First Passage to the West Rocky Mountaineer Rail Journey

The most popular route on the iconic Rocky Mountaineer through the Canadian Rockies. This rail journey retraces the steps of the explorers who forged the first route to the west in the 19th century, from the fertile farmlands to the majestic peaks of the Rocky Mountains.

Day 1 - Vancouver to Kamloops

Step aboard this iconic train journey, departing from Rocky Mountaineer’s very own train station in Vancouver. The route follows the Fraser River through the fertile lands of the Fraser Valley, slowing down at highlights along the way such as Hell’s Gate where the river narrows, creating turbulent and rampant waters that gush through this dramatic canyon. You will leave Fraser River behind and head east along the Thompson River through British Columbia’s desert-like interior to Kamloops.

Day 2 - Kamloops to Banff

Your Rocky Mountaineer adventure follows the South Thompson River, climbing up through the forest-clad mountains towards the province of Alberta. Ride the Canadian Pacific Railway’s most impressive engineering feats, the Spiral Tunnels, completed in 1909, where the railway ascends 1,070 feet over a distance of only 10 miles, crossing the Continental Divide. As the track carves its way through high mountain passes and along the shores of teal-green lakes to Lake Louise and onward to Banff.