Wild, rugged, and spectacularly beautiful; what else would you expect from a tour that promises the best of the West? This is twenty-two days across the mountains and tundra of Canada’s Rocky mountains, the Alaskan coast, and the vast Yukon interior. We’ll visit spectacular ice fields, rolling tundra, cascading waterfalls and quiet forests. We’ll hike up to mountain passes, raft down thrilling rivers, let loose like it’s 1898 in historic Dawson City, and share campfires in quiet, natural campsites. Our knowledgeable guides will take you by van along routes steeped with history, with vibrant indigenous traditions and gripping frontier legends. We’ll sample Canada’s great National Parks, including Banff, Yoho, Jasper, and Kluane, and range as far north as the edge of the arctic tundra. This is the ultimate van tour. Come and join us!
Information
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Calgary
Welcome! From the airport, you can catch the shuttle bus to your hotel, where your guide will meet you. In the evening we’ll have dinner together and go through a brief orientation. (Overnight hotel accommodation in Calgary)
Day 2: Calgary - Banff National Park
It’s off to Canada’s first and most iconic national park. We’ll drive to Banff, where we’ll take a campsite in one of the park’s forested campgrounds, which are complete with hot showers. Then it’s time for a two to three hour hike along one of the many mountain trails along Lake Minnewanka. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 3: Banff National Park
We have a full day today to hike up above tree line into Banff’s spectacular alpine meadows, lakes, and ridges. Many options are possible, depending on the group’s interests and ability. (For example 7.5 kms with 725 m gain (4.6 mi, 2414 ft) to a small lake and possibly 2 km further into the pass at 2470 m (8225 ft). Hiking time 5 – 7 hours.) In the evening we’ll have time to visit the Banff townsite for shopping and amenities, or simply enjoy a quiet evening at the campfire.
Day 4: Banff National Park - Yoho National Park
Today we’ll pack up our camp and hit the road again. Our first stop is Lake Louise, the original postcard view of the Canadian Rockies. Our suggested hike is the 3.5 km (2 mi) path with 400 m gain (1325 ft) to the historic tea house by an alpine lake. Here a network of easy to demanding trails is tempting you to go further and higher. For example the 15 km (9.3 mi) circuit into the Plain of Six Glaciers or a 2.5 km (1.6 mi) climb with 515 m (1705 ft) gain to a summit with exceptional views of nearby peaks and distant landscapes. Camp for today and tomorrow (showers) near the alpine village of Lake Louise. Hiking time 3 – 5 hours. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 5: Yoho National Park
We have the option today for a great white water rafting trip on the Kicking Horse River. It involves a side trip to Golden in B.C., headquarters for many outdoor adventures. If you’re not feeling like a day on the river, we have a variety of other options. One is an 18km (11mi) circuit through two alpine passes at 1830 m and 2180m (6093 ft and 7250 ft), with spectacular views of Emerald Lake. Hiking time 6 hours.
(Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 6: Yoho National Park - Jasper National Park
We’re headed up the Icefields Parkway today, following the continental divide past cascading icefalls. We’ll stop at places like Peyto Lake and Bow Summit, and at the Columbia Icefields discovers centre. We’ll take a look at the Saskatchewan glacier from above, after hiking 2.5km (1.5 mi) to a windy ridge perched at 2260m (7525 ft). We’ll then head to Jasper, where we will spend two nights in a comfortable campground with hot showers. Hiking time 2 hours. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 7: Jasper National Park
There are many things to do in Jasper, including swimming and a picnic at Pyramid lake, mountain biking, trail rides, canoeing and more. We can also take a trip up to Maligne Lake for an eight-kilometre (5 mile) loop hike with 460 m gain (1532 ft) into the hills above treeline at 2150 m (7160 ft) elevation and with the possibility of continuing all the way up to a peak at 2790m (9290 ft), with a view overlooking this stunning teal-coloured lake. Hiking time 2 – 6 hours. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 8: Jasper National Park
Mighty Athabasca Falls count among the attractions of this park. Trails near the Columbia Icefields start at tree line and are especially rewarding thanks to their magnificent views of the glaciers and surrounding ranges. Your farewell to the Rockies is the 8 km (5 mi) hike with 335 m (1155 ft) gain above the tree line into a pass at 2375 m (7980 ft). Tonight, enjoy the campfire and final night camping in the Rockies. Hiking time 2 – 3 hours.
(Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 9: Edmonton
Leaving the Rockies behind, you travel in private transfer east to the provincial capital of Edmonton. After driving through the eastern foothills and rolling farms you arrive in downtown Edmonton and your hotel for the next two nights. Steps from the hotel, find a choice of dining places, entertainment and the bustle of the city center. (Overnight hotel accommodation)
Day 10: Edmondon
A day to explore Edmonton on your own. Downtown is home to summer festivals and the Royal Alberta Museum housing expansive natural and human history displays, chronicling the story of Alberta’s animals, landscapes and First Peoples. The green ribbon of North Saskatchewan River valley is steps away offering quiet walking and biking trails. West Edmonton Mall has over eight hundred stores and services in addition to one-of-a-kind retailers and entertainment for all ages. Or spend the day at Fort Edmonton, an outdoor heritage park which brings the history of Western Canada to life. (Overnight hotel accommodation)
Day 11: Edmonton - Whitehorse
You’ll fly today direct from Edmonton to Whitehorse, capital of Yukon Territory. Ruby Range Adventure will meet you there with new equipment, a new van, and a new guide. (Overnight hotel accommodation in Whitehorse)
Day 12: Whitehorse – Dempster Highway
After breakfast we’ll head up the Klondike Highway to reach the Dempster Highway. This 730km gravel road is Canada’s northernmost highway, linking the interior of Yukon territory with the arctic community of Inuvik. We’ll travel as far as Tombstone Territorial Park, the scenic highlight of this highway, and camp at a beautiful campground. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 13: Tombstone Territorial Park
Tombstone Territorial Park sits just 285km south of the Arctic Circle, at the edge of an endless expanse of rolling tundra that is the home of the great Porcupine Caribou Herd. We’ll spend the day exploring the mountain slopes and ridges here, where the open landscape offers breathtaking views, then camp again for the evening at the park campground, enjoying campfires and interpretive programs courtesy of the local rangers. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 14: Dempster Highway – Dawson City
We’ll head south again today for a real change of scenery. Dawson City is the legendary boomtown at the centre of the Klondike gold rush. History is very much alive here, with many of the false-fronted gold-rush buildings preserved and restored. The town is a National Historic site, and there are a variety of exhibits, interpretive walks, and attractions to explore—after a hot shower and good meal, of course. An evening at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall, with its poker tables and can-can girls, caps off our day. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 15: Dawson City
We’ll spend this entire day in Dawson. We’ll have time for a visit to the heart of famous gold fields for an interpretive tour through a working gold mine and an insight into the region’s mining history. You’ll even have a chance to pan for gold yourself. The rest of the day gives you time to visit sites within Dawson, including the Jack London and Robert Service Cabins, the Dawson City Museum—and of course a drive up the Midnight Dome behind the town, for a panorama stretching from the gold fields to the great Yukon River to the Ogilvie Mountains. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 16: Dawson City - Top of the World Highway
From Dawson, we head west today over the Top of the World Highway into Alaska. This extraordinary gravel road follows ridges through wild, open tundra, punctuated by only a couple of peculiar northern towns, Chicken and Jack Wade. Driving this highway is an experience of the scale of this immense landscape. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 17: Top of the World Highway - Haines Junction, Yukon
It’s back across the border to Canada today, where we’ll pass the spectacular Kluane Ranges and the shore of Kluane Lake. We’ll stop at the Sheep Mountain visitor centre in Kluane National Park, where with a bit of luck we can watch wild Dall sheep feeding high on the mountain slopes. We’ll also have the chance for an optional glacier flight. The park holds a large part of the greatest non-polar ice sheets in the world, and is home to Canada’s largest mountains, including Mount Logan at nearly 6000 metres. This is an unforgettable opportunity and highly recommended. We’ll set up our base near the town of Haines Junction at the edge of the park, which will allow us to explore more of this remarkable landscape. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 18 - 19: Kluane National Park
