In addition to the following 'snapshot'
descriptions you can also read further information
on the highlighted areas using the links supplied
on the individual tour pages. Once on tour the Visitors'
Centres, historical roadside markers, Park Rangers,
museums and newspapers will be readily accessible
for additional information. Combine these with the
knowledge of your trek leader and you'll have plenty
of background - maybe more than you'll be able to
absorb.
And remember: one of the best sources
of information is the 'locals'- so don't be shy or
afraid about saying 'Hi'. You'll discover that your
accent is a marvellous icebreaker to help you experience
the real spirit of Canada.
If a cowboy
in a ten-gallon hat offers you a free breakfast of
coffee, pancakes and sausages, chances are you are
right in the middle of the Calgary Stampede, the world's
biggest and best known rodeo held every July. If so,
don't miss the chuck-wagon races, wild steer riding
and bronco busting and, at night, join in the street
dancing.
Albertans are friendly and believe
everybody should have a good time, whether at the
Stampede or at Edmonton's Klondike Days,commemorating
the Canadian Gold Rush of the 1890's. Alberta is a
study in contrasts - stylish, up-to-date Calgary and
Edmonton, the capital, and nearby wide open spaces
and towering mountains where wildlife - deer, antelope,
moose and bighorn - still roams. Cattle and oil are
the backbone of the province where the round-up often
takes place in the shadow of horsehead oil pumps.
Banff and Jasper National Parks provide a wide range
of year-round outdoor activities and the town of Banff
hosts a major arts festival each summer.
East of Calgary, go back in history
millions of years in Dinosaur Provincial Park where
the world's largest collection of dinosaurs has been
found preserved in the fossilized rock buttes and
spires in this arid and moon-like landscape. Throughout
the province experience the age-old customs of the
Indian culture at pow-wows and other festivities,
or enjoy the local western rodeo and horseraces.
British Columbia
has a fresh, open and dynamic way of life - a special
perspective.
It's a place of big ideas, where
the word 'impossible' has been all but stricken from
the dictionary. British Columbians are understandably
proud of their stunningly beautiful province and their
unique lifestyle. The provincial capital of Victoria,
with the most temperate climate in Canada, nestles
on the southern tip of Vancouver Island overlooking
the clear blue waters of Juan de Fuca Strait. Have
tea at the Empress Hotel, a local tradition. Enjoy
the British atmosphere that is everywhere in this
city, or admire Butchart Gardens, a veritable Garden
of Eden for flower lovers.
A short ferry or commuter plane
ride away, on the mainland, is big, exciting Vancouver.
Here is everything a tourist could ask for - a seemingly
endless number of smart shops, fine restaurants, theatres
and huge department stores. Visit Stanley Park, a
natural preserve for the giant west-coast cedars,
Douglas firs and hemlocks, with a zoo, aquarium and
whale show. Stroll through Gastown and Chinatown,
or Granville Island, visit domed British Columbia
Place and the site of Expo '86. Swim and sunbathe
at English Bay or ski Grouse Mountain right inside
the city.
Whistler Mountain, a two-hour drive
away, offers both winter and summer skiing into British
Columbia's rugged interior for spectacular mountain
scenery and a look at Cariboo gold rush country, the
cherry blossoms of the Okanagan or a houseboaters'
paradise. Or a coastal steamer or cruise ship will
let you drink in the beauty of the coastal fjords
or the artistry of the Haida totem poles. The many
provincial parks and private tourist camps offer camping,
hiking, trail riding and vistas that will take your
breath away.
These interconnected national parks
form the oldest national park in Canada and the largest,
with more than 6,800 square miles of wilderness -
sharing magnificent mountain scenery, clear lakes,
waterfalls and wildlife. To Canadians, Banff, Yoho
and Jasper are 'the showpieces of the Canadian West'.
Visitors can watch bears feeding in a natural setting,
be accosted by friendly mountain goats, soak in thermal
hot springs, explore by raft or canoe, shop for jewellery
and gift items, or go horseback riding surrounded
by nature.
The massive Columbia Icefields
feed the many glaciers, especially The Athabasca,
on which snowmobile rides are available. Camera shutters
go off like small-arms fire when visitors see the
emerald greens and rich blues of Lake Louise, or the
exploding cascades of water at Athabasca Falls. The
spectacular surroundings have been backdrop to many
Western films, such as Buffalo Bill and the Indians
(Paul Newman) and Little Big Man (Dustin Hoffman).
From the time it was first
explored and mapped by traders and trappers, this
mountain parkland area of the Canadian Rockies has
been described as 'spectacular' and 'magnificent'.
The words hardly do it justice!
