Calgary to Edmonton Rockies Explorer Self Drive Discovery

Welcome to Calgary! Upon arrival at the Calgary International Airport, you will pick up your rental vehicle and drive approximately 30-minutes into downtown Calgary.

Calgary, the sunniest city in Canada, is located between the Canadian Prairies and the Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks on the banks of the Bow River. It is a vibrant city with rich cultural heritage, world-class attractions and festivals, culinary experiences from food trucks to fine dining featuring fresh farm-to-table products, and is the gateway to endless adventure in Alberta. Stroll the streets and explore one of its many eclectic neighborhoods and connect with friendly locals or walk, bike, or take a Segway tour along the largest urban pathway system in the world with approximately 625-miles of trails. Highlights include the Calgary Tower, the Calgary Zoo, Fort Calgary, the Glenbow Museum, or Heritage Park Historical Village.

Today, you will drive approximately 1-hour, 30-minutes from Calgary to Banff in Banff National Park. You will traverse Kananaskis Country which includes five provincial parks, four wildland provincial parks, one ecological reserve, and several provincial recreation areas. It also encompasses the Canmore Nordic Centre, a world-class facility built for the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics as well as the Nakiska Ski Resort at Kananaskis Village, which was specially designed for the alpine events. A plethora of activities can be enjoyed in this region including horseback riding, Whitewater rafting, hiking, golfing, mountain biking, and fishing.

"Banff National Park is famous for its surreally colored lakes, majestic mountains, and endless outdoor adventures. Canada’s first national park and the world’s third, it has a rich heritage as one of the world’s most awe-inspiring mountain destinations. What makes Banff National Park so special is its easy access and close proximity to the vast unspoiled wilderness of the Canadian Rockies. The park spans 2,564 square miles of mountainous terrain, packed with spectacularly scenic valleys, peaks, glaciers, forests, meadows, and rivers. Adventurers can enjoy incredible alpine day hikes, great paddling, Via Ferrata, and much more. For those looking for a more relaxed pace, you can ride the Banff Gondola up Sulpher Mountain for spectacular 360-degree views, enjoy a cruise on Lake Minnewanak, enjoy a soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs, visit the Cave & Basin or Banff Park Museum National Historic Sites, take in one of the many scenic drives or enjoy unique wildlife viewing."

Today, you will drive approximately 1-hour from Banff to the Lake Louise in Banff National Park. If you're looking for a more scenic and leisurely route, ensure to travel along the Bow Valley Parkway instead. This route has numerous scenic pullouts, viewpoints with interpretative displays, several picnic areas, and the best opportunities to see wildlife in Banff. Highlights include the Castle Cliff viewpoint, Johnston Canyon, and the Backswamp viewpoint. Johnston Canyon is one of Banff's most popular hiking areas with trails that leads to the upper and lower falls in the canyon.

Today, you will drive approximately 3-hours from Lake Louise to Jasper in Jasper National Park. Unlike any other, the stretch of road from Jasper to Lake Louise known as the Icefields Parkway is rated as one of the top drives in the world by Condé Nast Traveler, it is dotted with more than 100 ancient glaciers, cascading waterfalls, dramatic rock spires, and emerald lakes set in sweeping valleys of thick pine and larch forests. The abundance of wildlife in Jasper and Banff National Parks will have you peering around every turn. So take your time, stop for a hike to a breath-taking viewpoint, capture that stunning photo to share with friends, and enjoy a roadside picnic amidst the splendor of the Canadian Rockies pristine wilderness. Highlights include Athabasca Falls, Sunwapta Falls, the Glacier Skywalk, the Columbia Icefield Centre, the Weeping Wall, Peyto Lake, and Bow Lake.

The town of Jasper is located in the heart of Jasper National Park. Originally a railway town, its unpretentious charm has a timeless appeal. The park’s abundant wildlife, crystalline lakes, deep canyons, evergreen forests, shimmering glaciers, and thundering waterfalls — all surrounded by towering mountains — are some of the reasons the park was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At 4,335 square miles, Jasper National Park is Canada's largest park in the Rocky Mountains and the second largest Dark Sky Preserve in the world. Jasper offers breathtaking sites and memorable experiences. Adventurers can enjoy incredible adrenaline-pumping mountain biking, alpine day hikes, great paddling, and much more. For those looking for a more relaxed pace, you can picnic amongst majestic peaks, enjoy a cruise on Maligne Lake, take in one of the many scenic drives or enjoy unique wildlife viewing.

Today, you will drive approximately 4-hours from Jasper to Edmonton. Your journey takes you out of the Rocky Mountains, through the foothills, and into the Alberta Parkland region. Activities En route include the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton, Pembina River Tubing in Entwistle, or the Multicultural Heritage Centre Museum in Stony Plain.

Edmonton, which experiences over 17-hours of daylight in summer is Canada's second sunniest city and a vibrant urban center in the heart of the wilderness. It is located on the North Saskatchewan River who's river valley is 22 times the size of New York's Central Park and is also North America's northernmost city with a population over one million. Highlights include the 100 Street Funicular, the Alberta Legislature, the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton Valley Zoo, Fort Edmonton Park, the Muttart Conservatory, the Royal Alberta Muesum, and West Edmonton Mall.

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and drive approximately 30-minutes to the Edmonton International Airport where you will return your rental vehicle and check-in for your onward flight.