Canadian Rockies Carousel

Trip Itinerary

Day 1: Depart Chicago

All Canadian Rockies Carousel tour members will meet the Tour Director in Chicago’s Union Station. Early this afternoon we will board Amtrak’s Empire Builder for the 1475-mile journey across five states to Shelby, Montana. Relax in your comfortable reclining coach seat with leg rest. Roomettes or Bedrooms are available at an additional cost. All dining car meals are included. After settling in you may want to go to the glass-walled Sightseer Lounge car for spectacular viewing.

Enjoy a full-course dinner in the diner tonight. We briefly stop in Minneapolis-St. Paul at 10:30 p.m. when you can take a short stroll.

Meal(s):  D

Day 2: Lethbridge

During the day we will roll across the remote flatlands of North Dakota and eastern Montana. Late this afternoon we’ll arrive in Shelby, Montana. A boxed dinner will be provided on the train prior to our arrival. The deluxe motorcoach that will transport us throughout the Canadian Rockies will be waiting for us. Our first night in Western Canada will be spent at the Lethbridge Comfort Inn.

Meal(s):  B, L & D

Day 3: Banff

After a Continental breakfast (included) we will board our motorcoach and head northwest for Banff. The awesome Canadian Rockies will soon begin to dominate the horizon.

Upon arrival in Banff early this afternoon, we will embark on a Discover Banff tour. The highlight of the tour will be the gondola ride to the top of Sulphur Mountain for a spectacular view. Our home for tonight will be the attractive Banff Aspen Lodge. Numerous dinner options are nearby.

Meal(s):  CB

Day 4: Columbia Icefield

Today our travelers will experience the Icefields Parkway, North America’s most scenic highway. We’ll visit the Columbia Icefield. Keep your camera handy for frequent photo opportunities. A ride out onto the Athabasca Glacier in a specialized Snocoach will be a highlight of the tour.

Another high point will be the visit to Lake Louise and its famous Chateau. The setting is one of the most picturesque in the Rockies. A box lunch will be served en route.

We will arrive in the quaint village of Jasper at 4:00 p.m. Our home for the next two nights is the Whistlers Inn. The Inn is located in the heart of the village, convenient to restaurants, stores and various activities.

Meal(s):  CB & L

Day 5: Jasper

This morning, we’ll board our motorcoach and travel to nearby Maligne Lake and embark on a scenic cruise. No landmark so perfectly epitomizes the Canadian Rockies like the world-famous Spirit Island on Maligne Lake. The 90-minute scenic cruise to this diminutive jewel has been acclaimed as the “Best boat tour in Canada” by eight million Reader’s Digest subscribers.

You’re free this afternoon to rest, shop or participate in a variety of activities. A popular option is the Jasper Tramway. The Tramway is the longest and highest guided aerial tramway in Canada and the only guided aerial ropeway in the Canadian Rockies. Experience unprecedented views of six mountain ranges, glacial fed lakes, the Athabasca River (Alberta’s longest) and the scenic mountain town-site of Jasper.

Day 6: Icefields Parkway / Lethbridge

Today our travelers will experience an encore perfornance of the Icefields Parkway. This return southbound to Banff gives our travelers one of the few tours that offers this magnificent highway in both directions. Be ready for more photo stops.

We will continue to Calgary, Canada’s fifth largest city. We stop for an early dinner at the Spaghetti Factory.

Then we head for the city of Lethbridge where we’ll spend the night at the Lethbridge Comfort Inn.

Meal(s):  D

Day 7: The Empire Builder

Following an included Continental breakfast, we’ll travel south to Shelby, Montana, where at 11:43 a.m. we’ll board the Empire Builder for Chicago.

You will experience the same Superliner accommodations and amenities as you did on your outbound trip. Lunch and dinner are included.

Once you’re settled in, you’ll want to head for the Sightseer Lounge car. The rest of the day we’ll cross the remote flatlands of eastern Montana and western North Dakota.

Meal(s):  CB, L & D

Day 8: En Route to Chicago

Breakfast and lunch on the train are included. We pass through Minneapolis-St. Paul this morning and then head south along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The Empire Builder is scheduled to arrive in Chicago’s Union Station at 3:55 this afternoon.

Many of our tour members will conclude their America by Rail vacation by transferring to other Amtrak trains bound for home cities. Others may spend the night in Chicago and fly home tomorrow.

Meal(s):  B & L