Canadian Rockies: National Parks Westbound

Now's the time to explore Canada on your terms with this tour that's affordable for young travellers. The Rockies are a great reason to explore the Canadian West, but why stop there? We asked that question, then answered it with this trip — a sprawling, nature-rich mini-epic that melds some of Canada’s best national parks with time on the mist-shrouded shores of Vancouver Island. Find yourself face-to-face with moose, deer, and maybe even a bear on this trip loaded with diverse experiences — glacier hikes, hot springs, and much, much more — you’ll stuff a lifetime’s worth of adventure into the space of a mere two weeks. Accommodation will be varied throughout your adventure. We use a combination of hotels and hostels, but most of the nights on tour are spent camping in tents in public and private campgrounds.



Please note that where we use multi-share hostels, rooming requests of any kind cannot be taken.



All camping equipment (with the exception of your sleeping bag and pillow) is supplied, including comfortable camp mattresses. We supply dome tents that take only 5 minutes to assemble/disassemble. They are good quality, durable, industry-standard, oversized 2-person tents, each with 2 separate and convenient zip-up doors, so that each person has his/her own entrance.



We use 2 types of campgrounds in North America:

1. Private campgrounds: These are privately run sites, usually with all services such as fire pits, picnic tables, drinking water, toilets & shower buildings. Some have small outdoor swimming pools and laundry facilities. These campgrounds are typically located near national park entrances or towns.



2. Public campgrounds: These are park-run sites, usually with basic facilities such as fire pits, picnic tables, and drinking water. In some cases, this type of campground doesn’t have showers, only pit toilets and a lake! In other locations, toilet and shower facilities may be located outside the campground, or at times in another location a drive away. Some may have shower fees for onsite facilities ($2-6/shower).



For our nights camping in Banff there may not be a shower at the campground. If this is the case the CEO will arrange for a trip to town for showers.