We will spend two days in Haines Junction, which gives us a variety of options, depending on the weather, including more opportunities for a glacier flight if the weather did not allow it on Day 15. We can take a hike up into one of the park’s high alpine valleys for a peek further back into the great mountains and a chance to spot Dall sheep and grizzly bear. A variety of shorter trails are available, depending on the group’s level of interest and the weather. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 20: Haines Junction - Million Dollar Falls
Today is a highlight for most visitors. We’ll drive south into the Coast Ranges to the upper Tatshenshini River, where we’ll join a guided rafting trip down this thrilling white-water river. We’ll spend the night at Million Dollar Falls campground. As the name suggests, there is a priceless view a short hike from camp. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 21: Million Dollar Falls – Haines
We’ll head further south today, crossing into Alaska over the high alpine landscape of the Chilkat Pass and descending to the coastal town of Haines. This is a wildlife sanctuary, where thousands of salmon migrate through the streams, attracting eagles and bears for extraordinary viewing opportunities. We’ll have some time to shop and explore here. Haines is an important centre for Tlingit culture, and we will have to admire local sculptures. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 22: Haines - Skagway
We’ll head up the Lynn Canal today to the town of Skagway. The ferry ride itself is spectacular, taking us through a mountainous fjord where, if we’re lucky, we may see seals, whales, or Alaskan brown bears along the shore. Like Dawson City, Skagway is a piece of gold rush history preserved. We’ll have plenty of time to explore the town and it’s attractions, which range from pleasant seaside and forest hikes to historic sites, museums, and saloons. (Overnight campground accommodation)
Day 23: Skagway - Whitehorse
There’s time today to take an optional ride on the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Route rail line, which hugs the mountainsides on its way to the town of Carcross. We’ll drive across the border again, passing passing through a wide variety of eco-regions, including what may be the world’s smallest and most unlikely desert. A hotel room and a celebratory dinner are waiting at the end of the day. (Overnight hotel accommodation in Whitehorse)
Day 24: Departure Whitehorse
On the last day of the program, Ruby Range Adventure will provide a transfer to the airport or to a connecting program. (End of tour services) (This is an expedition-style trip, and changes to the itinerary may be necessary due to weather or other conditions. Any changes are left to the discretion of the guide.)
Details
Tour Duration
24 Days
Tour Price
Double Room/Tent: CAD 4,395.00
Single Room/Tent: +CAD 575.00
All Rates per person (+ GST)
Group Size
3 – 12 participants per tour
Demands
A background in camping is an asset but not necessary.
Moderate hikes with light day pack, courses and activities are suitable for beginners and include necessary equipment and safety gear.
Included
- 24 days trip from Calgary to Whitehorse
- Airport Shuttle in Calgary, Edmonton and Whitehorse
- Expert guidance on the entire trip
- 1 night hotel accommodation in Calgary
- 2 night hotel accommodation in Edmonton
- Dinner and breakfast during first hotelovernight in Calgary
- All meals while camping
- 2 nights hotel accommodation in Whitehorse
- 2 person tents (19 nights)
- Campgroundfees
- Camping equipment (except mattress and sleeping bag)
- Scheduled flight from Edmonton to Whitehorse
- Overland transportation
- Rafting day trip (Tatshenshini River)
- Ferry Haines to Skagway
- Historic tour in Dawson City including goldpanning
- Entrance fee Diamond Tooth Gerties
- Entrance fee museum in Dawson City
- Entrance fees for national parks
Not included
- Personal equipment/extras
- Meals in hotels (days 1, 9, 10, 11, 23)
- Alcoholic beverages
- Camping Mattress and Sleeping Bag
- Gratuity
Tour map
