Meet at the group hotel in downtown Calgary. Your holiday starts with the overnight stay at the group hotel.

In the morning we drive around 2 hours to Kananaskis Country to start our adventure in the Rocky Mountains. Kananaskis is a favourite walking spot for local hikers, less touristic than other areas, we are able to enjoy peaceful trails to spectacular mountain vantage points, verdant alpine meadows and pristine lakes. We reach our campground at Boulton Creek, our base for the next 2 nights, before heading out on our first trail.
Blessed with stunning mountain scenery, the Chester Lake hike is one of the best hikes in Kananaskis. Unlike typical single-track mountain hiking trails, the Chester Lake hike has a nice wide trail allowing groups of people to easily socialize along the way up. A beautiful, moderate trek through a dense pine and larch forest to a picturesque alpine lake surrounded by majestic peaks, the trail to Chester Lake is a gentle incline with a huge visual payoff.
Once you reach your high point for the day, the Chester Lake Trail ventures into the heart of a beautiful alpine meadow with rocky mountain peaks towering above on all sides. Having savoured our first experience of this epic range it is time to return to camp, descending along the same trail.

Today we enjoy a second day in Kananaskis as we embark on another classic hike to Burstall Pass. Burstall Pass is a classic hike in Kananaskis Country. The route starts out meandering up through larch forest. As we ascend the forest clears allowing us to go down to the Burstall Lakes and take a break admiring these stunning waters. From here the track narrows and crosses Burstall Creek and a muddy and marshy section of the trail, before climbing on to a wildflower filled alpine meadow. From here we again climb through the forest eventually reaching Burstall Pass where the trees open up for beautiful views down into Banff National Park and Mt. Assiniboine. Dropping slightly down the other side of the pass affords extra views into Spray Valley and Mt. Leman. After a break at the pass to admire the views we return back the way we came for another night at our Kananaskis campsite.

This morning we leave Kananaskis and drive north along the Icefields Parkway. After about 3 hours driving through the spectacular scenery we stop at the Wilcox Pass trailhead where we will undertake our next walk. Wilcox Pass provides some of the easiest access to alpine meadows and incredible views of the peaks and glaciers of the eastern edge of the Columbia Icefield. The route passes through alpine meadows on route to the Wilcox Viewpoint across from the Athabasca Glacier. Depending on the group's choice we also have an optional addition of the Athabasca Ice Walk. Returning to our vehicle we continue north to Jasper and our campground for the next 3 nights.

Today we embark on the most outstanding hike in Jasper National Park, with a fantastic panorama that includes the iconic Maligne Lake and the glaciated Queen Elizabeth ranges. Travelling along ridge-tops, you will feel like you're on top of the world! Hiking through well-protected caribou habitat, be sure to keep an eye out for herds ranging in the meadows. Most of this hike is on easy trail the forest, with the views from the summit worth the climb! Above the treeline we continue through an alpine meadow where we can see the steep path up to Bald Hill, from here we have fabulous views down to Maligne Lake and across to the glaciated peaks of Leah Peak, Samson Peak and Maligne Mountain. If time permits we may continue down the ridge for more spectacular views of secluded valleys and impressive peaks. The descent is slightly shallower than the climb, re-joining the main trail in the forest to return to the trailhead and back to our campground in Jasper.

Maligne Canyon is the deepest canyon in Jasper National Park, with a depth of more than 50 metres at multiple points. Your tour leader will make this hike easy for you by dropping you off at the upstream end of the canyon and picking you up at the downstream end, so you can explore this incredible natural landmark in one (downhill) direction, crossing six bridges built across various points of the canyon.

In the afternoon, you can either spend your time walking around the Jasper townsite, or alternatively complete another hike through the Valley of the Five Lakes. This hike takes approximately 2 hours, and as the name implies, takes you to views of five different lakes, many of which you can go swimming in. We return to our campground for our final night in Jasper.

