your bucket list.

Maureen Jones

Canadian Specialist

All Horizons Travel

160 Main Street

Los Altos, California

650-941-5810