Tour #1: Roads, Rails, Rivers & Trails

On this journey, you'll travel the historical roads, railways, rivers and trails that take you from the rolling foothills of the Rockies, high across mountain passes, down raging rivers, over sparkling lakes to a unique desert pocket in the Okanagan Valley.

DAY 1 Calgary to Fernie

Start your day with a sumptuous breakfast! Then you’re off to ride the continental divide. The drive from Calgary rolls along like the landscape. At first you’ll see the Rocky Mountains, their rugged, limestone faces rising suddenly in the distance. Soon you’ll arrive in the Crowsnest Pass. Many ghosts live amidst the small towns that are nestled here along the highway. It is also a place of wild beauty and wondrous scenery. This is where you’ll experience the thrill of riding horseback in nature’s splendor. After a day in the saddle, continue on to Fernie, (crowned ‘Best little town’ in BC), where you’ll stay in a luxurious alpine style lodge. Massage anyone?

DAY 2 Fernie

A little aqua therapy…Raft the raging whitewater of the Elk River, which originates from the glacier fed Elk Lakes about 200 km north of Fernie. After an exhilarating day and lots of fresh air, relax as you travel the old route of The Great Northern Railway. While winding your way along the ‘rock-cuts’, history unfolds…

DAY 3 Fernie to Nelson

Today a visit to The Canadian Museum of Rail Travel will provide you with a glimpse into the past, a time when automobiles were the exception and everyone depended on the railways. The beautifully restored railway cars and other treasures here will certainly make you dream of those days when people bobbed to and fro like metronome needles to the rhythm of the track.

After a short drive, enjoy a pleasant break beside picturesque Moyie Lake. Then, back on the road and back in time…you’ve crossed from Mountain Time to Pacific Time. Turn your watch back 1 hour!

On past myriad orchards of Creston and along the meandering road that hugs the east side of Kootenay Lake, soon you’ll arrive at Crawford Bay.

Crawford Bay is home to a number of industrious artisans who continuously create an eclectic array of things to buy. Time to explore before a ferry ride transports you across beautiful Kootenay Lake to the charming city of Nelson. Your next couple of nights will be spent ‘lakeside’.

Day 4 Nelson

Twisting and turning along the west shore of Kootenay Lake, you’ll arrive at the quaint town of Kaslo, now home to the historic S.S. Moyie. (Ring a bell?) A guided tour of this important mode of travel from days gone by will surely ignite your imagination.

Nestled between the Purcell and Selkirk Mountains, Kootenay Lake will serve as this afternoon’s playground. Perhaps you’ll kayak icy, clear waters or take a hike in a time-sculpted canyon nearby.

After a delicious dinner, reward yourself with a relaxing soak at a very unique hot spring. Relish the view!

DAY 5 Nelson to Kelowna

The road continues, passing many little towns whose origins were strongly tied to mining and the railways. Towns like Grand Forks, Greenwood and Midway.
The Station Pub serves up lunch and walls full of historic photos. Check them out! Then on to the Kettle River Museum, housed in an authentic old train station. (Find out which one.)

From Midway to Kelowna you will travel part of an old rail route that once served the Okanagan Valley. Sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. For the next 2 nights you’ll be perched high on the bluffs, with a scenic view of the fruitful valley below. The food in the dining room is as excellent as the view.

DAY 6 Kelowna

Today, the action begins on the Kettle Valley Railway as you cycle many of the restored trestles and tunnels of the impressive Myra Canyon. After the ride, and with a desert like thirst, you’ll come upon a pyramid. (Really!) Quench that thirst with a little ‘bubbly’ and pamper your palate at this unique winery.

DAY 7 Kelowna to Penticton

All aboard the Kettle Valley Steam Train! While gazing out your window, you and your fellow passengers will experience what life was like for the people who depended on the railways and the sternwheelers that connected with them.

Lunch is served at the Cellar Door, a delectable entry. Then a tour of the Champagne caves beneath the winery takes you to a cool and unusual place.

Tonight, stay on the south shore of the shimmering waters of Lake Okanagan, but not before a guided tour of the once very important S.S. Sicamous. Later, back at the hotel you can try your luck at the casino.

DAY 8 Penticton to Nelson

Past ripening vineyards, orchards and sparkling lakes…oh, what a time it was! Gradually, you rise up the east side of the valley, where the vegetation is hardy, clinging tenaciously to the dry and exposed hillsides.

Lunch is served in Boundary Country. Here you’ll ‘fuel up’ before cycling downhill to the warmest tree-lined lake in Canada, Christina Lake.

DAY 9 Nelson to Fernie

Kootenay Pass, situated between Salmo and Creston is the highest paved road in Canada. Over you go and down to the fertile Columbia Valley wetlands. At the Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area, a canoe awaits. Canoes have been used as vehicles for transportation across ‘Canada’ for thousands of years. Its design varied from region to region according to the types of raw materials available. A major feature of the canoe is that it is quiet, making it a great vehicle for viewing the flora and fauna that thrive in this aquatic environment. A guided canoe tour of this Ramsar Site (Internationally designated, a world-class wetland) will nourish your mind…and more.

DAY 10 Fernie

Another day on the water, wild water! Raft the Bull River this morning. Reward yourself later with a scrumptious picnic. Perhaps, a soak in a natural hot spring is in order. Later, return to your mountainside retreat for the evening or maybe you’d like to explore the town. The choice is yours.

DAY 11 Fernie to Waterton

Leaving the mountains you follow a familiar ‘trail’, and then it’s gone, the familiarity, that is. Going, in a southeast direction you’ll arrive in Cardston, Alberta, home of one the most complete Carriage collections in North America. With over 250 horse-drawn vehicles, from coaches used by royalty to the stagecoaches of the old west, this collection will astound you.

DAY 12 Waterton Lakes National Park

A glorious morning cruise to Goat Haunt, USA, starts the day. Waterton Lakes Park is a UNESCO Site and the Canadian half of the ‘Peace Park’. Glacier Park in the USA is the American counterpart. Together they share Waterton Lake, although a very distinct borderline is cut cleanly into the vegetation on each side of the lake. The views are inspiring!

Dry land, and it’s time to ride the range like days – of – old and to feast on more incredible vistas. Giddy-up!

DAY 13 Waterton to Calgary

It’s time to pack up and hit the home-trail, but not before a fascinating visit to the Bar U Ranch. Businessmen, natives, cattle, princes, Percherons and cowboys were all part of this historic ranch. Hop on the wagon and learn about the prominent and infamous people that lived and worked here and travelled the trails to Calgary.

Tonight, it’s farewell at a river café, a splendid way to end the day.

We hope that your journey was an enjoyable and memorable one.

Next...Tour #2: Western Heritage