Road Tripping the Rockies - From the American West to Canada

Twenty-one days and close to three thousand miles through the Rockies, from Wyoming up into British Columbia, crossing the border roughly halfway. It is a lot of driving and the parks justify it.

Jackson Hole opens it with a naturalist-guided sunset walk in Grand Teton, then Yellowstone for two nights, the oldest and largest national park in the United States, sitting on a supervolcano with half the world’s geysers. Mammoth Hot Springs follows with its terraced limestone, then Bozeman, then Missoula by way of the gold rush ghost towns at Virginia City and Nevada City.

Whitefish and Saint Mary come next either side of the Going-to-the-Sun Road, fifty miles over Logan Pass and one of the great mountain drives anywhere. Waterton Lakes follows across the Canadian border, and it was joined to Glacier in 1932 as the world’s first international peace park.

Banff then gets two nights with a private tour of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake, and Jasper two more, reached via Yoho and Takakkaw Falls, with a Maligne Lake cruise out to Spirit Island. Clearwater follows as the gateway to Wells Gray, then Whistler for two nights, before the run down the Sea to Sky Highway to Vancouver. Original Travel include the hire car, accommodation, the guided tours and cruises, concierge access, a 24-hour helpline and carbon absorption. International flights and most meals are separate. Prices run from 6,650 to 9,900 pounds per person. Both border crossings and the seasonal opening of the high passes are worth checking before fixing dates.