This morning we depart Jasper and head back south down the Icefields Parkway towards Lake Louise. About half way to Lake Louise we stop at the Parker Ridge Trailhead for another memorable walk. The Parker Ridge Trail provides some of the best bang for your buck views of anywhere in the Canadian Rockies. A short and steep hike leads you to amazing views of the Saskatchewan Glacier, the largest of the Columbia Icefield's six valley outlet glaciers. Again we start our walk through subalpine forest before climbing above the treeline to an alpine meadow, an abundance of wildflowers greet us in this protected microclimate. The summits of Mt. Athabasca and Hilda peak dominate the view and across the highway we can see back to Wilcox pass. A switch back trail leads us to a scree slope and then on to the Parker Ridge, often welcomed by an fresh blast of air off the surrounding glaciers as we crest the ridge. We descend south down the ridge taking us to the viewpoints of the Saskatchewan Glacier, before returning down the trail the way we came. After our hike we drive on to Lake Louise, making multiple short stops at the various viewpoints and sights along the Parkway (Peyto Lake, Bow Lake, Athabasca Falls & Sunwapta Falls) before arriving to Lake Louise late afternoon and checking in to our hostel.

A classic hike in Banff National Park, Plain of Six Glaciers starts on the shoreline of world-famous Lake Louise, climbs up to a traditional Canadian teahouse, and offers stunning glacier views and a look back across Lake Louise and the Chateau. From the teahouse, views of some of the tallest mountains in the Canadian Rockies are plentiful. Leaving the crowds of Lake Louise behind our trail continues past the lakeshore and climbs up through the forest. Looking back we are afforded stunning views over Lake Louise and the peaks beyond. After 5.5km, finishing with 2 steep switchbacks, we reach the Plain of Six Glaciers Tea house, a quaint and traditional Canadian Teahouse serving tea, coffee, cakes and scones. We can continue on another 1.5km to Abbot's Pass Viewpoint for more spectacular views and a great spot for today's lunch stop. We return to Lake Louise descending the same trail. The evening is free to enjoy one of Lake Louise's many restaurants and relax.

Today's hike begins at Takakkaw Falls, the second highest waterfall in Canada. A stunning 373m cascade of water, these falls are a must-see while you are in the area. After taking in the views, you will head north by foot further into Yoho National Park to Laughing Falls. Expansive views of glaciers and the Little Yoho Valley are all on show as you travel through pristine spruce and pine forest. An optional extension to this hike takes us on a scenic trail to Twin Falls (An additional 8km/3 hours), passing Marpole Lake as we make our way around the base of Whaleback Mountain. We return to Lake Louise for the evening.

A short drive from Lake Louise takes us to Moraine Lake where today's hike starts. The Eiffel Lake and Wenkchemna Pass Trail includes a stunning climb up from Moraine Lake with views of the incredible Valley of the 10 Peaks. The wonderful Eiffel Lake provides a great place to stop for lunch and sit and enjoy the view, with the flat calm surface of Eiffel Lake reflecting the surrounding mountains. For those with more energy, you can proceed the remaining 3km up to Wenckehma Pass to enjoy a view into another solitary valley. We return by the same trail where we meet our vehicle and drive around 1 hour to our campground in Banff.

Today starts with a short drive to the trailhead for our hike to Cory Pass. The toughest day of our trip, the Cory Pass is a varied and challenging hike with a steep 900-meter ascent to the pass, where you'll find towering rock formations and breath-taking views of the jagged Mount Louis, popular with rock climbers from around the world. After a kilometre walking through the forest the route forks uphill towards the pass. The trail climbs steeply for 1.5km before reaching a flatter section with incredible views from the ridge. We will be able to see the route contouring Mount Edith towards Cory Pass. A rocky section leads to the top of the pass, with incredible views of the 'Gargoyle Valley' and the mountains that flank it, including Mt Cory, Mt Fifi, Mt Louis and Mt Edith. We descend the other side down a scree slope and back into the forest where we join a gentle forest path back to the trailhead. From verdant forest to rocky valleys this hike provides a variety of spectacular environments to travel through. We then return to our campground in Banff.

Today we take another short drive to the start of the trailhead at Norquay Ski Resort, at the top of a winding switchback road above Banff Village, reducing the amount of climbing we need to reach the mountains. From the base of the ski hill we start our hike with a short descent to Forty Mile Creek, and then a steady ascent through pine forest up to the massive Cascade Amphitheatre. From the meadow below marvel at the towering limestone walls that create the amphitheatre, before descending the way we came. We return to Banff to enjoy our last evening in the mountains.

Savouring our last morning in the Rockies, we enjoy some free time in Banff Village. Wander down Banff Avenue exploring the mix of quaint restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops or sample some of the local delicacies such as 'Poutine' - a Canadian dish of deep fried fries with gravy and cheese curds. After lunch your holiday ends with a transfer to Calgary Airport (1 -2 hour drive) in time for evening flights.